WFTX
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| WFTX | |
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| Ft. Myers - Naples, Florida | |
| City of license | Cape Coral |
| Branding | FOX 4 (cable slot) |
| Slogan | In Your Corner |
| Channels | 36 (UHF) analog, 35 (UHF) digital |
| Affiliations | FOX (since 1987) |
| Owner | Journal Broadcast Group |
| Founded | May 1, 1985 |
| Call letters meaning | disambiguation of WFTS in Tampa |
| Former affiliations | Independent (1985-1987) |
| Website | fox4now.com |
WFTX is the FOX television affiliate for the Southwest Florida television market. The station is licensed to Cape Coral and has studios located on S.W. Pine Island Rd. WFTX broadcasts its analog signal on UHF channel 36 and its digital signal on UHF channel 35 from a transmitter located north of Fort Myers Shores at the Lee and Charlotte County line. WXCW, WBBH, and WINK-TV also have their transmitters located at this site. WFTX is seen in the area on cable channel 4, which is reflected in its on-air branding as "FOX 4". Other stations in Southwest Florida that use their cable locations for on-air identification include: WBBH "NBC 2", WXCW "CW 6", WZVN "ABC 7", and "WNFM" "My TV 8". WFTX covers Lee, Charlotte, Collier, Hendry and Glades counties and is one of two Fort Myers-based stations carried by Comcast cable systems in Venice.
The station serves the Ft. Myers / Naples television market as a typical FOX affiliate, running syndicated television shows, FOX network programming and sports, and a daily 10 PM newscast.
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[edit] History
WFTX began on May 1, 1985 as an independent station owned and operated by Family Group Broadcasting. (previous owners of WFTS in Tampa Bay) WFTX became a charter FOX affiliate in 1987. Family Group Broadcasing would sell WFTX to Wabash Valley Broadcasting of Terre Haute, Indiana by the end of the 1980s.
The station would change hands again in 1997 when Emmis Communications purchased the assets of Wabash Valley Broadcasting. Emmis would continue to own the station until August of 2005 when WFTX and two other stations were sold to the Journal Broadcast Group as a part of that company's departure from television ownership.
WFTX has had a long standing reputation for being last in news ratings in the market, due mainly to the obvious disdain opinions that the station management has for its employees. Soon after the acquisition of WFTX to the Journal Broadcast Group, a weekday morning newscast airing 5 to 9 AM, known as FOX 4 Rising, was added to complement the hour-long daily 10 PM newscast and compete against WINK, WBBH, and WZVN. The morning newscast also competes against The Daily Buzz, which airs 6 to 9 AM on WXCW. After that, the station launched a half hour 11 PM weekday newscast, called FOX News Tracker at 11, that competes against the big three stations.
WFTX redesigned its website in late May of 2006 with more news and weather coverage and introduced their new logo.
In August of 2006, the area's cable-only MyNetworkTV affiliate "WNFM" announced that it would begin carrying a new daily 10 PM newscast produced by the area's ABC affiliate, WZVN. This was the second 10 PM newscast established in the market after WFTX.
[edit] Newscasts
In addition to their main studios, WFTX operates a Collier County Bureau in Naples on Tamiami Trail North.
Weekdays
- FOX 4 News Rising (5 to 9 AM)
- FOX 4 News at 10 (10 to 11 PM)
- FOX 4 News Tracker at 11 (11 to 11:30 PM)
Weekends
- FOX 4 News at 10 (10 to 11 PM)
[edit] News Team
Anchors
- Patrick Nolan - weeknights
- Krista Fogelsong - weeknights
- Amy Wegmann - mornings
- Amy Sedlacek - mornings
- Rosemary Conners - weekends
Sky Warn 4 Meteorologists
- Tom Johnston - Chief seen weeknights
- Jeff Robbins - mornings
- Sabrina Fein - weekends
Reporters
- Marisa Mendelson - consumer reporter / trouble shooter
- Justine Waldman - Collier County
- "Wild" Bill Wood - mornings
- Erica Pitzi
- Tyisha Fernandes
- Shannon Mulaire
- Fallon Silcox
- Donald Robinson
[edit] Administration
- Judy Kenney - vice president / general manager
- Dana George - general sales manager
- Forrest Carr - news director
- Brent Struense - marketing director
- Billy Bong - chief engineer
- Dana George - general sales manager
- Kurt Kiehnle - national sales manager
- Jamie Ricks - local sales manager
- Pam Haszard - national assistant
- Lisa Van Tasell - local assistant
Account Executives
- Elvir Feratovic
- Heather Harms
- Michael Murphy
- Mark Owens
- Chasity Roberts
- Jason Holstein
- Kendra Sutton
- Julie Weitman
[edit] External Links
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WUVF-CA 2 / WTLE-LP 18 (UNI) - WBSP-CA 9 (MNTV) - WINK 11 (CBS) - WTPH-LP 14 (AZA) - W17CK 17 / W38CO 38 / W56DW 56 (TBN) - |
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| Cable television channels | |||
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SNN 6 - "WNFM" 8 (MNTV) - SUN - FSN Florida |
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| Fox Network Affiliates in the state of Florida | |
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WSVN 7 (Miami) - WTVT 13 (Tampa) - WPGX 28 (Panama City) - WFLX 29 (West Palm Beach) - WAWS 30 (Jacksonville) - WOFL 35 (Orlando) - WFTX 36 (Cape Coral) - WTLH 49 (Bainbridge / Tallahassee) - WOGX 51 (Ocala / Gainesville) |
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| See also: ABC, CBS, CW, MyNetworkTV, NBC, PBS, Religious, Spanish and Other stations in the state of Florida | |
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Corporate Staff: Doug Kiel (COB and President & CEO) | Carl Gardner | Jim Prather | Steve Wexler | Ron Kurtis | Anne Schepp | Andy Laird | Basil A. Thomas | David B. Amy | Lucy A. Rutishauser | Barry M. Faber | Jim Thomas |
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MyNetworkTV Affiliate: WACY1 |
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1: Station owned by Ace TV, operated via a local marketing agreement. |
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Annual Revenue: none USD (2004) | Employees: Unknown at this time. | : Stock Symbol: NYSE: JRN | Website: www.journalbroadcastgroup.com |
