WFXL
Encyclopedia
WFXL is the Fox
-affiliated television station
for Southwestern Georgia
that is licensed to Albany
. It broadcasts a high definition
digital signal on VHF channel 12 from a transmitter in Doerun
near the Colquitt
and Worth
County line. Owned by Barrington Broadcasting
, the station has studios on Stuart Avenue in Albany. Syndicated
programming on WFXL includes: TMZ on TV
, Two and a Half Men
, and Dr. Phil
.
’s first Independent station. It became a charter Fox affiliate on October 6, 1989 and changed its call letters to the current WFXL to reflect the change. Raycom Media
acquired this channel in December 2003 through its purchase of most of Waitt Media's stations. In March 2006, Raycom announced the sale of this station and eleven others to Barrington Broadcasting in order to meet Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) rules regarding station ownership. The company had just acquired The Liberty Corporation (owner of NBC
affiliate WALB
) which it decided to keep.
On June 1, 2006, a MH-47 Chinook military chopper traveling from Hunter Army Airfield
in Savannah, Georgia
to Fort Rucker
in Alabama
for a training mission hit a guy wire connected to WFXL's 1000 feet (304.8 m) tower resulting in a crash. While its own tower and that of WALB remained standing other than some guy wires, the stations were forced to temporarily cease over-the-air signals although broadcasts on cable were not affected.
If the WFXL tower had collapsed, this could have also caused the tower of WALB to topple as both were only 150 feet (45 m) apart. As a result, Raycom (which at that time still operated WFXL while the sale to Barrington awaited FCC approval) acquired auxiliary transmitters and antennas for both WFXL and WALB which were installed at a backup tower at WALB's studios in Albany.
On June 7, this channel's tower was demolished but in doing so one of the tower's guy wires wrapped around one for WALB's tower as feared. As a result, that station's tower collapsed in an incident shown on live television. Since both stations were already transmitting their signals from the tower at the WALB studios, they were still on the air at low-power. Thirteen months later, the new WFXL and WALB state of the art mega-tower was completed and began broadcasting on July 3 at 11:35 p.m.
capabilities from the National Weather Service
site at Moody Air Force Base
and an automated severe weather warning system.
In September 2008, WFXL gave its newscasts a new look by means of updated graphics and the construction of a new set. At the same time, it added a half hour to its weeknight prime time show at 10. It airs a weeknight newscast at 6:30 that competes with the national news shows on the big three
stations. However, on September 19th, 2011, WFXL replaced this newscast with a 3-hour comedy block. On October 24, 2011, it added a fourth hour to its weekday morning show which now airs from 5 until 9 a.m.
Fox 31 Doppler Max Weather
Sports team
Reporters
Interactive
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
-affiliated television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
for Southwestern Georgia
Southwest Georgia
Southwest Georgia is a thirteen-county region in the U.S. state of Georgia. A common acronym used is SOWEGA.The largest city is Albany. Counties include Baker, Calhoun, Colquitt, Decatur, Dougherty, Early, Grady, Lee, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole, Terrell, Thomas, and Worth.In 1995, 25% of the...
that is licensed to Albany
Albany, Georgia
Albany is a city in and the county seat of Dougherty County, Georgia, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. It is the principal city of the Albany, Georgia metropolitan area and the southwest part of the state. The population was 77,434 at the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the...
. It broadcasts a high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
digital signal on VHF channel 12 from a transmitter in Doerun
Doerun, Georgia
Doerun is a city in Colquitt County, Georgia, United States. The population was 828 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Doerun is located at ....
near the Colquitt
Colquitt County, Georgia
Colquitt County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on February 25, 1856. As of 2000, the population was 42,053. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 45,744. The county seat is Moultrie...
and Worth
Worth County, Georgia
Worth County is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 21,967. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 21,285...
County line. Owned by Barrington Broadcasting
Barrington Broadcasting
Barrington Broadcasting Company, LLC , headquartered in Hoffman Estates, Illinois is an entity wholly focused on broadcast television. The company's assets mainly consist of television stations in middle and small sized markets...
, the station has studios on Stuart Avenue in Albany. Syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
programming on WFXL includes: TMZ on TV
TMZ on TV
TMZ on TV, or simply TMZ and TMZTV, is an American syndicated entertainment and gossip news television show that premiered on September 10, 2007. The program is generally aired on Fox, The CW and MyNetworkTV affiliates, though a majority of the stations that carry the series are Fox affiliates...
, Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men is an American television sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2003. Starring Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and Angus T. Jones, the show was originally about a hedonistic jingle writer, Charlie Harper; his uptight brother, Alan; and Alan's growing son, Jake...
, and Dr. Phil
Dr. Phil (TV series)
Dr. Phil is a reality/talk television show hosted by Phil McGraw. After McGraw's success with his segments on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil debuted on September 16, 2002...
.
