WOLF-TV

WOLF-TV is a full-power television station licensed to Hazleton, Pennsylvania, and serving the Scranton–Wilkes-Barre and broader Northeastern Pennsylvania market. It operates as an affiliate of the Fox network and is identified on air as Fox 56. Although its license city is Hazleton, the station's principal studios are in Plains Township, in the Fox Hill section near Wilkes-Barre, alongside facilities used for related stations in the market. Its primary transmitter is located at the Penobscot Knob antenna site near Mountain Top, a prominent broadcast location for Northeastern Pennsylvania. The station's roots extend to a group of New York businessmen who applied in the early 1980s for both a Scranton station on channel 38 and a Hazleton station on channel 56. The Hazleton authorization was initially conceived as a satellite of the Scranton outlet, allowing the proposed service to reach viewers in southern Luzerne County and areas affected by terrain. The two stations began broadcasting on June 3, 1985. Channel 38 initially used the WOLF-TV call sign, while the Hazleton satellite operated as WWLF-TV. Their programming consisted largely of syndicated reruns, films, children's shows, and other fare typical of an independent station at the time. WOLF-TV joined the newly established Fox network in October 1986. Children's programming became an important part of its early identity, including the locally developed WOLF Cub Club and appearances by the station's wolf mascot, Henry the 38th. The station also carried local public-affairs and sports-oriented programming. In January 1991, it became the first television station in the United States to air a local newscast produced by another station competing in the same market. WNEP-TV produced Newswatch 16 at 10 for WOLF, creating a long-running news-sharing arrangement. Ownership and technical arrangements changed substantially during the 1990s. The station group joined Pegasus Broadcast Television in 1993. A transmitter and license restructuring completed in 1998 moved the Fox service to channel 56, which adopted the WOLF-TV call sign and the Penobscot Knob transmission site. The former channel 38 became WSWB and affiliated with The WB, while the Williamsport satellite eventually became WQMY. WOLF-TV also moved its studios from Scranton to Plains Township in 2000. After Pegasus entered bankruptcy proceedings, New Age Media acquired the station group in 2006. WOLF-TV continued its news relationship with WNEP until the end of 2009, when production shifted to WBRE-TV. In 2011, damage to the station's transmission line temporarily took it off the air, with substitute carriage arranged through other local stations. Sinclair Broadcast Group began operating the station's non-license assets in 2014 and later brought news production in-house. Since January 2017, the station's newscast has used local reporting staff while being presented through Sinclair facilities associated with WSBT-TV in South Bend, Indiana. Sinclair completed its acquisition of the WOLF-TV and WQMY licenses from New Age Media in 2025, according to the referenced station history. WOLF-TV remains a local Fox affiliate whose business combines network programming, syndicated and locally produced content, advertising, digital news, weather, sports, and community-oriented coverage. Its consumer-facing identity is primarily Fox 56 rather than a standalone national brand, and its commercial role is that of a regional broadcast outlet within Sinclair's station portfolio.

WOLF-TV developed from a linked pair of proposed television stations in Northeastern Pennsylvania. In 1980, a group of New York businessmen led by Peter Rydell applied for a Scranton allocation on channel 38 and a Hazleton allocation on channel 56. The applicants initially considered religious programming and planned the Hazleton facility as a satellite serving southern Luzerne County. Their plans later shifted toward a secular independent station carrying syndicated series, films, and children's programming. WOLF-TV on channel 38 and WWLF-TV on channel 56 began broadcasting on June 3, 1985. The stations operated from Scranton and were carried by cable systems across a wide geographic area. WOLF-TV joined Fox in October 1986, while the broader service cultivated a local personality through sports and public-affairs segments, children's programs, and the Henry the 38th wolf mascot. The WOLF Cub Club, introduced in 1989, became a notable promotional and programming initiative, reportedly building a substantial membership before the national Fox Kids Club was established. On January 2, 1991, WOLF-TV began airing Newswatch 16 at 10, a newscast produced by WNEP-TV. The arrangement was unusual because WNEP and WOLF competed for local viewers, and it has been described as the first instance of a local station producing a newscast for a competing station. A second satellite, WILF, began serving Williamsport in 1992. In 1993, the station ownership group merged into Pegasus Broadcast Television. A major structural reorganization took place in the late 1990s. Pegasus received approval to improve the channel 56 transmission facility and reorganize the related stations. On November 26, 1998, channel 56 became the principal WOLF-TV service and moved to the Penobscot Knob site. Channel 38 became WSWB, a WB affiliate, while the Williamsport operation remained associated with the Fox service before later becoming WQMY. WOLF-TV moved its studios from Scranton to Plains Township in 2000. Pegasus later encountered financial difficulties connected in part to its satellite-television resale business. After the company entered Chapter 11 proceedings, its stations were placed on the market. New Age Media and its CP Media subsidiary acquired the group in 2006. WOLF-TV's news production continued to be supplied by WNEP until the end of 2009, when WBRE-TV assumed the contract and expanded the program to a full hour. A transmission-line incident in December 2011 temporarily interrupted the station's service, requiring substitute transmission arrangements through WBRE-TV and WYOU-TV. In 2013, New Age Media announced a sale of most of its stations to Sinclair Broadcast Group. Although the final license transaction was delayed, Sinclair acquired and operated the stations' non-license assets in 2014 through a master service arrangement. In 2016, Sinclair prepared to replace the WBRE-produced newscast with an internally managed operation. Beginning January 1, 2017, WOLF-TV used local journalists and anchors while the program was presented from Sinclair's WSBT-TV facilities in South Bend, Indiana. The station's broadcast infrastructure also transitioned from analog to digital. Its digital signal launched by November 2003, and the analog signal ended in January 2009. The digital service later moved frequencies as part of the nationwide spectrum-repacking process. In the referenced history, Sinclair completed its acquisition of the WOLF-TV and WQMY licenses in 2025. WOLF-TV therefore remains an active Sinclair-operated Fox affiliate, combining network programming with locally branded news, weather, advertising, and digital content for viewers throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania.

