WUXP-TV

WUXP-TV
Nashville, Tennessee
United States
Branding My30
Channels Digital: 21 (UHF)
Virtual: 30 (PSIP)
Subchannels 30.1 MyNetworkTV
30.2 GetTV
30.3 Comet
Affiliations MyNetworkTV (since 2006)
American Sports Network (occasional broadcasts)
GetTV (DT2; since 2014)
Comet (DT3; since 2015)
Owner Sinclair Broadcast Group
(WUXP Licensee, LLC)
First air date February 18, 1984 (1984-02-18)
Call letters' meaning exploits the U and P from UPN (former affiliation), X from former WXMT calls
Sister station(s) WNAB, WZTV
Former callsigns WCAY-TV (1984–1989)
WXMT (1989–1996)
Former channel number(s) Analog:
30 (UHF, 1984–2009)
Former affiliations DT1:
Independent (1984–1987, 1990–1995)
Fox (1987–1990)
UPN (1995–2006)
DT2:
The Tube (2006–2007)
TheCoolTV (2010–2012)
Transmitter power 1000 kW
Height 413 metres (1,355 ft)
Facility ID 9971
Transmitter coordinates 36°15′50″N 86°47′39″W / 36.26389°N 86.79417°W / 36.26389; -86.79417
Licensing authority FCC
Public license information: Profile
CDBS
Website mytv30web.com

WUXP-TV, virtual channel 30 (UHF digital channel 21), is a MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. The station is owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group, and is sister to Fox affiliate WZTV (channel 17, also wholly owned by Sinclair) and CW affiliate WNAB (channel 58, owned by Tennessee Broadcasting but operated by Sinclair through an outsourcing agreement). All three share studios on Mainstream Drive along the Cumberland River, WUXP's transmitter is located in Whites Creek, Tennessee.

History

As an independent station

The station signed on the air on February 18, 1984 as independent station WCAY-TV; it was owned by the TVX Broadcast Group, which had signed on a few stations in other markets. The station maintained a general entertainment format featuring cartoons, sitcoms, movies and drama series. The station originally operated from studios located on Peabody Street in downtown Nashville. Along with the other TVX stations, WCAY became a Fox affiliate on April 5, 1987 as part of a groupwide affiliation deal. Fox affiliated with all of TVX's stations as a condition of affiliating with WNOL-TV in New Orleans. However, there was a catch: if one of TVX's underperforming stations was sold, that particular station that was sold could lose their Fox affiliation in the event that there is a higher rated independent station in the market available for affiliation.

As a Fox affiliate

In 1987, TVX acquired Taft Broadcasting's Fox affiliates and independent stations. Unfortunately, the deal left TVX heavily leveraged. After the 1987 stock market "bump", the larger investors started pulling their funding. One large investor used his voting shares and influence to force TVX to sell some of its underperforming medium-market stations. WCAY and sister station WMKW in Memphis (now WLMT) were sold to MT Communications, which was headed by – and named after – Michael Thompson. WCAY then changed its call letters to WXMT on September 26, 1989.

Return to independent status

In 1990, WZTV's owner, Act III Broadcasting – who was known for buying its competitors' stronger programming assets and having the competitor change formats to religious or home shopping programming and in one case, even having it go dark altogether – offered to buy WXMT's entire syndicated programming inventory and move most of the shows over to WZTV, alongside programs that were already broadcast on that station. Fox also planned to exercise its option to moving its Nashville area affiliation to WZTV. Originally, WXMT was to switch to a hybrid format of home shopping for 18 hours a day and religious programs for six hours a day, but MT Communications still wanted some of the programming and to keep some entertainment shows on the schedule. The deal was called off early in February. But in the middle of the month when Fox moved over to WZTV, negotiations resumed and immediately it was decided that WZTV would get only cash programming (including sitcoms, movies, and some of the cartoons), while WXMT would keep barter cartoons, a few barter sitcoms as well as some religious shows.

The deal took effect later in February 1990. By this time, WXMT's schedule now featured cartoons from 7-9 a.m., religious programming from 9 a.m.-noon, Home Shopping Network programming from noon to 4 p.m. and after 9 p.m., and low-rated barter syndicated shows from 4 to 9 p.m. Gradually, more first run talk shows, sitcoms and cartoons were added to WXMT's schedule. By 1994, WXMT was once again running general entertainment programming full-time.

