WACX
WACX, virtual channel 55 (VHF digital channel 7), is a religious independent television station serving Orlando, Florida, United States that is licensed to Leesburg. The station is locally owned by Associated Christian Television System, Inc. WACX's studios are located in Altamonte Springs, and its transmitter is located near Bithlo, Florida.
 | |
| Leesburg/Orlando, Florida United States | |
|---|---|
| City | Leesburg, Florida |
| Branding | SuperChannel WACX-TV |
| Slogan | In God We Trust For a Better Life |
| Channels | Digital: 7 (VHF) Virtual: 55 (PSIP) |
| Subchannels | See below |
| Translators | WWRP-LP 9 Tallahassee WACX-LD 32 Alachua/Gainesville |
| Affiliations | Religious Independent |
| Owner | Associated Christian Television System, Inc. |
| First air date | March 6, 1982 |
| Call sign meaning | Associated Christian (referring to owner) X = Christ |
| Former call signs | WIYE (1982–1988) |
| Former channel number(s) | Analog: 55 (UHF, 1982–2006) Digital: 40 (UHF, until 2020) |
| Former affiliations | TBN (1990s–2006) |
| Transmitter power | 0.003 kW (STA) 49.2 kW (CP) |
| Height | 510.5 m (1,675 ft) |
| Class | DT |
| Facility ID | 60018 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 28°35′12.6″N 81°4′57.5″W |
| Licensing authority | FCC |
| Public license information | Profile CDBS |
| Website | www |
WACX operates on a commercial license, even though it, like most religious stations, is viewer supported. Its schedule consists primarily of national and local religious programming.[1]
The station's owner, Associated Christian Television System, Inc. is not the same entity as either American Christian Television Services, owner of WTLW in Lima, Ohio, or the defunct cable network the American Christian Television System.
History
WACX first signed on the air on March 6, 1982 as WIYE, operating on analog channel 55. However, it has roots in a local Christian cable station begun by Claud and Freeda Bowers in 1977.
Channel 55's signal originally didn't make it too far out of Lake County. However, the station had grown enough that by 1987 it was able to move to a new transmitter capable of 5 million watts of power, boosting its coverage area to the entire Central Florida area. It became WACX in 1988, and began branding itself as "SuperChannel 55" because at the time it was the only station airing at the maximum power allowed for a UHF station.
From the 1990s through September 2006, WACX was affiliated with TBN, regularly airing select programs from the network; this affiliation ceased after TBN acquired its own station in the market. Since then, the station has regularly featured programming from The Inspiration Network (INSP) and periodically from God TV.
Digital television
Digital channels
The station's digital signal is multiplexed:
| Channel | Video | Aspect | PSIP Short Name | Programming[2] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55.1 | 480i | 4:3 | WACX-D1 | Main WACX programming |
| 55.2 | WACX-D2 | [Blank] | ||
| 55.3 | WACX-D3 | GEB America | ||
| 55.4 | WACX-D4 | SonLife | ||
| 55.5 | WACX-D5 | Vida Vision (Spanish) | ||
| 55.6 | WACX-D6 | Believer's Voice of Victory Network | ||
| 55.7 | WACX-D7 | Aliento Vision | ||
| 55.8 | WACX-D8 | CBN News | ||
| 55.9 | WACX-D9 | Faith USA | ||
| 55.10 | WACX-D10 | [Blank] | ||
| 55.11 | WACX-D11 | QVC2 |
Analog-to-digital conversion
WACX shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 55, in March 2006. The station's digital signal continued to be broadcast on its pre-transition UHF channel 40.[3] Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former UHF analog channel 55, which was among the high band UHF channels (52-69) that were removed from broadcasting use as a result of the transition.
Relays
WACX operates two low-power translators and satellites that rebroadcast its programming:
- WWRP-LP channel 9 Tallahassee
- WACX-LD channel 32 Alachua
In addition, WACX's programming is streamed on its website.
Previously, WACX operated an additional translator, WLWA-LP channel 14 in Lakeland (part of the Tampa Bay market), but that station signed off on June 15, 2006 after losing its transmitter site;[4] its license was revoked by the Federal Communications Commission on April 24, 2009.[5] Additionally, WACX-LD (originally W40CQ-D) replaced analog translator W69AY.
At one point, WACX controlled the SuperChannel TBN channel on the Sky Angel religious satellite service, but this was replaced with the national TBN service in 2006.
In August 2011, it was announced that Restoration Place, Inc. will be acquiring WACX-LP Tallahassee, in which the station will become WWRP-LP.[6]
The station previously operated a translator in Madison, W03AO channel 3. This translator has since closed down and is no longer listed in the FCC database.
Majesty Building
In 2001, Claud Bowers, the general manager of WACX, began construction of the Majesty Building, an 18-story office building in Altamonte Springs. However, no work was done on the building for over a decade, and is dubbed "The I-4 Eyesore" by many locals in the area.[7] Construction largely resumed in 2018.
References
- "WACX-DT 55.1 Leesburg/Orlando Program Schedule". Superchannel.com. Associated Christian Television System. November 28, 2018.
- RabbitEars TV Query for WACX
- "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-03-24.
- "Notification of Suspension of Operations / Request for Silent STA". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. June 26, 2006. Retrieved May 25, 2009.
- Hashemzadeh, Hossein (April 24, 2009). "Re: WLWA-LP, Lakeland, FL" (PDF). CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved May 25, 2009.
- FCC Public Notice Report #534: "Media Bureau Call Sign Actions", August 31, 2011. Archived October 30, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- "The 'I-4 Eyesore' has been under construction since 2001. It's showing glimmers of life". Tampa Bay Times. 2018-07-26. Retrieved 2019-05-11.