WXXV-TV
Encyclopedia
WXXV-TV, digital channel 48, is the Fox
affiliate for the Biloxi
/Gulfport
television market, licensed to Gulfport. The station is owned by Morris Multimedia
and maps to virtual channel 25 (its former analog channel; hence its call sign
, which is the Roman numeral
for 25) via PSIP
. The tower site and directional antenna pattern are strategically located and designed to enable the station to cover all cities along the coast and Hattiesburg
as well (as the station doubled as the Fox affiliate for the Hattiesburg/Laurel
market until WHPM-LD
joined Fox in 2011). In addition to Fox programming, WXXV operates a MyNetworkTV
affiliate on its second digital subchannel, which launched April 10, 2009; this also serves the Hattiesburg-Laurel market in lieu of a local affiliate. It also carried some limited UPN
programming out-of-pattern, a practice that ended in September 2006 when that network merged with The WB to form The CW
.
The station currently has no local newscast, but did so in two previous attempts. In the early 1990s, the station aired Mississippi News Tonight, a news program produced by Jackson
Fox affiliate WDBD
, which was cancelled due to low ratings. For a few years in the late 1990s and early 2000s, WXXV tried its own local newscast, the Fox 25 News at Nine, however it too ceased production. WXXV also aired ABCs crime drama NYPD Blue
starting in 1994 when local ABC affiliate WLOX
refused to air it on its station.
The station signed on for the first time on February 14, 1987 as Mississippi's third independent station, after WDBD in Jackson and WNTZ in Natchez
. It joined Fox in 1992.
WXXV was added to DirecTV
in the Biloxi/Gulfport market on June 16, 2010.
as "25".
The station's digital channel on UHF 48, is multiplexed:
Digital channels>
Channel
Programming
25.1
WXXV FOX HD
25.2
myNetworkTV (My XXV2)
WXXV-DT2 is also carried on channel 18 on Cable One
systems.
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...
affiliate for the Biloxi
Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the population as 44,054. Along with Gulfport, Biloxi is a county seat of Harrison County....
/Gulfport
Gulfport, Mississippi
Gulfport is the second largest city in Mississippi after the state capital Jackson. It is the larger of the two principal cities of the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. As of the...
television market, licensed to Gulfport. The station is owned by Morris Multimedia
Morris Multimedia
Morris Multimedia, Inc. is a media company based in Savannah, Georgia, founded in 1970 by Charles H. Morris. Morris Multimedia, among the largest privately held media companies in the United States, is the parent company of Morris Newspaper Corporation and Morris Network.- Newspapers :The Morris...
and maps to virtual channel 25 (its former analog channel; hence its call sign
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
, which is the Roman numeral
Roman numerals
The numeral system of ancient Rome, or Roman numerals, uses combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet to signify values. The numbers 1 to 10 can be expressed in Roman numerals as:...
for 25) via PSIP
Program and System Information Protocol
The Program and System Information Protocol is the protocol used in the ATSC digital television system for carrying metadata about each channel in the broadcast MPEG transport stream of a TV station and for publishing information about television programs so that viewers can select what to watch...
. The tower site and directional antenna pattern are strategically located and designed to enable the station to cover all cities along the coast and Hattiesburg
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Hattiesburg is a city in Forrest County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 44,779 at the 2000 census . It is the county seat of Forrest County...
as well (as the station doubled as the Fox affiliate for the Hattiesburg/Laurel
Laurel, Mississippi
Laurel is a city located in Jones County in Mississippi, a state of the United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 18,393 although a significant population increase has been reported following Hurricane Katrina. Located in southeast Mississippi, southeast of...
market until WHPM-LD
WHPM-LD
WHPM-LD is the Fox-affiliated television station for Southeastern Mississippi's Pine Belt. Licensed to Hattiesburg, it broadcasts a low-powered digital signal on UHF channel 23 from a transmitter on Old Highway 11/Norton Road in unincorporated Lamar County. The station can also be seen on Comcast...
joined Fox in 2011). In addition to Fox programming, WXXV operates a MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
affiliate on its second digital subchannel, which launched April 10, 2009; this also serves the Hattiesburg-Laurel market in lieu of a local affiliate. It also carried some limited UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
programming out-of-pattern, a practice that ended in September 2006 when that network merged with The WB to form The CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
.
The station currently has no local newscast, but did so in two previous attempts. In the early 1990s, the station aired Mississippi News Tonight, a news program produced by Jackson
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
Fox affiliate WDBD
WDBD
WDBD is the Fox-affiliated television station for Jackson, Mississippi. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 40 from a transmitter on Thigpen Road in Raymond. The station can also be seen on Comcast channel 6 and in high definition on digital channel 434...
, which was cancelled due to low ratings. For a few years in the late 1990s and early 2000s, WXXV tried its own local newscast, the Fox 25 News at Nine, however it too ceased production. WXXV also aired ABCs crime drama NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
starting in 1994 when local ABC affiliate WLOX
WLOX
WLOX, virtual channel 13 , is the ABC affiliate for Biloxi and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Its transmitter is located near the unincorporated town of McHenry, Mississippi...
refused to air it on its station.
The station signed on for the first time on February 14, 1987 as Mississippi's third independent station, after WDBD in Jackson and WNTZ in Natchez
Natchez, Mississippi
Natchez is the county seat of Adams County, Mississippi, United States. With a total population of 18,464 , it is the largest community and the only incorporated municipality within Adams County...
. It joined Fox in 1992.
WXXV was added to DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
in the Biloxi/Gulfport market on June 16, 2010.
Digital television
WXXV's broadcasts became digital-only, effective on February 17, 2009. The station continues to broadcast on digital channel 48. However, through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers will display WXXV's virtual channelVirtual 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....
as "25".
The station's digital channel on UHF 48, is multiplexed:
WXXV-DT2 is also carried on channel 18 on Cable One
Cable One
Cable ONE is a United States cable service provider and subsidiary of The Washington Post Company, functioning as its own self-contained corporation within its parent company. The company's name and current focus dates back to 1997; prior to that time the company was known as Post-Newsweek Cable...
systems.