WFXQ-CD
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| Springfield/Holyoke, Massachusetts | |
|---|---|
| Branding |
22 News The CW Springfield (DT2) |
| Slogan |
Working For You TV Now (DT2) |
| Channels |
Digital: 28 (UHF) Virtual: 22 (PSIP) |
| Subchannels |
22.1 NBC (DT1) 22.2 The CW (4-1-2015 to present) (DT2) |
| Network |
NBC (DT1) The CW (via The CW Plus) (DT2) |
| Owner |
Media General (WWLP Broadcasting, LLC) |
| First air date | May 6, 1987 |
| Call letters' meaning |
refers to unfulfilled Fox affiliation |
| Sister station(s) | WCTX, WTNH, WPRI-TV, WNAC-TV, WTEN, WXXA-TV |
| Former callsigns |
W11BJ (1988-2006) W28CT (2006) WXCW-CA (2006) WFXQ-CA (2006-2009) |
| Former channel number(s) |
11 (VHF analog, 1987-2006) 28 (UHF analog, 2006-2009) |
| Former affiliations |
Independent (1987-2004) UPN (2004-2006, as repeater of WCTX) TheCoolTV (2010-2013, on DT2) |
| Transmitter power | 0.024 kW |
| Height | 260 m |
| Class | Class A digital |
| Facility ID | 2650 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 42°15′5.0″N 72°38′43.0″W / 42.251389°N 72.645278°W |
WFXQ-CD is a Class A television station for the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts that is licensed to Springfield. Owned by Media General, it broadcasts a low-powered digital signal on UHF channel 28 (or virtual channel 22.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter at the old Mount Tom Ski Area summit in Holyoke. The station serves as a full-time repeater of NBC affiliate WWLP and its CW-affiliated second digital subchannel.
History
The station first went on-the-air May 6, 1987 on VHF channel 11. Using the calls W11BJ, it originally aired a low-powered analog signal from the Rattlesnake Mountain transmitter site of Connecticut's Fox affiliate WTIC-TV. The station was an Independent that aired local shows to a senior retirement community in Farmington, Connecticut. It used a live skycam weather forecast which consisted of a character generator and a home video camera with shots of the window from the transmitter building. The owner of the station was the Chase family (who also owned WTIC).
When LIN TV bought W11BJ in 2004, there was a construction permit approved to broadcast this station on UHF channel 28 from a new transmitter on Mount Tom in Holyoke. During the building of this transmitter, WWLP temporarily put on a simulcast of Connecticut's UPN affiliate WCTX (a sister station) through an off-air pickup. In early-2006, W28CT signed-on from the top of Mount Tom and the W11BJ transmitter on Rattlesnake Mountain was shut down. Right from the start, the station began to simulcast WWLP in a full-time manner. LIN TV had initially changed the call sign to WXCW-CA in reference to The CW in anticipation of it becoming an affiliate of that network. This affiliation eventually went to cable-only WB affiliate "WBQT".
As a result, the channel's call sign was changed again to WFXQ-CA referring to a possible Fox affiliation. This caused rumors on several television industry message boards that it would become an affiliate of that network. Speculation also existed that WFXQ might affiliate with Fox's new sister network, MyNetworkTV. At the time, cable television viewers in the Springfield/Holyoke market received Fox from WTIC and the network's owned-and-operated station in Boston, WFXT, with MyNetworkTV coming from WCTX.
On November 16, 2007, the Springfield Republican reported that ABC affiliate WGGB-TV would be launching a Fox affiliate on a new second subchannel which was expected to launch at the end of that year. This was ultimately delayed until the end of March 2008 when the new service took on a primary Fox and secondary MyNetworkTV affiliation. Up to that time, Springfield held the distinction of being the largest television market without a Fox affiliate of its own.
Until December 9, 2008, WFXQ's analog signal transmitted on the same frequency as CW affiliate WLWC. After the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved a construction permit, the station "flash-cut" to digital sometime after June 12, 2009 although, at the time, the station was still assigned a "-CA" suffix. Eventually, the FCC updated its listing and this channel began using the WFXQ-CD calls.
On March 21, 2014, Media General announced that it would purchase LIN Media and its stations, including WWLP and WFXQ-CD, in a $1.6 billion merger.[1] The merger was completed on December 19.[2]
On December 23, 2014, Media General announced that as part of a long-term affiliation renewal with The CW, WWLP and WFXQ-CD will add the network to their digital subchannel.[3]
On Wednesday, April 1, 2015, WWLP launched The CW on its WWLP-DT2 & WFXQ-CD2 Sub-Channels and re-branded the affiliate as WWLP-DT2 "The CW Springfield". WWLP-DT2 "The CW Springfield" will continue to be carried on Comcast channel 16 (standard definition) and Charter channel 13 (standard definition), with an addition of a high definition feed on digital channel 820 for Comcast customers (as of April 1, 2015), as well as digital channel 788 for Charter customers (as of Mid-April 2015); thus offering a high definition feed for The CW for the first time in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts.[4][5][6]
Digital programming
| Channel | Video | Aspect | PSIP Short Name | Programming [7] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | WWLP-DT | Main WWLP programming / NBC |
| 22.2 | 720p | WWLP-D1 | The CW Springfield | |
References
- ↑ "Media General buys LIN Media, owner of WWLP Channel 22 in Springfield". The Republican. Associated Press. March 21, 2014. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
- ↑ Media General Completes Merger With LIN Media, Press Release, Media General, Retrieved 19 December 2014
- ↑ http://wwlp.com/2014/12/23/wwlp-digital-subchannel-to-become-cw-affiliate/
- ↑ CW launches on sub channels April 1, 2015
- ↑ The CW Springfield is now live on the air
- ↑ WWLP-DT2 "The CW Springfield" Here's Where To Watch Us…
- ↑ RabbitEars TV Query for WFXQ
External links
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