WFIE-DT2

WFIE-DT2 is the second digital subchannel of WFIE, the NBC-affiliated television station serving Evansville, Indiana, and the surrounding Tri-State market. The subchannel operates on virtual channel 14.2 and is associated with WFIE's broadcast facilities, studios, newsroom, weather operation, and transmission infrastructure. Its principal role is to provide a distinct secondary television service alongside WFIE's primary NBC schedule. The service began in the fall of 2005 as an outlet for NBC Weather Plus, a 24-hour weather network that combined national and regional forecasts with locally produced weather inserts. WFIE's weather staff supplied the local cut-ins, and the service was branded First Alert Weather Now. This launch placed the subchannel among the early digital multicast services used by local stations to add specialized programming without requiring a separate full-power broadcast license. After NBC Weather Plus was discontinued in 2008, WFIE-DT2 temporarily continued as a locally oriented weather service. Later in 2008, it adopted a local news, weather, and sports format under the name 14Xtra. The format included a weeknight 9 p.m. newscast and competed with the prime-time newscast broadcast by WTVW. The service extended WFIE's local-news presence and used the station's existing reporting, weather, and sports resources rather than operating as a wholly separate newsroom. The subchannel became a full-time MeTV affiliate on October 28, 2014. MeTV programming was moved from WFIE-DT3 to WFIE-DT2 after Grit was added to the third subchannel. The change ended the 14Xtra local-format service and established WFIE-DT2 as a classic-television multicast outlet. Before 2016, the schedule also included syndicated Atlantic Coast Conference football and men's basketball supplied by Raycom Sports; WTVW assumed the local ACC rights in 2016. WFIE-DT2 also carries a weeknight local prime-time newscast produced by WFIE. The subchannel's news programming complements WFIE's primary-channel local broadcasts and gives the station an additional outlet for local reporting, weather, and advertising. WFIE's broader news operation serves southwestern Indiana and western Kentucky through its Evansville headquarters and newsrooms in Owensboro and Madisonville. WFIE itself has remained an NBC affiliate since beginning operations in 1953. The station was acquired by Raycom Media through Liberty Corporation's 2006 merger with Raycom, and it became part of Gray Television, now Gray Media, when Gray completed its acquisition of Raycom's broadcast assets in January 2019. WFIE-DT2 is therefore a sub-brand and programming service within a local television station owned by a national broadcast group, rather than an independently incorporated consumer brand. Its current identity is primarily defined by the MeTV affiliation, the 14.2 broadcast position, and its connection to WFIE's local news and weather operation.

WFIE-DT2 was created during the expansion of digital television multicasting in the United States. It launched in the fall of 2005 as an affiliate of NBC Weather Plus, a continuous weather service that mixed nationally distributed forecasts with regional information and local forecast inserts. WFIE branded the service First Alert Weather Now and used its own meteorologists to provide the local portions of the schedule. The arrangement allowed WFIE to offer a dedicated weather channel while continuing to broadcast NBC programming on its main channel. NBC Weather Plus was discontinued in 2008. WFIE initially retained a weather-oriented identity, but later that year converted the subchannel into a locally focused service called 14Xtra. The new format carried local news, weather, and sports coverage and added a weeknight 9 p.m. newscast. That program competed with WTVW's prime-time local news and helped WFIE extend its newsroom output beyond the primary NBC schedule. The format was also part of a broader effort by local stations to use digital subchannels for additional local content after the collapse of several national multicast services. The subchannel's programming role changed again in 2014. MeTV had previously appeared in the Evansville market through partial carriage on WTVW and later through WTSN-CD and WYYW-CD. Those arrangements changed as other stations altered their network affiliations or replaced MeTV with Heroes & Icons. WFIE temporarily carried MeTV on WFIE-DT3, but that arrangement lasted only a short period. On October 28, 2014, the full MeTV schedule moved to WFIE-DT2, while Grit launched on WFIE-DT3. The move ended 14Xtra and made channel 14.2 WFIE's principal classic-television service. For a period before 2016, WFIE-DT2 also carried syndicated Atlantic Coast Conference football and men's basketball supplied by Raycom Sports. WTVW took over local ACC programming rights in 2016, leaving WFIE-DT2 focused primarily on MeTV's schedule and WFIE-produced local programming. The subchannel has continued to serve as an additional outlet for a weeknight local newscast, including a 9 p.m. broadcast produced by WFIE's newsroom. The subchannel's corporate history follows that of WFIE. WFIE was founded in Evansville in 1953 and has continuously held an NBC affiliation. Its ownership passed through the Fine family, the George Norton family and Orion Broadcasting, Cosmos Broadcasting and Liberty Corporation, and Raycom Media. Gray Television announced its agreement to acquire Raycom's broadcast assets in 2018 and completed the transaction on January 2, 2019. Gray subsequently adopted the Gray Media name. WFIE-DT2 remains a digital service of WFIE rather than a separately owned station, using the parent station's facilities and local news operation to support its broadcasts.

