WRCX-LP

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WRCX-LP

Dayton, Ohio
Channels	40 (UHF) analog
Affiliations	Black Family Channel
Owner	Ross Communcations, Ltd.
Founded	August 24, 1987
Former callsigns	WUCT-LP (1995-2000) W51CJ (1994-1995) W56BR (1987-1994)
Former affiliations	Network One (mid to late-1990s) The WB (1995-1999)
Transmitter Power	29 kW
Website	www.wrcxtv.com

WRCX-LP is a low power television station in Dayton, Ohio, broadcasting locally on channel 40 as an affiliate of Black Family Channel. Founded August 24, 1987 as WUCT, the station is owned by Ross Communications, Ltd.

1 History
2 External links

[edit] History

WRCX originally signed on in the mid-1990s as WUCT-LP channel 51; the station was, at one point, a charter affiliate of The WB network. However, they lost the affiliation to WBDT in 1999, in part due to inept management of the station, and mostly due to the fact that WBDT's signal was stronger.

Ross Communications, owned by Vandalia, Ohio resident Glenn "Skip" Ross, purchased the station from Higher Calling Enterprises, who essentially ran WUCT into the ground with unpaid bills and rent.

At one point, the Higher Calling group was locked out of the building due to unpaid rent. The station's lone master control operator at the time, broke into the building to bring the station back on the air.

Upon taking the station over, however, in addition to paying the bills on time, Ross started to gather programming that would be of interest to the area's minority community, and even offered programming that wasn't available on other stations.

During the time of transition of ownership, the previous group was barred from going onto the property, while the legal battles over the license continued.

[edit] New Ownership and Staff

Although the company's offices are located on Hillcrest Avenue in Dayton, the station continued to physically broadcast from WUCT's studios on Gettysburg Avenue, which housed the transmitter and was owned by WPTD, the local PBS station. The building serviced as studios, offices, and the transmitter facility for WRCX, WUCT and WPTD.

In 2001, Ross hired former WKEF Master Control Operator Michael Crook for the same position, with the intent of having him run the station's engineering interests.

However, due to the lack of staff dedicated solely to the station, Crook quickly assumed other responsibilities, acting in the role of Program Director, (later officially referred to as Program Advisor. This was a role left empty by the departure of Walter Briggs, a local sports personality, due to personality conflicts between Briggs and Ross. Briggs had been part of the staff under the old ownership.

Ross also employed the services of Fran Robinson, who at the time was an on-air personality at local station WDTN, although she was mostly on the production side, rarely appearing on-air. She mostly did voiceovers for commercials that the company did for the local Ross automobile dealerships, owned by Ross' cousin.

[edit] Programming

Under Crook's guidance, with constant supervision from Ross, new programming was added constantly, including childrens' programming, such as Zebby's Zoo, and Blinky Bill. During this time of transition, sports programming was added, which consisted mostly of live coverage of African-American teams. Not only that, but numerous musical specials aired.

When the September 11, 2001 attacks occurred, the station aired around the clock news coverage, thanks to agreements with World Harvest Television, America One, and a special arrangement with CNN. WRCX was also one of the many stations nationwide who aired a live concert as a benefit for the victims' families.

For a time, the station aired Music and the Spoken Word, a program produced by the Mormon church. This program was added upon Ross' learning that Gladys Knight is a member of the church. Another religious show, Singsations, which aired from Chicago. That show was pulled from the schedule in 2001, due to a lack of new shows being produced.

Around this time, Ross was searching for a network that would provide programming and resources for WRCX.

Ross wanted UPN, which was on a cable channel operated by WHIO, and although network representatives met with both Ross and Crook, they did not get the affiliation.

The next possible network was Pax, but that idea was dropped when it was learned the network wanted a ten-year deal.

All hope was not lost, however, in the quest for a network.

Crook was instrumental in bringing the Black Family Channel to WRCX, by presenting the idea to Ross, after he'd instructed Crook to "find a network" after UPN turned the station down. The BFC was then known as MBC, and remains a network that caters to African-American families.

Also added during this time was an agreement with the Cleveland Cavaliers. To this day, the station continues to broadcast their games.

[edit] Losing Channel 51

The station began to transition to facilities at the Hillcrest location, in preparation for the loss of their Channel 51 signal. WRCX began sending a signal directly to the cable company to ensure that they would remain available to most of their viewers while arrangements were made to broadcast on Channel 40.

In the Spring of 2002, fellow Dayton station WKEF officially took over the Channel 51 slot for its digital allocation, leaving WRCX without an over-the-air signal for a time, though it remained on Channel 22 for much of the area's Time Warner Cable subscribers.

It was also around that time-- March 1, 2002, to be exact that Crook departed WRCX due to ethical concerns regarding Ross.

Ross had allegedly instructed Crook to inform an advertiser that their product, home shopping, had aired for a certain number of hours when in actuality it had not. After departing the station, Crook informed the client of the truth, and the station was dropped.

Crook was replaced by fellow master control operator and production assistant Anthony Byrd.

[edit] WRCX Today

WRCX gained approval to broadcast on Channel 40, and now that the license and ownership has been officially transferred to Ross Communications after years of appeals and battles with one of WUCT's former members, the station continues to broadcast original and syndicated programming to the Dayton area.

WRCX remains active in the Dayton community, according to its website.

[edit] External links

Broadcast television in the Dayton market (Nielsen DMA #58)
WDTN 2 (NBC) - WHIO 7 (CBS) (Accuweather on DT2) - WPTO 14 (PBS) - WPTD 16 (PBS) - WKEF 22 (ABC) - WBDT 26 (The CW) - WRCX-LP 40 (BFC) - WKOI 43 (TBN) - WRGT 45 (Fox) (MNTV on DT2) - WWRD-LP 55 (HSN) - W66AQ 66 (MNTV)
Defunct cable television channels
Miami Valley Channel / UPN 17 (UPN)
See also: Broadcast television in the Indianapolis, Columbus, Cincinnati, Fort Wayne, and Lima markets