WFXL
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| WFXL | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Albany, Georgia | |
| Branding | Fox 31 |
| Slogan | First, Fast |
| Channels | |
| Affiliations | Fox |
| Owner | Barrington Broadcasting Company, LLC (Barrington Albany License, LLC) |
| First air date | February 14, 1982 |
| Call letters’ meaning | FoX ALbany |
| Former callsigns | WTSG-TV (1982-1989) |
| Former channel number(s) | Analog: 31 (1982-2009) |
| Former affiliations | independent (1982-1989) |
| Transmitter Power | 60 kW (digital) |
| Height | 253 m (digital) |
| Facility ID | 70815 |
| Transmitter Coordinates | 31°19′53″N 83°51′43″W / 31.33139°N 83.86194°W |
| Website | www.mysouthwestga.com |
WFXL is the Fox network affiliate in Albany, Georgia. The station is owned by Barrington Broadcasting, and broadcasts a digital signal on VHF channel 12. WFXL's transmitter is located in Doerun, in northern Colquitt County, near the Worth County line.
Contents |
[edit] History
Channel 31 signed on in February 1982 as WTSG-TV, and was South Georgia's first independent station. The station became a Fox affiliate in November 1989, and changed its call letters to WFXL to reflect the new affiliation.
On March 27, 2006, then-owner Raycom Media announced the sale of WFXL and 11 other stations to Barrington Broadcasting in order to meet FCC rules regarding station ownership (Raycom had just acquired The Liberty Corporation, the owner of WALB, which they decided to keep).
In 2007 WFXL acquired a new, state of the art weather system which will help tremendously in severe weather coverage.
[edit] New Look
In September 2008, WFXL gave its newscast a new look by means of updated graphics and constructing a new set. At the same time, WFXL added a half hour to their 10 P.M. newscast.
[edit] Chopper crash and tower demolition
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 foot (305 meter) tall tower in Doerun, resulting in a crash (Investigation is still under way). While the tower remained standing and intact (other than the guy wire), WFXL was forced to temporarily cease its over-the-air signal, though broadcasts on cable were not affected.
If WFXL's tower collapsed, it could have also caused the tower of WALB to topple, as both towers were only 150 feet (45 m) apart. [1], [2], [3] As a result, Raycom (which at that time still owned WFXL while the Barrington sale awaited FCC approval) acquired auxiliary transmitters and antennas for both WFXL and WALB, which are installed at the tower at WALB's studios in Albany.[4]
On June 7, 2006, WFXL's tower was demolished, but in doing so, one of the tower's guy wires wrapped around a guy wire for WALB's tower, as feared. As a result, WALB'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. In early July 2007 the WALB/ WFXL mega-tower was completed and began broadcasting on July 3, 2007 at 11:35 P.M.[5] [6] Video:[7]
[edit] Newscasts
[edit] Weekdays
- FOX 31 News at 6:30 (6:30-7:00 P.M.)
- FOX 31 News at 10 P.M. (10:00-11:00 P.M.)
[edit] Weekends
- Fox 31 News at 10:00 P.M. (10:00-10:35 P.M.)
[edit] Current New Personalities
[edit] Anchors
- Terry Graham, 6:30 PM News Anchor/News Director
- Miranda Del Pozo, 6:30 and 10:00 PM Anchor/Reporter
- Ashley Knight, Weekend Anchor/Reporter
[edit] Reporters
- Stephanie Burke, Weekend Reporter
- Jenna McWilliams, General Assignment Reporter
- Jana Barnello, General Assignment Reporter
- Jeff Ablein, General Assignment Reporter
[edit] Meteorologists
- Chris Nisinger, Meteorologist
[edit] Sports
WFXL currently doesn't have a Sports Department.
[edit] Past News Personalities
- Hubert Wiggins Genernal Assignment Reporter (now at WNWO in Toledo, OH)
- Robert Hahn, Meteorologist (Chief)
- Brian Perkins, Sports Director
- Allison Dooley, Weekend Meteorologist
- Doug Williams, Weekend Weathercaster
- Justin Farmer, Reporter (Now at WSB-TV)
- Lindsey Sutherland, General Assignment Reporter/Weekend weather
- Bobbi Harley, news director/anchor (now with CBS News)
- Lauren Adams, General Assignment Reporter (now with WPSD-TV)
- Wade Michaels, Anchor/Reporter
- Phyllis Banks, reporter (now at Albany Police Dept.)
- Elvin Armstrong, Weekend Weathercaster
- Jim Basquil, Sports Director (now with ESPN Radio)
- Diane McInerny, reporter (now at Inside Edition)
- Chris Shafer, chief meteorologist
- Jaxon Riley, Weather Personality/Promotions Director
- Rob Hatchell, chief meteorologist, (now at WMBF-TV)
- Mark Tarello, chief meteorologist, (now at KEYC-TV)
- Jon Williams, anchor
- Rob Stone, Sports Director (now covers soccer & the PBA for ESPN)
- Jade Hindmond, fill in anchor, reporter (now at WHNS-TV)
- Rontonio Thurman, reporter
- Bruce Layman, news director (now at WTAP-TV)
- Jyl Lee, reporter
- Lydia Esparra anchor, reporter (now at WKYC-TV)
- Jeff Coyle, reporter
- Susanna Haynes, reporter
- Theo Travers, reporter (now At WREG-TV)
- Brian O'Connor, reporter
- Mercer Merrill, anchor (now at News 14 Carolina)
- Clay Godfrey, reporter
- Jeanie Powell, reporter (now at WAFF-TV in Huntsville, Alabama)
- Frank Sulkowski, sports director, (now at WJCL-TV in Savannah, Georgia)
- Jenny Nicholson, reporter, weekend anchor
- Lachlan McLean, Sports Director (now at WHAS-AM radio in Louisville, Kentucky)
- Heather Childers, News Director (now at News 14 Carolina in Charlotte, North Carolina)
- Sarah Abbott, reporter
- Regina Callan, reporter
- Rick Schutt, Sports Director (now at WSJV-TV in South Bend, Indiana)
- Greg Loyd, Main Anchor 1999-2000 (Now a professor at Tallahasse Community College)
- Amy Allday-Brice, reporter(Now Mental Health/Developmental Disability Professional)
- Rob Jones, Sports Director (now at WVTM in Birmingham, Alabama)
- Grady Shadburn, Weather Personality (deceased)
- Camille Amiri, reporter (now at WJBK in Detroit, Michigan)
- Lisa Arnold, host of "Around Town" local talkshow
- Krysta Brown, reporter (now the News Director of WFSU-TV in Tallahassee, Florida)
- Carole Price, reporter
- Wanda Wright, reporter
- Tijuana Brewer, reporter
- Angela Walker, reporter
- Lisa Weiss, Sports Director (Now at GPB "Prep Sports Plus" sports reporter, sideline reporter in Atlanta
- Diane McInerney, General Assignment Reporter (?, now at Inside Edition)
- Bob Lasher, Anchor (now Community Relations Manager for Pinellas Suncoast Transit Auth.)
- Dawn Hobby, Anchor
- Steve Simon, Reporter
- Bill Phipps, Sports Anchor
- Denisa Collins, Reporter
[edit] Logo Gallery
 Logo Used in late 90s |
 Logo used until 2007 |
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Query the FCC's TV station database for WFXL
- BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WFXL-TV
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