As a UPN affiliate

On January 16, 1995, the station became an affiliate of the United Paramount Network (UPN), and began branding itself as "UPN 30". By then, WZTV was owned by Abry Communications; later that year, WZTV entered into a local marketing agreement with WXMT. MT Communications sold the station to a local owner, but WZTV would handle programming responsibilities for the station. The station's call letters were changed to the current WUXP on August 23, 1996 with its on-air branding changing to "UXP30" and later "UPN Nashville" before reverting to "UPN 30" in 2002.

Before it entered into the LMA with WZTV, WXMT had planned to build a state-of-the-art studio facility along the "south loop" of Interstate 40 in Nashville. For many years, even after the plans had been abandoned, a retaining wall on the site featured a mural reading "Future Home of WXMT-30". The LMA continued after Sinclair acquired Abry. As time went on, cartoons (such as The Wacky World of Tex Avery, Pokémon and RoboCop: Alpha Commando) disappeared from the schedule gradually and more first-run reality and talk shows were added. In 2000, Sinclair Broadcast Group bought WUXP outright.

MyNetworkTV affiliation

On February 22, 2006, News Corporation announced the formation of MyNetworkTV, a sister network to Fox that would affiliate with WB and UPN stations that were not named as affiliates of fellow upstart network The CW.[1][2] In February 2006, WUXP, along with most of Sinclair's WB and UPN affiliates, was announced as a charter affiliate of MyNetworkTV. On September 5 of that year, WUXP changed its on-air branding to "My 30" and carried the last three weeks of UPN programming outside of prime time during the late night hours. WUXP may carry CW or Fox programming should WNAB or WZTV preempt in the event of a local special or an emergency such as a breaking news story.

Signal loss of 2014

WUXP went off the air on September 15, 2014 due to technical problems with its transmission tower. No public relations statement or updates had been provided on its website or Facebook page. On September 18, the signal was restored only to remain broken up and intermittent that day. The signal was completely restored on September 20, 2014.

General programming

Some of WUXP's syndicated programming includes Celebrity Name Game, Family Feud, Maury, Jerry Springer, and The Simpsons.

During severe weather, WZTV provides its severe weather tracker for its own main channel, as well as the main channels of WUXP and WNAB since WZTV fills the programming schedules of all three stations.

Sports programming

Local sports programming

On Friday nights, mainly during high school football season (late August–November), WUXP broadcasts their own coverage of high school football games around middle Tennessee, under the banner Friday Night Rivals beginning the 2014 season.[3][4] Since September 2014, Friday Night Rivals is also live streamed online.[5] It features games involving certain local high schools in and/or around the Nashville area playing against certain rivals.[6] They were previously broadcast on Thursday Nights under the name Thursday Night Lights until the end of the 2013 season.[7] Halftime reports includes recaps of the first half, as well as a weather segment from WZTV's weather team. These broadcasts will also preempt MyNetworkTV programming during these time slots, so WUXP would air those programs after the game is over. Since 2013, the station also broadcasts TSSAA football title games as part of a 3-year agreement with Mann Communications and PlayOn! Sports.[8]

In addition, also during football season, WUXP and WZTV both air Titans All Access,[9] a 30-minute game preview show hosted by famed Titans Radio personality Mike Keith. It provides highlights behind the scenes of the games, and analysis and perdictions for the next game that is played after the broadcast of this program.[10]

In January 2015, High school basketball games began broadcasting on WUXP under the title, Friday Night Hoops.

Syndicated sports programming

Past syndicated sports programming

WUXP has been the long-time home to Southeastern Conference football and basketball games (including those involving Vanderbilt Commodores or the University of Tennessee Volunteers) from Jefferson-Pilot/Raycom Sports (previously broadcast by WSMV in the 1980s and 1990s) from 2002 until 2009,[11][12][13] and ESPN Plus-oriented SEC TV from 2009 to 2014. This ended in 2014 because of the inception of the then-new cable-exclusive SEC Network that launched in August 2014 due to a new 20-year contract between the Southeastern Conference and ESPN to launch that new network.[14]

Current syndicated sports programming

In 2014, WUXP began broadcasting Raycom Sports' Atlantic Coast Conference syndication package (branded as ACC Network) after acquiring local rights from ABC affiliate WKRN-TV’s second digital subchannel. This includes football and men’s basketball games syndicated through the service, especially those involving the Louisville Cardinals, the closest ACC member institution to the area, which became a member in 2014.

