 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Fox Television Stations" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(November 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 | |
| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcast television |
| Predecessors | |
| Founded | April 1986; 39 years ago (1986-04) |
| Founders | |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Area served |
|
Key people | Jack Abernethy (CEO) |
| Parent | Fox Corporation |
| Divisions |
|
| Website | Fox Corporation |
Fox Television Stations, LLC (stylized inall caps asFOX TV STATIONS; also known asFTS) is a group oftelevision stations in the United Statesowned-and-operated byFox Corporation. It ownsLiveNOW from Fox,Fox Local, andFox Soul. It also oversees theMyNetworkTV syndication service and has a half-interest in theMovies! digital sub-channel network, which is shared withWeigel Broadcasting.
TheFox Broadcasting Company's foundations were laid in March 1985 throughNews Corporation's $255 million purchase of a 50% interest inTCF Holdings, the parent company of the 20th Century Fox film studio. In May 1985, News Corporation, a media company owned byAustralian publishing magnateRupert Murdoch that had mainly served as anewspaper publisher at the time of the TCF Holdings deal, agreed to pay $2.55 billion to acquireindependent television stations in six major U.S. cities from theJohn Kluge-run broadcasting companyMetromedia: WNEW-TV (nowWNYW) inNew York City,WTTG inWashington, D.C.,KTTV inLos Angeles,KRIV inHouston,WFLD inChicago, and KRLD-TV (nowKDAF) inDallas. A seventh station, ABC affiliateWCVB-TV inBoston, was part of the original transaction but was spun off to theHearst Broadcasting subsidiary of theHearst Corporation in a separate, concurrent deal as part of aright of first refusal related to that station's 1982 sale to Metromedia.[1][2][3]
Because Metromedia, originally known as Metropolitan Broadcasting at its founding, was spun off from the failedDuMont Television Network, radio personalityClarke Ingram has suggested that the Fox network is a revival or at least a linear descendant of DuMont.[4] The former Metromedia stations WNEW-TV (originally known as WABD) and WTTG were two of the three original owned-and-operated stations of the DuMont network, and the former base of DuMont's operations, the DuMont Tele-Centre inManhattan, eventually became the present-day Fox Television Center.
On December 31, 1986, WXNE-TV in Boston (later renamedWFXT on January 19, 1987), became the seventh Fox-owned property,[5] and the first to be acquired separately from News Corporation's 1986 purchase of Metromedia's six television stations. However, as theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) prohibited thecommon ownership of a television station and a newspaper in the same market, News Corporation had to apply for and was granted a temporary waiver in order to retain WFXT and the newspaper it had also published, theBoston Herald. In 1989, Fox placed WFXT in a trust company; the following year, it sold the station to theBoston Celtics' ownership group. News Corporation then later sold theBoston Herald in February 1994, eliminating the potential regulatory conflict with reacquiring WFXT.[6] On October 5, 1994, Fox announced it would exercise the purchase option;[7] it retook control of WFXT on July 7, 1995.[8]
In 1990, FTS boughtKSTU in Salt Lake City, making it the first network-owned station in Utah.
FTS gained a bulk of stations through the 1997 purchase ofNew World Communications, succeeding a 1994 business deal between the two companies which led to all of New World's stations switching from other networks to Fox during 1994–95.[9] A significant factor that resulted in Fox's affiliation with, and later purchase of, New World Communications was Fox acquiring TV rights to theNational Football League (NFL), primarily covering games involving teams in theNational Football Conference (NFC).[9] Because NFL games generate high ratings, owning these stations outright allows FTS to also collect the local advertising revenue, as well as use them as leverage during retransmission consent negotiations with cable and satellite providers.[10]
The original 1994 affiliation deal with New World also triggered a chain of affiliation changes across the country and other multi-station affiliation deals for the next couple of years.Renaissance Broadcasting had previously soldWATL to FTS in 1993 to become a Fox owned-and-operated station, the first network-owned station in Atlanta. FTS was in the planning stages for a news department at the station, and WATL had even gone as far as hiring a news director. However, when the New World affiliation deal was signed, it was agreed that New World's andAtlanta's longtimeCBS affiliateWAGA-TV switch to the Fox network. As a result, Fox cancelled the plans for a newscast on WATL and put the station up for sale.
