WFXB

WFXB is the Fox-affiliated television station for South Carolina's Grand Strand and Pee Dee regions licensed to Myrtle Beach. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 18 (or virtual channel 43.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter in Mullins. The station can also be seen on Time Warner Cable and HTC Cablevision channel 7. There is a high definition feed offered on HTC Cablevision digital channel 807 and Time Warner Cable digital channel 1125. Owned by Bahakel Communications, WFXB has studios on Huger Street in Myrtle Beach (on the airport's western side) and operates an advertising sales office on East Evans Street in Florence. Syndicated programming on the station includes The Big Bang Theory, My Name Is Earl, Family Guy, and American Dad! among others.

Digital programming

On WFXB-DT2 is a secondary audio channel featuring descriptive video service. On WFXB-DT3 and HTC Cablevision channel 90 is a 24-hour local weather channel. Programming consists of a 24-hour loop of forecast maps with current conditions, radar, satellite, and seven day planner. There is also audio from the National Weather Service's All Hazards Weather Radio. To comply with the federally mandated Federal Communications Commission (FCC) E/I requirement, the service airs children shows on weekends. On WFXB-DT4, HTC Cablevision channel 91, and Time Warner Cable digital channel 126 is Me-TV.

History

The station began operation on July 5, 1984 with the call letters WGSE. It was an Independent owned by Carolina Christian Broadcasting. WGSE carried about 2/3 religious shows and 1/3 secular shows. Broadcasting from Tilly Swamp, one of its programs was Grand Strand Tonight.^[1] The religious shows included The PTL Club, Jimmy Swaggart, Richard Roberts, and The 700 Club. It also carried a Christian show called Niteline which initially was produced at then-sister station WGGS-TV in Greenville. Eventually, WGSE began producing a local edition of Niteline as well. Some of the early secular shows on the station included Inspector Gadget, Heathcliff, Mister Ed, Green Acres, The Brady Bunch, The Flintstones, Rocky and Bullwinkle along with some weekend hunting, sports, and wildlife shows.

Initially, secular shows ran weekdays from 3 to 8 p.m. and most of Saturday. On Sundays, the station ran strictly Christian programming. It also ran other WGGS produced programs like Beverly Exercise, Peggy Denny, and others. Gradually as WGGS became a full time Christian station, WGSE began running more of a secular line-up. However, it relied mainly on barter programming. By 1991, it was airing Christian shows from 5 to 7 a.m. and from 10 a.m. to noon. During the rest of the day, the station had a traditional Independent schedule. WGSE aired secular shows after 10 a.m. on Sundays. The station ran a lot of first run barter cartoons and family shows including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Disney Afternoon, Garfield and Friends, Sonic The Hedgehog, Stunt Dawgs, James Bond Jr., Bewitched, The Wonder Years, I Dream of Jeannie, Family Matters, and some talk shows.

WGSE became a charter WB affiliate on January 11, 1995. The station was sold to James McGregor Everett in 1996. At this point, the religious shows were dropped except for a few on Sunday mornings. In 1997, WGSE became a Fox affiliate and changed its call letters to the current WFXB. WB programming was retained in off-hours in a secondary nature, though by 1999, WFWB was airing shows for some cable customers, and WGN-TV provided the network until October 6 of that year.^[2] By this point, more talk and reality shows as well as recent sitcoms were added. Children's programming left the station in 2002 when Fox ended its weekday kids block. Current owner Bahakel Communications bought WFXB in 2006 and dropped the remaining WB shows from the schedule. In late-February 2009, the station added a 24-hour local weather service on a new third digital subchannel and area cable systems. On June 7, 2011 WFXB began transmission of the 43.4 subchannel as a Me-TV affiliate.

Newscasts

In 2004, WFXB entered into a news share agreement with CBS affiliate WBTW (owned by Media General). This partnership resulted in a thirty minute prime time broadcast to debut on weeknights known as Fox 43 News at 10. In 2006, the program title changed to Fox News at 10. During Summer 2007, WBTW moved the majority of its operations to new studios in Myrtle Beach. A smaller facility at the same location had been serving as a news bureau since 1989 but was demolished in early-2007 in order to construct the expanded facility. During the move, the station continued operating from its original studios on TV Road in Florence's Back Swamp section.

A physical Lumberton Bureau staffed with a reporter closed in 2007. In March 2008, WBTW converted its news operation to all-digital. The revamp included new graphics, sets, robotic studio cameras, and newscasts in 16:9 enhanced definition widescreen. However, it is unknown if WFXB's weeknight show was upgraded to the new format. Although not true high definition, broadcasts match the aspect ratio of HD television screens. In early-2009, WBTW shifted to the "digital journalism" model. It reduced the use of two person news gathering teams and each reporter must now shoot the majority of video and produce the story.

While sounding new, the concept is actually a return to the days of yesteryear for WBTW which often used "one-man-band" reporters in the 1980s and 1990s. That station operates a weather radar of its own on the northwestern side of the US 501/SC 41 interchange in Rains. It also features live, NOAA National Weather Service radar data from several regional sites. During the weeknight weather forecast segments on WFXB, these two sources are known together as "Storm Tracker 13 Titan". On December 1, 2011, WBTW began producing an hour-long newscast for WFXB airing on weekday mornings at 7 a.m. titled Fox Morning News. ^[3]

Anchors

• Rusty Ray - weekday morning news and "Positively Carolina" segment producer
• Erika Hayes - weekday morning news and digital journalist
• Wendi Redman - weeknight news and digital journalist
• Frank Johnson - Chief Meteorologist seen weeknights
• Chris Still (AMS and NWA Seals of Approval) - weekday morning meteorologist
• Jeff Zell - Sports Director seen weeknights

Digital journalists

• Lindsay Milbourne - "Living Green" segment producer
• Libba Holland - "Dish It Out" segment producer
• Patricia Burkett - Pee Dee three days a week
• Nicole Boone - health and medical
• Marshall Staton - photojournalist
• Drew Smith - weekday mornings
• Curtis Graham - photojournalist
• Rebekah Carter - interactive
• Conan Gasque
• Mason Snyder
• Brie Jackson
• Amy Vitrano

References

External links

• WFXB
• WBTW "News 13"
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WFXB