WFXV

WFXV is a television station licensed to Utica, New York, and serving the broader Mohawk Valley and Utica–Rome media market. The station broadcasts on channel 33 and is affiliated with the Fox network. Its secondary digital service is affiliated with The CW Plus, following a change announced for September 2024. WFXV is owned by Nexstar Media Group and operates alongside WPNY-LD, an independent station with MyNetworkTV programming, while being co-managed with Mission Broadcasting-owned ABC affiliate WUTR. The stations share facilities on Smith Hill Road in Deerfield, using a Utica mailing address; WFXV's transmitter is also located at the site. The station originated with a construction permit granted in 1982 for analog channel 33. Its original call letters were WTUV, and construction began in 1983 under Mohawk Valley Broadcasting. The prospective station initially sought a CBS affiliation, but CBS declined, citing the existing coverage of Utica from Syracuse-based WTVH and concerns about the ability of a new station to add viewers. A challenge brought by the station's owner was rejected by the Federal Communications Commission in 1984. WTUV ultimately signed on October 12, 1986, as an affiliate of the newly formed Fox network. It initially operated in the manner of an independent station because Fox did not begin presenting a regular prime-time schedule until April 1987. The call sign changed to WFXV on February 1, 1990, reflecting the station's Fox affiliation and Utica identity. Ownership and operating arrangements changed several times during the 1990s and early 2000s. The station and a related low-power service were sold to Sullivan Broadcasting in 1996. When Sinclair Broadcast Group acquired Sullivan two years later, the Utica properties instead went to Quorum Broadcasting, a company founded by former Sullivan executive Dan Sullivan. Nexstar acquired WFXV in 2003. Mission Broadcasting subsequently acquired WUTR from Clear Channel Communications, closing the transaction in 2004 and establishing local marketing and joint-sales arrangements involving the stations. WFXV and its low-power sister service were consolidated into WUTR's Deerfield facilities. WFXV has used several approaches to local programming. It carried The Bill Keeler Show, a local late-night comedy program, from 2003 until 2005. In 2001, it entered a news-sharing arrangement with WKTV that produced a half-hour 10 p.m. program branded NewsChannel 2 on Fox. Technical difficulties with the microwave link between the stations made the production cumbersome, and the arrangement ended on August 31, 2004. Nexstar later developed a new shared news operation for WFXV, WUTR, and WPNY. Announced in 2011 after an investment in equipment and staffing, WFXV 33 Eyewitness News at 10 premiered on September 12, 2011, in high definition and was positioned as a faster-paced service intended to appeal to Fox's younger audience. The station has also carried syndicated and network-related programming. A simulcast of Bill Keeler's radio program from WIBX was added in 2015, temporarily suspended in 2016 while the station addressed updated real-time captioning requirements, and restored later that year. WFXV dropped the simulcast in 2022 in favor of Morning in America from Nexstar's NewsNation. Nexstar announced in 2016 that WFXV and WUTR would carry several Katz Broadcasting digital networks, including Escape, Laff, Grit, and Bounce. WFXV's terrestrial transmission became digital-only on March 16, 2009. The station later moved its digital operation from UHF channel 27 to channel 34 on March 13, 2020. A former analog translator, W31BP in Burlington, had its license surrendered and canceled on August 3, 2021.

WFXV traces its origins to a construction permit for a new Utica television station on analog channel 33, granted in 1982. Mohawk Valley Broadcasting began construction in spring 1983 and initially attempted to secure a CBS affiliation. CBS rejected the proposal, reasoning that the Utica area was already served by Syracuse-based WTVH and that the new station might not attract sufficient additional viewers. The owner challenged the decision and WTVH before the FCC, but the petition was rejected in 1984. The station eventually entered the market as WTUV on October 12, 1986, affiliating with the newly established Fox network. Because Fox did not launch a full prime-time schedule until April 1987, WTUV initially operated much like an independent station while carrying Fox programming. The station adopted the call sign WFXV on February 1, 1990. The letters referenced Fox and the Utica market, with the final character also visually suggesting a U. During the 1990s, WFXV became associated with a low-power or translator operation serving the region. WFXV and the related service were sold to Sullivan Broadcasting in 1996. When Sinclair Broadcast Group acquired Sullivan in 1998, the Utica stations were instead purchased by Quorum Broadcasting, a company formed by former Sullivan head Dan Sullivan. Nexstar acquired WFXV in 2003. In the same period, WFXV carried The Bill Keeler Show, a local late-night comedy program, from April 2003 until the program moved to WKTV in 2005. A major change in the station's operating structure followed Mission Broadcasting's acquisition of ABC affiliate WUTR from Clear Channel Communications. The transaction closed on April 1, 2004, and local marketing and joint-sales agreements were established. WFXV and the related low-power station were consolidated into WUTR's studios on Smith Hill Road in Deerfield. This arrangement placed the Fox, ABC, and independent/MyNetworkTV services within a coordinated local broadcast operation, while retaining separate station identities. WFXV's first significant local news effort began in September 2001 through a news-sharing agreement with WKTV. The resulting half-hour 10 p.m. program, NewsChannel 2 on Fox, mirrored WKTV's news coverage. The planned live feed from WKTV's Deerfield studios to WFXV's then-Rome facility experienced technical problems, sometimes forcing staff to record the program and transport a tape to the station. The agreement ended on August 31, 2004, after which the program moved to a WKTV digital or cable service and was reduced to weeknights. Nexstar later sought to build a new news department serving WFXV, WUTR, and WPNY. The company announced the initiative on March 31, 2011, describing an investment in new equipment and twelve employees. WFXV 33 Eyewitness News at 10 debuted on September 12, 2011. The program was produced as part of the shared operation but was intended to present a quicker-paced style suited to Fox viewers. Its launch made WFXV one of the first stations in the Utica market to deliver local news in true high definition. The station continued to adjust its programming mix. It added a simulcast of Bill Keeler's WIBX radio program in 2015, temporarily removed it in January 2016 while meeting updated FCC closed-captioning requirements, and restored it in May of that year. The program was ultimately replaced in 2022 by Morning in America, a NewsNation program from Nexstar's corporate portfolio. In 2016, Nexstar also announced agreements that brought several digital multicast networks to WFXV and WUTR, including Escape, Laff, Grit, and Bounce. WFXV completed the transition to digital-only broadcasting on March 16, 2009. Its digital transmission later moved from UHF channel 27 to channel 34 on March 13, 2020, with the antenna identification updated in April. The former W31BP translator in Burlington was discontinued when its license was surrendered and canceled on August 3, 2021. In August 2024, Nexstar announced that WFXV-DT2 would join The CW Plus on September 1, taking the market's CW affiliation from WKTV-DT3. WFXV remains an active Fox station serving Utica, Rome, and the surrounding Mohawk Valley.

