WFXS-DT
Encyclopedia
WFXS-DT is the Fox-affiliated television station
for North-Central Wisconsin
's Northern Highland
licensed to Wittenberg
. It broadcasts a high definition
digital signal on UHF channel 31 (or virtual channel
55.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter northeast of Wausau
in unincorporated
Marathon County
. The station can also be seen on Charter
channel 11 and in high definition on digital channel 605. Owned by Davis Television, WFXS has studios on North 3rd Street in Downtown Wausau. Syndicated
programming on the station includes Frasier
, Everybody Loves Raymond
, Friends
, and The Doctors
among others.
(RTV).
The station signed-on November 2, 1998
as WFXS and aired an analog signal on UHF channel 55. It has been an affiliate of Fox since its launch. Before the existence of WFXS, programming from the network was seen in North-Central Wisconsin
on some Charter systems from the Green Bay
station that carried Fox. The network also operated Foxnet
which was used to serve small markets
around the country without an affiliate (it was a similar operation to The CW Plus
and its predecessor, The WB 100+
).
Some programming was also shown through a secondary relation with ABC
affiliate WAOW which carried NFL on Fox
from the launch of Fox Sports
in 1994 until WFXS signed-on. In early-December 2007, the station debuted a new website based on the "My Fox" template licensed for use by News Corporation Digital Media.
Since it was granted an original construction permit
after the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) finalized the digital television
allotment plan on April 21, 1997, the station did not initially receive a companion channel for a digital television station. The FCC eventually allocated UHF channel 50 (later assigned to channel 31) to as its digital service. Like all Wausau commercial stations, it decided to go ahead with the February 17, 2009 conversion date despite the DTV Delay Act changing the actual switch date to June 12. The WFXS analog signal was discontinued on the original day and the digital antenna was installed. However, the weather that week was bitterly cold and uncooperative.
Several issues caused problems such as hydraulic fluid freezing on the heavy winch system (required to lift the new antenna), high winds, and the installation not going as planned as a result. These issues caused the new digital antenna to be damaged which had to be repaired elsewhere. Management of the station received cooperation of WAOW to air WFXS' signal digitally until the antenna could be installed. It did so over WAOW-DT3 and WYOW-DT3 preempting normal RTV programming.
The digital antenna was installed successfully on March 1 and put into service shortly thereafter without any problems. The WAOW-DT3/WYOW-DT3 simulcast continued for an additional day to make sure WFXS's transmitter was running well. The next day, both third digital subchannel
s of WAOW and WYOW began airing This TV. It was back on-air with full-power on digital channel 31 featuring a 720p high definition broadcast.
After conversion, WFXS surrendered analog channel 55 permanently as that spectrum was sold to Qualcomm
for use by its MediaFLO
mobile video application. It was forced to "flash-cut
" its existing transmission tower to channel 31 as the frequency was being used by an analog public broadcaster in LaCrosse. For that reason, WFXS was unable to operate terrestrial dual analog/digital services. This station changed its calls to WFXS-DT on December 15, 2009. Several years prior to the transition, the station installed a direct fiber optic line to Charter's local headend for use by it and satellite providers to allow the services to carry a high definition signal. Subsequently, WFXS added digital subchannels for Untamed Sports TV
and returned RTV to the Wausau airwaves in early-September 2009. The latter network was carried by WAOW-DT3/WYOW-DT3 until March 2009 when it was replaced with This TV.
In late-March 2011, Untamed Sports TV programming was replaced by Me-TV which is a sister operation to This TV. Overnight on March 3, 2009, a cooling line in the transmitter building burst causing heavy water damage to the building's floor and furnishings. The water also caused minor damage to the transmitter which had to be taken off-line. Once again, WFXS received permission from WAOW/WYOW to broadcast over 9.3/34.3 while the damage was repaired. On March 9, WFXS resumed normal digital operations and asked viewers to rescan digital televisions and converter boxes.
