WFQX-TV

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WFQX-TV / WFUP-TV
WFQX: Cadillac, Michigan WFUP: Vanderbilt, Michigan
Branding	FOX 33
Slogan	Northern Michigan's FOX - Home of Northern Michigan's Only 10 O'Clock News
Channels	WFQX: 33 (UHF) WFUP: 45 (UHF) analog, WFQX: 47 (UHF) WFUP: 59 (UHF) digital
Translators	61 W61CR Sault Ste. Marie un-called transmitter ch. 64 Pickford
Affiliations	FOX
Owner	Rockfleet Broadcasting
Founded	WFQX 1990 WFUP 1993
Call letters meaning	WFQX= referring to FOX W Fox Upper Peninsula (or Fox/UPN, referring to old secondary affiliation with UPN)
Former affiliations	UPN (secondary, 1995-2006)
Website	fox33.com

WFQX-TV "FOX 33" based in Cadillac, Michigan, is the FOX television affiliate for the Traverse City / Sault Ste. Marie television market, which is the largest geographic television market east of the Mississippi River. WFQX's transmitter and studios are located 6 miles SSE of Cadillac in Osceola County, Michigan and are surrounded by corn fields. WFQX transmits its signal from an antenna 974 feet in height with an effective radiated power of 776 kW. Its digital tramsmitter is shared with WGTU's analog near Kalkaska.

The station operates a full time satellite, WFUP-TV, which broadcasts on channel 45, and has a digital signal on channel 59. Unlike WFQX and its branding "FOX 33", WFUP is not known on-air as "FOX 45". The station is a straight simulcast of WFQX. Also, unlike CBS station WWTV/WWUP known as 9&10, NBC station WPBN/WTOM called 7&4, and ABC station WGTU/WGTQ named 29&8, WFQX/WFUP is only referred to as FOX 33, not 33&45. There is no on-air mention that WFUP exists and it does not have its own website or logo. However, WFUP is mentioned in the EEO report, which can be seen on WFQX's website. WFUP's transmitter is located 8 miles WNW of Vanderbilt, Michigan in Charlevoix County on Thumb Lake Road. WFUP transmits its signal from an antenna 1,063 feet in height with an effective radiated power of 851 kW (analog) and 1000 kW (digital). Master control and operations of WFUP are located in WFQX's studios.

WFQX was northern Michigan's first station broadcasting 24/7, even though overnights are filled with home shopping and other paid programming. The station also airs a large amount of daily religious programming, such as Believer's Voice of Victory and Walking By Faith, as well as infomercials.

WFQX/WFUP promote a website called Beyond the TV, which gives information about local advertisers in the area along with station contests and other promotions.

Contents 1 History 2 Outlying Transmitters 3 Newscast 4 External Links

[edit] History

The station was originally WGKI-TV, named for founder Gary Knapp. A well-known DJ and TV personality, Knapp signed on low-powered WGKI in 1990. Despite its limited reach, WGKI was shown on local cable television systems. Prior to WGKI, northern Michiganders received Fox shows on cable from WKBD in Detroit.

In WGKI's early years, the station was extremely low-budget. This was shown in the station's use of 1970s-era electronic graphics for their first few years of broadcast.

Due to the growing popularity of the FOX network and shows such as The Simpsons and Married With Children, the station quickly grew. The on-screen graphics were modernized and the station started to use higher-quality video equipment. In the early 1990s, the station launched several translators in areas where the station's signal did not reach. By the mid-1990s it moved into a new studio. In 1993, the station launched WGKU, channel 45, in Vanderbilt, whose signal reached the Gaylord and Petoskey areas.

In the early years, WGKI simulcasted WKBD's 10 PM newscasts. When FOX moved to WJBK in 1994, it started using that station's resources. The move also disallowed rival WKBD from distributing Detroit Red Wings and Tigers games to WGKI. Knapp made a station promo explaining the situation between WGKI, WKBD, and WJBK.

Also, when the affiliation switch in Detroit was made, WGKI replaced WKBD on cable systems in central Michigan and the Upper Peninsula, so viewers without a local FOX station would keep their programming. As a consequence, they also expanded into parts of the Flint / Tri-Cities, Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Detroit markets, via cable carriage. As a result, some cable viewers, especially in Bay City, Saginaw and the Thumb, found out that most of WGKI's programming, especially FOX programs, were blacked out by request of the local FOX affiliate. Soon after, many cable systems outside Northern Michigan and the UP either dropped WGKI, or brought back WKBD.

In 1995, WGKI started airing a few UPN shows out of primetime. Until September 2006, the station aired WWE SmackDown! on Saturday nights at midnight. In 1999, WGKI increased its ERP from 219 kW to 774 kW, significantly increasing its on air coverage area.

In 2000, Knapp retired and sold his stations to Rockfleet Broadcasting for $12 million. Part of the deal called for channels 33 and 45 to change their call letters. Channel 33 became WFQX (reffering to FOX) and channel 45 became WFVX. The latter station later became WFUP, which means FOX Upper Peninsula, even though the station's signal hardly reaches that area . Later, the Sault began receiving the station via a translator on channel 61. The WFVX calls were moved to another FOX affiliate and sister station based in Bangor, Maine.

In January 2006, The WB and UPN announced that they would be merging together and be reformulated as The CW in the Fall of 2006. CW programming in on cable channel WBVC (which use to be a WB affiliate) and WFQX has droped the UPN affiliation. At this point, it is unknown what secondary affiliation will replace UPN, if anything, although FOX's new sister network, MyNetworkTV could air. There is currently no MNTV affiliate in the Traverse City / Sault Ste. Marie (Northern Michigan) television market.

According to WFQX's homepage, the station's conversion to HDTV programming has yet to occur for over-the-air viewers. The station is trying to start broadcasting in HDTV by December of 2006. However, WFQX HDTV programming is currently offered on most Charter Cable systems on channel 783.

[edit] Outlying Transmitters

WFQX/WFUP is the only station in the Traverse City television market that offers additional repeaters. At one point, the station offered W31BO in Alpena and W54CR to the west of Traverse City. W31BO is silent now and to make up for lost coverage, WFUP is offered on cable. As for W51CR, that signal has ended its broadcasting. [1]

• W61CR from Sault Ste. Marie at 7,530 W
• un-called transmitter on ch. 64 from Pickford, at 50 kW (is currently operating under a "special temporary authority" and the station has filed an application to the FCC to use channel 43)

[edit] Newscast

In 2000, WFQX launched a weekday 10 PM newscast called FOX 33 News at 10, and at its start, lacked resources such as reporters and engineering upkeep. Currently, the news team is made up of three people. The newscasts are anchored by Paula Caruso, while Erin Russ and Maria Tocco report. The weather is satellite fed from AccuWeather in Pennsylvania which has been criticized for being too late when severe weather is an issue. Meteorologist Jim Kosek is the primary on-air talent for WFQX.

FOX 33 News at 10 (10-10:30 PM weekdays)

• Anchor:
  • Paula Caruso
• Reporters:
  • Erin Russ
  • Maria Tocco
• AccuWeather Meteorologist:
  • Jim Kosek

[edit] External Links

• WFQX & WFUP Website
• Beyond the TV Website
• WFQX on Michiguide
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WFQX
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WFUP
• Query the FCC's TV station database for W61CR