WXMI
Encyclopedia
WXMI channel 17 is a Fox
-affiliated television station
in Grand Rapids, Michigan
, owned by the Tribune Company
. WXMI's studio and office facility is located in Grand Rapids and its transmitter is based southwest of Middleville, Michigan
. Syndicated programming on WXMI includes: How I Met Your Mother
, Two and a Half Men
, Maury
, and The Steve Wilkos Show
.
with the call sign WWMA. The call letters are said to have stood for We're West Michigan Alternative. The station was originally owned by Heritage Broadcasting Company. Approximately a year after signing on, additional shareholders bought control of the station and changed the calls to the current WXMI on August 15, 1983
. The "XMI" at the time were said to stand for EXtreme Michigan. It became a charter affiliate of FOX after signing an affiliation deal in 1987. In 1989, the station's stock was purchased by a New York-based company headed by Robert Dudley called Odyssey Television Partners.
Nine years later, WXMI was purchased by Indianapolis
-based Emmis Communications
which traded the station with sister KTZZ in Seattle, Washington
to Tribune in 1998 in exchange for FM station WQCD
in New York City
. From August 2006 to September 2007, The Tube
aired on a second digital channel. Three months later, cartoons were dropped from the WXMI schedule with the cancellation of 4KidsTV and leaving local programs are aired on Saturday Mornings.
WXMI became digital-only on June 12, 2009. Its digital signal remained on channel 19 when the analog to digital conversion completed. In July 2010 the station reactivated the 17.2 digital subchannel
to carry This TV
, which moved to 17.3 on December 9 in anticipation of the late December 31 launch of Tribune's new Antenna TV classic television network on 17.2.
from Chicago, which also broadcasts on digital channel 19. W42CB channel 42 completed a flash-cut
to digital-only broadcasting in November, 2010. W52DB on analog channel 52 was replaced by a digital signal on channel 17 in December, 2010. In late June 2011, W52DB calls will became W17DF-D.
's first prime time newscast FOX 17 News at 10. It aired weeknights for 35 minutes and weekends for a half-hour. This was unlike FOX which had no national nightly news. The program would expand to a full hour seven nights a week in 2004. On August 28, 2006, the station premiered FOX 17 Morning News. Originally a two hour-long broadcast, it expanded to four hours on September 15, 2008. On April 17, 2009, it began producing its local news in high definition. It was the first station in West Michigan to have made the upgrade since the newscasts on NBC
affiliate WOOD-TV
and ABC
affiliates WZZM and WOTV
were in merely enhanced-definition widescreen (CBS
affiliate WWMT
became the second to upgrade to HD newscasts on April 16, 2011 and WOOD-TV/WOTV became the third and fourth on October 22, 2011). The planning for the upgrade first started in December 2008. On April 20 during the weekday morning show, the station officially unveiled a new logo, graphics, music package ("The Unexpected" by 615 Music
), and set.
The 10 o'clock news now competes with shows that air on MyNetworkTV
WXSP-CD and CW
affiliate WWMT-DT2
. Sports Ticket was a weekly half-hour sports highlight broadcast that used to air Sunday night at 10:30. Blitz is a weekly sports program focusing on high school sports that airs Friday nights at 10:45. During the Fall, it is known as the Friday Football Blitz and during the Winter it is called Basketball Blitz. In Fall 2008, a one-hour edition of Blitz was added Friday nights at 5 replacing The Simpsons
and King of the Hill
. WXMI is an affiliate of the Detroit Lions Television Network
which airs pre-season games as well as the weekly syndicated show The Ford Lions Report during the regular season. Also, since it is outside of the team's local blackout area, it also airs all regular season games produced by NFL on FOX. On September 21, 2009 WXMI debuted FOX 17 News at Six, an hour-long newscast that competes against half-hour newscasts on WWMT, WOOD-TV, and WZZM and their national network evening newscasts. On March 7, 2011 the station began airing a lifestyle program weekdays at 5:00 called The One Seven. The final show aired only 5 months later on August 19, 2011. It was hosted by Michele DeSelms and Tim Doty and featured lifestyle segments, art, entertainment, cooking and some local news. FOX 17 News At Five, an hour-long newscast featuring news, weather, traffic and sports debuted without any promotion on August 22, 2011.