The station was able to return the favor to WAOW a short time later when digital reception problems at that station's semi-satellite, WYOW, prevented the signal from being received. WFXS temporarily added WAOW's signal to its own second subchannel in order to feed WAOW's signal to WYOW. WAOW added a microwave feed to the WYOW tower site to fix the problem permanently. It is unknown if the previous owner of fellow Fox affiliate WVFX
in Clarksburg, West Virginia
is related to Davis Television of Wisconsin (owner of WFXS).
in Wausau. The show features news anchor and producer Pam Warnke (also a multimedia journalist and "Someone You Should Know" segment producer), meteorologist Tony Schumacher (with an AMS
Seal of Approval), as well as Sports Director
Jayson Geiser.
On June 19, 2011, WAOW upgraded its newscasts to high definition complete with a redesigned set and updated graphics package. However, it is unknown if the WFXS news program was included in the change. Like all RTV affiliates in the Central Time Zone
, WFXS-DT3 airs a sixty minute nationally syndicated entertainment and lifestyle show. Known as Daytime, this can be seen on weekday mornings at 8.
Other multimedia journalists
Multimedia journalists
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 North-Central Wisconsin
Central Wisconsin
Central Wisconsin refers to a region of Wisconsin that generally coincides with the Wausau-Rhinelander Television Market.-Counties in Central Wisconsin:*Adams County*Clark County*Florence County*Forest County*Langlade County*Lincoln County...
's Northern Highland
Northern Highland
The Northern Highland is a geographical region covering much of the northern territory of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The region stretches from the state border with Minnesota in the west to the Michigan border in the east, and from Douglas and Bayfield Counties in the north to Wood and Portage...
licensed to Wittenberg
Wittenberg, Wisconsin
Wittenberg is a village in Shawano County, Wisconsin, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,177 at the 2000 census. The village is located within the Town of Wittenberg.-Geography:Wittenberg is located at ....
. 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 UHF channel 31 (or virtual channel
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
55.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter northeast of Wausau
Wausau, Wisconsin
Wausau is a city in and the county seat of Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States. The Wisconsin River divides the city. The city is adjacent to the town of Wausau.According to the 2000 census, Wausau had a population of 38,426 people...
in unincorporated
Unincorporated
Unincorporated may refer to:* Unincorporated area, land not governed by a local municipality* Unincorporated entity, a type of organization* Unincorporated territories of the United States, territories under U.S. jurisdiction, to which Congress has determined that only select parts of the U.S...
Marathon County
Marathon County, Wisconsin
Marathon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is part of the Wausau, WI, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 134,063. Its county seat is Wausau.-Geography:...
. The station can also be seen on Charter
Charter Communications
Charter Communications is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 4.7 million customers in 25 states. By revenues, it is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States, behind Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications...
channel 11 and in high definition on digital channel 605. Owned by Davis Television, WFXS has studios on North 3rd Street in Downtown Wausau. 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 the station includes Frasier
Frasier
Frasier is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Grammnet and Paramount Network Television.A spin-off of Cheers, Frasier stars...
, Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond is an American television sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005. Many of the situations from the show are based on the real-life experiences of lead actor Ray Romano, creator/producer Phil Rosenthal and the show's writing staff...
, Friends
Friends
Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
, and The Doctors
The Doctors (2008 TV series)
The Doctors is an American syndicated talk show airing daily in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Ireland, Sweden and Finland. It debuted on September 8, 2008. The hour-long daytime program is produced by Phil McGraw and his son Jay McGraw and is distributed domestically and globally by CBS Television...
among others.
Digital programming
On WFXS-DT2 and Charter digital channel 965 is Me-TV. On WFXS-DT3 and Charter digital channel 964 is the Retro Television NetworkRetro Television Network
The Retro Television Network is a system of television stations that airs classic television shows as well as more recently produced programs...
