WFXL

WFXL is a full-power television station based in Albany, Georgia, serving viewers across Southwest Georgia. The station broadcasts on virtual channel 31 and is affiliated with the Fox network. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group and, under joint sales and shared services arrangements established in 2024, is operated alongside Albany-market stations WSWG and WSST-TV by Marquee Broadcasting. The stations share facilities on Slappey Boulevard in Albany, while WFXL's transmitter is located east of Doerun near the Colquitt–Worth county line. The station began broadcasting on February 14, 1982, under the call sign WTSG-TV. Founded by physician Carl Gordon Jr., it was the first independent television station in Southwestern Georgia. In its early years, the station relied heavily on syndicated programming and movies because the Fox network initially offered only limited programming. WTSG-TV became a charter Fox affiliate on October 9, 1986, although it continued to function much like an independent station until Fox expanded its schedule during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Gordon sold the station to NewSouth Broadcasting in 1987, and the call letters were changed to WFXL in 1989. Ownership changed several times during the 1990s and early 2000s. Clarion Broadcasting acquired the station in 1996, followed by Wicks Broadcast Group in 1998 and Waitt Broadcasting in 1999. Raycom Media purchased most of Waitt Media's stations, including WFXL, in December 2003. Raycom later agreed to sell WFXL to Barrington Broadcasting in 2006 because of ownership limits associated with Raycom's acquisition of the Liberty Corporation, which included Albany NBC affiliate WALB. Barrington's purchase was completed after the relevant regulatory process. WFXL experienced a major transmission disruption in 2006 when a military MH-47 Chinook helicopter struck a guy wire connected to its 1,000-foot tower during a training flight. The station and WALB temporarily lost their normal over-the-air signals, although cable distribution continued. A replacement transmission arrangement was installed at a backup location, and after the damaged tower was demolished, a related accident caused a nearby WALB tower to collapse. A new shared tower was completed in 2007. The station developed and adjusted its local news operation over time. It upgraded its weather technology in 2007 with Doppler radar access and automated severe-weather alerting. A revised graphics package and studio set accompanied a 2008 news expansion. Later, WFXL reduced locally produced programming: its 6:30 p.m. newscast was replaced by syndicated programming in 2011, the expanded morning show was ended in 2016, and weekend newscasts were also discontinued. Weeknight news production was moved to Sinclair's WGXA in Macon in 2016. By February 2023, WFXL had ended its own news operation and instead carried Sinclair's nationally oriented program The National Desk during morning and late-evening periods. WFXL remains a Fox affiliate and continues to provide entertainment, syndicated, network, weather, emergency, and locally relevant broadcast content to the Albany and Southwest Georgia market. Its digital transition was completed on June 12, 2009, when its analog UHF transmission ended; the station retained virtual channel 31 while operating its digital signal on VHF channel 12.

