WVFX
  | |
| Clarksburg/Weston Fairmont, West Virginia | |
|---|---|
| City of license | Clarksburg |
| Branding |
Fox 10 West Virginia CW 3/10 (on DT2) |
| Slogan |
The Area's Only 10 PM News TV Now (on DT2) |
| Channels |
Digital: 10 (VHF) Virtual: 10 (PSIP) |
| Subchannels |
10.1 Fox 10.2 The CW |
| Network | Fox |
| Owner |
Withers Broadcasting Company (Withers Broadcasting Company of Clarksburg, LLC) |
| First air date | February 8, 1981 |
| Call letters' meaning | West Virginia's FoX |
| Sister station(s) | WDTV, WETT-FM, WDHS |
| Former callsigns | WLYJ (1981-1998) |
| Former channel number(s) | 46 (UHF analog, 1981-2009) |
| Former affiliations | religious Independent (1981-1998) |
| Transmitter power | 30 kW |
| Height | 235 m |
| Class | DT |
| Facility ID | 10976 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 39°18′2″N 80°20′37″W / 39.30056°N 80.34361°W |
WVFX is the Fox-affiliated television station for North-Central West Virginia that is licensed to Clarksburg. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 10 (or virtual channel 10.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter in an unincorporated area between Clarksburg and Arlington. Locally-owned by the Withers Broadcasting Company, WVFX is sister to CBS affiliate WDTV and the two outlets share studios on Television Drive in Bridgeport (along I-79/Jennings Randolph Expressway). Syndicated programming on this station includes Excused, The Office, Friends, and The People's Court among others.
Digital channels
| Channel | Video | Aspect | PSIP short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10.1 | 720p | 16:9 | WVFX-DT | Main WVFX-TV Programming / Fox |
| 10.2 | 480i | 4:3 | CW | West Virginia CW |
History
The station signed-on February 8, 1981 and aired an analog signal on UHF channel 46. It was a religious Independent station using the calls WLYJ (standing for We Love You Jesus). Much of the programming consisted of national religious evangelicals and local fund-raising appeals to continue operation of the station. In 1998, WLYJ was sold to Davis Television and converted to a Fox affiliate. The call sign was changed to WVFX (standing for West Virginia's FoX). In 2007, WVFX's owner (related to Wisconsin company of the same name controlling WFXS-DT) merged with Withers Broadcasting.
Since the Clarksburg/Weston/Fairmont market has only five full-powered stations, this amount is too few to allow a duopoly under normal Federal Communication Commission (FCC) guidelines. However, Withers obtained a "failed station" waiver allowing the purchase to go through. Although most internal operations were integrated with WDTV in Bridgeport, WVFX initially maintained its original facility on West Pike Street/SR 20 in Downtown Clarksburg. The station's signal is very hard to receive over-the-air since much of the region is a rugged dissected plateau. As a result, it relies primarily on cable and direct broadcast satellite for viewership.
At the end of the DTV transition in 2009, WVFX decided to use its physical digital number 10 instead of its analog number 46 as its virtual channel number; most stations use their analog number as their virtual channel number through the use of PSIP in order to make it easier on viewers who were accustomed to certain channel numbers in a given market. WVFX decided to do this since channel 10 can easily be placed in the same spot on cable channels as opposed to 46.
Fairmont is technically the market's largest city because Morgantown (though only twenty miles north) has the largest population of any city in the geographic area but it is part of the Pittsburgh market. Despite this technicality, the station is still able to sell commercials to businesses in that area. Locations around Morgantown are within reach of over-the-air signals from Pittsburgh stations. In addition to WVFX, most cable providers offer WPGH-TV on their basic tiers. In some cases, that station's high definition feed is offered on the digital tiers instead of WVFX.
Newscast
After acquiring WFVX, WDTV made preparations to begin producing a prime time newscast on this station. Launched in late-2010, the show is known as Fox 10 News at 10 and can be seen on weeknights for thirty minutes. The broadcast features the News Corp. Digital Media music theme and graphics package modified from original use on Fox owned-and-operated stations. In addition to featuring other WDTV reporters, personalities normally seen on WVFX's newscast include news anchor Karilynn Galiotos, Chief Meteorologist Ken Meehan, and Sports Director Joe Brocato.
Reporters
- Melinda Myers - "Melinda's Garden Moment" segment producer
- Nicole Porter - Harrison, Lewis and Doddridge Counties
- Katie Lusso - Upshur, Randolph, and Barbour Counties
- Bryan Tolle - "Going Green" segment producer
- Zach Maskell - weeknights
- Brad Bowden - sports
- Brittany Hoke
External links
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