WFLX

WFLX is a commercial television station licensed to serve the West Palm Beach, Florida, area and affiliated with the Fox network. It broadcasts on virtual channel 29 and is commonly presented to viewers as Fox 29. The station is owned by Gray Media and operates under a shared services agreement with the E. W. Scripps Company, whose West Palm Beach NBC affiliate WPTV-TV provides significant operational and news-production support. WFLX and WPTV share facilities in downtown West Palm Beach, while WFLX's transmitter is located near Wellington, west of U.S. Route 441 and State Road 7. The station began broadcasting on October 1, 1982, after delays postponed its planned August launch. It entered the market as an independent station and was the first full-power independent television outlet in the West Palm Beach area. Its original owner was Malrite Communications. During its early years, WFLX used a programming model typical of a large-market independent: movies, syndicated sitcoms, cartoons, talk programming and other acquired entertainment. It promoted itself as South Florida's Free Movie Station and built a particularly large film library, reportedly holding approximately 3,600 titles by 1984. The station also cultivated a distinctive local identity through promotions featuring Firecracker, a red macaw mascot, and through viewer-oriented movie requests and community appearances. One of WFLX's most recognizable early programs was Bedtime Movies, a late-Saturday-night film presentation hosted by a rotating group of presenters. Although it faced strong competition from NBC's Saturday Night Live, the program developed a loyal following and became part of the station's local brand. It ended in 1987 and returned for a short period in the late 1990s. WFLX became a charter Fox affiliate on October 9, 1986. For a period, it functioned as the practical Fox outlet for much of South Florida because Miami's initial Fox station had limited reach into Broward and northern Miami-Dade counties. That regional role changed after Miami's affiliation realignment in 1989, when WSVN became the Miami-area Fox affiliate, but WFLX remained the Fox station for the West Palm Beach market. During the 1990s, WFLX added Fox Kids programming and gradually replaced older sitcoms with talk shows, reality programs and newer syndicated content. Its performance led to recognition as Fox Affiliate of the Year after the 1993–1994 season, and later ratings reports identified it as one of Fox's stronger affiliates, including some spillover viewing in the Miami–Fort Lauderdale area. Raycom Media acquired Malrite in 1998. Under Raycom, WFLX continued as a Fox affiliate and became an early participant in digital television initiatives. It was the first West Palm Beach station to transmit network programming in high definition, beginning in April 2002. In 2005, Raycom tested The Tube Music Network on WFLX's second digital subchannel and later designated the station as part of the network's planned launch group. The Tube ended operations in 2007 because of financial difficulties. WFLX subsequently carried Bounce TV on digital subchannel 29.2 beginning in September 2011. The station has maintained a substantial local-news presence despite not producing its own newscasts independently. After Fox encouraged affiliates to provide local news, WFLX entered a news-sharing arrangement with CBS affiliate WPEC. WPEC launched a 10 p.m. newscast for WFLX in September 1991, later expanding it to an hour, and began producing a weekday morning program in 2000. That arrangement ended in late 2010. On January 1, 2011, NBC affiliate WPTV assumed production of WFLX's morning and prime-time newscasts, and the relationship developed into a broader shared services agreement. WPTV also introduced a 4 p.m. WFLX newscast in 2011, although that program was later discontinued as production and branding arrangements changed. WFLX ended regular analog broadcasting at noon on June 12, 2009, as pa…

WFLX was established as a new independent television station for the West Palm Beach market in the early 1980s. Although it was expected to begin service in August 1982, construction and launch delays moved its sign-on to October 1. Malrite Communications owned the station, which initially operated from studios on West Blue Heron Boulevard in Riviera Beach. Its schedule emphasized movies and syndicated entertainment rather than a large children's lineup, reflecting the market's comparatively older audience. The station promoted itself as South Florida's Free Movie Station and had accumulated a substantial movie library by the middle of the decade. Its promotional identity included Firecracker, a red macaw mascot, viewer movie requests and appearances at local events. WFLX also developed original promotional programming. Bedtime Movies, a late-Saturday film program, used rotating hosts to introduce movies and became a cult favorite despite competing with Saturday Night Live. The show ended in 1987 and was revived briefly in the late 1990s. As the station matured, it continued to compete against the West Palm Beach market's established network affiliates by counterprogramming with films, sitcoms and other syndicated programs. On October 9, 1986, WFLX joined Fox as a charter affiliate. Its Fox affiliation gave the station a national network identity while preserving its local-market role. For several years it also served much of South Florida in practice because the original Miami Fox station did not reach many viewers north of Miami. This broader role diminished after Miami's 1989 affiliation changes, when WSVN became the principal Fox station in the Miami area, but WFLX remained the Fox affiliate serving West Palm Beach. Through the late 1980s and 1990s, WFLX shifted away from much of its older sitcom and movie schedule. It added Fox Kids programming, talk shows and reality formats, and was recognized by Fox after the 1993–1994 season. Malrite was acquired by Raycom Media in 1998. WFLX subsequently continued to perform strongly in network ratings and expanded its technical capabilities. In April 2002 it became the first station in its market to broadcast network programming in high definition. Raycom also used WFLX as a platform for digital multicast experimentation. In 2005 it tested The Tube Music Network on a second digital stream and later identified WFLX as part of the planned launch group for the service. The Tube ended on October 1, 2007, because of financial problems. WFLX's analog service ended at noon on June 12, 2009, under the federally mandated American digital television transition. Its digital signal remained on channel 28 while viewers continued to identify the station through virtual channel 29. In September 2011, the station added Bounce TV to digital subchannel 29.2 after the channel had spent a period carrying only identification and time information. Local news has been a major part of WFLX's operating model. Fox's requirements for affiliates led WFLX to contract with CBS affiliate WPEC, which launched a 10 p.m. newscast in September 1991. The program expanded from 30 minutes to an hour, and WPEC added a weekday morning newscast in 2000, later expanding it to two hours. The WFLX and WPEC broadcasts maintained separate on-air identities while sharing much of the production infrastructure and personnel. Their high-definition news broadcasts began in January 2008. WFLX announced in 2010 that the WPEC relationship would end at the close of that year. Beginning January 1, 2011, NBC affiliate WPTV took over production of WFLX's morning and nightly prime-time news. The programs originated from a secondary set at WPTV's downtown West Palm Beach facility, and WPTV added personnel to support the arrangement. A 4 p.m. weekday newscast followed in September 2011. The relationship later expanded into a shared services agreement covering news, technical, promotional and online functions. WFLX moved from its Riviera Beach studio to shared downtown facilities, while its sales operation remained separate. The station continues to operate as a Fox-branded local television service for the West Palm Beach area.

