| WLAX: La Crosse, Wisconsin WEUX: Chippewa Falls/ Eau Claire, Wisconsin |
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| Branding | Fox 25/48 WEAU 13 (on WLAX-DT2) |
| Slogan | So Huge, So Bold, So FOX 25/48 |
| Channels | Digital: WLAX: 17 (UHF) WEUX: 49 (UHF) |
| Subchannels | WLAX: 25.1 Fox (HD) 25.2 NBC (SD) WEUX: 48.1 Fox (HD) 48.2 Me-TV (SD) |
| Owner | Grant Broadcasting System II (WLAX: GM La Crosse Licensing, LLC) (WEUX: GM Chippewa Falls Licensing, LLC) |
| First air date | WLAX: November 10, 1986 WEUX: February 8, 1993 |
| Call letters' meaning | WLAX: LA Crosse (X refers to "Crosse") WEUX: We're EaU Claire's FoX |
| Former channel number(s) | WLAX: 25 (UHF analog, 1986-2009) WEUX: 48 (UHF analog, 1993-2009) |
| Transmitter power | WLAX: 852 kW WEUX: 1,000 kW |
| Height | WLAX: 297.3 m WEUX: 223.1 m |
| Class | DT |
| Facility ID | WLAX: 2710 WEUX: 2709 |
| Transmitter coordinates | WLAX: WEUX: |
| Website | fox2548.com |
WLAX is the FOX-affiliated television station for Western Wisconsin licensed to La Crosse. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 17 (or virtual channel 25.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter in La Crescent, Minnesota near the studios of ABC affiliate WXOW. The station can also be seen on Charter and CenturyLink channel 3. There is a high definition feed offered on CenturyLink digital channel 306 and Charter digital channel 605. Owned by Grant Broadcasting System II, it has studios located at Interchange Place in La Crosse next to the I-90/US 53/WIS 45/Rose Street junction (hence the station's street address name).
Syndicated programming on WLAX includes The Office, Two and a Half Men, How I Met Your Mother, and Judge Judy among others. WEUX in Chippewa Falls serves as a full-time satellite of WLAX in the Chippewa Valley. This broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 49 (or virtual channel 48.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter site in Colfax (north of WIS 29) along the Dunn and Chippewa County line. The station maintains an advertising sales office on WIS 93 in Eau Claire between I-94 and US 53.
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On WLAX-DT2 is a standard definition simulcast of NBC affiliate WEAU-TV. The big three outlet was added to the second digital subchannel after its broadcast tower in Fairchild collapsed during a winter storm on March 22, 2011. [1] Although WEAU has resumed its own over-the-air transmissions as of July 22, the simulcast on WLAX-DT2 still exists for the time being. [2] The carriage agreement between WLAX and WEAU represents the second partnership between the two stations as there was an existing news share agreement (see below). Sometime during the first quarter of 2012, WEUX will add Me-TV to its second digital subchannel replacing a standard definition simulcast of its main feed. This new service is currently not available over the air or on any digital cable providers but it could be added sometime in the future. [3]
| Channels | Name | Video | Aspect | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25.1 48.1 |
WLAX-HD WEUX-HD |
720p | 16:9 | main WLAX/WEUX programming (HD) |
| 25.2 48.2 |
WLAX-DT2 WEUX-DT2 |
480i | 4:3 | WEAU NBC (SD) Me-TV (SD) |
WLAX signed-on November 10th of 1986 with an analog signal on UHF channel 25. It started immediately as an Independent, but later on, affiliated itself with the FOX Network. This allowed them to supplement their already-airing syndicated programming. However, since the station's transmitter was located in Minnesota, it provided an inadequate over-the-air signal to the northern part of the market (the same problem that long plagued WXOW).
To close this coverage gap, full-time satellite WEUX launched on February 8th, 1993 with an analog signal on UHF channel 48. The two stations began to be co-branded together. WLAX/WEUX were then acquired by their current owner, Grant Broadcasting, on May 15, 1996. [4] On April 29, 2004, the stations became available on DISH Network's local package and DirecTV would do the same on May 24, 2005. [5]
On December 9, 2004, WLAX signed-on with a standard definition digital signal on UHF channel 17. [6] WEUX followed on February 1, 2006 with a digital signal on UHF channel 49 in standard definition. [7] WLAX added high definition capabilities on January 28, 2008 while also launching the second digital subchannel to offering the same programming in standard definition. [8] As part of the DTV transition on February 17, 2009, both outlets discontinued analog transmissions. WEUX would not upgrade its digital signal to high definition until September 10, 2009 and just as WLAX did, added the second subchannel to continue standard definition service. [9]
On August 28, 2006, after entering into a news-share agreement with WEAU (owned by Gray Television), WLAX/WEUX began airing a weeknight prime time newscast produced by the NBC affiliate, WEAU-DT. Known as Fox News at 9, the thirty minute broadcast expanded to weekends on January 20, 2007. For a time, MyNetworkTV affiliate WKBT-DT2 also aired a prime time newscast at 9 but it was only a weeknight operation. That show was dropped in 2009 for an unknown reason and WKBT-DT2 currently airs a repeat of its parent station's weeknight 6 o'clock broadcast in the 9 p.m. slot. WLAX/WEUX uses most of WEAU's on-air team except for having a separate weeknight meteorologist and weeknight sports anchor (although the two can contribute and/or fill-in on that station).
Fox News at 9 originates from a secondary set at WEAU's facility on South Hastings Way/US 53 Business in Altoona (postal address says Eau Claire). It features the news music and graphics package licensed from News Corporation Digital Media that is modified from original use on Fox owned-and-operated stations. The broadcast is simulcast on WEAU-DT2 (a 24-local weather channel) that can also be seen on Charter digital channel 247. This additional carriage allows the newscast to still air even if Fox programming delays or prevents the show from airing on WLAX/WEUX. During weather forecast segments, WLAX/WEUX features WEAU's Doppler weather radar (known as "SkyWarn 13") that is based at the big three outlet's facility in Altoona.
+ normally not seen on WEAU
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