WFXW
WFXW is a religious television station serving the Greenwood–Greenville area and the Mississippi Delta from Greenville, Mississippi.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WFXW is a full-power television station licensed to Greenville, Mississippi, serving the Greenwood–Greenville television market and the wider Mississippi Delta. The station broadcasts on digital channel 15 and is owned by Radiant Life Ministries, an affiliate of Total Christian Television (TCT). Its transmitter is located near O'Reilly, Mississippi. WFXW operates primarily as a religious television outlet and is part of TCT's network of Christian stations. The station also carries Ion Television programming on a digital subchannel. The channel 15 allocation was developed during the 1970s, when plans called for a new Delta-area television station with studios in Greenville and a transmitter northeast of the city. Initial engineering proposals envisioned a high-power facility and a tall transmission tower, although the proposed tower height was later reduced after concerns were raised about aviation safety near Bolivar County Airport. An application for the station was filed with the Federal Communications Commission in October 1976, and the station was eventually prepared to launch as a CBS affiliate. The station began broadcasting on November 7, 1980, using the call sign WXVT. It was initially owned by Big River Broadcasting and became the Delta area's CBS affiliate, replacing the area's reliance on WJTV in Jackson for CBS programming. WXVT remained affiliated with CBS throughout its first major era. Ownership changed several times: Big River sold the station to Lamco Communications in 1984; Lamco sold it to Greenville Television, Inc. in 1991; and Saga Communications acquired it in 1999. In the early 2010s, ownership of WXVT moved into the Commonwealth Broadcasting Group orbit. H3 Communications, a company associated with the family of Commonwealth executive Charles Harker, acquired the station from Saga Communications in a transaction approved by the FCC in January 2013 and completed shortly afterward. The change effectively placed the market's principal commercial network stations under related ownership interests. A further ownership transition began in 2015, when H3 Communications agreed to sell WXVT to Cala Broadcast Partners. The transaction was later assigned to John Wagner, and the sale was completed in August 2016. WXVT went off the air on the same day, while the license holder sought replacement programming. In 2017, the station's former intellectual unit and its channel 15 license were separated. The channel 15 license adopted the WFXW call sign in July 2017. WFXW returned to the air on July 29, 2019, as an Ion Television affiliate. In 2020, John Wagner donated the station to Radiant Life Ministries, bringing it into the TCT family. The donation was completed on June 12, 2020. Following the transaction, WFXW became a TCT owned-and-operated station and the first full-power religious television station in the Delta area. Ion Television programming moved to WFXW's 15.2 digital subchannel, while the primary channel became associated with TCT's religious programming. The station has also undergone technical changes. As WXVT, it ended analog broadcasting on February 17, 2009, and its digital transmission ultimately moved to UHF channel 15. In 2023 and 2024, WFXW pursued FCC authorization to replace a damaged main transmitter. The related filings proposed reduced operating power and a smaller coverage area, followed by an amended power level and a later license-to-cover filing. WFXW remains an active local television outlet with a religious primary service, an Ion subchannel, and a broadcast footprint centered on the Mississippi Delta.
History
WFXW developed from a channel 15 allocation intended to provide another television service to Greenville and the Mississippi Delta. Plans for the station were publicly discussed in December 1974 after the Federal Communications Commission allocated channel 15 for use in the area. The initial concept called for a high-power signal and a very tall transmission tower, with studios in Greenville and a transmitter northeast of the city. Engineering plans were subsequently adjusted after the town of Cleveland raised concerns that the tower could create hazards for aircraft approaching Bolivar County Airport. A formal application for the new facility was submitted to the FCC on October 1, 1976. By January 1980, the proposed station was expected to become the Delta area's CBS affiliate. The station applied for a license to cover on October 31, 1980, and began broadcasting on November 7 under the WXVT call sign. Big River Broadcasting was the original owner. WXVT's CBS service was significant because the Delta had previously depended largely on WJTV in Jackson for CBS programming, while WABG-TV had earlier served as the area's original CBS outlet before a dispute over signal overlap and market reach. WXVT's ownership changed repeatedly over the following decades. Big River Broadcasting sold the station to Lamco Communications in 1984. Lamco later sold it to Greenville Television, Inc. in 1991, and Saga Communications acquired it in 1999. In 2012, H3 Communications filed to acquire WXVT from Saga. The FCC approved the transfer in January 2013, and the transaction closed two days later. H3 Communications was associated with the adult children of Charles Harker, whose Commonwealth Broadcasting Group owned other Delta stations, including WABG-TV and WNBD-LD. Commonwealth subsequently assumed operational control, consolidating relationships among the market's major network outlets. In October 2015, H3 Communications agreed to sell WXVT to Cala Broadcast Partners as part of a wider proposed transaction involving several Delta stations. Cala was associated with Brian Brady and Jason Wolff. Cala later assigned its right to purchase WXVT to John Wagner, and the sale was completed on August 1, 2016. The station ceased broadcasting that day while Wagner sought new programming. In June 2017, the station's licenses were separated into two facilities. The channel 15 license remained dark for a period and changed its call letters from WXVT to WFXW on July 25, 2017. WFXW resumed broadcasting on July 29, 2019, as an Ion Television affiliate. A broader ownership development occurred in 2019 when Apollo Global Management acquired television assets associated with Brian Brady and combined them with other broadcasting operations under Cox Media Group; that development was relevant to the wider group of stations involved in the earlier proposed Delta transaction, but WFXW itself was later transferred separately. On March 9, 2020, Wagner announced that he would donate WFXW to Radiant Life Ministries, an affiliate of Total Christian Television. The transfer closed on June 12, 2020. WFXW then became a TCT owned-and-operated station and the first full-power religious station serving the Delta. TCT programming occupied the primary service, while Ion Television was retained on digital subchannel 15.2. The station became a sister outlet of WWJX in Jackson. Technically, WFXW's predecessor WXVT ended analog transmission on February 17, 2009, during the nationwide digital television transition. Its digital operation moved from pre-transition UHF channel 17 to UHF channel 15. In 2023, WFXW sought an FCC facility modification to replace a damaged main transmitter. The initial filing proposed reducing power from 330 kW to 176 kW and reducing the coverage area. An amended application filed in August 2023 proposed 190 kW, and a license-to-cover application was submitted in March 2024. The station continues to operate as a TCT religious broadcaster with Ion service carried on a secondary stream.