• 2011

  WPTV becomes news and services partner

  [1]WFLXen.wikipedia.org

  WPTV starts producing WFLX newscasts and later provides broader shared operational services.

• 2009

  Analog service ends

  [1]WFLXen.wikipedia.org

  WFLX shuts down its analog transmission as part of the United States digital television transition.

• 2002

  High-definition broadcasting begins

  [1]WFLXen.wikipedia.org

  WFLX becomes the first West Palm Beach station to broadcast network programming in high definition.

• 1998

  Ownership moves to Raycom

  [1]WFLXen.wikipedia.org

  Raycom Media acquires Malrite Communications, bringing WFLX into its station portfolio.

• 1991

  First WFLX prime-time newscast

  [1]WFLXen.wikipedia.org

  WPEC begins producing a 10 p.m. local newscast for WFLX.

• 1986

  Fox affiliation begins

  [1]WFLXen.wikipedia.org

  WFLX becomes a charter affiliate of the Fox network on October 9.

• 1982

  WFLX signs on

  [1]WFLXen.wikipedia.org

  WFLX begins broadcasting on October 1 as the first independent station in the West Palm Beach market.

A local Fox network affiliate combining national network programming with West Palm Beach-area news, weather, sports, syndicated entertainment and community-oriented promotion.

• Broadcast television · 1986

  Fox 29 network programming

  WFLX's core offering is the Fox network schedule, presented locally under the Fox 29 identity. This includes Fox entertainment, news, sports and other network content distributed to the West Palm Beach market. WFLX has also carried selected sports programming, including frequent New York Giants games when scheduling permits, while Miami Dolphins games can receive priority under applicable network and local-market arrangements.

• Local television news · 1991

  Fox 29 local news

  WFLX's local-news product includes morning and prime-time newscasts branded for Fox 29. The broadcasts have historically been produced by another local station rather than by a wholly independent WFLX newsroom: WPEC supplied the service from 1991 through 2010, and WPTV assumed production in 2011 under a broader shared services relationship. The output combines local reporting with weather, traffic and sports coverage.

• Digital television · 2005

  Digital multicast service

  WFLX has used its digital multicast capacity for secondary networks. The station tested The Tube Music Network in 2005, carried no regular service on the second stream for a period after The Tube's shutdown, and launched Bounce TV on digital subchannel 29.2 in September 2011.

• Original television program

  Bedtime Movies

  Bedtime Movies was a late-Saturday movie presentation created during WFLX's independent-station period. Rotating hosts introduced the films from a bedroom-style set, and the program became a distinctive part of the station's early local identity despite competing with Saturday Night Live. The original run ended in 1987, with a short revival in the late 1990s.

• 1982South Florida's Free Movie Station

  West Palm Beach · South Florida

  WFLX promoted its early independent-station schedule around a large movie inventory, using the slogan South Florida's Free Movie Station to distinguish itself from network affiliates.

  Outcome. The movie-centered positioning became a defining part of WFLX's launch-era identity.

  Source
• 1982Firecracker mascot promotion

  West Palm Beach · South Florida

  The station used Firecracker, a red macaw, in advertisements, viewer promotions and community appearances.

  Outcome. The mascot helped create a recognizable local personality for the new station.

  Source

• 2011

  Shift local-news production to WPTVStrategy

  Background

  WFLX's earlier news-sharing agreement with WPEC was scheduled to end on December 31, 2010.

  Action taken

  WPTV began producing WFLX's morning and nightly prime-time newscasts on January 1, 2011, followed by broader technical, promotional and online support under a shared services arrangement.

  Aftermath

  WFLX relocated its main studio operation to facilities shared with WPTV in downtown West Palm Beach while retaining a separate sales department.

  Source

• 2005

  Test digital multicast music networkProduct launch

  Background

  Raycom was evaluating emerging digital subchannel networks as broadcasters expanded beyond their primary over-the-air service.

  Action taken

  WFLX tested The Tube Music Network on a second digital subchannel and was later identified as part of the planned launch station group.

  Aftermath

  The Tube ended operations in 2007 because of financial difficulties.

  Source

• 1986

  Join the Fox networkStrategy

  Background

  WFLX was operating as an independent station when Fox was assembling its initial affiliate network.

  Action taken

  The station became a charter Fox affiliate on October 9, 1986.

  Aftermath

  The affiliation established the Fox 29 identity that continues to define the station's market position.

  Source

1. 1WFLXen.wikipedia.org