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While the company initially announced plans to retain its television and radiobroadcasting properties,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/72009212/|accessdate=February 24, 2021|date=November 17, 1990|title=Durham Life to keep its stations|first=Bob|last=Langford|page=9D|work=The News & Observer}}</ref> the interest of buyers in Durham Life itself resulted in a deal. Bev W. Landstreet III, an investor from [[Nashville, Tennessee]], and owner of Financial Securities Fund L.P., had been attempting to buy Durham Corporation and its $8.2 billion portfolio of life insurance policies since 1983. When Durham instead opted to sell itself to Capital Holding of [[Louisville, Kentucky]], Landstreet got the consolation prize: Durham Life Broadcasting.<ref name="Tenn910419">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/92822424/tv-deal-may-end-insurance-buyout-try/|date=April 19, 1991|page=1F, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/92822509/ 4F]|first=Ed|last=Gregory|title=TV deal may end insurance buyout try|newspaper=The Tennessean|location=Nashville, Tennessee|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=January 17, 2022}}</ref><!-- Fri --> TheLandstreet radioimmediately stationssold wouldthe beradio immediately onsoldstations to [[Curtis Media Group]],. whileHe Landstreetthen would formformed FSF TV, Inc. to acquire channel 28, with Paul Brissette, a [[Boca Raton, Florida]]-based investor and president of [[Adams Communications|Adams Television]], toas buya WPTF-TVminority partner. The new owners hired Vickie Street, former general manager of Adams-owned [[WWAY]], the ABC affiliate in Wilmington, as general manager, answering directly to Brissette.<ref name="Vickie Street general manager">{{cite news |last1=Marshall |first1=Kyle |title=New WPTF owners eye bottom line |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84748914/new-wptf-owners-eye-bottom-line/ |access-date=October 20, 2021 |work=The News & Observer |location=Raleigh, NC |page=6C |language=English |archive-date=October 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020055726/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84748914/new-wptf-owners-eye-bottom-line/ |url-status=live |date=August 2, 1991}}</ref> FSFAlmost wasas ablesoon toas makeFSF thetook stationcontrol profitablein almostlate immediatelyJuly 1991, butBrissette onlycanceled afterthe evening newscasts and terminatingfired virtually the entire news department. inThe anews cost-cuttingstaffers movewere attold of the enddecision just before the scheduled start of Julythe 19917 p.m. newscast, and given just two hours to pack their things. Station officials said that the newscasts hadn't budged from last place despite numerous attempts at improvements.<ref name="FSF and Brissette">{{cite news |first1=Kyle |last1=Marshall |first2=Bob |last2=Langford |title=New owners cancel WPTF news shows |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84749074/new-owners-cancel-wptf-news-shows/ |access-date=October 19, 2021 |work=The News & Observer |date=August 1, 1991 |location=Raleigh, NC |page=7C |language=English |archive-date=October 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020055723/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84749074/new-owners-cancel-wptf-news-shows/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Brissette said that the newscasts' ratings were sothe most anemic he had seen in all of his years in television; they only attracted a two percent share at the time of their cancellation. This led Brissette and Landstreet to conclude that it would not be worth the effort to spend the money it would take to make themthe newscasts viable.<ref name="money">{{cite news|title=Owners turn WRDC into money maker|pages=1D, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/51789347/ 2D]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/51789310/|date=November 12, 1991|access-date=May 20, 2020|work=The News & Observer|first=Kyle|last=Marshall}}</ref> Brissette also shuttered the public affairs department.<ref name=betray/> The call sign was then changed to WRDC on October 25, 1991, after the three major cities in the Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill); the station branded as "TRI-28" (later rendered as "TRY-28").<ref name="News911025">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84748471/wptf-tv-changes-call-letters-today/|date=October 25, 1991|page=1D|title=WPTF-TV changes call letters today|newspaper=The News and Observer|location=Raleigh, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=January 17, 2022}}</ref><!-- Fri -->
WhileFSF was able to make the station wasprofitable outalmost immediately, but faced the perception that it believed in making money rather than being a part of the redcommunity.<ref name="money"/> In particular, the loss of news programming assured little to no goodwill from NBC about the future direction of the station. One disgruntled ex-employee bitterly suggested that the station's new call sign stood for "We Really Don't Care",<ref>{{cite news|title=Name change obvious|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53017934/|access-date=June 7, 2020|newspaper=The News & Observer|first=Michael|last=Butzgy|date=November 9, 1991|page=13A}}</ref> while another compared the situation to the last episode of ''[[The Mary Tyler Moore Show]]'' in which the new owners of the fictional WJM fired all the employees of the nightly newscast except Ted Baxter.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Langford |first1=Bob |title=News gone, but not up in flames |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84748869/news-gone-but-not-up-in-flames/ |access-date=October 20, 2021 |work=The News & Observer |date=August 2, 1991 |location=Raleigh, NC |page=1A |language=English |archive-date=October 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020055725/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84748869/news-gone-but-not-up-in-flames/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Some argued that a last-place newscast was better than nothing<ref name=betray>{{cite news |last1=Langford |first1=Bob |title=PTF Betrays the Viewers |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84748940/ptf-owners-betray-the-viewers/ |access-date=October 20, 2021 |work=The News & Observer |date=August 2, 1991 |location=Raleigh, NC |pages=1D, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84748995/ 6D] |language=English |archive-date=October 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020055651/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84748940/ptf-owners-betray-the-viewers/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and that the marketTriangle needed more than two newscastsfunctioning tonews servedepartments itto adequately cover the market.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shafer |first1=Barry |title=The People's Forum: WPTF newscast needed |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84748826/the-peoples-forum/ |access-date=October 20, 2021 |work=The News & Observer |date=August 9, 1991 |location=Raleigh, NC |page=18A |language=English |quote=An area the size of the Triangle needs a third local news program to better serve the public. |archive-date=October 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020055652/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84748826/the-peoples-forum/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Meanwhile, the otherseveral stations in which Brissette had controlling interests ininterest not only had newsfull-fledged broadcastsnewscasts, but successful ones as well.{{r|money}} The station continued to employ a single anchor/reporter to helm local cut-ins that would air in and around NBC network shows and syndicated programming. Even these news briefs were canceled in 1994, two years after WLFL had launched a 10 p.m. newscast, leaving WRDC as little more than a "pass-through" for network and syndicated programming. However, onelike thingits didpredecessors, not change: the stationFSF continued to preempt NBC shows to make more money off of airing Billy Graham crusades and other fare.<ref name="News921202">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/87418610/spy-is-great-television-if-you-can-s/|date=December 2, 1992|page=1D, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/87418660/ 2D]|title='Spy' is great television — if you can see it|newspaper=The News and Observer|location=Raleigh, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=January 17, 2022}}</ref><!-- Wed -->
===Switch from NBC to UPN===
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