• 2016

  ACC programming leaves the subchannel

  [1]WFIEen.wikipedia.org

  WTVW assumed the local rights to Raycom Sports' syndicated ACC football and men's basketball package.

• 2014

  MeTV becomes the primary subchannel service

  [1]WFIEen.wikipedia.org

  The full MeTV schedule moved to WFIE-DT2 on October 28 after Grit was added to WFIE-DT3, ending the 14Xtra format.

• 2008

  Conversion to 14Xtra

  [1]WFIEen.wikipedia.org

  After NBC Weather Plus ended, the subchannel developed into a locally oriented news, weather, and sports service branded 14Xtra.

• 2005

  Launch as First Alert Weather Now

  [1]WFIEen.wikipedia.org

  WFIE-DT2 began operation as an NBC Weather Plus affiliate, carrying continuous weather programming with local forecast inserts from WFIE's weather team.

A secondary local broadcast service combining a national classic-television network schedule with selected WFIE-produced local news programming.

• Classic television multicast network · 2014

  MeTV on WFIE-DT2

  The current core offering of WFIE-DT2 is the MeTV schedule, a national multicast television service built around classic American television series and related entertainment programming. WFIE distributes the service locally on virtual channel 14.2, making it available to over-the-air viewers in the Evansville market. The subchannel may also carry WFIE-produced local programming in designated time periods.

• Weather multicast service · 2005

  First Alert Weather Now

  First Alert Weather Now was the original identity of WFIE-DT2. It combined NBC Weather Plus's national and regional weather material with local forecast cut-ins prepared by WFIE's weather staff. The format represented the subchannel's first role after its 2005 launch and ended after NBC Weather Plus was discontinued.

• Local news and information channel · 2008

  14Xtra

  14Xtra was WFIE-DT2's locally oriented successor to the NBC Weather Plus service. It carried local news, weather, and sports coverage and presented a weeknight 9 p.m. newscast. The format gave WFIE a second outlet for local content before the subchannel was converted to full-time MeTV carriage in 2014.

• 2014

  Move MeTV from WFIE-DT3 to WFIE-DT2Strategy

  Background

  WFIE needed to accommodate Grit on its third digital subchannel while preserving full-time MeTV availability in the Evansville market.

  Action taken

  On October 28, WFIE moved the complete MeTV schedule to channel 14.2 and launched Grit on WFIE-DT3.

  Aftermath

  The 14Xtra local-format service ended, and WFIE-DT2 became the station's dedicated MeTV outlet, with selected WFIE local news programming continuing in the schedule.

  Source

• 2008

  Replace the discontinued weather-network format with 14XtraStrategy

  Background

  NBC Weather Plus ceased operation, leaving WFIE with a digital subchannel that had been dedicated to weather programming.

  Action taken

  WFIE shifted WFIE-DT2 toward locally produced news, weather, and sports coverage under the 14Xtra brand.

  Aftermath

  The subchannel gained a weeknight 9 p.m. newscast and operated as a local information service until its 2014 conversion to MeTV.

  Source

1. 1WFIEen.wikipedia.org
2. 2WFIE official websitewfie.com