FOX17 Weather Team
Sports team (all are seen on Blitz)
Reporters
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...
in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
, owned by the Tribune Company
Tribune Company
The Tribune Company is a large American multimedia corporation based in Chicago, Illinois. It is the nation's second-largest newspaper publisher, with ten daily newspapers and commuter tabloids including Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Hartford Courant, Orlando Sentinel, South Florida...
. WXMI's studio and office facility is located in Grand Rapids and its transmitter is based southwest of Middleville, Michigan
Middleville, Michigan
Middleville is a village in Thornapple Township, Barry County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,721 at the 2000 census.- History :...
. Syndicated programming on WXMI includes: How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 19, 2005, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays.As a framing device, the main character, Ted Mosby with narration by Bob Saget, in the year 2030 recounts to his son and daughter the events that led to his meeting...
, 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...
, Maury
Maury (TV series)
Maury is a syndicated American tabloid talk show hosted by Maury Povich.When the series first aired in 1991, the show was called The Maury Povich Show and was produced by MoPo Productions in association with Paramount Domestic Television...
, and The Steve Wilkos Show
The Steve Wilkos Show
The Steve Wilkos Show is a syndicated American tabloid talk show hosted by Steve Wilkos. The show debuted on September 10, 2007, two months after Wilkos' departure as director of security on The Jerry Springer Show.-History:...
.
History
The station signed on-the-air March 18, 1982 as a locally-owned independentIndependent station
An independent station is in the category of television terminology used to describe a television station broadcasting in the United States or Canada that is not affiliated with any television network....
with the call sign WWMA. The call letters are said to have stood for We're West Michigan Alternative. The station was originally owned by Heritage Broadcasting Company. Approximately a year after signing on, additional shareholders bought control of the station and changed the calls to the current WXMI on August 15, 1983
1983 in television
The year 1983 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1983.For the American TV schedule, see: 1983-84 United States network television schedule.-Events:...
. The "XMI" at the time were said to stand for EXtreme Michigan. It became a charter affiliate of FOX after signing an affiliation deal in 1987. In 1989, the station's stock was purchased by a New York-based company headed by Robert Dudley called Odyssey Television Partners.
Nine years later, WXMI was purchased by Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
-based Emmis Communications
Emmis Communications
Emmis Communications is a media conglomerate based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company owns radio stations and magazines in the United States, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria.-History:...
which traded the station with sister KTZZ in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
to Tribune in 1998 in exchange for FM station WQCD
WQCD
WEMP , known on-air as FM News 101.9, is an all-news radio station located in New York City. WEMP is owned by Merlin Media LLC, and has studios located in New York's West Village neighborhood. WEMP's transmitter is located at the Empire State Building...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. From August 2006 to September 2007, The Tube
The Tube (TV channel)
The Tube Music Network was a music video network carried on free-to-air satellite television, select digital television subchannels and digital cable systems. The network's president and founder was Les Garland, a veteran of MTV and VH1. The Tube was a wholly owned subsidiary of The Tube Media Corp...
aired on a second digital channel. Three months later, cartoons were dropped from the WXMI schedule with the cancellation of 4KidsTV and leaving local programs are aired on Saturday Mornings.
Digital television
WXMI's digital channel, 19, is multiplexed, with the following lineup:| Channel | Programming |
|---|---|
| 17.1 | Main WXMI programming / FOX |
| 17.2 | Antenna TV Antenna TV Antenna TV is an American digital broadcast television network, primarily featuring classic television series from the 1950s to the 1990s, along with some feature films. It is owned by Tribune Broadcasting, a division of the Chicago-based Tribune Company... |
| 17.3 | This TV This TV This TV is a United States general entertainment television network, with a large emphasis in its programming on movies.... (moved from 17.2 subchannel) |
WXMI became digital-only on June 12, 2009. Its digital signal remained on channel 19 when the analog to digital conversion completed. In July 2010 the station reactivated the 17.2 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...
to carry This TV
This TV
This TV is a United States general entertainment television network, with a large emphasis in its programming on movies....
