WPGX
  | |
| Panama City, Florida United States | |
|---|---|
| Branding |
Fox 28 Bounce Panama City (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 (WPGX License Subsidiary, LLC) |
| First air date | May 1988[1] |
| Call letters' meaning |
Panama City and Gulf Coast's FoX |
| Sister station(s) | WDFX-TV, WSFA, WALB |
| Former channel number(s) |
Analog: 28 (UHF, 1988–2009) |
| Former affiliations |
DT2: The Tube (until 2007) |
| Transmitter power | 24.1 kW |
| Height | 238.5 m |
| 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 |
WPGX is the Fox-affiliated television station in Panama City, Florida. 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 Bennett, Bay County. Owned by Raycom Media, WPGX has studios on West 23rd Street/SR 368 in Panama City.
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.
Digital television
Digital channels
The station's digital signal is multiplexed:
| Channel | Video | Aspect | PSIP Short Name | Programming[2] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||
Originally, WPGX-DT2 was an affiliate of The Tube but the 24-hour music video network was dropped after going dark in 2007. In its place, the station was considering to offer This TV but decided not in the end. WBIF carried the 24-hour movie network instead but eventually dropped the programming service after becoming owned by Daystar. In July 2010, ABC affiliate WMBB added This TV to their second digital subchannel but this was later changed to Me-TV in August 2013.
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.[3] 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 the Hoak Media Corporation) 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 thirty-minute advertorial/public affairs show that airs weekday mornings at 6:30. Known as Wakin' Up With Don Arias, the program is hosted by a former United States Air Force Lieutenant colonel. It is taped in advance and features topics that are presented from a conservative perspective (owing to the South's traditional, conservative values). Prior to December 2013, the show was known as News View and was seen weeknights at 9 after Fox prime time programming.[4]
References
- ↑ 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). Retrieved 2012-03-24.
- ↑ "Wakin' Up With Don Arias". facebook.com.