A small Raleigh company that makes digital antennas wants to encourage TV fans to ditch cable and switch to free over-the-air hi-def TV, but the company will not be getting that message out on cable television.

Time Warner Cable notified Raleigh-based Mohu this week that it won't broadcast Mohu's ad for a "Leaf" HDTV antenna. The ad reminds viewers they don't need expensive cable service to watch HD programs.

Mohu had tried to run the ad in two Midwestern markets -- Columbus and Kansas City -- to test viewer response. The Leaf antennas, which cost $44.99 each, are paper-thin and measure about 12 inches square.

"It's our policy not to take ads that directly compete with our broadband, voice and video services," said Keith Poston, noting the policy is well-known with advertisers.