WFXQ-CA

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WFXQ-CA
Springfield / Holyoke, Massachusetts
Channels	28 (UHF) analog, no digital
Affiliations	NBC (temporary repeater of WWLP)
Owner	LIN TV
Founded	May of 1987 (on channel 11, moved to channel 28 in 2005)
Call letters meaning	refers to possible future FOX affiliation
Former callsigns	W11BJ (1988-2006) W28CT (2006) WXCW-CA (2006)
Transmitter Power	5 KW (analog)

WFXQ-CA is a low-power, Class A television station serving the Springfield / Holyoke, Massachusetts television market. Licensed to Springfield, the station broadcasts its analog signal on UHF channel 28 from a transmitter located on Mount Tom in Holyoke, Massachusetts (there is no digital signal of this station). WGGB, WGBY, and WSHM-LP have their transmitters located nearby. WFXQ shares and broadcasts out of the Chicopee studios of sister station WWLP, the area's NBC affiliate. WFXQ-CA is currently a temporary repeater of WWLP and both stations are owned by LIN TV.

Contents 1 History 2 WFXQ-CA's Future 3 References 4 External Links

[edit] History

The station first went on the air on channel 11 in May of 1988. It originally broadcasted from the Rattlesnake Mountain transmitter site of Hartford's FOX affiliate WTIC-TV. Known as W11BJ, the station aired local shows to a senior retirement community in Farmington, Connecticut. The station used a live skycam weather forecast which consisted of a character generator titler and a "home video" camera with shots of the window from the transmitter building location. The original owner was the Chase family who also owned WTIC-TV. In 2004, when WWLP bought W11BU, there was a construction permit to change the station to channel 28 broadcasting from Mount Tom in Massachusetts. During the building of channel 28's new transmitter, WWLP temporarily put on a simulcast of WCTX via an off air pickup on channel 11. In early 2006, W28CT signed on from the top of Mount Tom simulcasting WWLP and the W11BJ transmitter was shut down for the last time. Of special note, WWLP's digital signal is also on channel 11.

[edit] WFXQ-CA's Future

LIN TV had initially changed the call sign to WXCW-CA, in reference to The CW in anticipation of it becoming a CW network affiliate. More recently, the call sign was changed again to the current WFXQ-CA referring to possible FOX affiliation. This has caused rumors on several message boards that WFXQ will become a FOX affiliate. As of September 18, 2006, the market's cable-only WB affiliate WBQT has been the CW affiliate. [1] Since there is currently no MyNetworkTV affiliate in the Springfield market, WFXQ might also become a secondary affiliate with that network. [2] Currently, television viewers in the Springfield / Holyoke area get FOX from WTIC in Hartford and MyNetworkTV from WCTX in New Haven. Springfield holds the distinction of being the largest television market without a FOX affiliate of its own.

WFXQ is currently simulcasting WWLP and is only transmitting via an analog signal. However, a construction permit from the FCC will allow WFXQ to "flash cut" to digital on January 1, 2009.

[edit] References

• FCC Records from fccinfo.com

[edit] External Links

• WWLP Website
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WFXQ