WFTX-TV
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| WFTX-TV | |
|---|---|
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| Cape Coral / Fort Myers / Naples, Florida |
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| City of license | Cape Coral |
| Branding | FOX 4 FOX 4 In Your Corner |
| Channels | |
| Affiliations | FOX |
| Owner | Journal Broadcast Group (Journal Broadcast Corporation) |
| First air date | October 14, 1985 |
| Former channel number(s) | 36 (UHF analog, 1985-2009) |
| Transmitter Power | 930 kW |
| Height | 404 m |
| Facility ID | 70649 |
| Transmitter Coordinates | 26°47′42″N 81°48′5″W / 26.795°N 81.80139°W |
| Website | fox4now.com |
WFTX-TV is the FOX-affiliated television station for Southwest Florida that is licensed to Cape Coral. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 35 from a transmitter north of Fort Myers Shores near the Lee and Charlotte County line. Owned by the Journal Broadcast Group, the station has studios on Southwest Pine Island Road in Cape Coral. WFTX is seen on Comcast cable channel 4 and this is reflected on its on-air branding, FOX 4. Syndicated programming on the station includes: Sex and the City, Friends, Seinfeld, and Everybody Loves Raymond.
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[edit] History
WFTX began broadcasting on October 14, 1985 as an independent station owned and operated by Family Group Broadcasting. That company was the previous owner of WFTS-TV in Tampa. It officially became a charter FOX affiliate on October 9, 1986. Family Group Broadcasting would soon sell the station to Wabash Valley Broadcasting of Terre Haute, Indiana by the end of the 1980s; this company also owned WTHI-TV in Terre Haute, and in the mid-90s, some newscast elements resembled WTHI, specifically voiceover work and one of the anchors, brought over from WTHI. It would change hands again in 1997 when Emmis Communications purchased the assets of Wabash Valley Broadcasting. Emmis would continue to own the station until August 2005 when WFTX and two of its other stations were sold to Journal Communications as a part of Emmis' departure from television ownership. (WTHI went to LIN TV.)
In 2005, WFTX introduced a new logo known as the "big red 4" that is similar to the "big red 7" used at WSVN. On March 2007, WFTX redesigned its website with the new look and offered more interactive news to viewers. Starting on August 13, 2007, the station also began producing a lifestyle show called FOX 4 Morning Blend. Airing weekday mornings at 8, the show is hosted by long-time Home Shopping Network personality Tracy Edwards. She was recently joined by Bill Wood, formerly of the Food Network, who had been serving as the weekday morning feature reporter. As of February 17, 2009, WFTX was the only major broadcast station in the area airing in analog. It waited until June 12 to switch to digital-only broadcasting.
[edit] News operation
After the sale to the Journal Broadcast Group, WFTX redesigned its entire news department, graphics, theme music, voice talent, and imaging under the leadership of veteran News Director Forrest Carr who joined the station from NBC affiliate WFLA-TV in Tampa. The new layout featured high impact viewer advocacy style news and a look similar to WSVN. A weekday morning newscast from 5 to 9, known as FOX 4 News Rising, was added followed by the FOX 4 Morning Blend. It was eventually cut back to two hours from 6 to 8 with the FOX 4 Morning Blend following it. After that, WFTX launched a weeknight 11 o'clock newscast, known as FOX 4 News Tracker at 11, in addition to its nightly 10 o'clock production.
In August 2006, MyNetworkTV affiliate "WNFM" announced that it would begin airing a nightly 10 o'clock newscast produced by ABC affiliate WZVN-TV. This was the second 10 P.M. production established in the market after WFTX. On March 26, 2007, CBS affiliate WINK-TV began producing a nightly 10 o'clock newscast on CW affiliate WXCW. On September 17, 2007 longtime weeknight co-anchor Krista Fogelsong left WFTX in a much publicized departure to pursue other interests. Weekday morning co-anchor, and Cape Coral native, Amy Wegmann moved to the evening broadcasts to fill the vacancy. As of May 2008, WFTX's FOX 4 News at 10 is still the number one primetime 10 o'clock newscast in the market. In addition to their main studios, it also operates a Collier County Bureau on Tamiami Trail North (a.k.a. U.S. 41) in Naples. There is no sports department.
[edit] News team
Anchors
- Amy Sedlacek - weekday mornings
- Patrick Nolan - weeknights
- Amy Wegmann - weeknights and consumer advocate
Sky Warn 4 Meteorologists
- Tom Johnston (AMS Seal of Approval) - Chief seen weeknights
- Jim Syoen - weekday mornings
- Kira Miner - weekends
Reporters
- Marisa Mendelson - TroubleShooter
- Tyisha Fernandes
- Renee Stoll
- Christina Bailey
- Pooja Lodhia
- Justine Waldman - Collier County Bureau
[edit] Former personalities
- Beth Shelburne - anchor (now at NECN)
- Krista Fogelsong - weeknight anchor
- Jeffrey Prier - meteorologist
- Jeff Robbins - meteorologist
- Chip McAfee - Chief Meteorologist
- Dave Roberts - Chief Meteorologist
- Len Jennings - sports (now at WZVN-TV)
- Erica Pitzi - reporter (now at WTSP)
- Pete Scovill - investigative reporter
- Jennifer Crawford - weeknight anchor
- Tom Chisholm - meteorologist (now at WMTW)
- Scott Mairn - sports
- Darren Sweeney - meteorologist (now at WVIT)
- Rosemary Conners - weekend anchor and reporter
- Shannon Mulaire - reporter (now at WTVT)
- Sabrina Fein - meteorologist (now at WOFL)
- Fallon Silcox - reporter
- Michelle Tuzee - anchor (now at KABC)
[edit] External links
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