WXXA-TV
WXXA-TV is a Fox-affiliated television station serving Albany and New York's Capital District on virtual channel 23.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WXXA-TV is a commercial television station licensed to Albany, New York, and serving the Capital District. It operates as an affiliate of the Fox network and identifies on air as Fox 23 Albany. The station is owned by Mission Broadcasting and operated by Nexstar Media Group under a shared services agreement connected to WTEN, Nexstar's ABC affiliate in the same market. WXXA and WTEN share studios on Northern Boulevard in Albany's Bishop's Gate section, while WXXA's transmitter is located on the Helderberg Escarpment west of New Salem. The station began broadcasting on July 30, 1982, as the Capital District's first independent commercial television station. Its launch followed a long period in which the market's geography and mountainous terrain made a new UHF station difficult to support. Greater cable and satellite penetration eventually made a broad-reach independent station commercially viable. Before the station was built, a channel 23 construction permit had existed under the proposed call sign WPTR-TV, but that authorization was canceled in 1960. WXXA was established by Albany TV 23, Inc., an investor group led by station manager Jim Boaz and including film director Arthur Penn and former Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation director William Seidman. Orion Pictures helped provide financing. In its first years, WXXA followed the general-entertainment independent model, carrying movies, cartoons, sports, syndicated programs, and business-news programming. In 1986 it agreed to become a charter Fox affiliate. Fox's early schedule was limited, so the station continued to resemble an independent for much of the network's first decade. Albany TV 23 sold WXXA to Heritage Broadcasting Group later in 1986. Heritage subsequently sold it to Clear Channel Communications in 1994, and Clear Channel moved the station into expanded facilities in Albany's Dunes area. WXXA developed a local news operation in the 1990s, launching a prime-time newscast in 1996. Its 10 p.m. program became the station's principal news franchise and a durable alternative to the larger-market evening broadcasts. The station later experimented with 6 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 5 p.m., morning, and 11 p.m. newscasts. It recruited former WNYT anchor John Gray and invested in its news operation in the early 2000s. After ownership and operational consolidation with WTEN, WTEN assumed production of WXXA's remaining local newscasts, while WXXA retained a morning presence and a 10 p.m. broadcast. The station changed ownership several times in the 2000s and 2010s. Clear Channel's television assets were transferred to Newport Television in a transaction announced in 2007 and completed in 2008. Newport sold WXXA to Shield Media in 2012; Shield entered into a services arrangement with Young Broadcasting, then WTEN's owner. Media General's combination with New Young Broadcasting in 2013 preserved the operating relationship. Nexstar's acquisition of Media General, completed in 2017, brought WTEN and WXXA's operating arrangements into Nexstar's corporate structure. Mission Broadcasting announced its acquisition of WXXA in 2020, with completion reported in November of that year. WXXA has also used its digital capacity for several secondary services, including The Variety Channel, Untamed Sports TV, TheCoolTV, ZUUS Country, and Capital OTB TV. Its analog service ended on June 12, 2009, during the nationwide digital transition. The station later moved its digital transmission from VHF channel 7 to channel 8 during the 2019 television spectrum repack, while retaining virtual channel 23. WXXA is notable in its market for having kept both its primary Fox affiliation and its WXXA call letters since signing on.
History
WXXA-TV signed on July 30, 1982, as Albany's first independent commercial television station and the first new commercial station to enter the Capital District in nearly three decades. The market's extensive geography and mountainous terrain had historically limited the prospects of a UHF outlet, but cable and satellite distribution had become sufficiently widespread by the late 1970s to make an independent station practical. The station was created by Albany TV 23, Inc., an investor group associated with Jim Boaz, Arthur Penn, and William Seidman, with financing assistance from Orion Pictures. WXXA initially aired a broad entertainment schedule of films, cartoons, sports, syndicated series, and business news. In July 1986 it committed to become a charter Fox affiliate. Fox began with a very small schedule, meaning that WXXA continued to program much of its own schedule like an independent station during the network's formative years. Albany TV 23 sold the station to Heritage Broadcasting Group in November 1986 for a reported $10.1 million. Heritage sold WXXA to Clear Channel Communications in 1994. Clear Channel relocated the station from its original Central Avenue facility to a larger site on Corporate Circle in Albany's Dunes section. The station briefly carried UPN programming outside its main schedule after UPN launched in 1995. That secondary affiliation ended in 1998, returned through a cable-only arrangement in 2000, and finally ended when an over-the-air UPN affiliate launched in 2003. WXXA also introduced a series of digital multicast services, including The Variety Channel, Untamed Sports TV, TheCoolTV, ZUUS Country, and later Capital OTB TV. WXXA created its news department in 1996 with Fox News at 10, later renamed Fox 23 News at 10. It added early-evening broadcasts in 2000 and 2001, a morning newscast in 2006, and an 11 p.m. broadcast in 2009. The 10 p.m. program was the strongest part of the news operation, while several other time periods faced competition from established Albany stations. The station reduced or eliminated weaker time slots over time, including the 6 p.m., 5 p.m., 11 p.m., and portions of its morning schedule. Clear Channel's television group was sold to Newport Television in a transaction announced in 2007 and completed in 2008. Newport announced a sale of WXXA to Shield Media in July 2012. The deal was completed in December, after which WXXA entered a shared-services relationship with the company operating WTEN. WXXA moved into WTEN's Northern Boulevard studios in March 2013, and WTEN took over production of the station's remaining news programs. The arrangement continued after Media General's 2013 combination with New Young Broadcasting and after Nexstar completed its acquisition of Media General in January 2017. Mission Broadcasting announced its purchase of WXXA in August 2020, completing the transaction on November 23. Nexstar continues to operate the station under the services relationship. WXXA ended analog transmission in 2009, retained virtual channel 23 on digital television, and moved its physical digital signal from channel 7 to channel 8 during the 2019 repack. The station has retained the WXXA call letters and Fox affiliation throughout its history.