Renaissance Broadcasting had also soldKDVR inDenver, along with its satellite stationKFCT inFort Collins, Colorado, to FTS on November 15, 1994, in exchange for acquiring KDAF inDallas. One of original core stations that FTS acquired from Metromedia, it was set to lose Fox programming to that market's longtime CBS affiliate, New World'sKDFW.[11]
New World was also expanded its own broadcasting holdings in 1994 by buying other stations groups, but its combined purchases ran afoul with the FCC's media ownership rules at the time prohibiting a single company from owning more than twelve television stations nationwide. New World thus established atrust company in preparation for its sale ofWGHP inHigh Point, North Carolina andWBRC inBirmingham, Alabama, which it would place the stations into in September and October 1994 respectively.[12][13] Under the arrangement, New World owned the licenses of WBRC and WGHP, while its previous ownerCiticasters continued to control their operations underoutsourcing agreements.
In April 1995, Citicasters transferred the operations of WBRC and WGHP to the FTS, which assumed operational control through time brokerage agreements with New World. Both stations were sold directly to Fox three months later on July 22, 1995.[14][15][16]
FTS also acquiredWHBQ-TV inMemphis in an unrelated deal on August 18, 1994.[17]
Among the other affiliation changes, most notable wasWestinghouse Broadcasting's affiliation deal with CBS in 1995. This set off a complex trade of Philadelphia stations between CBS/Westinghouse andNBC; FTS instead independently bought its ownPhiladelphia station,WTXF-TV.
When New World's sale to Fox closed in 1997, ten stations became Fox owned-and-operated stations:KSAZ-TV inPhoenix;WTVT inTampa, Florida;WAGA-TV in Atlanta;WJBK inDetroit;KTBC inAustin, Texas;KDFW inDallas;WDAF-TV inKansas City, Missouri;KTVI inSt. Louis;WJW inCleveland; andWITI inMilwaukee.
FTS gained stations through the 2000 acquisition of theChris-Craft/United group, which gave Fox ownership of several stations then affiliated with theUPN network (which had been a partnership between Chris-Craft andViacom (Paramount's subsidiary) until March 2000 when the latter company bought the former's stake), and also created severalduopolies (two stations in the same market owned by the same company).[18] When the deal was finalized in 2001, this immediately created duopolies (two stations in the same market owned by the same company) between Fox and former Chris-Craft stations in markets such as Phoenix (KSAZ andKUTP), Los Angeles (KTTV andKCOP-TV) and New York City (WNYW andWWOR-TV).
Although former Chris-Craft stationKTVX would have also created a duopoly with Fox station KSTU in Salt Lake City, FCC regulations at the time prohibited one company from owning two of the four highest-rated stations in a single market. FTS thus traded both KTVX and the former Chris-Craft station KMOL (nowWOAI-TV) in San Antonio toClear Channel Communications in 2001 in exchange forWFTC in Minneapolis, creating a duopoly for FTS with former Chris-Craft stationKMSP-TV. Because KMSP had the stronger signal due to being aVHF station, while WFTC was aUHF station, FTS decided to switch the affiliations in 2002, with Fox programming going to KMSP and WFTC taking over the UPN affiliation.[19]
FTS then boughtKDFI in Dallas in 2000 andWPWR-TV in Chicago in 2002 to create duopolies with Fox-owned stations, KDFW and WFLD, respectively. FTS also made two other trades in 2002 to create more duopolies. Former Chris-Craft stationKPTV in Portland, Oregon was traded to theMeredith Corporation in exchange forWOFL in Orlando, Florida, creating a duopoly with former Chris-Craft stationWRBW. FTS then traded former Chris-Craft station KBHK (nowKPYX) in San Francisco to Viacom for UPN stationsKTXH in Houston andWDCA in Washington, D.C., creating duopolies with original Fox-owned stations KRIV and WTTG, receptively.WUTB in Baltimore was the only acquired Chris-Craft station during this time that FTS did not trade away or create a duopoly with.
The Fox-owned UPN affiliates were not included in theUPN/WB merger (The CW), which was announced on January 23, 2006. Soon after, these stations removed references to UPN from their on-air branding and websites. On February 22, 2006, FTS announced that all nine of their non-Fox outlets will be charter affiliates of a new service known asMyNetworkTV, which commenced operations on September 5, 2006, with telenovela programming that was original to be syndicated.[20] On May 23, 2016, it was announced that one of the Fox-owned former UPN affiliates that were left out of the initial negotiations for CW affiliation a decade earlier, MyNetworkTV owned-and-operated stationWPWR inChicago, would be taking over the market's affiliation with the network from rivalWGN-TV in September of that year. MyNetworkTV remained on WPWR as a secondary affiliation until 2019, when the CW affiliation transferred toWCIU-TV.
