In 1968, just when the station was finding its niche again, it got a competitor in the form of WTOG (channel 44). The new station's owner, Hubbard Broadcasting, used its financial muscle to snap up most of the stronger syndicated programming. WSUN-TV limped along for two more years before finally going off the air on February 23, 1970; the station's owners cited that "the situation as to viewers and advertisers precludes continued operation at this time." A local legend in the Tampa Bay area has it that during its last few months on the air, the station only showed a close-up of a clock; however, the station was showing at least four hours of programming daily (generally from 5 to 9 p.m.) by the time the station folded, at least according to published newspaper schedules, which stations such as WSUN provided.