History
The channel signed-on February 14, 1982 as WTSG-TV and was Southwestern GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
’s first Independent station. It became a charter Fox affiliate on October 6, 1989 and changed its call letters to the current WFXL to reflect the change. Raycom Media
Raycom Media
- History :Although Raycom Media dates its birth to 1996, the core of the company was formed in 1992 when Atlanta native Bert Ellis formed Ellis Communications. He eventually controlled 13 television stations and two radio stations....
acquired this channel in December 2003 through its purchase of most of Waitt Media's stations. In March 2006, Raycom announced the sale of this station and eleven others to Barrington Broadcasting in order to meet Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) rules regarding station ownership. The company had just acquired The Liberty Corporation (owner of NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
affiliate WALB
WALB
WALB is the NBC- and ABC-affiliated television station for Southwestern Georgia licensed to Albany. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 10 from a transmitter in Doerun along the Colquitt and Worth County line...
) which it decided to keep.
On June 1, 2006, a MH-47 Chinook military chopper traveling from Hunter Army Airfield
Hunter Army Airfield
Hunter Army Airfield , located in Savannah, Georgia, United States, is a military airfield and subordinate installation to Fort Stewart.Hunter features a runway that is 11,375 feet long and an aircraft parking area that is more than 350 acres...
in Savannah, Georgia
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
to Fort Rucker
Fort Rucker
Fort Rucker is a U.S. Army post located mostly in Dale County, Alabama, United States. It was named for a Civil War officer, Confederate General Edmund Rucker. The post is the primary flight training base for Army Aviation and is home to the United States Army Aviation Center of Excellence and...
in Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
for a training mission hit a guy wire connected to WFXL's 1000 feet (304.8 m) tower resulting in a crash. While its own tower and that of WALB remained standing other than some guy wires, the stations were forced to temporarily cease over-the-air signals although broadcasts on cable were not affected.
If the WFXL tower had collapsed, this could have also caused the tower of WALB to topple as both were only 150 feet (45 m) apart. As a result, Raycom (which at that time still operated WFXL while the sale to Barrington awaited FCC approval) acquired auxiliary transmitters and antennas for both WFXL and WALB which were installed at a backup tower at WALB's studios in Albany.
On June 7, this channel's tower was demolished but in doing so one of the tower's guy wires wrapped around one for WALB's tower as feared. As a result, that station's tower collapsed in an incident shown on live television. Since both stations were already transmitting their signals from the tower at the WALB studios, they were still on the air at low-power. Thirteen months later, the new WFXL and WALB state of the art mega-tower was completed and began broadcasting on July 3 at 11:35 p.m.
Newscasts
As a typical Fox affiliate with a weekday morning newscast and nightly prime time newscast, WFXL currently airs 5 hours of local newscasts on weekdays and an hour on weekends. In order to offer comprehensive severe weather coverage, the station purchased the most technologically advanced and powerful computerized weather system available in 2007. This included live weather radarWeather radar
Weather radar, also called weather surveillance radar and Doppler weather radar, is a type of radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, estimate its type . Modern weather radars are mostly pulse-Doppler radars, capable of detecting the motion of rain droplets in addition to the...
capabilities from the National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
site at Moody Air Force Base
Moody Air Force Base
Moody Air Force Base is a United States Air Force installation located in Lowndes County and Lanier County, about northeast of Valdosta, Georgia, United States.Moody Air Force Base is home to the 23d Wing...
and an automated severe weather warning system.
In September 2008, WFXL gave its newscasts a new look by means of updated graphics and the construction of a new set. At the same time, it added a half hour to its weeknight prime time show at 10. It airs a weeknight newscast at 6:30 that competes with the national news shows on the big three
Big Three Television Networks
The Big Three Television Networks are the three traditional commercial broadcast television networks in the United States: ABC, CBS and NBC...
stations. However, on September 19th, 2011, WFXL replaced this newscast with a 3-hour comedy block. On October 24, 2011, it added a fourth hour to its weekday morning show which now airs from 5 until 9 a.m.
News team
Anchors- Ashley Knight - weekends at 10 p.m.; also weekday reporter
- January Keaton - weekday mornings; also co-producer
- Chris Nisinger - weekday mornings; weather
- Romney Smith - weeknights at 10 p.m.
Fox 31 Doppler Max Weather
- Mike Morrison (AMSAmerican Meteorological SocietyThe American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, the American Meteorological Society has a membership...
and NWANational Weather AssociationThe National Weather Association is an American professional association with a mission to support and promote excellence in operational meteorology and related activities...
Seals of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 10 p.m. - Chris Nisinger - meteorologist; weekday mornings
- Kerri Copello - meteorologist; weekends at 10 p.m.
Sports team
- Andrew Schnitker - sports director seen at 10 p.m.
Reporters
- Allen Carter - general assignment reporter
- Sarah Bleau - general assignment reporter
- Jessica Fairley - general assignment reporter
- Melanie Kendall - weekday morning reporter; also co-producer
Interactive
- Kyle Proctor - managing editor