On December 21, 2007, FTS announced that it would sell eight smaller-market stations toLocal TV, LLC, a division ofOak Hill Capital Partners.[21] Six of the stations that were sold were ex-New World stations, including the two stations that were first acquired by FTS directly in 1995 (WGHP in High Point, North Carolina andWBRC in Birmingham, Alabama) and four via the 1997 merger (WDAF-TV inKansas City, Missouri;KTVI in St. Louis;WJW in Cleveland; andWITI in Milwaukee. The other three wereKSTU in Salt Lake City, andKDVR in Denver and with its satellite station KFCT in Fort Collins, Colorado. The transaction was completed in 2008.
In January 2009,NBC Owned Television Stations and FTS set up the firstLocal News Service with their Philadelphia stations after testing since the summer 2008. Fox and NBC then added other markets where they both own stations.[22]
On May 15, 2012, as part of a five-year affiliation agreement extension between Fox andSinclair Broadcast Group's 19 Fox affiliates (including company flagship WBFF) that will run through 2017, Fox included an option for Sinclair to purchase WUTB, exercisable from July 1, 2012, to March 31, 2013. On November 29, 2012, Sinclair exercised its option to purchase WUTB throughDeerfield Media.[23][24] On May 6, 2013, the FCC granted its approval of WUTB to Deerfield Media, which was formally consummated on June 1.[25]
On January 28, 2013, FTS announced that 17 of their stations would be affiliating with new subchannel network,Movies!, which is a joint venture between FTS andWeigel Broadcasting, on their subchannels.[26] That same day, the company announced it would be acquiring theCharlotteduopoly ofCW affiliateWJZY andMyNetworkTV affiliateWMYT-TV fromCapitol Broadcasting Company.[27] The deal was approved by the FCC on March 11[28] and completed on April 17.[29][30] As part of the deal, WJZY became a Fox owned-and-operated station on July 1.[citation needed] The station community believed that the Charlotte station's purchase by FTS is proof that Fox is interested in owning a TV station in NFL markets (specifically those with NFC teams,as Charlotte is) to up the station groups' "bargaining power in retransmission consent negotiations with cable, satellite and telco operators."[10]
As part of the restructuring that stemmed from theNews Corporation/21st Century Fox split, it was announced on July 8, 2013, that20th Television, which was until that time under FTS, will operate under the management of20th Century Fox Television.[31]
On June 24, 2014, FTS announced it would acquire its existingSan Francisco Bay Area affiliateKTVU, along with its duopoly sisterindependent stationKICU-TV, fromCox Media Group in exchange forWFXT in Boston andWHBQ-TV in Memphis.[32][33][34] The station sale/trade was completed on October 8, 2014.[35] Fox's motivation for acquiring KTVU was that it was another NFL market withan NFC team.[32]
In addition to FTS's aforementioned purchases of Charlotte's WJZY in 2013 and the San Francisco Bay Area's KTVU in 2014,Variety reported that Fox is also interested in acquiring stations in the following other NFL markets:Seattle andSt. Louis (the latter'sKTVI had previously been owned by Fox, but was included in the 2007 sale to Local TV;[10] with theSt. Louis Rams relocating toLos Angeles starting with the 2016 NFL season, there is no word as to whether or not FTS' pursuit of a station in the St. Louis market has diminished). While discussions with Seattle's Fox affiliateKCPQ and its ownerTribune Broadcasting remained ongoing, Fox struck a deal on September 19, 2014, to buyKBCB, a station in nearbyBellingham, for $10 million;[36] the purchase, submitted for FCC approval on October 3,[37][38] was described as a "strategic option" for Fox by an insider.[39] Tribune then agreed on October 17 to extend its affiliation agreement for KCPQ through July 2018, and pay increasedreverse compensation fees to Fox for the broadcasting of the network's programming beginning in January 2015.[40] Fox's application to acquire KBCB was dismissed by the FCC on November 20, 2014.[41]
On January 20, 2015, it was announced that Fox Television Stations would be a charter launch partner forBuzzr, a new digital multicast network fromDebmar-Mercury andFremantleMedia North America devoted to classicgame shows, which launched that June.[42] Later in the year, FTS also agreed to carryWeigel Broadcasting'sHeroes & Icons network on subchannels of 11 major market stations.[43]