(RTV).
| Channels | Name | Video | Aspect Aspect ratio The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,... |
Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55.1 | WFXS-HD | 720p 720p 720p is the shorthand name for 1280x720, a category of High-definition television video modes having a resolution of 1080 or 720p and a progressive scan... |
16:9 16:9 16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ... |
Main WFXS programming / FOX |
| 55.2 | WFXS-DT2 | 480i 480i 480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the US NTSC television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics. The i, which is sometimes uppercase, stands for interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution of 480 lines containing picture information; while NTSC... |
4:3 | "Me-TV 55.2" |
| 55.3 | WFXS-DT3 | "RTV 55.3" |
History
1998 in television
The year 1998 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1998.For the American TV schedule, see: 1998–99 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1950s:...
as WFXS and aired an analog signal on UHF channel 55. It has been an affiliate of Fox since its launch. Before the existence of WFXS, programming from the network was seen in North-Central Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
on some Charter systems from the Green Bay
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
station that carried Fox. The network also operated Foxnet
Foxnet
Foxnet was a cable network that was available to markets in the United States without an affiliate of the Fox Network. It was usually available in very small television markets....
which was used to serve small markets
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
around the country without an affiliate (it was a similar operation to The CW Plus
The CW Plus
The CW Plus is a group of primarily digital sub-channels, analog, and non-broadcast cable television outlets for the CW Television Network, for markets below the top 99 television media markets in the United States....
and its predecessor, The WB 100+
The WB 100+ Station Group
The WB 100+ Station Group was a group of primarily non-broadcast local cable television outlets for The WB Television Network, for markets below the top 100 television media markets in the United States. Dayparts with no WB programming were programmed by the network...
).
Some programming was also shown through a secondary relation with ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
affiliate WAOW which carried NFL on Fox
NFL on FOX
NFL on Fox is the brand name of the Fox Broadcasting Company's coverage of the National Football League's National Football Conference games, produced by Fox Sports...
from the launch of Fox Sports
Fox Sports (USA)
Fox Sports is a division of the Fox Broadcasting Company . It was formed in 1994 with Fox's acquisition of broadcast rights to National Football League games...
in 1994 until WFXS signed-on. In early-December 2007, the station debuted a new website based on the "My Fox" template licensed for use by News Corporation Digital Media.
Since it was granted an original construction permit
Construction permit
A construction permit or building permit is a permit required in most jurisdictions for new construction, or adding on to pre-existing structures, and in some cases for major renovations. Generally, the new construction must be inspected during construction and after completion to ensure compliance...
after the 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) finalized the digital television
Digital television
Digital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
allotment plan on April 21, 1997, the station did not initially receive a companion channel for a digital television station. The FCC eventually allocated UHF channel 50 (later assigned to channel 31) to as its digital service. Like all Wausau commercial stations, it decided to go ahead with the February 17, 2009 conversion date despite the DTV Delay Act changing the actual switch date to June 12. The WFXS analog signal was discontinued on the original day and the digital antenna was installed. However, the weather that week was bitterly cold and uncooperative.
Several issues caused problems such as hydraulic fluid freezing on the heavy winch system (required to lift the new antenna), high winds, and the installation not going as planned as a result. These issues caused the new digital antenna to be damaged which had to be repaired elsewhere. Management of the station received cooperation of WAOW to air WFXS' signal digitally until the antenna could be installed. It did so over WAOW-DT3 and WYOW-DT3 preempting normal RTV programming.
The digital antenna was installed successfully on March 1 and put into service shortly thereafter without any problems. The WAOW-DT3/WYOW-DT3 simulcast continued for an additional day to make sure WFXS's transmitter was running well. The next day, both third digital subchannel
Digital subchannel
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compression techniques to reduce the size of each individual...
s of WAOW and WYOW began airing This TV. It was back on-air with full-power on digital channel 31 featuring a 720p high definition broadcast.
After conversion, WFXS surrendered analog channel 55 permanently as that spectrum was sold to Qualcomm
Qualcomm
Qualcomm is an American global telecommunication corporation that designs, manufactures and markets digital wireless telecommunications products and services based on its code division multiple access technology and other technologies. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, USA...
for use by its MediaFLO
MediaFLO
MediaFLO is a technology developed by Qualcomm for transmitting audio, video and data to portable devices such as mobile phones and personal televisions, used for mobile television...
mobile video application. It was forced to "flash-cut
Flash-cut
A flash-cut, also called flash-cutover, is an immediate change in a complex system, with no phase-in period.Some telephone area codes were split immediately, rather than being phased in with a permissive dialing period. An example is telephone area code 213, which was split into 213 and 714 all at...
