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Rural TV Network RFD-TV Battles the Big City Networks

Steve Swain
/
RFD-TV/Variety

Did you know America has a network devoted solely to rural-interest programming? The channel is called RFD-TV, and it sometimes has to fight to survive among networks designed to appeal to more heavily populated areas.

Most of RFD-TV's viewers "live in small-town and rural areas, but it’s also available to America’s largest cities," notes Michael Kosser in Variety. He adds, “Every so often a big city-headquartered cable carrier will announce that it is dropping the Nashville-based network from its programming."

The network recently lost a battle with Verizon, who dropped the channel from its lineups. But the FCC has promised to inquire into how independent programmers fare in today’s contracting world of cable companies. RFD-TV averaged 132,000 viewers in primetime for February, ranking 81st among just over 100 cable networks tracked.