WFXR
WFXR is a Fox-affiliated television station serving the Roanoke–Lynchburg market in Virginia.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WFXR is a full-power television station licensed to Roanoke, Virginia, and serving the Roanoke–Lynchburg designated market area. The station is affiliated with the Fox network and operates alongside WWCW, a CW-affiliated station licensed to Lynchburg. Both stations are owned by Nexstar Media Group and share studios at the Valleypointe office park in northeastern Roanoke County. WFXR transmits from Poor Mountain in southwestern Roanoke County, while WWCW uses a transmitter on Thaxton Mountain in Bedford County. The stations also carry each other's principal network services on digital subchannels, allowing Fox and CW programming to reach viewers across the geographically challenging market. The present station is the third television service to use UHF channel 27 in Roanoke. The frequency was first used by WROV-TV, which operated briefly in 1953, and later by WRFT-TV and WRLU, which provided secondary ABC service during parts of the 1960s and 1970s. A new effort to activate channel 27 began in the late 1970s, when Roanoke Christian Broadcasting and Western Virginia Television Corporation competed for the construction permit. The proceeding lasted several years and involved both FCC litigation and a related Virginia court dispute. The FCC ultimately awarded the permit to Roanoke Christian Broadcasting, which later transferred a controlling interest to Family Group Broadcasting in order to finance construction. The resulting station, WVFT, began broadcasting on November 13, 1986. It entered a market that had also recently gained WJPR on channel 21, and the two independent stations quickly faced limited advertising revenue, mountainous terrain, and high programming costs. Family Group's financial problems culminated in a Chapter 11 filing in 1989. After a proposed purchase by NewSouth Broadcasting collapsed when its principal was arrested and indicted on money-laundering charges, Henry A. Ash acquired WVFT and WJPR through a court-approved transaction. The stations began simulcasting on August 20, 1990, and received an FCC waiver permitting common ownership because regulators concluded that the market could not economically sustain two separate independent operations. Grant Communications acquired the stations in 1993, and WVFT adopted the WFXR-TV call sign later that year. Under Grant, the combined operation developed a stronger Fox identity and expanded its relationship with NBC affiliate WSLS-TV. WSLS produced WFXR's early local evening news, beginning with a 10 p.m. program in 1996. The station later carried WB programming and, after the 2006 merger of The WB and UPN, became part of the market's shared CW distribution arrangement with channel 21, which became WWCW. Nexstar acquired WFXR and WWCW from Grant in 2014. In 2015, the stations moved into a substantially larger facility at Valleypointe and launched an internally produced news operation. This change expanded the morning schedule, strengthened weekend evening coverage, and added local sports programming. WFXR remains primarily a local broadcast brand, combining Fox network entertainment and sports with locally produced news, weather, traffic, and community coverage for viewers in southwestern Virginia.
History
UHF channel 27 in Roanoke has a long and unusually complex history. WROV-TV used the frequency in 1953 but operated for fewer than five months, becoming the first UHF television station in the United States to cease operations. Mountainous terrain limited reception in southwestern Virginia, while UHF broadcasters also faced national disadvantages because many television receivers initially lacked built-in UHF tuning. The channel was later used by WRFT-TV and WRLU, which provided secondary ABC service during portions of the 1960s and 1970s. Interest in reactivating channel 27 returned in the late 1970s. Roanoke Christian Broadcasting and Western Virginia Television Corporation competed for the permit, leading to a prolonged FCC proceeding and related court action. An FCC administrative law judge initially favored Roanoke Christian Broadcasting in 1982, and the FCC affirmed the award in 1984. The permit remained inactive for two more years before Roanoke Christian Broadcasting transferred most of the interest to Family Group Broadcasting, a Tampa-based independent-station operator. The new owners adopted the WVFT call letters and completed construction. WVFT went on the air on November 13, 1986, shortly after WJPR began operating on channel 21 from Lynchburg. Both stations were programmed largely as independent outlets and competed for the same regional advertising base. Their overlapping coverage, weak economics, and the market's terrain made the arrangement unsustainable. WVFT encountered additional legal and financial difficulties, including a dispute with public radio station WVTF and unpaid property-tax claims. Family Group filed for Chapter 11 protection in April 1989 after an attempted sale to Krypton Broadcasting failed. A court-approved purchase by NewSouth Broadcasting was disrupted when its principal, Timothy Brumlik, was arrested and indicted on money-laundering charges. Henry A. Ash subsequently acquired WVFT and WJPR through a bankruptcy transaction and sought an FCC waiver for common ownership. The stations began simulcasting on August 20, 1990, and the FCC approved the combination after determining that the merged operation was more viable and would extend Fox service to additional viewers. The shared identity was promoted as Fox 21/27. Grant Communications purchased both stations in 1993. WVFT changed its call sign to WFXR-TV in October of that year. Grant upgraded the facilities and developed local programming partnerships, including a news-sharing agreement with WSLS-TV. The Fox 10 O'Clock News began in 1996 as a WSLS-produced half-hour program and later expanded. The operation also carried WB programming and subsequently participated in the market's CW arrangement after The WB and UPN merged in 2006. Nexstar Broadcasting Group announced its acquisition of the Grant stations in 2013, completed the transaction in December 2014, and moved WFXR and WWCW into a new Valleypointe facility in September 2015. The relocation was accompanied by the creation of an in-house news department, expanded morning and weekend broadcasts, and a local sports program. WFXR continues to operate as a Nexstar-owned Fox affiliate, with WWCW providing a complementary CW service across the same regional market.