On April 30, 2017, it was reported that 21st Century Fox was in talks to purchaseTribune Media in a joint venture with theBlackstone Group.[44][45] On May 7, 2017, it was reported thatSinclair Broadcast Group was nearing a deal to purchase Tribune Media,[46][47] and that 21st Century Fox had dropped its bid for the company.[48][49] The deal was officially announced the next day.[50] (However, on August 9, 2018, Tribune canceled the Sinclair deal.)[51] On August 2, 2017, it was reported that 21st Century Fox was in talks to form a similar joint venture withIon Media in an effort to counter Sinclair and displace Fox affiliations from their stations; analysts felt that the proposed partnership was meant as a bargaining ploy against Sinclair, as it would have to make significant investments into the acquired stations to make them profitable and capable of producing local news programming (Ion stations have historically had few employees or local infrastructure), and that Fox risked losing viewers through these transitions.[52][53][54]
In January 2018, theFinancial Times reported that FTS was finalizing a deal to acquire as many as 10 Fox affiliates from Sinclair, as part of an effort to reach FCC approval of its proposed acquisition of Tribune Media. The deal would likely include Seattle's KCPQ (as Sinclair already owns ABC affiliateKOMO-TV there),KOKH-TV in Oklahoma City (Tribune already ownsKFOR-TV),KSTU-TV in Salt Lake City (Sinclair already ownsKUTV),KTVI in St. Louis (Sinclair ownsKDNL) and Tribune's Fox/CW duopoly ofKDVR andKWGN in Denver. This deal would bring several former O&Os previously divested to Local TV, LLC (which was acquired by Tribune) back under Fox ownership.[55][56]
On May 9, 2018, Fox announced it would purchase KCPQ, KDVR, KSTU,KTXL in Sacramento,KSWB-TV in San Diego,WJW in Cleveland andWSFL-TV, the CW affiliate for Miami-Fort Lauderdale. The move would give Fox stations in the home markets for theSeattle Seahawks,Denver Broncos,Cleveland Browns andMiami Dolphins as the network takes over theThursday Night Football package fromCBS andNBC.[57][58] After Tribune terminated its merger agreement with Sinclair on August 9, 2018, however, the sale of the seven aforementioned stations to FTS was likewise nullified.
On December 14, 2017, after rumors of such a sale,The Walt Disney Company announced that it would purchase FTS's parent company, 21st Century Fox for $52.4 billion, plus the assumption of $13.7 billion in debt by Fox, subject to government approval. FTS, along with several other assets was spun off intoFox Corporation, a company owned by the Murdoch family.[59] The deal was completed on March 20, 2019.[60]
With the loss ofTwentieth Television in the deal, Fox Stations set up its own syndication arm, Fox First Run,[61] despite some of their syndicated shows being distributed in conjunction withWarner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution and Dish Nation has barter sales withTrifecta Entertainment and Media.[62]
On November 5, 2019,Nexstar Media Group announced an agreement to sellWITI in Milwaukee (effectively a re-purchase) andKCPQ andKZJO in Seattle to Fox Television Stations, and would purchase from FoxWJZY andWMYT-TV in Charlotte. This gives Fox additional two bigger NFL team market stations in theGreen Bay Packers andSeattle Seahawks while losing theCarolina Panthers market.[63]
On January 13, 2020, FTS launchedFox Soul, afree ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel targeting the African American community.[64]
Also in 2020, FTS launchedLiveNOW from Fox, a streaming news channel jointly operated by KSAZ, KTTV, and WOFL. The channel carries live coverage of breaking news events throughout the day as directed by a small crew ofdigital journalists, leveraging resources and raw footage from Fox's local news departments. The service originated from aFox 10 News Now webcast that had been run by KSAZ; amid theCOVID-19 pandemic, the channel soft launched a national expansion by becoming "CoronavirusNow" (with contributions from the national Fox News andFox Business networks), before adopting its current name later that year.[65][66]
Stations are arranged alphabetically by state andcity of license.
