 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2011) |
| File:WCIX Logo.png File:WCIA.jpg |
|
| Springfield / Decatur / Champaign / Urbana, Illinois |
|
|---|---|
| Branding | X 49 WCIA 3 (on DT2) |
| Channels | Digital: 13 (VHF) Virtual: 49 (PSIP) |
| Subchannels | 49.1 MyNetworkTV 49.2 CBS |
| Affiliations | MyNetworkTV |
| Owner | Nexstar Broadcasting Group (Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.) |
| First air date | 1967 (originally low-power W49AA 1967-1982) |
| Call letters' meaning | disambiguation from WCIA |
| Sister station(s) | WCIA |
| Former callsigns | WCFN-TV (1985–2011) |
| Former channel number(s) | 49 (UHF analog, 1982–2009) 53 (UHF digital, 2002–2009) |
| Former affiliations | CBS (1985-2002, as satellite of WCIA) UPN (2002-2006) |
| Transmitter power | 5 kW |
| Height | 175.5 m |
| Facility ID | 42116 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 39°47′27″N 89°30′53″W / 39.79083°N 89.51472°W |
WCIX is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Central Illinois that is licensed to Springfield. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 13 from a transmitter east of the city. Owned by the Nexstar Broadcasting Group, the station is sister to CBS affiliate WCIA and the two share studios on South Neil Street (a.k.a. U.S. 45) in downtown Champaign. The two stations also operate a Springfield facility including a newsroom and sales office on East Edwards Street near the Illinois State Capitol along with a newsroom on North Water Street in Downtown Decatur. Syndicated programming on WCIX includes: Family Guy, Everybody Hates Chris, America's Funniest Home Videos, and The Insider. They can also be seen on WCIA's second digital subchannel on UHF channel 48 from a transmitter in Seymour.
Contents |
History [link]
Before WCIA signed on in 1953, it originally wanted to build its tower in White Heath, near Decatur. The tower would have been placed on some of the highest ground in Central Illinois. However, just after construction began, Prairie Television (owner of WTVP, now WAND) filed an objection. Even though it was obvious that Champaign / Urbana and Springfield / Decatur were going to be considered a single market, Prairie claimed WCIA was encroaching on its territory. To avoid delays, that station moved its transmitter to its current location near Seymour.
WCIA quickly established itself as the dominant station in the region, despite its signal issues in the western half of the market. Eventually, then-owner Midwest Television decided to open a low-powered relay of WCIA on UHF channel 49 to get better coverage in the state capital. That relay launched in 1967 under the calls W49AA. In 1982, it was upgraded to a full-power satellite under the calls WCFN. In both cases, the station was a straight simulcast of WCIA, even airing WCIA's commercials. However, it was mentioned in WCIA's legal IDs.
In 2002, WCFN broke off and became the area's UPN affiliate. To make up for the shortfall in coverage, it was added to WCIA's digital subcarrier. WCIA carries WCFN's second digital subchannel for the same reason; the WCIA schedule is carried on WCFN-DT2 in 1080i HD, while the main WCFN schedule is in 480i standard definition. After The WB and UPN closed down and merged to become The CW, this station joined the other new network, MyNetworkTV, that is owned by News Corporation and sister to Fox.
In early-2007, WCFN and the Illinois High School Association came to an agreement to carry coverage of IHSA tournaments that are televised throughout the state. Central Illinois had previously been without an over-the-air flagship station for these kind of events. Also, beginning with the 2010-11 NBA season, WCFN carried Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, and Chicago White Sox games aired in the Chicagoland area by WCIU. Before 2011, WCFN would carry Labor Day coverage of the US Open from CBS because of WCIA's commitment to air the MDA Telethon. In 2011, the tennis coverage shifted to WCIA since the telethon was limited to the night before Labor Day.
On August 29, 2011 the station's callsign was changed to WCIX, call letters formerly used by WFOR-TV in Miami for years until 1995, when that station changed from Channel 6 to Channel 4 and swapped with NBC's WTVJ. The station's logo was changed to resemble that of sister station KARZ-TV in Little Rock, Arkansas, which is also a MyNetworkTV affiliate associated with a Big Three-affiliated station (in that case, KARK-TV).
Digital programming [link]
WCIX's digital signal on VHF channel 13 is multiplexed:
| Channel | Name | Video | Aspect | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49.1 | WCIX-DT | 480i | 16:9 | Main WCIX programming / MyNetworkTV |
| 49.2 | WCIA-DT | 1080i | "WCIA 3"; CBS |
Newscasts [link]
WCFN's Primetime News at 9 was launched on April 7, 2005 using the news resources of WCIA. The broadcast originated from that station's Champaign headquarters and was targeted specifically at a Springfield audience. The name was altered to myCFN News at 9 in 2006 to reflect the MyNetworkTV affiliation. In 2009, WCIA announced it would cancel the show and launch an hour long 7 o'clock newscast on weeknights beginning September 28. As a result, MyNetworkTV programming now airs out-of-pattern from 8 to 10. In 2006, WCIA began airing an hour-long extension of The Morning Show on WCFN. In 2007, another hour was added to the show. At the end of the 6:00 hour of the show, viewers are always reminded to flip the channel.
The Morning Show remains the only local morning show in the area from 7-9 a.m. WCIA airs CBS This Morning during this time.
The Morning Show on X 49
(Weekday Mornings 7 to 9 a.m.)
- Anchors:
- Rob Collins
- Weather:
- Robert Reese
WCIA 3 News at 7 on X 49
(Weeknights 7 to 7:30 p.m.)
- Anchor:
- Dave Benton
- Weather:
- Derick Fabert
- Sports:
- Aaron Bennett
WCIX features additional news personnel from WCIA. See that article for a complete listing.
External links [link]
|
||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
