| Erie, Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|
| Branding | Fox 66 (general) Fox 66 News |
| Slogan | Erie's Only Prime Time News Choice |
| Channels | Digital: 22 (UHF) |
| Subchannels | 66.1 Fox |
| Owner | Mission Broadcasting (operated through JSA by Nexstar Broadcasting Group) |
| First air date | September 2, 1986 |
| Call letters' meaning | FoX Pennsylvania |
| Sister station(s) | WJET-TV |
| Former callsigns | WETG (1986-1995) |
| Former channel number(s) | 66 (UHF analog, 1986-2009) |
| Transmitter power | 850 kW |
| Height | 286 meters (938 ft) |
| Facility ID | 19707 |
| Website | yourerie.com |
WFXP is the Fox-affiliated television station for Pennsylvania's Northwest Region. Licensed to Erie, it broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 22 from a transmitter at its studios on US 19/Peach Street in Summit Township. The station can also be seen on Time Warner Cable channel 6 and in high definition on digital channel 1006. Owned by Mission Broadcasting, WFXP is operated by the Nexstar Broadcasting Group through through a local marketing agreement (LMA). This makes it sister to ABC affiliate WJET-TV and the two share studios.
The analog UHF channel 66 frequency was first used in Erie by WEPA-TV, founded by Alfred E. Anscombe, who would also go on to launch Binghamton, New York's WIVT in the early-1960s. The station eventually went dark. WFXP signed-on September 2, 1986 as WETG-TV operated by Gannon University. The assigned transmitter power of the station was significantly more modest than other commercial outlets at the time. The studio and production facilities were in the basement of the Nash Library on Gannon's campus. The station operated from 3 in the afternoon until midnight during its early days. In 1987, the station began operating in the morning hours.
In 1988, WETG became Erie's charter Fox affiliate. The station assumed the WFXP calls in 1995. In 1998, Nexstar (owner of WJET) entered into an agreement with Mission Broadcasting to maintain responsibility for WFXP's daily operations except programming. On December 21, 2007, this station started broadcasting its digital signal on UHF channel 22 in high definition with sister station WJET doing the same in 2008. On April 27, 2009, WFXP's digital signal remained on channel 22 when the analog to digital conversion was completed.
When WJET began operating WFXP, it took over production of this station's nightly half hour prime time newscast (known as Fox 66 First at Ten). The broadcast had previously been produced by WICU through a news share agreement. On September 10, 2007, WJET began airing an hour-long weekday morning show at 8 on WFXP (called Fox 66 News in the Morning). This is the only local newscast in the area broadcasting in the time-slot. In June 2009, WSEE moved into WICU's studios which are currently unable to air two live newscasts at the same time because there is only one control center.
So that it would not compete with WICU, WSEE's weeknight broadcast at 11 was moved to 10 on CW affiliate WSEE-DT2. That show now competes with WJET's production on WFXP which had been the area's only prime time newscast. WICU and WSEE were supposed to merge their news departments together but this has not happened as of yet. There is, however, weekend evening newscasts simulcasted on both stations and sharing of resources.
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