WVFX
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WVFX is the Fox-affiliated television station for North-Central West Virginia that is licensed to Clarksburg. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 10 (or virtual channel 10.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter in an unincorporated area between Clarksburg and Arlington. Owned by Withers Broadcasting Companies, WVFX is sister to CBS affiliate WDTV and the two outlets share studios on Television Drive in Bridgeport (along I-79/Jennings Randolph Expressway).
History
The station signed-on February 8, 1981 and aired an analog signal on UHF channel 46. It was a religious Independent station using the calls WLYJ (standing for We Love You Jesus). Much of the programming consisted of national religious evangelicals and local fund-raising appeals to continue operation of the station. In 1998, WLYJ was sold to Davis Television and converted to a Fox affiliate. The call sign was changed to WVFX (standing for West Virginia's FoX).
Davis Television sold WVFX to Withers Broadcasting Companies in 2007. Since the Clarksburg/Weston/Fairmont market has only five full-powered stations, this amount is too few to allow a duopoly under normal Federal Communication Commission (FCC) guidelines. However, Withers obtained a "failed station" waiver allowing the purchase to go through. Although most internal operations were integrated with WDTV in Bridgeport, WVFX initially maintained its original facility on West Pike Street/SR 20 in Downtown Clarksburg. The station's signal is very hard to receive over-the-air since much of the region is a rugged dissected plateau. As a result, it relies primarily on cable and direct broadcast satellite for viewership.
Fairmont is technically the market's largest city because Morgantown (though only twenty miles north) has the largest population of any city in the geographic area but it is part of the Pittsburgh market. Despite this technicality, the station is still able to sell commercials to businesses in that area. Locations around Morgantown are within reach of over-the-air signals from Pittsburgh stations. In addition to WVFX, most cable providers offer WPGH-TV on their basic tiers. In some cases, that station's high definition feed is offered on the digital tiers instead of WVFX.
Gray Television announced on May 13, 2016 that it would acquire WVFX and WDTV from Withers Broadcasting for $26.5 million.[1] Gray will seek a continuation of the "failing station" waiver allowing WVFX to be co-owned with WDTV, and will assume control of the stations through a local marketing agreement on June 1.[2]
Digital television
Digital channels
The station's digital signal is multiplexed:
| Channel | Video | Aspect | PSIP Short Name | Programming[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10.1 | 720p | 16:9 | WVFX-DT | Main WVFX programming / Fox |
| 10.2 | 480i | WVFX-D2 | West Virginia CW |
Analog-to-digital conversion
WVFX shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 46, on June 12, 2009, the official date in which full-power television in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal broadcasts on its pre-transition VHF channel 10.[4]
Programming
Syndicated programming on this station includes Excused, The Office, Friends, and The People's Court among others.
Newscast
After acquiring WVFX, WDTV made preparations to begin producing a prime time newscast on this station. Launched in late-2010, the show is called Fox 10 News at 10 and airs weeknights for thirty minutes. The broadcast features the News Corp. Digital Media music theme and graphics package modified from original use on Fox owned-and-operated stations.
References
- ^ "Gray Buying WDTV-WVFX Clarksburg, WV". TVNewsCheck. May 13, 2016. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
- ^ "Application For Consent To Assignment Of Broadcast Station Construction Permit Or License". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. May 18, 2016. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
- ^ RabbitEars TV Query for WVFX
- ^ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-03-24.
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