• 2025

  Sinclair license acquisition

  [1]WOLF-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Sinclair completed its acquisition of the WOLF-TV and WQMY licenses from New Age Media, according to the referenced history.

• 2017

  Sinclair-supported local news operation begins

  [1]WOLF-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The station replaced WBRE-produced news with a locally staffed operation presented through Sinclair facilities.

• 2009

  Analog transmission ends

  [1]WOLF-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WOLF-TV ended analog broadcasting on January 19 and continued with digital transmission.

• 2006

  New Age Media acquisition

  [1]WOLF-TVen.wikipedia.org

  New Age Media acquired the former Pegasus station group after the Pegasus bankruptcy process.

• 2000

  Studios move to Plains Township

  [1]WOLF-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The station moved its studios from Scranton to its current Plains Township area facility.

• 1998

  Channel and call-sign restructuring

  [1]WOLF-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The Fox service moved to channel 56, which became WOLF-TV, while channel 38 became WSWB.

• 1993

  Pegasus ownership

  [1]WOLF-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The station ownership group merged into Pegasus Broadcast Television.

• 1991

  First WNEP-produced 10 p.m. newscast

  [1]WOLF-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WNEP-TV began producing a local newscast for WOLF-TV.

• 1986

  Fox affiliation begins

  [1]WOLF-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WOLF-TV joined the Fox network in October.

• 1985

  Broadcast launch

  [1]WOLF-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WOLF-TV and WWLF-TV began broadcasting on June 3 as a linked independent television service.

• 1980

  Applications filed for Scranton and Hazleton facilities

  [1]WOLF-TVen.wikipedia.org

  A group led by Peter Rydell applied for television channels 38 in Scranton and 56 in Hazleton, with the latter planned initially as a satellite.

A local Fox affiliate positioned around regional news, weather, network entertainment, sports, and advertiser-supported broadcast reach across Northeastern Pennsylvania.

• Local television news · 1991

  Fox 56 News

  WOLF-TV's locally branded news service, including the station's 10 p.m. newscast and associated weather, traffic, and regional reporting. The production model has changed over time, moving from WNEP-TV to WBRE-TV and later to a Sinclair-supported operation using local reporting personnel.

• Broadcast television · 1986

  Fox network programming

  WOLF-TV's principal programming service consists of Fox network entertainment, sports, news, and special-event programming distributed over the station's channel 56 virtual identity.

• Children's programming and promotion · 1989

  WOLF Cub Club

  A locally developed children's club and programming feature introduced during the station's early years. It used on-air segments and community participation to build a distinctive local identity before the national Fox Kids Club was introduced.

• 1989WOLF Cub Club

  Northeastern Pennsylvania

  WOLF-TV promoted a local children's club through its kids programming and community appearances, using the station's wolf imagery and presenters to establish a family-oriented audience relationship.

  Outcome. The club reportedly grew rapidly and became one of the station's most important early audience and revenue-building initiatives.

  Source
• 1986Henry the 38th station mascot

  Northeastern Pennsylvania

  The station introduced a wolf mascot named Henry the 38th as part of its local branding and community presence.

  Outcome. The mascot helped translate the WOLF-TV name into a recognizable local identity.

  Source

• 2025

  Acquire the station licensesM&A

  Background

  Sinclair had operated the stations' non-license assets for approximately a decade while New Age Media retained the licenses.

  Action taken

  Sinclair filed to acquire the WOLF-TV and WQMY licenses and completed the transaction in August.

  Aftermath

  The referenced history identifies Sinclair as the direct license owner as well as the operator.

  Source

• 2017

  Bring news production under Sinclair controlStrategy

  Background

  Sinclair prepared to end WBRE-TV's production contract and consolidate news resources within its station group.

  Action taken

  WOLF-TV launched a locally staffed news operation supported by presentation and production facilities at Sinclair's WSBT-TV in South Bend.

  Aftermath

  The station continued local news under a shared Sinclair operating model rather than an arrangement with a competing local station.

  Source

• 2009

  Change local news providerStrategy

  Background

  WOLF-TV had used WNEP-TV to produce its local newscast since 1991.

  Action taken

  The station ended the WNEP arrangement and contracted WBRE-TV to produce a longer Fox-branded newscast.

  Aftermath

  The newscast adopted a format more closely connected with Fox programming and expanded to a full hour.

  Source

• 1998

  Move the Fox service to channel 56Generation change

  Background

  Pegasus sought to improve the Hazleton facility and reorganize the related channel 38, channel 56, and Williamsport operations.

  Action taken

  The Fox affiliation and WOLF-TV call sign moved to channel 56, which began transmitting from Penobscot Knob; channel 38 became WSWB.

  Aftermath

  Channel 56 became the primary WOLF-TV signal for the Scranton–Wilkes-Barre market.

  Source

• 1986

  Join the Fox networkStrategy

  Background

  The station began as an independent broadcaster in a market that lacked a conventional independent station.

  Action taken

  WOLF-TV affiliated with Fox in October 1986 while continuing to develop locally branded programming.

  Aftermath

  The Fox affiliation became the central identity of the station and ultimately produced the Fox 56 brand.

  Source

1. 1WOLF-TVen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Fox 56fox56.com