• 2024

  WFXV-DT2 announced as a CW Plus affiliate

  [1]WFXVen.wikipedia.org

  Nexstar announced a September 1 launch of The CW Plus on WFXV's second digital subchannel.

• 2021

  Former translator license canceled

  [1]WFXVen.wikipedia.org

  The license for former translator W31BP in Burlington was surrendered and canceled on August 3.

• 2020

  Digital channel changes

  [1]WFXVen.wikipedia.org

  The station moved its digital transmission from UHF channel 27 to channel 34 on March 13.

• 2011

  Local news operation launches

  [1]WFXVen.wikipedia.org

  WFXV 33 Eyewitness News at 10 premiered on September 12 as part of a Nexstar-developed operation.

• 2009

  Digital-only broadcasting begins

  [1]WFXVen.wikipedia.org

  WFXV ended analog broadcasting and became digital-only on March 16.

• 2004

  WFXV consolidates with WUTR

  [1]WFXVen.wikipedia.org

  Following Mission Broadcasting's acquisition of WUTR, WFXV and its related low-power station moved into WUTR's Deerfield facilities under shared operating agreements.

• 2003

  Nexstar acquires the station

  [1]WFXVen.wikipedia.org

  WFXV became part of Nexstar's television station portfolio.

• 1990

  Call sign changes to WFXV

  [1]WFXVen.wikipedia.org

  The station adopted the WFXV call letters on February 1.

• 1986

  Station begins broadcasting

  [1]WFXVen.wikipedia.org

  WTUV signed on October 12 as an affiliate of the Fox network.

• 1982

  Construction permit granted

  [1]WFXVen.wikipedia.org

  A permit was granted for a new television station on analog channel 33 in Utica.

A local Fox affiliate combining national network entertainment and sports programming with Utica-area news, weather, and community coverage.

• Broadcast television station · 1986

  WFXV Fox 33

  WFXV's primary service is a Fox-affiliated broadcast television channel serving Utica, Rome, and the Mohawk Valley. Its schedule combines Fox network programming with syndicated shows, local promotional material, weather information, and regional coverage.

• Local news · 2011

  WFXV 33 Eyewitness News at 10

  The station's locally produced late-evening newscast launched in 2011 after Nexstar established a shared news operation serving WFXV, WUTR, and WPNY. The program was designed with a quicker-paced presentation for the Fox audience and was launched in high definition.

• Digital multicast television · 2024

  The CW Plus on WFXV-DT2

  WFXV's second digital subchannel was announced as the new home of The CW Plus in the Utica market beginning September 1, 2024. The service extends the station's network portfolio beyond its principal Fox affiliation.

• Local news · 2001

  NewsChannel 2 on Fox

  This earlier 10 p.m. newscast was produced under a news-sharing agreement with WKTV beginning in 2001. It mirrored WKTV's programming and ended on WFXV when the outsourcing arrangement expired in 2004.

• 2024

  Move The CW Plus affiliation to WFXV-DT2Strategy

  Background

  The Utica market's CW affiliation had previously been carried by WKTV-DT3.

  Action taken

  Nexstar announced that WFXV-DT2 would begin carrying The CW Plus on September 1.

  Aftermath

  The change gave WFXV a second major network affiliation and moved the market's CW service to a Nexstar-associated station.

  Source

• 2016

  Expand digital multicast programmingStrategy

  Background

  Nexstar was expanding the range of specialized digital broadcast networks available on its stations.

  Action taken

  Nexstar announced an affiliation agreement involving Escape, Laff, Grit, and Bounce for stations including WFXV and WUTR.

  Aftermath

  The agreement broadened WFXV's secondary-channel programming beyond its primary Fox schedule.

  Source

• 2011

  Build a shared local news departmentStrategy

  Background

  Nexstar sought to strengthen its Utica-area station group and compete with the market's established news provider.

  Action taken

  The company announced an investment in equipment and staffing for a news operation serving WFXV, WUTR, and WPNY, followed by the launch of WFXV 33 Eyewitness News at 10.

  Aftermath

  The newscast debuted in September 2011 and became WFXV's principal locally produced news offering.

  Source

1. 1WFXVen.wikipedia.org
2. 2WFXV official websitecnyhomepage.com