" its existing transmission tower to channel 31 as the frequency was being used by an analog public broadcaster in LaCrosse. For that reason, WFXS was unable to operate terrestrial dual analog/digital services. This station changed its calls to WFXS-DT on December 15, 2009. Several years prior to the transition, the station installed a direct fiber optic line to Charter's local headend for use by it and satellite providers to allow the services to carry a high definition signal. Subsequently, WFXS added digital subchannels for Untamed Sports TV
Untamed Sports TV
Untamed Sports TV is a digital subchannel which provides niche outdoor and lifestyle programming to several stations in the United States. This channel was launched in 2008 by OlympuSAT who also distributes the Funimation Channel.-Programs:...
and returned RTV to the Wausau airwaves in early-September 2009. The latter network was carried by WAOW-DT3/WYOW-DT3 until March 2009 when it was replaced with This TV.
In late-March 2011, Untamed Sports TV programming was replaced by Me-TV which is a sister operation to This TV. Overnight on March 3, 2009, a cooling line in the transmitter building burst causing heavy water damage to the building's floor and furnishings. The water also caused minor damage to the transmitter which had to be taken off-line. Once again, WFXS received permission from WAOW/WYOW to broadcast over 9.3/34.3 while the damage was repaired. On March 9, WFXS resumed normal digital operations and asked viewers to rescan digital televisions and converter boxes.
The station was able to return the favor to WAOW a short time later when digital reception problems at that station's semi-satellite, WYOW, prevented the signal from being received. WFXS temporarily added WAOW's signal to its own second subchannel in order to feed WAOW's signal to WYOW. WAOW added a microwave feed to the WYOW tower site to fix the problem permanently. It is unknown if the previous owner of fellow Fox affiliate WVFX
WVFX
WVFX is the Fox-affiliated television station for North-Central West Virginia licensed to Clarksburg. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 10 from a transmitter in an unincorporated area between Clarksburg and Arlington. The station can also be seen on Time Warner Cable...
in Clarksburg, West Virginia
Clarksburg, West Virginia
Clarksburg is a city in and the county seat of Harrison County, West Virginia, United States, in the north-central region of the state. It is the principal city of the Clarksburg, WV Micropolitan Statistical Area...
is related to Davis Television of Wisconsin (owner of WFXS).
Newscast
WAOW entered into a news share agreement with WFXS in 2000. The outsourcing arrangement resulted in a weeknight prime time newscast to debut on this station. Known as Fox 55 News at 9, the thirty minute broadcast originates from WAOW's facility on Grand Avenue/US 51U.S. Route 51 in Wisconsin
In the U.S. state of Wisconsin, U.S. Route 51 runs north–south down the central part of the state...
in Wausau. The show features news anchor and producer Pam Warnke (also a multimedia journalist and "Someone You Should Know" segment producer), meteorologist Tony Schumacher (with an AMS
American Meteorological Society
The 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...
Seal of Approval), as well as Sports Director
Sports Director
A sports director is an individual at a television or radio station who is in charge of the sports department. In local news, the sports director is typically the station's primary sportscaster, and often anchors the primetime newscasts on weekdays. They are in charge of sports programming and...
Jayson Geiser.
On June 19, 2011, WAOW upgraded its newscasts to high definition complete with a redesigned set and updated graphics package. However, it is unknown if the WFXS news program was included in the change. Like all RTV affiliates in the Central Time Zone
Central Time zone
In North America, the Central Time Zone refers to national time zones which observe standard time by subtracting six hours from UTC , and daylight saving, or summer time by subtracting five hours...
, WFXS-DT3 airs a sixty minute nationally syndicated entertainment and lifestyle show. Known as Daytime, this can be seen on weekday mornings at 8.
Other multimedia journalists
- Tom Zurawski - Chief Photojournalist
- Emily Neubauer - content producer
- Jack Rosenberg - photojournalist
- Nate Barrett - content producer
- Travis Jensen - photojournalist
- Sean Giggy - sports reporter
- Rob Duns - reporter
- Kevin Lu - sports
Multimedia journalists
- Melissa Langbehn
- Courtney Fasano
- Bonnie Shelton
- Cami Mountain
- Kristen Rietz
- Anna Carrera
- Alex Haight
- Bryon Graff