| City of license /Market | Station | Channel | Owned since | Network affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix, AZ | KSAZ-TV | 10 | 1997[a] | Fox |
| KUTP | 45 | 2001[b] | MyNetworkTV | |
| Los Angeles, CA | KTTV | 11 | 1986[c] | Fox |
| KCOP | 13 | 2001[b] | MyNetworkTV | |
| Oakland–San Jose–San Francisco, CA | KTVU | 2 | 2014[d] | Fox |
| KICU-TV | 36 | 2014[d] | MyNetworkTV | |
| Washington, D.C. | WTTG | 5 | 1986[c] | Fox |
| WDCA | 20 | 2002 | MyNetworkTV | |
| Ocala–Gainesville, FL | WOGX[e] | 51 | 2002[f] | Fox |
| Orlando–Daytona Beach, FL | WOFL | 35 | 2002[f] | Fox |
| WRBW | 65 | 2001[b] | MyNetworkTV | |
| Tampa–St. Petersburg, FL | WTVT | 13 | 1997[a] | Fox |
| Atlanta, GA | WAGA-TV | 5 | 1997[a] | Fox |
| Chicago, IL | WFLD | 32 | 1986[c] | Fox |
| WPWR-TV | 50 | 2002 | MyNetworkTV | |
| Detroit, MI | WJBK | 2 | 1997[a] | Fox |
| Minneapolis–St. Paul, MN | KMSP-TV | 9 | 2001[b] | Fox |
| WFTC | 9.2 | 2002 | MyNetworkTV | |
| KFTC[g] | 26 | 2002 | Fox (DT1) MyNetworkTV (DT2) | |
| New York, NY | WNYW | 5 | 1986[c] | Fox |
| WWOR-TV | 9 | 2001[b] | MyNetworkTV | |
| Philadelphia, PA | WTXF-TV | 29 | 1995 | Fox |
| Austin, TX | KTBC | 7 | 1997[a] | Fox |
| Dallas–Fort Worth, TX | KDFW | 4 | 1997[a] | Fox |
| KDFI | 27 | 2000 | MyNetworkTV | |
| Houston, TX | KRIV | 26 | 1986[c] | Fox |
| KTXH | 20 | 2002 | MyNetworkTV | |
| Tacoma–Seattle, WA | KCPQ | 13 | 2020[h] | Fox |
| KZJO | 22 | 2020[h] | MyNetworkTV | |
| Milwaukee, WI | WITI | 6 | 2020[a][h][i] | Fox |
| City of license / Market | Station | Channel | Years owned | Current status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham, AL | WBRC-TV | 6 | 1995–2008 | Fox affiliate owned byGray Television |
| San Francisco–Oakland–San Jose, CA | KBHK-TV | 44 | 2001–2002[b] | Independent stationKPYX, owned byCBS News and Stations |
| Denver, CO | KDVR | 31 | 1995–2008 | Fox affiliate owned byNexstar Media Group |
| Fort Collins, CO | KFCT[j] | 22 | 1995–2008 | Fox affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group |
| Atlanta, GA | WATL | 36 | 1993–1995 | MyNetworkTV affiliate owned byTegna Inc. |
| Baltimore, MD | WUTB | 24 | 2001–2013[b] | Roar affiliate owned byDeerfield Media[k] |
| Boston, MA | WCVB-TV | 5 | 1986[c][l] | ABC affiliate owned byHearst Television |
| WFXT | 25 |
| Fox affiliate owned byCox Media Group | |
| Kansas City, MO | WDAF-TV | 4 | 1997–2008[a] | Fox affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group |
| St. Louis, MO | KTVI | 2 | 1997–2008[a] | Fox affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group |
| Charlotte, NC | WJZY | 46 | 2013–2020 | Fox affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group |
| WMYT-TV | 55 | 2013–2020 | The CW owned-and-operated (O&O) station owned by Nexstar Media Group | |
| High Point–Greensboro–Winston-Salem, NC | WGHP | 8 | 1995–2008 | Fox affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group |
| Cleveland, OH | WJW-TV | 8 | 1997–2008[a] | Fox affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group |
| Portland, OR | KPTV | 12 | 2001–2002[b] | Fox affiliate owned by Gray Television |
| Memphis, TN | WHBQ-TV | 13 | 1995–2014 | Fox affiliate owned byRincon Broadcasting Group |
| Austin, TX | K13VC | 13 | 1997–2003[a] | Defunct |
| Dallas–Fort Worth, TX | KDAF | 33 | 1986–1995[c] | The CW owned-and-operated (O&O) station owned by Nexstar Media Group |
| San Antonio, TX | KMOL-TV | 4 | 2001[b] | NBC affiliateWOAI-TV, owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Salt Lake City, UT | KSTU | 13 | 1990–2008 | Fox affiliate owned by theE. W. Scripps Company |
| KTVX | 4 | 2001[b] | ABC affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group |
Media related toFox Television Stations at Wikimedia Commons