WNTZ-TV

WNTZ-TV is a television station broadcasting on channel 48 and serving central Louisiana and parts of southwestern Mississippi. Although its Federal Communications Commission city of license is Natchez, Mississippi, the station is assigned by Nielsen to the Alexandria, Louisiana, television market and has historically focused much of its commercial, administrative, and audience activity on Alexandria. It operates primarily as a Fox affiliate and also carries MyNetworkTV programming during late-night hours. The station is owned by Nexstar Media Group. The station was first licensed in 1985 to Louisiana state senator Bill Atkins through MSLA Broadcasting. It signed on November 16, 1985, as an independent station using the promotional identity “Your Channel by the River.” Its initial programming combined locally oriented material with syndicated shows for the broader Miss-Lou region, and it initially offered news updates before introducing scheduled evening newscasts. Financial problems emerged quickly. WNTZ entered bankruptcy proceedings around 1986, and its assets were affected by the failure and receivership actions surrounding Sunbelt Federal Bank of Baton Rouge, which had foreclosed on a loan connected with the station. After efforts to sell the station failed, the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation took it off the air in April 1988. WNTZ remained silent for approximately three years. In 1991, businessman Charles Chatelain and Delta Media Corporation acquired the license and restored the station. Delta sought to use WNTZ to provide a full Fox affiliation to the Alexandria market. Because Natchez belonged to the Jackson, Mississippi, market for FCC and television-industry purposes, Fox was initially concerned that the station would duplicate service from another Jackson-area affiliate. Delta addressed the issue by relocating the principal transmitter and broadcast facilities from the original Natchez arrangement to a new site near Frogmore, Louisiana, while retaining Natchez as the city of license. WNTZ then became a Fox affiliate serving Alexandria. Its business operations moved progressively toward central Louisiana, including administrative and sales activity in Pineville and later Alexandria, while the Natchez property was retained mainly as a satellite or sales office. In 1997, Delta sold WNTZ to White Knight Broadcasting, a company associated with Communications Corporation of America. The station’s operating arrangements remained unusual: its facilities were spread among the Alexandria area, the licensed community of Natchez, and other stations in the ownership group. WNTZ’s master control was operated from the Lafayette studios of sister stations KADN-TV and KLAF-LD from 1991 until 2015. During the White Knight and ComCorp years, the station invested in promotion and programming intended to overcome perceptions that it was not a locally rooted Alexandria outlet. Fox entertainment, sports, and stronger marketing helped its competitive position improve in the early 2000s. It reported leading adult viewers aged 18–49 during common prime time in May 2006 and again in February 2007, while maintaining a strong position afterward. WNTZ added MyNetworkTV as a secondary affiliation in September 2006 after the planned merger of The WB and UPN into The CW left some stations without a network relationship. MyNetworkTV programs were generally shown on a delayed basis after Fox prime time, although the schedule shifted temporarily in response to late-night programming changes. The station also experimented with locally branded news. In 2007 it began carrying Fox News Louisiana AM, produced at sister station WGMB-TV in Baton Rouge, but the program was canceled in December 2008 as part of cost reductions. White Knight entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2006 and emerged in 2007. During the proceedings, WNTZ’s license was transferred into ComCorp of Alexandria License Corporation. Communications Corporation of America subsequently sold its television group, including WNTZ, to Nexstar Broadcasting Group. The transaction closed January 1, 2015. Nexstar moved master control to Baton Rouge in July 2015 and closed the remaining Natchez studio operation in May 2015. In late 2016, the station expanded its digital multicast offering by adding Bounce TV, Escape, and Laff on additional subchannels. WNTZ continues to function as a Fox-centered local broadcast brand with a geographically unusual footprint: its main transmitter and translators collectively serve viewers across portions of several television markets despite the station’s formal Natchez license.