WFXL began service on February 14, 1982, as WTSG-TV, an independent station founded by Albany physician Carl Gordon Jr. Its launch gave Southwestern Georgia a locally based independent outlet at a time when the market's principal network stations occupied the dominant broadcast positions. The original studios were located on North Slappey Boulevard near U.S. 82 in Albany. The station became one of Fox's charter affiliates on October 9, 1986. Fox initially supplied very little programming, so WFXL continued to operate in practice as a hybrid independent station, filling evenings without Fox programming with movies and syndicated shows. As Fox developed a broader schedule, WFXL increasingly functioned as a conventional network affiliate. Gordon sold the station to NewSouth Broadcasting in 1987, and the call sign became WFXL in 1989. A succession of broadcast groups owned the station during the following years. Clarion Broadcasting acquired it in 1996, Wicks Broadcast Group purchased it in 1998, and Waitt Broadcasting bought it in March 1999. Raycom Media acquired WFXL in December 2003 as part of its purchase of most Waitt Media stations. In 2006, Raycom announced that WFXL would be sold to Barrington Broadcasting. The transaction was connected to ownership considerations arising from Raycom's acquisition of the Liberty Corporation, whose Albany holdings included NBC affiliate WALB. Barrington completed the purchase after regulatory approval. WFXL's transmission infrastructure suffered an unusual accident on June 1, 2006. An MH-47 Chinook traveling from Hunter Army Airfield to Fort Rucker struck a guy wire supporting WFXL's 1,000-foot tower. The tower remained standing, but the incident damaged the support system and forced the station to leave its normal over-the-air facilities. Cable viewers were not affected, and temporary transmitters and antennas were installed at a backup tower at WALB's Albany studios. When the damaged WFXL tower was demolished on June 7, one of its wires became entangled with a WALB tower wire, causing the WALB tower to collapse in an event shown on live television. Both stations were already operating from the backup installation, albeit at reduced power. A new tower serving the stations began operation on July 3, 2007. The station continued to refine its programming and news services. In 2007, it installed a more advanced computerized weather system with access to National Weather Service Doppler radar data from Moody Air Force Base and automated severe-weather warning capabilities. In September 2008, WFXL introduced updated graphics and a new studio set and expanded its weeknight 10 p.m. newscast. Its programming strategy later shifted toward syndicated content. The station dropped a weeknight 6:30 p.m. newscast in 2011 and added a fourth hour to its weekday morning program that same year. The extended morning show was discontinued in January 2016, and weekend newscasts ended in April. Production of the remaining weeknight prime-time newscasts moved to WGXA in Macon, with news and weather responsibilities handled outside Albany. Sinclair Broadcast Group announced the purchase of Barrington's entire station group in February 2013 and completed the transaction on November 25 of that year. WFXL subsequently became part of Sinclair's broader regional station network and added American Sports Network programming to its second digital subchannel in 2014. By February 2023, the station had closed its local news operation and replaced its former local newscasts with Sinclair's The National Desk during weekday mornings and late evenings. In 2024, Marquee Broadcasting began providing sales, programming, and other services to WFXL through joint sales and shared services agreements. WFXL remains an active Fox affiliate serving Albany and Southwest Georgia.

• 2024

  Marquee shared-services agreement

  [1]WFXLen.wikipedia.org

  Marquee Broadcasting begins providing sales, programming, and related services for WFXL under joint sales and shared services agreements.

• 2023

  Local news operation closes

  [1]WFXLen.wikipedia.org

  WFXL ends its own news operation and begins carrying The National Desk in former local-news periods.

• 2014

  American Sports Network launches on subchannel

  [1]WFXLen.wikipedia.org

  WFXL's second digital subchannel begins carrying American Sports Network programming.

• 2013

  Sinclair ownership begins

  [1]WFXLen.wikipedia.org

  Sinclair completes its purchase of Barrington Broadcasting, acquiring WFXL.

• 2009

  Digital transition

  [1]WFXLen.wikipedia.org

  WFXL ends analog broadcasting and continues with virtual channel 31 on a digital VHF facility.

• 2007

  Replacement tower enters service

  [1]WFXLen.wikipedia.org

  A new tower serving WFXL and WALB begins broadcasting in July.

• 2006

  Tower accident and emergency transmission arrangement

  [1]WFXLen.wikipedia.org

  A military helicopter strikes a WFXL tower guy wire, prompting temporary low-power transmission from a backup site.

• 2003

  Raycom Media acquisition

  [1]WFXLen.wikipedia.org

  Raycom acquires WFXL through its purchase of most Waitt Media stations.

• 1999

  Waitt Broadcasting acquisition

  [1]WFXLen.wikipedia.org

  Waitt Broadcasting purchases WFXL from Wicks.

• 1998

  Wicks Broadcast Group acquisition

  [1]WFXLen.wikipedia.org

  Wicks Broadcast Group acquires WFXL from Clarion.

• 1996

  Clarion Broadcasting acquisition

  [1]WFXLen.wikipedia.org

  Clarion Broadcasting purchases the station.

• 1989

  WFXL name adopted

  [1]WFXLen.wikipedia.org

  The station changes its call letters to WFXL.

