A DTV signal has a plural-data-segment frame header including complementary first and second ghost-cancellation reference signals differentially delayed by the duration of two NTSC horizontal scan lines. A receiver for such DTV signal has an adaptive equalizer for baseband symbol code with kernel weights calculated by a computer operative on the equalizer response after comb filtering. The comb filter combines the equalizer response as differentially delayed by the duration of two NTSC horizontal scan lines to cancel artifacts of co-channel NTSC interference in the comb filtered equalizer response supplied to the computer. This reduces the undesirable influence of such artifacts on equalization to reduce intersymbol interference.