WXCW
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| WXCW | |
|---|---|
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| Naples / Fort Myers, Florida | |
| Branding | CW6 TV WINK News Now |
| Channels | |
| Affiliations | The CW |
| Owner | Sun Broadcasting, Inc. |
| First air date | 1990 |
| Call letters’ meaning | Channel SiX (6) The CW |
| Former callsigns | WNPL-TV (1990-1995) WTVK (1995-2007) |
| Former channel number(s) | 46 (UHF analog, 1990-2009) |
| Former affiliations | Independent (1986-1995) UPN (1995-1998) The WB (1998-2006) |
| Transmitter Power | 1,000 kW |
| Height | 456 m |
| Facility ID | 61504 |
| Transmitter Coordinates | 26°47′8.3″N 81°47′45.8″W / 26.785639°N 81.796056°W |
| Website | cw6tv.com |
WXCW is the CW-affiliated television station for Southwest Florida that is licensed to Naples. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 45 from a transmitter north of Fort Myers Shores near the Lee and Charlotte County line. Although WXCW no longer broadcasts an over-the-air analog signal, it can be seen on Comcast cable channel 6 and in high definition on digital channel 236. Owned by Sun Broadcasting, the station has studios on Bonita Bay Boulevard in Bonita Springs. Syndicated programming on WCXW includes: Two and a Half Men, King of Queens, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, and Family Guy. It also airs Miami Dolphins preseason football games from WFOR-TV in Miami, Tampa Bay Rays games from WXPX-TV in Tampa, and SEC football / basketball games from Raycom Sports. WXCW is one of two major Fort Myers-based stations licensed to Naples (the other being ABC affiliate WZVN-TV).
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[edit] History
The station began broadcasting in 1990 as WNPL-TV. As an independent station, it filled a void in Southwest Florida when WFTX joined FOX four years earlier. Channel 46 was beset with problems early on most notably finding programming. As late as 1993, station personnel were going to a local video store and renting public domain videos to play on the station. Often, the station's graphics were misplaced and the status of WNPL was constantly in doubt. From 1993 until 1998, the station carried Florida Marlins baseball games from WBFS-TV in Miami. It also aired Orlando Magic basketball during much of this time. The situation changed on January 15, 1995 when the station joined UPN as a charter affiliate. It changed its call letters to WTVK in September that year. Those calls were previously used on what is now WVLT-TV in Knoxville, Tennessee. With a network backing it up, the station was able to change program content and strengthen its signal. In 1998, WTVK switched its UPN affiliation with the area's cable-only WB affiliate "WSWF". It then adopted the on-air moniker "WB 6". On January 24, 2006, UPN and The WB announced that they cease broadcasting and merge. The new combined network would be called The CW.
The letters would represent the first initial of its corporate parents, CBS (the parent company of UPN) and the Warner Bros. unit of Time Warner. On February 22, News Corporation announced that they would start up another network called MyNetworkTV. The new network, which would be sister to FOX, would be operated by FOX Television Stations and its syndication division, Twentieth Television. MyNetworkTV was created in order to give UPN and WB stations, not mentioned as becoming CW affiliates, another option besides becoming independent and to compete against The CW. On March 9, Acme Communications announced that most of its WB stations, including WTVK, would affiliate with The CW. However, it was likely that it would receive The CW affiliation without the corporate deal. Cable only "WNFM" (formerly "WSWF" and WEVU) eventually joined MyNetworkTV which began broadcasting on September 5. WTVK began broadcasting The CW on September 18. On that date, the station became known on-air as "CW 6". Back on May 15, Acme announced that it would sell WTVK to Sun Broadcasting. The sale was finalized on February 16, 2007. On March 2, after Sun Broadcasting assumed control, the station changed its call letters to the current WXCW. On February 17, 2009, it ceased broadcasting in analog and became digital exclusive.
[edit] Newscasts
The station airs the first hour of the nationally syndicated show, The Daily Buzz, on weekday mornings from 6 to 7. After becoming owned by Sun Broadcasting, WXCW entered into a news share agreement with CBS affiliate WINK-TV. Starting on March 26, 2007, that station began producing a nightly 10 o'clock newscast on WXCW. This was the third 10 o'clock news established in the market after FOX affiliate WFTX and WNFM. Right from the start, it emerged as the #2 ranked 10 P.M. production in the market. On May 25, the WZVN-produced WNFM news stopped airing. This was the result of Comcast's frequent technical difficulties, which hindered on the show's ratings, and the popularity of the WXCW production. On October 20, WINK-TV became the first station in Southwest Florida to broadcast local news in high definition. It purchased new HD studio cameras, field cameras, weather computers, and graphics to complete the launch. The WXCW broadcasts were included in the upgrade. On January 7, 2008, WINK-TV added a two-hour extension of its weekday morning news on WXCW. This displaced the second and third hours of The Daily Buzz. WXCW also began to rebroadcast WINK News Now at Noon at 1 in the afternoon. As of October 31, the station has stopped airing commercials for the first 21 minutes of the nightly 10 o'clock news. During these broadcasts, there are no regularly scheduled sports segments. Local news originates from WINK-TV's studios on Palm Beach Boulevard (a.k.a. FL 80) in Fort Myers.
The Daily Buzz
(Weekday Mornings 6 to 7)
- Anchors:
- Andy Campbell
- Andrea Jackson
- News Updates:
- Kia Malone
- Weather:
WINK News Now This Morning
(Weekday Mornings 7 to 9)
- Anchors:
- Rob Spicker
- Sarah Augusthy
- Weather:
- Brian Monahan
- Traffic:
- Miriam Zamorano
WINK News Now at 10 (10 to 10:30 P.M.)
Weeknights
- Anchors:
- Trey Radel
- Stacey Adams
- Weather:
- Scott Zedeker
Weekends
- Anchors:
- Jeremiah Jacobsen
- Jennifer Stacy
- Weather:
- Amanda McDonald
WXCW uses additional news personnel from WINK-TV. See that article for a complete listing.
[edit] Logos
 WTVK's "WB 6" logo. |
 Former "CW 6" logo used under Acme Broadcasting ownership and under call letters WTVK. |
Current station logo. |
[edit] External links
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