- 2024
License-to-cover filing submitted
[1]The station submitted a license-to-cover application for the current transmitter construction permit on March 18.
- 2023
Transmitter replacement application filed
[1]WFXW requested authorization to replace a damaged transmitter and modify its operating power and coverage.
- 2020
WFXW joins Total Christian Television
[1]Radiant Life Ministries completed its acquisition by donation on June 12, making WFXW a TCT owned-and-operated station.
- 2019
WFXW returns as an Ion affiliate
[1]WFXW resumed broadcasting on July 29 with Ion Television programming.
- 2017
Channel 15 license adopts WFXW call sign
[1]After the station licenses were separated, the channel 15 license changed its call letters from WXVT to WFXW on July 25.
- 2016
WXVT goes dark after sale to John Wagner
[1]The sale to John Wagner was completed on August 1, and the station went off the air while new programming was sought.
- 2013
H3 Communications acquisition completed
[1]The FCC approved the transfer from Saga Communications to H3 Communications in January, and the transaction closed shortly afterward.
- 1999
Saga Communications acquires WXVT
[1]Saga Communications purchased WXVT.
- 1991
Ownership transferred to Greenville Television
[1]Lamco Communications sold the station to Greenville Television, Inc.
- 1984
Ownership transferred to Lamco Communications
[1]Big River Broadcasting sold WXVT to Lamco Communications.
Products and positioning
A local full-power Christian television station operated as part of the Total Christian Television network, with supplemental Ion Television service on a digital subchannel.
Religious television service · 2020
TCT primary channel
WFXW's primary broadcast service carries programming from Total Christian Television, positioning the station as a Christian religious broadcaster for viewers in the Mississippi Delta. The service replaced the station's former Ion primary affiliation after the 2020 transfer to Radiant Life Ministries.
Digital multicast television · 2020
Ion Television on 15.2
Ion Television programming is carried on WFXW's secondary digital subchannel, designated 15.2. The service preserves Ion availability in the Greenwood–Greenville area while the station's main channel carries TCT programming.
Network-affiliated television service · 1980
WXVT CBS service
Before adopting the WFXW call sign and changing ownership, the channel 15 facility operated as WXVT and served as the Mississippi Delta's CBS affiliate from its 1980 launch through its later transition period. This historical service was the station's principal commercial identity for several decades.
Brand decisions
2023
Main transmitter replacementOtherBackground
The station's main transmitter had been damaged, requiring a construction permit and FCC authorization to modify the licensed facility.
Action taken
WFXW filed an application to reduce power from 330 kW to 176 kW and amend its coverage. An August 2023 amendment proposed 190 kW, followed by a license-to-cover filing in March 2024.
Aftermath
The filings were intended to authorize operation with the replacement transmitter and the revised technical parameters.
2020
Donation to Radiant Life MinistriesM&ABackground
John Wagner controlled WFXW after the 2016 acquisition and subsequent period in which the station was off the air.
Action taken
Wagner donated the station to Radiant Life Ministries, an affiliate of Total Christian Television. The transfer was completed on June 12, 2020.
Aftermath
WFXW became a TCT owned-and-operated station and moved TCT programming to its primary channel, while Ion Television shifted to digital subchannel 15.2.
2019
Return to service with Ion TelevisionProduct launchBackground
The channel 15 license had remained dark after the 2016 ownership transition and the 2017 separation of the station licenses.
Action taken
WFXW resumed broadcasting on July 29, 2019, as an Ion Television affiliate.
Aftermath
The station later retained Ion programming on subchannel 15.2 after becoming a TCT station.
Recent events
- 2023
WFXW files for transmitter replacement and facility modification[1]
Other · Regulation
The station sought FCC approval to replace a damaged main transmitter and modify its licensed facility, initially proposing a reduction in power and coverage before submitting an amended application.
- 2020
John Wagner donates WFXW to Total Christian Television affiliate[1]
M&A
Radiant Life Ministries, an affiliate of Total Christian Television, received the station from John Wagner in a transaction completed on June 12, 2020. WFXW became a TCT owned-and-operated station, with Ion programming moving to a digital subchannel.
- 2019
WFXW returns to the air as an Ion Television affiliate[1]
Product launch
The channel 15 facility returned to service on July 29, 2019, carrying Ion Television programming for the Greenwood–Greenville area.
Sources2 sources
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