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WUXP-TV

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WUXP-TV (channel 30) is a television station in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside WZTV (channel 17), a dual affiliate of Fox and The CW, as well as WNAB (channel 58), which Sinclair manages on behalf of Tennessee Broadcasting. The stations share studios on Mainstream Drive along the Cumberland River; WUXP-TV's transmitter is located along I-24 in Whites Creek.

WUXP-TV
ATSC 3.0 station
Channels
Branding
  • MyTV30
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
WNAB, WZTV
History
First air date
February 18, 1984 (40 years ago) (1984-02-18)
Former call signs
  • WCAY-TV (1984–1989)
  • WXMT (1989–1996)
Former channel number(s)
Analog: 30 (UHF, 1984–2009)
Call sign meaning
Station was an affiliate of UPN
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID9971
ERP1,000 kW
HAAT413 m (1,355 ft)
Transmitter coordinates36°15′49.8″N 86°47′38.9″W / 36.263833°N 86.794139°W / 36.263833; -86.794139
Links
Public license information
Websitemytv30web.com

Channel 30 in Nashville began broadcasting in February 1984 as WCAY-TV. Built by the TVX Broadcast Group, the station competed as Nashville's second independent outlet with WZTV for most of the 1980s. It was the Fox affiliate in Nashville from 1986 to 1990 before selling most of its programming inventory to WZTV amid a competitive market. Renamed WXMT in 1989 after being purchased by MT Communications, the station remained the second independent in Nashville and affiliated with UPN in 1995. WZTV began managing channel 30's operations in 1996, a year in which the license was sold and the station renamed WUXP-TV. Sinclair assumed control of the station in 1998, when it acquired WZTV, and purchased it outright in 2000; when UPN folded in 2006, the station switched to MyNetworkTV. WUXP-TV and WNAB are Nashville's two ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV) stations.

History

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The TVX years

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In November 1981, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) designated 13 competing applications for UHF channel 30 in Nashville for comparative hearing.[2] The very large field featured names well-known in other cities, including Carolina Christian Broadcasting, Golden West Broadcasters, and American Television and Communications (the cable TV division of Time, Inc.). By January 1982, only five of the applicants were still seeking for the construction permit: Television Corporation of Tennessee, a company headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, in which mayor Richard Fulton became a minority investor; Music City Thirty, owned primarily by Methodists; Satellite Broadcasting Systems of Tulsa, Oklahoma; Nash Broadcasting; and Page Broadcasting.[3]

The FCC granted the construction permit to Television Corporation (TVX, later known simply as TVX Broadcast Group) in August 1983. By that time, the call letters of WCAY-TV had been selected, as had a tower site.[4] Meanwhile, the Nashville market—already having WZTV, an independent in service since 1976—gained a second independent station with the launch of WFYZ in Murfreesboro on December 31.[5] What was once a mid-April launch target moved up to February as TVX signed for studio space at Third Avenue South and Peabody Street.[6]

WCAY-TV began broadcasting on February 18, 1984.[7] It immediately entered into a money-losing competition with WFYZ; however, TVX outlasted the Murfreesboro station, with its limited financial resources. In September 1984, WFYZ executed the first of several rounds of cutbacks.[8] That station, sold and renamed WHTN in 1985,[9] exited the battle by converting to a Christian format in May 1986.[10]

In January 1986, TVX—already having relegated WHTN to the status, per company chairman J. Timothy McDonald, of showing "freebies no one else wants"—refocused its attack on WZTV, Nashville's leading independent. While TVX's independents had mostly risen to lead their markets, WCAY-TV was the exception.[11] The station became affiliated that fall with the new Fox network,[12] but TVX continued to need to devote additional attention to improving channel 30's ratings against WZTV, hiring new management and increasing its promotional efforts.[13]

Despite the fact that WCAY-TV was not TVX's most successful station, the company expressed its resolve to stick with the Nashville market.[14] However, financial circumstances combined to change that policy. In 1987, TVX acquired five major-market independent stations from Taft Broadcasting. This purchase left TVX highly leveraged and highly vulnerable. TVX's bankers, Salomon Brothers, provided the financing for the acquisition and in return held more than 60 percent of the company.[15] The company was to pay Salomon Brothers $200 million on January 1, 1988, and missed the first payment deadline, having been unable to lure investors to its junk bonds even before Black Monday.[16] As a result, TVX sought buyers for some of its smaller stations to reduce its debt load. That May, TVX announced the sale of WCAY-TV to SouthWest MultiMedia Corporation of Houston for $6 million.[14] However, this deal fell apart over the intervening months.[17]

