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Revision as of 14:07, 15 September 2020
WFXP, virtual channel 66 (UHF digital channel 22), is a Fox-affiliated television station licensed to Erie, Pennsylvania, United States. The station is owned by Mission Broadcasting; Nexstar Media Group, which owns ABC affiliate WJET-TV (channel 24), operates WFXP under a local marketing agreement (LMA). The two stations share studios and transmitter facilities on US 19/Peach Street in Summit Township (with an Erie mailing address). On cable, WFXP can be seen on Spectrum channel 6 and in high definition on digital channel 1006.
History
The analog UHF channel 66 frequency was first used in Erie by WEPA-TV, founded by Alfred E. Anscombe, who would also go on to launch Binghamton, New York's WIVT in the early-1960s. The station eventually went dark. WFXP signed-on September 2, 1986 as WETG operated by Gannon University. The assigned transmitter power of the station was significantly more modest than other commercial outlets at the time. The studio and production facilities were in the basement of the Nash Library on Gannon's campus, and the station was operated by the students of Gannon University's Theater and Communication Arts Program. Initially the station ran Catholic programs from 3 to 4 p.m., older movies till 6 p.m., some low-budget drama shows in the evenings, and some older movies at night. The station operated from 3 in the afternoon until midnight during its early days. By October, the station began 12 noon sign on after adding some cartoons 3 to 5 p.m. weekdays and a couple more off network comedy and drama shows. By November, after buying a few more off network sitcoms and drama shows, the station began 10 a.m. sign ons daily. In February 1987, the station began operating in the morning hours and was on the air 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. By then the station was running cartoons until 9 a.m., Catholic shows until 10 a.m., a mix of drama shows and movies until 2 p.m., cartoons until 5:30 p.m., older comedy shows until 8 p.m., a mix of movies, drama shows, and comedy shows after 8 p.m. On Saturdays, the station ran movies most of the day. On Sundays, the station ran Catholic shows a couple hours a day, cartoons a few hours, and a mix of movies and syndicated shows the rest of the day.
In 1988, WETG became Erie's charter Fox affiliate. As time went on, the station acquired more recent sitcoms as well first run shows and moved away from movies. Talk, reality and court shows began to appear by the mid-1990s. Cartoons began to disappear by about 2001. The station assumed the WFXP calls in 1995 after being sold by the University. In 1998, Nexstar (owner of WJET-TV) entered into an agreement with Mission Broadcasting to maintain responsibility for WFXP's daily operations except programming.
On December 21, 2007, this station started broadcasting its digital signal on UHF channel 22 in high definition with sister station WJET doing the same in 2008. WFXP has been digital-only since April 27, 2009.
On June 15, 2016, Nexstar announced that it has entered into an affiliation agreement with Katz Broadcasting for the Escape, Laff, Grit, and Bounce TV networks (the last one of which is owned by Bounce Media LLC, whose COO Jonathan Katz is president/CEO of Katz Broadcasting), bringing the four networks to 81 stations owned and/or operated by Nexstar, including WFXP and WJET-TV.
| TV stations in Pennsylvania |
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| WTXF, Philadelphia WPMT, York |
| TV stations in Northwestern Pennsylvania, including Erie |
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| WICU 12 (NBC) WJET 24 (ABC) |