The station's programming is relayed on two satellite stations: WAGV (channel 68) in Harlan (which shares transmitter facilities with WLFG) and WLFB (channel 40) in Bluefield, West Virginia (with transmitter atop East River Mountain, south of Bluefield, Virginia). WAGV was the first to broadcast exclusively in digital following a malfunction at its analog transmitter.[2]
History
Living Faith Television was founded by The Reverend Buford Smith who stated that God had given him a vision to build a TV station in Virginia.[citation needed] The station grew from the original station in Grundy to include the other two transmitters.
Rev. Smith was pastor of Tookland Pentecostal Church in Grundy until his death in May 2003. His son, Michael Smith, was president of the station until Buford Smith's death, when he became president and CEO of Living Faith Television.
Tookland Pentecostal Church was a major financier when the station was founded; it broke most of its ties with the station after it declared its independence in 2006.
Living Faith Television is now under the control of its board of directors, with Mike Smith as president and CEO and wife Lisa Smith as CFO. Other personalities are Mary Smith (wife of the late Buford Smith), Laverne Tripp and Fred Schmidt, among others.
Programming
The station's programming consists mostly of content by other ministries that purchase air time, along with some infomercials. Original programming is spread throughout the broadcast day by the flagship program Living Faith Now! (formerly From These Hills), along with Sing Time, Fred Schmidt, and Life Begins at Calvary, a program produced by Calvary Church of the Tri-Cities, and other programs.
WLFG shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 68, in May 2007.[4] The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 49,[5] using virtual channel 68.
(*) – indicates station is in one of Virginia's primary TV markets (**) – indicates station is in an out-of-state TV market, but reaches a small portion of Virginia
(*) – indicates station is in one of West Virginia's primary TV markets (**) – indicates station is in an out-of-state TV market, but reaches a small portion of West Virginia