American Sports Network

On August 30, 2014, Sinclair Broadcasting Group launched the American Sports Network, which has rights to Conference USA football and men's basketball.[15] [16] WUXP began carrying that syndication package from ASN, including the "Conference USA Showcase", and sporting events involving the sports programs of the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders, beginning with the 2014 football and 2014-15 basketball season. In addition, the station also airs any Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball games, also offered through ASN, since four of the OVC’s member institutions are within WUXP’s coverage area. Since the OVC’s league office is based in the south Nashville suburb of Brentwood, WUXP is basically the flagship station of the ASN’s OVC sports programming package. OVC Football was added to ASN’s portfolio on September 26, 2015, so WUXP broadcasts those games also.[17] During the summer months, WUXP also airs certain installments of the ASN’s Minor League Baseball Sunday Showcase.

Sports programming conflicts

All of the sports packages from Raycom Sports and the ASN both serve as replacements for the now-dissolved SEC TV syndication package. In the event of conflicting schedules between the sports packages of Raycom and ASN, WUXP-DT2 may also have a share in ASN's OVC package. Also, any time these syndicated sporting events are broadcast during the primetime hours, MyNetworkTV programming is aired after the games are over. However, with a 24/7 version of the ASN available on WNAB-DT2 since January 2016, scheduling conflicts have eased up.

At some occasions, WZTV would air Raycom’s ACC basketball whenever the times conflict with WUXP’s broadcasts of TSSAA boys and girls high school state basketball championship games, which air in late February and early March. WUXP also broadcasts TSSAA high school football championship games that typically take place in November.

Other syndicated sports programming

On some occasions, WUXP-TV also broadcast some non-conference basketball games involving Belmont University’s men’s basketball team.[18] Since 2011, both WUXP and WZTV are the Nashville-area homes to Ring of Honor Wrestling, another syndicated program by Sinclair Broadcasting.[19]

Digital television

Digital channels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming[20]
30.1 720p 16:9 WUXP-MY Main WUXP-TV programming / MyNetworkTV
30.2 480i 4:3 GetTV GetTV
30.3 Comet Comet

WUXP-DT2

As a part of an affiliation agreement involving several Sinclair-owned stations, WUXP began carrying The Tube Music Network on March 23, 2006, However that relationship stopped temporarily (and eventually permanently) on January 1, 2007, in a dispute involving FCC requirements for digital subchannels, which resulted in Sinclair Broadcasting pulling The Tube from all of its Stations. (Including WUXP) Three years later, TheCoolTV was added on digital subchannel 30.2 on September 18, 2010, However it was dropped on August 31, 2012, as part of a groupwide removal of the network on all of Sinclair Broadcasting Stations.

The station launched Get-TV, a movie-oriented network owned by Sony Pictures Television on their second digital subchannel during the wee hours of Saturday, June 28, 2014 as part of a deal with Sinclair that would add 33 markets to the GetTV affiliate roster.[21][22]

WUXP-DT3

WUXP-DT3 launched on October 27, 2015 as a simulcast of WUXP-DT2. At 4:00 a.m. CT on the morning of October 31, 2015, WUXP-DT3 began serving as a charter affiliate of Comet, a new premium multi-cast network jointly owned by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Sinclair Broadcasting. The channel will be a new movie network focusing on science fiction, supernatural, adventure and fantasy series and films, mainly from the libraries of MGM and sister studio, United Artists. It will also air some Infomercials.[23]

Analog-to-digital conversion

WUXP-TV shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 30, on February 17, 2009, which was intended to be the official date in which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The deadline was moved to June 12, 2009, but the station decided to convert on the original deadline.[24] The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 21.[25][26] Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former UHF analog channel 30.