MT Communications ownership

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In the wake of the SouthWest MultiMedia sale effort stalling, TVX found another buyer for WCAY-TV: MT Communications, the company of Michael Thompson. Thompson already had a history with independent television in Nashville; he had been one of WZTV's executives when it went back on the air in 1976.[18] The call letters were changed to WXMT in October 1989 as part of the insertion of "MT" into the call signs of its stations.[19]

MT Communications assumed the challenge TVX had faced in its entire history running channel 30: passing WZTV in the ratings. As MT was buying WCAY-TV, Act III Broadcasting acquired WZTV. Act III would make a reputation as a consolidator of independents in medium markets. In 1988, Act III simultaneously acquired Richmond, Virginia, independent WRLH-TV and the programming of competitor WVRN-TV, incorporating the latter's programming and physical assets into the former as the latter went off the air permanently.[20] The next year, it agreed to acquire WUTV in Buffalo, New York, along with the programming inventory of competitor WNYB-TV, which then was sold to a Christian broadcaster; the deal was not completed until June 1990 owing to ownership complications in the market.[21] Act III clearly coveted the Fox affiliation of WXMT; vice president Bert Ellis stated in 1989 that "we bought ZTV figuring it would eventually get a Fox affiliation", even though Fox's vice president of affiliate relations for the central region characterized such a move as "very unlikely".[22]

Two factors worked in favor of Act III. The Nashville market was not large enough at the time to support what were essentially two competing independents; like most early Fox affiliates, WXMT was mostly programmed as an independent. Additionally, Fox had a clause in its TVX affiliation agreements, inherited by MT Communications, that allowed it to review its affiliation status after one year of the station being sold. Fox was known to prefer to affiliate with the top-rated independent in a market, and speculation arose as to how long WXMT could maintain the Fox affiliation in Nashville.[23] Negotiations began in 1989, originally with the intent that WXMT buy WZTV's inventory, but that deal fell apart. On February 6, 1990, after negotiations that had been in progress for a week, Act III acquired the Fox affiliation and the vast majority of WXMT's programming inventory from MT Communications. With immediate effect, Fox programming, The Disney Afternoon, Cincinnati Reds baseball, and syndicated programs including The Arsenio Hall Show and Star Trek: The Next Generation moved to WZTV; WXMT, which was initially to surrender all of its programming inventory,[23] maintained some children's programs and filled much of its air time with the Home Shopping Network.[24] Nashville became the first of four markets, all in the South, where Fox moved its affiliation during 1990; of the other three, two (Little Rock, Arkansas, and Memphis) involved ex-TVX stations, with the Memphis station losing its Fox affiliation also owned by MT.[25]

In the subsequent years, WXMT rebuilt itself. From 1992 to 1994, it aired The Scene at 9, a prime time newscast produced by Nashville NBC affiliate WSMV-TV and the first such broadcast in the market. The station made an early commitment to the United Paramount Network (UPN), signing on to become an affiliate in November 1993—more than a year before it began programming in 1995.[26]

Sullivan and Sinclair management

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In 1996, Sullivan Broadcasting, which had purchased WZTV from Act III the year prior,[27] entered into a local marketing agreement—with an option to buy—to run most of the operations of WXMT, concurrent with Mission Broadcasting acquiring WXMT's license assets.[28][29] The call letters were changed that August to WUXP-TV, reflecting the UPN affiliation.[30] In 1998, Sinclair Broadcast Group acquired Sullivan Broadcasting, including WZTV and its agreement to manage WUXP-TV.[31] In 1998, Sinclair announced its intent to purchase Sullivan outright; the LMA with WUXP was included in the deal.[32] Two years later, after the FCC legalized outright duopolies, Sinclair acquired WUXP-TV from Mission as well as three other stations it had been programming.[33] Sinclair began managing WNAB (channel 58) in 2002.[34]

In 2006, UPN and The WB merged to form The CW. Sinclair was first a partner of MyNetworkTV, and WUXP was signed as its Nashville affiliate in early March, shortly after MyNetworkTV was announced in late February.[35][36] Two months later, Sinclair signed an affiliation agreement covering eight markets with The CW in May; this included WNAB.[37]

