WFFF-TV

WFFF-TV, channel 44, is the Fox affiliate for Vermont's Champlain Valley, Upstate New York's North Country and Montreal, Quebec. Licensed to Burlington, Vermont, it broadcasts on UHF channel 43 (virtual channel 44.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter on Vermont's highest peak, Mount Mansfield. Owned by Nexstar Broadcasting Group, WFFF-TV operates ABC affiliate WVNY (owned by Mission Broadcasting) through a local marketing agreement; the two stations share studios on Mountain View Drive in Colchester, Vermont. Like other network stations serving Plattsburgh and Burlington, WFFF-TV has a large audience in Southern Quebec, Canada. This includes Montreal, a city ten times more populous than all of WFFF-TV's entire American viewing area combined. Most Vidéotron systems in Canada carry WFFF-TV as their Fox affiliate.

History

WFFF-TV signed on August 31, 1997. Prior to the station's launch, the Champlain Valley was the last top-100 television market without a primary Fox affiliate;CBS affiliate WCAX-TV aired Fox Sports and Fox Kids programming, while the network's full schedule was available on most Vermont cable systems through Foxnet. New York State cable systems had imported WNYW from New York City, while Canadian cable systems carried WUTV from Buffalo, New York or WUHF from Rochester, New York. WFFF-TV was originally owned by Champlain Valley Telecasting, but was operated by Heritage Media, owner of NBC affiliate WPTZ, through an LMA.