- 2020
Mission Broadcasting ownership begins
[1]Mission Broadcasting completes its acquisition of WXXA on November 23.
- 2017
Nexstar assumes operating relationship
[1]Nexstar's acquisition of Media General brings the WTEN-related operating arrangement into Nexstar's corporate structure.
- 2013
News production moves to WTEN
[1]WXXA's news operation is consolidated with WTEN and begins originating from WTEN's studios.
- 2009
Analog transmission ends
[1]The station shuts down its analog UHF signal as part of the United States digital transition.
- 2005
Digital service begins
[1]WXXA-DT begins digital broadcasting on VHF channel 7.
- 1996
Local news department launches
[1]WXXA introduces its first regular local newscast, Fox News at 10.
- 1986
Fox affiliation begins
[1]WXXA agrees to become a charter Fox affiliate ahead of the network's launch.
- 1982
WXXA-TV begins broadcasting
[1]The station signs on July 30 as the Capital District's first independent commercial station.
Products and positioning
A local Fox affiliate focused on Capital District news, weather, and community coverage, supplemented by network, syndicated, and multicast programming.
Local television news · 1996
Fox 23 News at 10
WXXA's principal local news program is a nightly 10 p.m. broadcast. It began in 1996 and became the station's signature news offering, providing Capital District reporting, weather, sports, and regional coverage in a time slot associated with Fox affiliates. After operational consolidation, WTEN assumed production while the program remained branded for WXXA.
Local television news · 2006
Fox 23 News Mornings
WXXA's weekday morning news offering developed from a three-hour broadcast launched in 2006. The schedule was later adjusted in response to audience performance and, after the WTEN consolidation, included a WTEN-produced local program serving as a complement to ABC's Good Morning America.
Broadcast television programming · 1986
Fox network programming
WXXA carries programming supplied by the Fox network, including the network's entertainment, sports, and news offerings. The station joined Fox at the network's launch and has maintained that primary affiliation continuously, making it the market's long-standing Fox outlet.
Digital multicast television · 2015
Capital OTB TV
WXXA's second digital subchannel was leased to Capital District Off-Track Betting beginning in 2015 for an internally produced service. It followed several earlier multicast formats carried on the same subchannel.
Brand decisions
2020
Transfer ownership to Mission BroadcastingM&ABackground
WXXA was held by Shield Media while its operations were tied to Nexstar's WTEN through a shared-services arrangement.
Action taken
Mission Broadcasting announced and completed the acquisition of WXXA-TV.
Aftermath
Mission became the station's owner, while Nexstar continued operating it under the services arrangement.
2013
Consolidate news operations with WTENStrategyBackground
Shield Media's acquisition created an operating relationship with WTEN, and the two stations had overlapping news resources and time slots.
Action taken
WXXA discontinued its weekday 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts and shifted news production to WTEN's studios, retaining morning and 10 p.m. programming.
Aftermath
The stations' reporting staffs and production infrastructure were combined, with WXXA's remaining broadcasts produced in high definition from WTEN.
1986
Join Fox as a charter affiliateStrategyBackground
WXXA was operating as a general-entertainment independent when the new Fox network was preparing to launch.
Action taken
The station agreed to carry Fox programming beginning with the network's October 1986 launch.
Aftermath
WXXA retained a largely independent-style schedule during Fox's early years but ultimately became the market's continuing Fox outlet.
Sources2 sources
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