Local programming

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News and public affairs

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WUXP-TV airs Comments with Dr. Haney, a local interview program featuring retired Tennessee State University professor Dr. James Haney, on Saturday mornings. The station has no dedicated newscasts but does air morning and late evening blocks of The National Desk, Sinclair's national news service.[38]

Sports

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WUXP-TV began airing a Thursday Night Lights package of local high school football games in 2008.[39] This expanded to include weekly high school basketball telecasts in 2014;[40] that same year, the football package shifted to Fridays under the label Friday Night Rivals.[41] In 2013, WUXP-TV began airing the state championship football games of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) as part of a statewide network.[42]

From 2018 to 2022, spanning the team's shift from the United Soccer League to Major League Soccer, WUXP-TV was the primary broadcaster of Nashville SC matches, an arrangement that only ended when Apple assumed all local and national television rights in MLS.[43][44]

Technical information

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Subchannels

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The station's ATSC 1.0 channels are carried on the multiplexed signals of other Nashville television stations:

Subchannels provided by WUXP-TV (ATSC 1.0)[45][46][47]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming ATSC 1.0 host
30.1 720p 16:9 WUXP MyNetworkTV WKRN-TV
30.2 480i 4:3 Quest Quest WZTV
30.3 16:9 Comet Comet WSMV-TV

ATSC 3.0

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Subchannels of WUXP (ATSC 3.0)[48]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
5.1 1080p 16:9 WTVF-HD CBS (WTVF)  
17.1 720p WZTV Fox (WZTV)
17.10 1080p T2 T2
17.2 720p CW The CW (WZTV-DT2)
30.1 WUXP MyNetworkTV
  Subchannel broadcast with digital rights management
  Subchannel streamed via the Internet[49]

Analog-to-digital conversion

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WUXP-TV shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 30, on February 17, 2009, which was intended to be the official date on 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 WUXP decided to convert on the original deadline.[50] The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 21, using virtual channel 30.[51]

