WFQX-TV

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WFQX Channel 33, based in Cadillac, Michigan, is the Fox and UPN television affiliate for the Traverse City/Sault Ste. Marie television market, the largest geographic television market east of the Mississippi River. WFQX's transmitter and studios are located 6 miles SSE of Cadillac in Osceola County, Michigan. WFQX transmits its signal from an antenna 974 feet in height with an effective radiated power of 776 kW. Its digital tramsmitter is shared with WGTU's analog near Kalkaska. The station operates a full time satellite, WFUP Channel 45.

Unlike CBS station WWTV/WWUP known as 9&10, NBC station WPBN/WTOM called 7&4, and WGTU/WGTQ named 29&8, WFQX/WFUP is only referred to as FOX 33, not 33&45. The transmitter for WFUP is located 8 miles WNW of Vanderbilt, Michigan in Charlevoix County on Thumb Lake Road. WFUP transmits its signal from an antenna 1,063 feet in height with an effective radiated power of 851 kW (analog) and 1000 kW (digital).

Fox 33 was northern Michigan's first station broadcasting 24/7, even though overnights are filled with home shopping programs. The station also airs a large amount of daily religious programming, such as Believer's Voice of Victory and Walking By Faith, as well as infomercials.

WFQX/WFUP also promote [Beyond the TV], a website that gives info about advertisers in the area. It offers others features as well.

History

The station was originally WGKI-TV, named for founder Gary Knapp. A well-known DJ and TV personality, Knapp signed on low-powered WGKI in 1990. Despite its limited reach, WGKI was shown on local cable television systems. Prior to WGKI, northern Michiganders received Fox shows on cable from WKBD in Detroit.

In WGKI's early years, the station was extremely low-budget. This was shown in the station's use of 1970s-era electronic graphics for their first few years of broadcast.

Due to the growing popularity of the Fox network and shows such as The Simpsons and Married With Children, the station quickly grew. The on-screen graphics were modernized and the station started to use higher-quality video equipment. In the early 1990s, the station launched several translators in areas where the station's signal did not reach. By the mid-1990s it moved into a new studio. In 1993, the station launched WGKU, channel 45, in Vanderbilt, whose signal reached the Gaylord and Petoskey areas.

In the early years, WGKI simulcasted WKBD's 10 p.m. newscasts. When Fox moved to WJBK in 1994, it started using that station's resources. The move also disallowed rival WKBD from distributing Detroit Red Wings and Tigers games to WGKI. Knapp made a station promo explaining the situation between Fox 33, WKBD and WJBK.

Also, when the affiliation switch in Detroit was made, WGKI replaced WKBD on cable systems in central Michigan and the Upper Peninsula, so viewers without a local Fox station would keep their Fox programming. As a consequence, they also expanded into parts of the Flint / Tri-Cities, Lansing, Grand Rapids and Detroit markets, via cable carriage. As a result, some cable viewers, especially in Bay City, Saginaw and the Thumb, found out that most of WGKI's programming, especially Fox programs, were blacked out by request of the local Fox affiliate. Soon after, many cable systems outside Northern Michigan and the UP either dropped WGKI, or brought back WKBD.

In 1995, WGKI started airing a few UPN shows out of primetime. The station currently airs WWE SmackDown! on Saturday nights at midnight.

In 1999, WGKI increases its ERP from 219 kW to 774 kW, significantly increasing its on air coverage area.

In 2000, Knapp retired and sold his stations to Rockfleet Broadcasting for $12 million. Part of the deal called for channels 33 and 45 to change their call letters. Channel 33 became WFQX (for Fox) and channel 45 became WFVX. The latter station later became WFUP (for Fox Upper Peninsula, even though the station's signal hardly reaches that area; the Sault receives the station via a translator on channel 61).

(The WFVX calls were moved to its sister station in Bangor, Maine.)

Also in 2000, the station launched a 10 p.m. newscast, though it lacked resources such as reporters, viewers and engineering upkeep. Now, the news team has 4 people. Currently, the newscasts are anchored by Kristen Abraham,the weather is satellite fed from accu-weather in Pennsylvania (which has been criticized for being a bit too late when severe weather is an issue),and the newscast continues to be sort of a low budget production.

Its `studios' are surrounded by corn fields located outside of Cadillac, Michigan.

The WB and UPN announced in January 2006 that they will be merging together and reformulated as "The CW" this fall. It's possible that CW programming will be on cable channel WBVC, so WFQX will drop the UPN affiliation and My Network TV, which is co-owned with Fox, could air in UPN's place.

Outlying Transmitters

WFQX/WFUP is the only station in the Traverse City market that offers additional repeaters.

W31BO Alpena at 9,050 W (silent)
W54CR Traverse City at 30,400 W (to end broadcasting)
W61CR Sault Ste Marie at 7,530 W
Un-called transmitter on ch. 64 at Pickford, at 50 kW (operating under a "special temporary authority")

External links

Broadcast television in the Northern Michigan (Traverse City-Cadillac-Sault Sainte Marie) market [(Nielsen DMA #113)]

American stations WPBN 7/WTOM 4 (NBC) (The Tube on DT2) - WWTV 9/WWUP 10 (CBS) - WLLZ 12 (ind.) - WZZM 13 (ABC, Gd Rapids) - WCMW 21/WCMV 27 (PBS) - WGTU 29/WGTQ 8 (ABC) - WFQX 33/WFUP 45 (Fox/UPN)
Canadian stations CHBX 2 (CTV) - CBLT 5 (CBC) - CIII 12 (Global) - CICO 20 (TVOntario) - CBLFT 26 (SRC) - CHCH 38 (CH)
Cable television channels "WBVC" 61 (The WB) - CBMT 6 (CBC) - WNMU 13 (PBS)
Defunct channels
CJIC 5 (CBC)

Broadcast television in the Alpena market [(Nielsen DMA #208)]'''
WTOM 4 (NBC) - WCML 6 (PBS) - WBKB 11 (CBS) - W18BT 18 (TBN)
Local cable channels:
ACC 3 (educational) - WBAE 21 (The WB)
Broadcast television available on cable only:
CBMT 6 (CBC) (Montreal) - WJRT 12 (ABC) (Flint) - WFUP 45 (FOX/UPN) - WKBD 50 (UPN - to be The CW) ''(Detroit)

Fox Network Affiliates in the state of Michigan

WJBK 2 () - WXMI 17 () - WMQF 19 () - W32CV 32¹ () - WFQX 33 / WFUP 45 () - W40AN 40² () - WSYM 47 () - WSMH 66 ()
¹W32CV is a repeater of KQDS-TV, . ²W40AN is a repeater of WLUK-TV, .
See also: , , , , , and stations in Michigan and , , , and stations in Ontario

UPN Network Affiliates in the state of Michigan
Note: Networks in parenthesis indicate affiliations starting September 2006.

WXSP-CA 15¹ / WOOD-DT 7.2 / WOTV-DT 20.2 (, MNTV) - WHTV 18 (, MNTV) - WMQF 19 (, MNTV) - WFQX 33 / WFUP 45 (, ND) - WKBD 50 (, The CW)
¹Also has a network of low-powered repeaters.
See also: , , , , , and stations in Michigan and , , , and stations in Ontario

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