WLOO
 | |
| Vicksburg/Jackson, Mississippi Tallulah, Louisiana United States | |
|---|---|
| Branding | My 35 |
| Channels |
Digital: 41 (UHF) Virtual: 35 (PSIP) |
| Subchannels |
35.1 MyNetworkTV 35.2 Soul of the South Network 35.3 This TV |
| Affiliations | MyNetworkTV (2006–present) |
| Owner | Tougaloo College |
| Operator |
American Spirit Media (certain services are provided by Raycom Media) |
| First air date | September 29, 2003 |
| Call letters' meaning | TougaLOO |
| Sister station(s) | WDBD |
| Former callsigns | WUFX (2003–2013) |
| Former channel number(s) |
Analog: 35 (UHF, 2003–2009) |
| Former affiliations |
Fox (2003–2006) The WB (July–September 2006) |
| Transmitter power | 981 kW |
| Height | 598 m |
| Facility ID | 84253 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 32°12′49.4″N 90°22′56.2″W / 32.213722°N 90.382278°W |
WLOO is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Jackson, Mississippi that is licensed to Vicksburg/Tougaloo. It broadcasts a standard definition digital signal on UHF channel 41 (or virtual channel 35.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter on Thigpen Road in Raymond. The station can also be seen on Cable ONE channel 52 and Comcast channel 11. Owned by Tougaloo College, WLOO has a joint sales agreement (JSA) with American Spirit Media-owned Fox affiliate WDBD. WLOO's station, studio and operations are located in South Jackson off of Highway 18. WLOO is operated and controlled by Tougaloo College Formed LLC Board 2 Rivers Communications, General Manager and Management Staff. Syndicated programming on this outlet includes The Office, 30 Rock, Family Feud, and America's Court with Judge Ross among others.
History
The station signed-on September 29, 2003 as WUFX, airing an analog signal on UHF channel 35. The station was Jackson's second Fox affiliate; until its launch, there was no over-the-air affiliate in the area because WDBD had dropped the network in favor of The WB almost two years earlier in October 2001. Throughout its Fox affiliation, WUFX was known on-air as "Fox 35" and used the slogan "Fox For You".
Channel 35 would have officially begun broadcasting at 11 in the morning on September 7 in time for the start of the 2003 NFL season. However, two members of the tower construction crew had shots fired at them at the station's analog transmitter site in Edwards on August 31. As a result, all work was halted for 22 days while the Hinds County Sheriff's Department conducted an investigation. Deputies eventually decided it was safe for the construction crew to resume work on WUFX's transmitter and even provided on-site security until its completion.
In early-2006, it was announced The WB and UPN would merge to form The CW. At the same time, News Corporation (owner of Fox) made public another new network called MyNetworkTV would be launching as well. UPN affiliate WRBJ was announced as the new station for The CW while WUFX would join MyNetworkTV. In advance of the switch to MyNetworkTV, WUFX and WDBD swapped affiliations. On July 3, 2006, the station temporarily picked up The WB but began identifying itself on-air as "My 35" in anticipation of joining the new network. After joining MyNetworkTV, it continued carrying WB programming in a secondary nature until that network shut down September 17. Meanwhile, WDBD rejoined Fox and became known on-air as "Fox 40". WUFX and WDBD were sold by Jackson Television to Roundtable Broadcasting in early 2010. However, the latter's licensee listing with the FCC still says Jackson Television.
Vicksburg Broadcasting filed to sell WUFX and WBMS-CA to American Spirit Media in July 2012. As American Spirit also acquired WDBD and WXMS-LP from Roundtable Broadcasting, the WUFX license was then sold for $1 to Tougaloo College, though American Spirit provides sales services to the station under a joint sales agreement. Raycom Media, owner of WLBT, provides certain services to the American Spirit stations under a shared services agreement.[1] Tougaloo intends to use WUFX to teach its students about the operation of television stations.[2] On November 13, the transaction was consummated.[3] On April 15, 2013, the call letters were changed to WLOO.[4]
Digital television
Digital channels
The station's digital signal is multiplexed:
| Channel | Video | Video | PSIP Short Name | Programming[5] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35.1 | 480i | 4:3 | WLOO-DT | Main WLOO programming / MyNetworkTV |
| 35.2 | WLOO-D2 | Soul of the South Network | ||
| 35.3 | WLOO-D3 | This TV | ||
Analog-to-digital conversion
WLOO (as WUFX) shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 35, on May 4, 2009.[6] The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 41, using PSIP to display WLOO's virtual channel as 35 on digital television receivers.
WUFX was granted an original construction permit after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) finalized the digital television allotment plan on April 21, 1997. As a result , the station did not receive a companion channel for a digital television station.
Newscast
In April 2010, WDBD began producing a weeknight half-hour newscast on WUFX, called Fox 40 News at 10 on My 35, which competed against long standing news broadcasts seen on the market's big three stations. After American Spirit Media completed its acquisition of WDBD and entered into the shared services agreement with WLBT, the Fox station's news department was shut down. Production of WDBD's newscasts was assumed by WLBT on November 12, 2012 with all of the news programming retained except for the 10 p.m. show on WUFX since it would compete with WLBT.
References
- ↑ Seyler, Dave (August 1, 2012). "TV dealings in the Jackson MS market". Television Business Report. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
- ↑ Associated Press (August 2, 2012). "Tougaloo College to acquire Vicksburg-based TV station". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
- ↑ http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_det.pl?Application_id=1524273
- ↑ "Call Sign History". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
- ↑ RabbitEars TV Query for WLOO
- ↑ List of Digital Full-Power Stations