- 2015
New Valleypointe studios open
[1]WFXR and WWCW move to a larger facility and establish an in-house news operation.
- 2014
Nexstar ownership begins
[1]Nexstar completes its purchase of WFXR and WWCW on December 1.
- 2006
Stations join the market's CW arrangement
[1]Following the WB–UPN merger, the channel 21 and channel 27 operations distribute CW programming through their shared digital and cable configuration.
- 1996
Fox 10 O'Clock News premieres
[1]WSLS-TV begins producing a local late-evening newscast for WFXR and WJPR.
- 1993
Grant Communications acquires the stations
[1]Grant purchases WVFT and WJPR, and WVFT later adopts the WFXR-TV call sign.
- 1990
WVFT and WJPR begin simulcasting
[1]The two stations launch a shared Fox 21/27 service on August 20.
- 1989
Family Group files for bankruptcy
[1]The company operating WVFT enters Chapter 11 reorganization after the station struggles financially.
- 1986
WVFT begins broadcasting
[1]WVFT launches on November 13 as an independent station serving the Roanoke–Lynchburg market.
- 1953
WROV-TV operates on channel 27
[1]The first station to use Roanoke's channel 27 operates briefly before ceasing transmission.
Products and positioning
Local Fox affiliate serving the Roanoke–Lynchburg market, with a focus on regional news, weather, sports, and network programming.
Broadcast television · 1990
WFXR Fox programming
The station's principal service is Fox network programming distributed over its primary digital channel and, through the shared arrangement with WWCW, across both Roanoke and Lynchburg coverage areas. The schedule includes network news, entertainment, sports, and special events, supplemented by locally inserted advertising and station branding.
Television news · 1996
Local news programming
WFXR produces regional news, weather, traffic, and sports coverage under the WFXR News identity. Its current operation developed from an earlier WSLS-TV news-sharing agreement and expanded substantially after the 2015 move to Valleypointe, when the station created its own news department and added personnel.
Morning news · 2015
Good Day Virginia
Good Day Virginia is WFXR's locally branded morning news service. It evolved from a two-hour weekday morning broadcast launched in 2012 and was expanded to four hours when the station began its in-house news operation in 2015. The program combines local headlines, weather, traffic, interviews, and community features.
Late-evening news · 1996
WFXR News First at 10
WFXR News First at 10 is the station's late-evening local newscast. It developed from the Fox 10 O'Clock News, which originally was produced by WSLS-TV beginning in 1996. Weekend editions were later expanded as part of the 2015 in-house news launch.
Controversies
1989
NewSouth Broadcasting purchase disrupted by criminal indictment
A proposed bankruptcy purchase of WVFT and WJPR by NewSouth Broadcasting was derailed after principal Timothy Brumlik was arrested and indicted in a money-laundering case. The stations were subsequently acquired by Henry A. Ash through a different court-approved transaction.
Brand decisions
2015
Bring news production in-houseStrategyBackground
Nexstar's planned relocation to a larger facility created an opportunity to replace the long-running external news-production arrangement with a station-operated newsroom.
Action taken
WFXR opened an in-house news department, expanded Good Day Virginia, increased weekend late-news coverage, and added a Friday local sports program.
Aftermath
The move expanded the station's local staffing and strengthened WFXR's identity as a regional news provider.
1996
Launch the Fox 10 O'Clock NewsProduct launchBackground
WFXR needed local news programming while operating as a Fox affiliate with a later prime-time schedule.
Action taken
WFXR and WJPR entered a news-sharing agreement under which WSLS-TV produced a 10 p.m. newscast.
Aftermath
The program became the foundation of the stations' late-evening local news presence and later expanded to weekends and a one-hour weekday format.
1990
Combine WVFT and WJPR into a shared Fox operationStrategyBackground
Both stations faced financial stress because the Roanoke–Lynchburg market could not comfortably support two separate independent operations, while terrain limited effective coverage.
Action taken
The stations began simulcasting on August 20, 1990, and the owners obtained an FCC waiver allowing common ownership of the overlapping signals.
Aftermath
The combined Fox 21/27 service improved regional network coverage and created a more economically sustainable operation.
Recent events
- 2015
WFXR and WWCW move to Valleypointe facility[1]
Other
The stations relocated operations to a newly built studio facility in Roanoke County. The move supported expanded staffing and the creation of an in-house news department.
- 2015
WFXR launches expanded in-house news operation[1]
Product launch · Leadership change
WFXR began producing more of its news programming internally, expanded its weekday morning schedule under the Good Day Virginia name, increased weekend late-news coverage, and added a local Friday-night sports program.
- 2013
WFXR and WWCW acquired by Nexstar[1]
M&A
Nexstar Broadcasting Group announced an agreement to acquire Grant Communications stations including WFXR and WWCW for $87.5 million. The transaction was approved in 2014 and closed on December 1 of that year.
- 2009
WFXR completes analog television shutdown[1]
Regulation · Product generation
The station ended regular analog broadcasting on UHF channel 27 as part of the United States full-power television transition to digital transmission.
Sources1 sources
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