WNTZ-TV received its original license on January 31, 1985, for Natchez, Mississippi, through MSLA Broadcasting, a company associated with Louisiana state senator Bill Atkins. It began broadcasting on November 16 of that year as an independent station. Its early identity centered on the Miss-Lou region, with the slogan “Your Channel by the River,” syndicated entertainment, local material, news updates, and later scheduled evening newscasts. The operation encountered financial trouble soon after launch. It entered bankruptcy proceedings around 1986, and the station’s assets became entangled with the failure of Sunbelt Federal Bank of Baton Rouge, which had foreclosed on financing connected with Atkins. After the FSLIC was unable to arrange a sale, the station was taken off the air on April 8, 1988. WNTZ remained silent until 1991, when Charles Chatelain and Delta Media Corporation acquired the license and returned it to service. Delta Media wanted WNTZ to serve as a full Fox affiliate for Alexandria, Louisiana. The station’s Natchez license created a market-structure problem because Natchez was associated with the Jackson, Mississippi, designated market area. Delta therefore developed a new transmission arrangement, relocating the principal tower and transmitter to the Frogmore area of Louisiana while preserving Natchez as the formal city of license. The station’s operating emphasis also shifted toward Alexandria. Administrative, sales, and marketing functions moved first to Pineville and later to Alexandria, while broadcast control was handled from Delta’s Lafayette operation and sister station KADN-TV. A low-power relay station, initially operating under the K47DW call sign, also helped distribute the programming in the Alexandria area. Delta sold WNTZ in 1997 to White Knight Broadcasting, which was connected to Communications Corporation of America. The station retained a dispersed operating model, with facilities and offices in Alexandria, Natchez, Lafayette, and transmitter locations in Louisiana. During the early 2000s, Fox programming, sports, and more aggressive promotion improved WNTZ’s competitive position against established Alexandria stations. The station recorded notable adult-demographic prime-time results in 2006 and 2007, although its Natchez license and corporate ownership continued to contribute to perceptions that it was less local than competitors. WNTZ became a MyNetworkTV affiliate in September 2006, carrying the network after Fox programming on a weekday tape-delayed schedule. Its late-night placement changed temporarily when the station carried The Arsenio Hall Show and then reverted after that program was canceled. WNTZ also attempted to build a news presence. Fox News Louisiana AM debuted in 2007 and was produced at WGMB-TV in Baton Rouge, but the program was canceled in December 2008 during a cost-reduction effort. White Knight entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June 2006 and emerged in October 2007. During the restructuring, WNTZ’s license was placed under ComCorp of Alexandria License Corporation. Communications Corporation of America announced the sale of its television properties to Nexstar Broadcasting Group in April 2013, and the transaction closed on January 1, 2015. Nexstar subsequently closed the remaining Natchez studio in May 2015 and moved master control from Lafayette to Baton Rouge in July of that year. In late 2016, WNTZ expanded its digital offering with Bounce TV, Escape, and Laff subchannels. The station’s defining structural feature remains its multi-transmitter footprint: a main facility and translators serve portions of the Alexandria, Monroe–El Dorado, and Jackson markets even though the station is licensed to Natchez.

• 2016

  Digital multicast expansion

  [1]WNTZ-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Bounce TV, Escape, and Laff were added to WNTZ’s digital subchannels.

• 2015

  Nexstar ownership begins

  [1]WNTZ-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Nexstar completed its acquisition of the ComCorp television group.

• 2006

  MyNetworkTV affiliation begins

  [1]WNTZ-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WNTZ added MyNetworkTV as a secondary, delayed-schedule affiliation.

• 1997

  Acquisition by White Knight Broadcasting

  [1]WNTZ-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WNTZ joined the White Knight and Communications Corporation of America station group.

• 1991

  Return to broadcasting under Delta Media

  [1]WNTZ-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Delta Media restored WNTZ and developed it as a Fox affiliate serving Alexandria.

• 1988

  Station goes dark

  [1]WNTZ-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Financial and receivership-related difficulties led to the station being taken off the air.

• 1985

  Original license granted and station launched

  [1]WNTZ-TVen.wikipedia.org

  MSLA Broadcasting received the license in January, and WNTZ began broadcasting from Natchez in November as an independent station.

A regional Fox television outlet serving the Alexandria, Louisiana, market while retaining a Natchez, Mississippi, license identity. Its brand has emphasized Fox programming, sports, aggressive local-market promotion, and broad coverage through a main transmitter and low-power translators.

• Network television service · 1991

  Fox affiliation

  WNTZ’s principal programming service consists of Fox entertainment, sports, and news programming distributed over channel 48. The affiliation was developed when Delta Media relaunched the station in 1991 and structured its transmission footprint around the Alexandria market. Fox programming has been central to WNTZ’s identity and its efforts to compete with longer-established Alexandria broadcasters.

• Secondary network affiliation · 2006

  MyNetworkTV

  WNTZ carries MyNetworkTV programming as a secondary affiliation. The service began in September 2006 after the creation of MyNetworkTV in response to the planned WB and UPN combination. Programs were generally shown on weekday evenings after Fox prime time, with temporary schedule changes caused by other late-night programming.

• Over-the-air digital television · 2016

  Digital multicast channels

  WNTZ expanded its digital broadcast portfolio in late 2016 by adding Bounce TV, Escape, and Laff on subchannels 48.2, 48.3, and 48.4 respectively. These services broaden the station’s free over-the-air entertainment offering beyond its primary Fox schedule.

• Local news program · 2007

  Fox News Louisiana AM

  This morning news experiment debuted on WNTZ in 2007 and was produced at sister station WGMB-TV in Baton Rouge. It combined regional news material with frequent weather updates and was intended to compete with morning programming on Alexandria’s established stations. WGMB canceled the program in December 2008 as part of a cost-saving initiative.