, which moved to 17.3 on December 9 in anticipation of the late December 31 launch of Tribune's new Antenna TV classic television network on 17.2.
Translators
In addition to its main signal, the station also operates two translators, mainly to address interference in farther portions of the market by sister station WGN-TVWGN-TV
WGN-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the CW-affiliated television station in Chicago, Illinois built, signed on, and owned by the Tribune Company. WGN-TV's studios and offices are located at 2501 W...
from Chicago, which also broadcasts on digital channel 19. W42CB channel 42 completed a 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...
to digital-only broadcasting in November, 2010. W52DB on analog channel 52 was replaced by a digital signal on channel 17 in December, 2010. In late June 2011, W52DB calls will became W17DF-D.
| Call letters | Channel | City of license | Transmitter location |
|---|---|---|---|
| W17DF-D | 17 | Muskegon Muskegon, Michigan Muskegon is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 38,401. The city is the county seat of Muskegon County... |
northeast of city and U.S. 31 U.S. Route 31 in Michigan US Highway 31 is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that runs from Alabama, to the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. In Michigan, it is a state trunkline highway that runs from the Indiana–Michigan state line at Bertrand Township to its terminus at Interstate 75 south... |
| W42CB-D | 42 | Hesperia Hesperia, Michigan Hesperia is a village in Newaygo and Oceana counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. About half of the village lies in Newfield Township in Oceana County and half in Denver Township in Newaygo County... |
south of village along M-120 M-120 (Michigan highway) M-120 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan in the southwest Lower Peninsula. The highway runs northeast from Muskegon to Hesperia. In between, the road passes through suburban Muskegon, forests and farmland... |
Newscasts
On January 11, 1999, WXMI started a news department and launched the marketMedia 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...
's first prime time newscast FOX 17 News at 10. It aired weeknights for 35 minutes and weekends for a half-hour. This was unlike FOX which had no national nightly news. The program would expand to a full hour seven nights a week in 2004. On August 28, 2006, the station premiered FOX 17 Morning News. Originally a two hour-long broadcast, it expanded to four hours on September 15, 2008. On April 17, 2009, it began producing its local news in high definition. It was the first station in West Michigan to have made the upgrade since the newscasts on 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 WOOD-TV
WOOD-TV
WOOD-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Southwestern Michigan licensed to Grand Rapids. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 7 from a transmitter in Middleville near the Barry and Allegan County line. The station can also be seen on Comcast and Charter channel...
and 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...
affiliates WZZM and WOTV
WOTV
WOTV is the ABC-affiliated television station for Southwestern Michigan that is licensed to Battle Creek. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 20 from a transmitter in Orangeville Township. The station can also be seen on Charter and Comcast channel 4. There is a high...
were in merely enhanced-definition widescreen (CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
affiliate WWMT
WWMT
WWMT is the CBS-affiliated television station for West Michigan licensed to Kalamazoo. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 8 from a transmitter on Chief Noonday Road/M-179, northwest of Yankee Springs Township, along the Barry and Allegan County line. The station can also...
became the second to upgrade to HD newscasts on April 16, 2011 and WOOD-TV/WOTV became the third and fourth on October 22, 2011). The planning for the upgrade first started in December 2008. On April 20 during the weekday morning show, the station officially unveiled a new logo, graphics, music package ("The Unexpected" by 615 Music
615 Music
615 Music is a broadcast production music company based in Nashville, Tennessee. 615 Music composes television news music packages and custom image campaigns for many television networks around the world. 615 Music also operates out of Los Angeles...
), and set.
The 10 o'clock news now competes with shows that air on MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
WXSP-CD and CW
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....
affiliate WWMT-DT2
WWMT-DT2
WWMT-DT2 is the CW-affiliated television station for West Michigan. It is a second digital subchannel of CBS affiliate WWMT, owned by Freedom Communications...