Newscast

In 1991, WXMT debuted the Nashville market's first primetime newscast at 9 p.m. (predating WZTV's 9 p.m. newscast by six years) through a news share agreement with NBC affiliate WSMV-TV (channel 4). The hour-long weeknight newscast, which featured WSMV's anchors and reporting staff, lasted less than two years before it was cancelled and replaced with syndicated programming.

Out of market coverage

WUXP-TV was the default UPN affiliate for the Bowling Green, Kentucky media market throughout that network’s 1995-2006 existence because UPN was never available from a local outlet in that area. WUXP was also the default MyNetworkTV affiliate for the Bowling Green market since MyNetworkTV launched in September 2006. This ended in the first quarter of 2014, when DTV America Corporation signed on WCZU-LD to serve as a primary Antenna TV and secondary MyNetworkTV affiliate. WUXP could still be easily picked up in some areas of the Bowling Green media market with an over-the-air antenna. WUXP also remains on WesternCable, the on-campus cable system in classrooms and residence halls at Western Kentucky University.[27] WUXP (as WCAY-TV and WXMT) was also the first station to be the default Fox affiliate for Bowling Green from Fox’s 1987 inception until WZTV took the Fox affiliation in 1990.

Except for select areas of Lincoln County, Tennessee (in the Huntsville, Alabama market) and southernmost Muhlenberg County, Kentucky (in the Evansville, IN market), about half of the Bowling Green market area is the only out-of-market coverage that WUXP has.

References

  1. ↑ "News Corp. to launch new mini-network for UPN stations". USA Today. February 22, 2006. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
  2. ↑ News Corp. Unveils MyNetworkTV, Broadcasting & Cable, February 22, 2006.
  3. ↑ “Wildcats to open 2014 season on TV”. Wilson Post, August 22, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
  4. ↑ Boclair, David (August 17, 2015). "Lineup set for Friday Night Rivals high school football telecasts". Nashville Post. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
  5. ↑ Friday Night Rivals games to be live streamed
  6. ↑ "WUXP-TV My30 Nashville :: Friday Night Rivals". WUXP-TV. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
  7. ↑ Cirillo, Chip (August 7, 2014). "WUXP changes to Friday football coverage". The Tennessean. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  8. ↑ Murphy, Michael (December 4, 2013)."TSSAA's Blue Cross Bowl football title games to air statewide on new network." Nooga.com. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  9. ↑ Titans All Access - WZTV Fox 17
  10. ↑ Tennessee Titans | Titans All-Access Television Information
  11. ↑ "WUXP UPN 30/Nashville, TN - Sports". Archived from the Original on December 12, 2002. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  12. ↑ “jpsports.com”. Archived from the original January 14, 2006 via Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 13, 2014. Editor’s note: Click on the Affiliates tab for the list of stations.
  13. ↑ http://www.secdigitalnetwork.com/NEWS/tabid/473/Article/123584/jp-sports-game-of-the-week-week-10-broadcast-info.aspx
  14. ↑ "SEC Network FAQ > SEC > NEWS".Archived from the original on March 31, 2014 via Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  15. ↑ Fornelli, Tom (July 17, 2014). "Sinclair Launches American Sports Network". "Broadcasting and Cable". Retrieved July 19, 2014.
  16. ↑ Sinclair Broadcasting Group to launch American Sports Network - Baltimore Business Journal
  17. ↑ ASN, OVC to air 6 football games starting Sept. 26
  18. ↑ "Men’s Basketball Partners with WUXP-TV MyTV30 for Coverage of Two Non-Conference Games". Belmont Bruins. November 25, 2013. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  19. ↑ “Full List of Stations Carrying ROH TV”. Wrestling Inc. August 18, 2011. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  20. ↑ RabbitEars TV Query for WUXP
  21. ↑ "GetTV Signs Big Affiliation Deal with Sinclair". TV NewsCheck. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  22. ↑ Press Release (June 23, 2014). “Sony’s GetTV Gets 33 Sinclair stations”. TV Terminology. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  23. ↑ Kevin Downey (June 29, 2015). "MGM, Sinclair To Debut Sci-Fi Diginet". TVNewsCheck. NewsCheck Media. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  24. ↑ Associated Press (February 17, 2009). TV stations ending analog service on Feb. 17. NBC News. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  25. ↑ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-03-24.
  26. ↑ CDBS Print
  27. ↑ Where to Watch US | WKU PBS
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