• 2004Louisiana Home Grown

  Alexandria · Central Louisiana

  WNTZ used the slogan to emphasize its operational ties to Louisiana and counter the perception that its Natchez license made it a non-local Alexandria station.

  Outcome. The positioning was later discontinued after Nexstar acquired the station in 2015.

  Source
• 1985Your Channel by the River

  Natchez · Miss-Lou region

  WNTZ launched with a regional identity aimed at viewers around the Mississippi River and the broader Miss-Lou area.

  Outcome. The original independent-station positioning ended when the station went off the air in 1988.

  Source

• 2016

  Expand digital multicast programmingProduct launch

  Background

  Digital television allowed the station to offer additional networks alongside its primary Fox service.

  Action taken

  WNTZ added Bounce TV, Escape, and Laff to its digital subchannels.

  Aftermath

  The station broadened its free over-the-air programming lineup.

  Source

• 2013

  Agree to sale to NexstarM&A

  Background

  Communications Corporation of America decided to sell its television group, including WNTZ-TV.

  Action taken

  The company announced an agreement to sell the station group to Nexstar Broadcasting Group.

  Aftermath

  The transaction closed on January 1, 2015, placing WNTZ under Nexstar ownership.

  Source

• 2007

  Launch Fox News Louisiana AMProduct launch

  Background

  WNTZ sought to compete with established Alexandria stations’ morning news programs.

  Action taken

  The station introduced a morning program produced by sister station WGMB-TV in Baton Rouge, including regional news elements and recurring weather updates.

  Aftermath

  The program ended in December 2008 after the producing station cited cost-saving measures.

  Source

• 2006

  Add MyNetworkTV as a secondary affiliationProduct launch

  Background

  The formation of The CW from The WB and UPN left some stations seeking replacement network programming.

  Action taken

  WNTZ began airing MyNetworkTV on a delayed weekday schedule following Fox prime time.

  Aftermath

  The affiliation provided additional evening programming and remained part of the station’s schedule through subsequent ownership changes.

  Source

• 1991

  Restructure the transmitter footprint for Alexandria serviceStrategy

  Background

  Fox was reluctant to affiliate with a station licensed to Natchez because of Natchez’s association with the Jackson television market.

  Action taken

  Delta Media moved the primary transmission facilities to a new Louisiana site near Frogmore while retaining Natchez as the city of license and shifting operational emphasis toward Alexandria.

  Aftermath

  WNTZ became a Fox affiliate serving Alexandria and developed a multi-market broadcast footprint.

  Source

• 2016

  WNTZ-TV adds three digital multicast networks[1]WNTZ-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  The station added Bounce TV, Escape, and Laff on digital subchannels, expanding its over-the-air programming portfolio.

• 2015

  Nexstar completes acquisition of WNTZ-TV[1]WNTZ-TVen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  The sale closed at the beginning of 2015, placing WNTZ under Nexstar ownership and ending its long period under Louisiana-based Delta Media, White Knight, and ComCorp ownership.

• 2015

  WNTZ-TV moves master control to Baton Rouge[1]WNTZ-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Master control operations moved from the Lafayette facilities used since 1991 to Nexstar-related station facilities in Baton Rouge.

• 2013

  Communications Corporation of America agrees to sell WNTZ-TV to Nexstar[1]WNTZ-TVen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Nexstar announced an agreement to acquire the ComCorp television group, including WNTZ-TV.

• 2008

  Fox News Louisiana AM is canceled[1]WNTZ-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The morning program was discontinued by WGMB as part of cost-saving measures, ending WNTZ’s experiment with a regularly scheduled local-news presentation.

• 2007

  WNTZ-TV launches Fox News Louisiana AM[1]WNTZ-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  The station began carrying a morning news program produced by sister station WGMB-TV in Baton Rouge, with regional news material and frequent weather updates.

• 2006

  WNTZ-TV adds MyNetworkTV as a secondary affiliation[1]WNTZ-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Following the creation of MyNetworkTV after the planned WB–UPN combination, WNTZ began carrying the network on a delayed late-night schedule.

• 2006

  White Knight Broadcasting files for Chapter 11 protection[1]WNTZ-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Bankruptcy

  The station’s parent group entered bankruptcy protection; WNTZ continued operating and the company later emerged from Chapter 11.

• 1997

  White Knight Broadcasting acquires WNTZ-TV[1]WNTZ-TVen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Delta Media sold the station to White Knight Broadcasting, an affiliate of the Communications Corporation of America ownership group.

• 1991

  WNTZ-TV returns under Delta Media ownership[1]WNTZ-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Delta Media Corporation acquired the license, restored broadcasting, and developed the station as a Fox service for the Alexandria market.

Showing the 10 most recent.

1. 1WNTZ-TVen.wikipedia.org