References

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  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WUXP-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "Ch 30 Nashville hearing notice". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. November 12, 1981. p. 76. Archived from the original on January 4, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Gibson, Frank (January 14, 1982). "Fulton Partner in 1 of 5 Firms Now Pursuing TV Franchise Here". The Tennessean. p. 62. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Bartley, Diane (September 8, 1983). "Ch. 30 Hopes Delay May Mean Being Best". The Tennessean. p. 1-D, 3-D. Archived from the original on January 4, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Lewis, Bill (December 31, 1983). "Channel 39 hits airwaves". The Daily News-Journal. p. 1, 2. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Bartley, Diane (December 22, 1983). "Ch. 39 Plans Christmas Launch While Ch. 30 Nips at Its Heels". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. p. 1-D. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Bartley, Diane (February 18, 1984). "Channel 30 To Sign On This Morning". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. p. 1-D, 3-D. Archived from the original on December 29, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Anderson, Curt (September 6, 1984). "Money woes force WFYZ cutback". The Daily News-Journal. Murfreesboro, Tennessee. p. 1, 2. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Bartley, Diane (October 18, 1985). "New Name, Look And Shows for 39". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. p. 6-D. Archived from the original on December 29, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ West, Mike (May 7, 1986). "Channel 39 returns to air with Christian programs". The Daily News-Journal. Murfreesboro, Tennessee. p. 1, 2. Archived from the original on December 29, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Bartley, Diane (January 28, 1986). "Ch. 30 declares war on its competitors". The Tennessean. p. 1-D, 4-D. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Joan, Johnny to sock it out". The Tennessean. October 5, 1986. p. Showcase 14. Archived from the original on December 29, 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Bartley, Diane (July 30, 1987). "Ch. 30 gets new general manager". The Tennessean. p. 1D. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ a b Schweid, Richard (May 5, 1988). "Ch. 30 sale pending for $6 million". The Tennessean. p. 1E. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Weiss, Michael (July 8, 1987). "Broadcaster to focus on trimming costs: Channel 21's new owner 'doing deals'". The Dallas Morning News. p. 1D.
  16. ^ Weiss, Michael (January 24, 1988). "Channel 21's latest signals show trouble, possible sale". The Dallas Morning News. p. 2H.
  17. ^ Schweid, Richard (October 14, 1988). "Channel 30 up for sale—again". The Tennessean. p. 1E, 12E. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ Schweid, Richard (October 18, 1988). "Buyer has high hopes for Ch. 30". The Tennessean. p. 1D. Archived from the original on December 29, 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ Winter, Tom (October 4, 1989). "Juke Box available for a fee". The Commercial Appeal. p. C2. Archived from the original on December 29, 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ Durden, Douglas (September 16, 1988). "Demise of WVRN strengthens programming lineup of WRLH". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Richmond, Virginia. p. C1, C5. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ Pergament, Alan (June 27, 1990). "Shuffling of Channels 29, 49 to result in shift of programs". The Buffalo News. p. B-10. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ Schweid, Richard (September 12, 1989). "C-Span viewers are loyal". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. p. 1D. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ a b Schweid, Richard (February 1, 1990). "Ch. 17's owners trying to purchase Ch. 30". The Tennessean. p. 1D. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ Schweid, Richard (February 6, 1990). "Ch. 17 owner buys chunk of Ch. 30". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. p. 1D. Archived from the original on December 29, 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ Salomon, Alan (January 7, 1991). "Stations find new life after Fox affiliation". Electronic Media. pp. 1, 134.
  26. ^ Smith, Sandy (November 12, 1993). "Paramount network to get WXMT". The Tennessean. p. 1E. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ Flint, Joe (October 2, 1995). "ABRY choice is clear; Sullivan to top Act III". Variety. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  28. ^ Carey, Bill (February 24, 1996). "TV stations to share programming, roof". The Tennessean. p. 1E. Archived from the original on December 29, 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ "Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. March 18, 1996. p. 39. ProQuest 1505564857. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 29, 2022. Retrieved January 6, 2023. A correction listing Mission, not Sullivan, as the buyer ran on March 25, 1996, p. 51, ProQuest 1505604488.
  30. ^ "UPN affiliate changes name". Kentucky New Era. Hopkinsville, Kentucky. August 22, 1996. p. 8A. Retrieved February 18, 2024 – via Google Books.
  31. ^ Ribbing, Mark (February 24, 1998). "Sinclair to purchase Sullivan: Deal could be worth $1 billion, gives firm 14 new TV stations; Most are Fox affiliates; Company continues to gain outlets in mid-size markets". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on November 27, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  32. ^ Morgan, Richard (February 25, 1998). "Sinclair closes Sullivan buyout". Variety. Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  33. ^ "Sinclair seeks to buy KOCH-TV [sic], Channel 25, three other stations". Journal Record. November 18, 1999. p. 1. ProQuest 259343897.
  34. ^ Bernard, Bush (May 3, 2002). "Sinclair to help manage WNAB". The Tennessean. pp. 1E, 2E. Retrieved March 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ^ "News Corp. Unveils MyNetworkTV". Broadcasting & Cable. February 22, 2006. Archived from the original on April 17, 2009. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  36. ^ Romano, Allison (March 2, 2006). "Sinclair Signs On to MyNetworkTV". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  37. ^ Romano, Allison (May 2, 2006). "Eight Sinclair Stations Sign On With CW". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  38. ^ "WUXP Programming & Issues, Third Quarter 2022" (PDF). WUXP Public Inspection File. Federal Communications Commission. October 7, 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  39. ^ Lockridge, Jeff (September 11, 2008). "High schools like Thursday night lights: New TV package brings exposure". The Tennessean. p. 1C, 2C. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  40. ^ Hunter, David (January 30, 2014). "MyTV30 introduces 'High School Hoops' to area". The Murfreesboro Post. p. 15. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  41. ^ Cirillo, Chip (August 7, 2014). "WUXP changes to Friday football coverage". The Tennessean. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  42. ^ Murphy, Michael (December 4, 2013). "TSSAA's Blue Cross Bowl football title games to air statewide on new network". Nooga.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  43. ^ Jorge, Kaylin (February 16, 2018). "Nashville SC games to be broadcast on MyTV30". WZTV. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  44. ^ Rau, Nate (June 15, 2022). "Nashville SC owner praises MLS-Apple streaming deal". Axios Nashville. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  45. ^ "RabbitEars TV Query for WKRN". RabbitEars. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  46. ^ "RabbitEars TV Query for WZTV". RabbitEars. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  47. ^ "RabbitEars TV Query for WSMV". RabbitEars. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  48. ^ "RabbitEars query for WUXP-TV". RabbitEars. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  49. ^ "ATSC 3.0 Streams Delivered Via Internet". RabbitEars.info. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  50. ^ "TV stations ending analog service on Feb. 17". NBC News. Associated Press. February 17, 2009. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  51. ^ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. May 23, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
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