. Sports Ticket was a weekly half-hour sports highlight broadcast that used to air Sunday night at 10:30. Blitz is a weekly sports program focusing on high school sports that airs Friday nights at 10:45. During the Fall, it is known as the Friday Football Blitz and during the Winter it is called Basketball Blitz. In Fall 2008, a one-hour edition of Blitz was added Friday nights at 5 replacing The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
and King of the Hill
King of the Hill
King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
. WXMI is an affiliate of the Detroit Lions Television Network
Detroit Lions Television Network
The Detroit Lions Television Network is a network of six television stations in Michigan that broadcast the NFL's Detroit Lions preseason games as well as its weekly regular season pregame show The Ford Lions Report. As of 2011, WXYZ-TV in Detroit is the flagship station...
which airs pre-season games as well as the weekly syndicated show The Ford Lions Report during the regular season. Also, since it is outside of the team's local blackout area, it also airs all regular season games produced by NFL on FOX. On September 21, 2009 WXMI debuted FOX 17 News at Six, an hour-long newscast that competes against half-hour newscasts on WWMT, WOOD-TV, and WZZM and their national network evening newscasts. On March 7, 2011 the station began airing a lifestyle program weekdays at 5:00 called The One Seven. The final show aired only 5 months later on August 19, 2011. It was hosted by Michele DeSelms and Tim Doty and featured lifestyle segments, art, entertainment, cooking and some local news. FOX 17 News At Five, an hour-long newscast featuring news, weather, traffic and sports debuted without any promotion on August 22, 2011.
Station slogans
- Channel 17, Your Special Place (1983-1990)
- West Michigan's FOX (2004–2010)
- It's Good to KNOW (March 2010–present)
Current on-air staff
Anchors- Mike Avery - weekday mornings "FOX 17 Morning News"
- Sarah Brodhead - weekday mornings "FOX 17 Morning News"
- Christian Frank - weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
- Janice Allen - weeknights at 10 p.m., occasional 6 p.m. reporter
- Lindsay Kus - weekends at 10 p.m.; also weeknight reporter
- Jason Volentine - weekends at 10 p.m.; also weeknight reporter
- Michele DeSelms - weeknights at 5 and 6 p.m.
- Tim Doty - weeknights at 5 and 6 p.m.
FOX17 Weather Team
- Peter Chan (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...
Seal of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m. - Kevin Craig (AMS Certified Broadcast MeteorologistCertified Broadcast MeteorologistCertified Broadcast Meteorologist is a rating for meteorologists given by the American Meteorological Society.The Certified Broadcast Meteorologist program was established to raise the professional standard in broadcast meteorology and encourage a broader range of scientific understanding,...
Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weekends at 10 p.m.; also fill-in - Jon Shaner (AMS Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weekday mornings "FOX 17 Morning News"
- Rick Mecklenburg (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist) - fill-in
Sports team (all are seen on Blitz)
- Steve Amorose - Sports Anchor; sports reporter
- Tara Miller - Sports Anchor; sports reporter
- Bret Bakita - Sports reporter for Blitz, also host of [WBBL-FM] show Bakita & Bentley
Reporters
- Carl Apple - general assignment reporter
- Kelly Gibbs - general assignment reporter
- Courtney Perna - general assignment reporter
- Lauren Unger - general assignment reporter
- Darren Cunningham - general assignment reporter
- Dave Spencer - general assignment reporter
- Emily Richett - weekday morning entertainment reporter
- Tamra Johnson - AM general assignment reporter
- Robb Westaby - morning traffic reporter; also web producer
Former on-air staff
- Tracy Forner (now at WISH-TVWISH-TVWISH-TV, virtual channel 8, is the CBS-affiliated television station for Central Indiana licensed to Indianapolis. Owned by the LIN TV Corporation, WISH-TV is part of a duopoly with MyNetworkTV affiliate WNDY-TV and the two share studios on North Meridian Street at the north end of Indianapolis'...
in Indianapolis as co-host of "Indy Style"http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2009/11/wxmi-tv_morning_anchor_tracy_f.html) - Brent Ashcroft (now at [WZZM] in Grand Rapids as weekend anchor.)
- Lisa LaPlante - Lisa reported on-air for 13 years, she was WXMI's longest running reporter - November 1998 - August 2011.