WHNS

WHNS, virtual and UHF digital channel 21, is a Fox-affiliated television station located in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. The station is owned by the Meredith Corporation. WHNS maintains studio facilities located on Interstate Court (just northwest of Interstate 85) in Greenville, and its transmitter is located atop Slick Rock Mountain in Transylvania County, North Carolina (five miles southeast of Brevard).

History

The Federal Communications Commission issued a construction permit to build a television station on UHF channel 21 in Greenville as early as 1953. Over the next quarter-century, the permit went through about a dozen owners who were unable to overcome numerous legal environmental hurdles to receive permission to build a station. Technical issues were also played a role – the Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville market is within a vast and mountainous area, UHF television signals usually do not get good reception in rugged terrain. In the meantime, Christian station WGGS used channel 21 as a low-powered relay to improve its coverage in Asheville.