• 1987

  NewSouth Broadcasting acquisition

  [1]WFXLen.wikipedia.org

  Founder Carl Gordon Jr. sells the station to NewSouth Broadcasting.

• 1986

  Fox affiliation begins

  [1]WFXLen.wikipedia.org

  WTSG-TV becomes a charter affiliate of the Fox network.

• 1982

  WTSG-TV signs on

  [1]WFXLen.wikipedia.org

  The station begins broadcasting from Albany as Southwestern Georgia's first independent television station.

A local Fox television affiliate serving Albany and Southwest Georgia, combining network entertainment with syndicated content, weather information, emergency coverage, advertising inventory, and selected news programming.

• Broadcast television service · 1982

  WFXL Fox 31

  WFXL's primary broadcast service carries Fox network programming along with syndicated entertainment, movies, public-service content, advertising, weather information, and other programming intended for the Albany and Southwest Georgia market. The service is identified by virtual channel 31, although its post-transition digital transmission uses VHF channel 12.

• News programming

  Local news and weather service

  WFXL historically produced weekday prime-time news, morning news, weekend newscasts, and severe-weather coverage for Albany and surrounding communities. Its weather operation received a technology upgrade in 2007, including Doppler radar access and automated warning capabilities. Local news production was later transferred to other Sinclair resources and the station's in-house news operation was discontinued by 2023.

• National news programming · 2023

  The National Desk

  The National Desk is a Sinclair-produced news program carried by WFXL after the closure of its local news operation. As of February 2023, it occupied weekday morning and late-evening periods that had previously included locally produced or locally branded news programming.

• Digital television · 2014

  Digital multicast programming

  WFXL multiplexes its digital signal to provide additional programming beyond its primary Fox service. Its second digital subchannel carried Sinclair's American Sports Network syndication package beginning in 2014; the available subchannel lineup may change over time.

• 2024

  Enter joint sales and shared services agreementsStrategy

  Background

  Sinclair owned WFXL while Marquee Broadcasting owned Albany-market stations WSWG and WSST-TV.

  Action taken

  Marquee began providing sales, programming, and other services for WFXL under joint sales and shared services agreements.

  Aftermath

  WFXL became operationally connected with WSWG and WSST-TV, and the three stations shared Albany facilities.

  Source

• 2023

  End in-house local news operationStrategy

  Background

  The station had already shifted much of its news production to other Sinclair facilities and had reduced its locally produced schedule.

  Action taken

  WFXL closed its news operation and replaced local newscasts with Sinclair's The National Desk during weekday mornings and late evenings.

  Aftermath

  The station continued to carry news content but no longer produced its own local newscasts as of February 2023.

  Source

• 2016

  Centralize news productionStrategy

  Background

  WFXL reduced its locally produced programming after replacing a 6:30 p.m. newscast with syndicated content and discontinuing its expanded morning and weekend news offerings.

  Action taken

  Production of the remaining weeknight prime-time newscasts shifted to Sinclair sister station WGXA in Macon, with news and weather duties handled from outside Albany.

  Aftermath

  WFXL no longer maintained a full local news-production operation, and its remaining news output became part of a centralized Sinclair model.

  Source

• 2007

  Replace damaged transmission towerOther

  Background

  A 2006 military helicopter accident damaged the support system of WFXL's main tower and required temporary low-power transmission.

  Action taken

  WFXL and WALB used backup transmission facilities while a new shared tower was constructed.

  Aftermath

  The replacement tower began broadcasting on July 3, 2007, restoring a permanent transmission arrangement for the stations.

  Source

• 1986

  Adopt Fox network affiliationStrategy

  Background

  WTSG-TV was operating as an independent station when the newly forming Fox network sought charter affiliates.

  Action taken

  The station joined Fox on October 9, 1986, while continuing to use movies and syndicated programming during periods when Fox had no network schedule.

  Aftermath

  The affiliation established the station's long-term network identity, although Fox's limited early schedule meant that WFXL initially retained many characteristics of an independent station.

  Source

1. 1WFXLen.wikipedia.org
2. 2WFXL official websitewfxl.com