WPGX
|
 | |
| Panama City, Florida United States | |
|---|---|
| Branding |
Fox 28 Bounce Panama City (on DT2) |
| Slogan | WPGX Marks the Spot |
| Channels |
Digital: 9 (VHF) Virtual: 28 (PSIP) |
| Subchannels |
28.1 Fox 28.2 Bounce TV 28.3 Grit |
| Affiliations | Fox |
| Owner |
Raycom Media (sale to Gray Television pending;[1] to be resold to Lockwood Broadcast Group thereafter[2]) (WPGX License Subsidiary, LLC) |
| First air date | May 1988[3] |
| Call letters' meaning |
Panama City and Gulf Coast's FoX |
| Sister station(s) | WDFX-TV, WSFA, WALB, WTXL-TV |
| Former channel number(s) |
Analog: 28 (UHF, 1988–2009) |
| Former affiliations |
DT2: The Tube (until 2007) |
| Transmitter power | 24.1 kW |
| Height | 217 m (712 ft) |
| Class | DT |
| Facility ID | 2942 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 30°23′42″N 85°32′2″W / 30.39500°N 85.53389°W |
| Licensing authority | FCC |
| Public license information: |
Profile CDBS |
| Website |
wpgxfox28 |
WPGX is a Fox-affiliated television station licensed to Panama City, Florida, United States. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 9 (or virtual channel 28.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter on Blue Springs Road in unincorporated Youngstown, Bay County. Owned by Raycom Media, WPGX has studios on West 23rd Street/SR 368 in Panama City, though most of its on-air master control operations originate from sister Fox affiliate WBRC in Birmingham, Alabama.
History
The station began operations in May 1988 and aired an analog signal on UHF channel 28. Its previous owner, Waitt Media, sold WPGX to Raycom in 2003. At one point under Raycom Media ownership, WPGX previously maintained its facilities in Panama City on Luverne Avenue in a building (known as the "Fox Television Center") shared with a Suntrust Bank branch. In May 2010, it launched a website for the first time under Raycom's control. It mainly serves as an advertorial web address with various promotions from Panama City businesses and has limited station-related content, including FCC public file and EEO disclosures.
Gray Television announced its acquisition of Raycom Media on June 25, 2018; Gray immediately put WPGX on the market, as it already owned WJHG-TV (channel 7).[1] On August 20, 2018, Gray announced that WPGX, along with fellow Fox affiliates WTNZ in Knoxville, Tennessee, WFXG in Augusta, Georgia, and WDFX-TV in Dothan, Alabama, would be sold to Lockwood Broadcast Group.[2]
Digital television
Digital channels
The station's digital channel is multiplexed:
| Channel | Video | Aspect | PSIP Short Name | Programming[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28.1 | 720p | 16:9 | WPGX-DT | Main WPGX programming / Fox |
| 28.2 | 480i | 4:3 | WPGX-SD | Bounce TV |
| 28.3 | 16:9 | GritTV | ||
WPGX-DT2 was a charter affiliate of The Tube Music Network before its ended operations in October 2007. The subchannel was relaunched in 2013 to carry Bounce TV, with Grit joining WPGX on its third subchannel in September 2014.
Analog-to-digital conversion
WPGX shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 28, on June 12, 2009, the official date in which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition VHF channel 9.[5] Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former UHF analog channel 28.
Programming
Syndicated programming on the station includes TMZ on TV, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, and Judge Judy among others. In January 2010, local ABC outlet WMBB (then owned by Hoak Media) began producing local weather cut-ins for this station (recorded in advance) through an arrangement. Although there was speculation this agreement would eventually be expanded into a prime time newscast at 9, these plans never came to fruition. The weather segments ceased airing at some point and this Fox affiliate now features taped weather forecasts produced by WeatherVision.
WPGX broadcasts a local hour block of programming weekday mornings at 6:30, The Panhandle Outdoor Show and Ask the Master Auto Technician. The former is hosted by outdoorsman Winston Chester, with the latter produced by the James Auto Center and carrying car care tips and other topics of interest to the host, James Morris.
References
- 1 2 Miller, Mark K. (June 25, 2018). "Gray To Buy Raycom For $3.6 Billion". TVNewsCheck. NewsCheckMedia. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
- 1 2 Aycock, Jason (August 20, 2018). "Gray sets divestitures in eight more markets for Raycom deal". Seeking Alpha. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
- ↑ The Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook says May 21, while the Television and Cable Factbook says May 20.
- ↑ "RabbitEars.Info". rabbitears.info.
- ↑ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-08-29. Retrieved 2012-03-24.