WXXV-TV

WXXV-TV is a commercial television station licensed to Gulfport, Mississippi, and serving the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The station operates under the WXXV call sign and uses channel 25 as its principal identity. Its facilities are in Lyman, with a Gulfport mailing address, while its transmitting equipment is located on Wire Road East in unincorporated Stone County, northeast of McHenry. The station began broadcasting in February 1987 as the second local television outlet on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, following ABC affiliate WLOX. It initially operated as an independent station, carrying syndicated entertainment, sports and short local news updates. In April 1987, only a few months after signing on, WXXV joined the Fox network, taking on Fox's weekend prime-time and late-night programming as the network was expanding its affiliate base. WXXV's early years were financially difficult. Its licensee, Gulf Coast Television, faced unpaid obligations and loan arrears during the late 1980s. A threatened public auction was halted by a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in 1988, and a later settlement transferred control to AmSouth Bank. Prime Cities Broadcasting subsequently acquired the station and provided a period of greater operational stability. During that ownership period, WXXV also gained attention by carrying the drama series NYPD Blue after many Mississippi ABC affiliates declined to air it. Morris Network acquired WXXV in 1997 for a reported $17.5 million. Under Morris ownership, the station moved through the transition from analog to digital broadcasting and expanded its role through digital multicast channels. NBC programming was added to a digital subchannel in 2012, replacing MyNetworkTV as a principal subchannel affiliation. The NBC addition was accompanied by a studio expansion and a plan to restore locally produced news. In 2015, WXXV added The CW to another subchannel, while MyNetworkTV moved to late-night carriage on the Fox service. Local news has been an important but uneven part of WXXV's history. A short-lived Jackson-produced program, Mississippi News Tonight, aired on the station in 1992. Morris later launched Fox 25 News at Nine in 1999, but the operation was discontinued in 2001 because it was not economically sustainable. Following the NBC affiliation, WXXV rebuilt its news operation, launching newscasts on both its Fox and NBC services on September 30, 2013. The schedule subsequently expanded to include morning, noon, afternoon, evening and Sunday broadcasts. By the 2020s, WXXV had developed a fuller local-news schedule, including a four-hour morning program, a one-hour 9 p.m. newscast and additional NBC and Fox evening editions. WXXV's present identity is that of a regional broadcast and local-news provider rather than a national standalone network. Its business combines network programming, syndicated and locally produced content, digital multicast services and advertising aimed at viewers across the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The station's principal network relationships are Fox, NBC and The CW Plus, with MyNetworkTV programming also carried in a limited late-night role according to the station's affiliation history.

In July 1982, the Federal Communications Commission received three applications to construct a television station on channel 25 for the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The applicants were Payvision Communications, Hightower Communications and Four-O Inc. Four-O was selected for the permit and adopted the WXXV call sign. The proposed station was initially considered either as an independent outlet or a network affiliate, and Four-O ultimately chose the independent-station model. Construction of WXXV's Lyman studios was under way by March 1986, but construction delays affecting the transmission tower repeatedly postponed the planned launch. The station first transmitted on February 8, 1987, but technical problems interrupted the initial service. Continuous broadcasting began on February 14. The original schedule included syndicated programs, live sports and short local news updates, with coverage reaching areas north toward Hattiesburg. In April, WXXV joined Fox, giving the new network a local outlet on the Gulf Coast. Financial problems soon became a defining issue in the station's early history. Four-O had become the managing general partner of Gulf Coast Television, the licensee, while the company sought additional limited partners and carried substantial creditor obligations. AmSouth Bank became the most prominent creditor. In September 1988, after the station had fallen behind on loan payments, AmSouth moved toward a public auction. Gulf Coast Television filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection shortly before the auction, preventing the immediate sale. The bankruptcy case ended the following year through a settlement that transferred the station to AmSouth. AmSouth's management worked to repair WXXV's commercial reputation, including by paying syndicators and vendors promptly. The bank later placed the station on the market, and Prime Cities Broadcasting acquired it. Prime Cities was associated with Dick Shively and Jim Tupper, with Shively having served as a consultant to WXXV during the AmSouth period. Under Prime Cities, the station carried NYPD Blue beginning with its second season, taking the program after WLOX and other Mississippi ABC affiliates declined to air it. Prime Cities began exploring a sale by the middle of the 1990s. Morris Network announced its purchase of WXXV in February 1997 and took over in June. The station subsequently transitioned from analog to digital transmission. It launched a digital signal during the 2000s and ceased analog broadcasting on February 17, 2009. WXXV's network structure expanded through digital multicasting. In March 2012, Morris announced that NBC would be added to a WXXV subchannel in July, displacing MyNetworkTV from its principal subchannel role. The change was paired with an expansion of the Lyman studios and the creation of a new news operation. On January 1, 2015, WXXV added The CW on another subchannel, branded as Gulf Coast CW, while MyNetworkTV was shifted to late-night scheduling on the Fox service. The station's local-news history has included several launches and retrenchments. In January 1992, it carried Mississippi News Tonight, a Jackson-produced 9 p.m. program. The program lasted approximately three months and ended on April 4. WXXV later considered building a full local-news department, but management initially decided that the cost and operational burden outweighed the benefits. Morris eventually launched Fox 25 News at Nine in March 1999. That news department was closed on January 6, 2001, for economic reasons. The NBC affiliation changed the station's approach. WXXV expanded its facilities and hired staff for a new operation serving both the Fox and NBC channels. The newscasts launched on September 30, 2013, with a weeknight 9 p.m. broadcast on Fox and 5:30 and 10 p.m. broadcasts on NBC. The schedule expanded in 2015 with morning and Sunday-night programs, followed by an NBC noon newscast in 2016 and a Fox 5 p.m. newscast in 2017. The morning schedule later grew to four hours, the 9 p.m. program expanded to one hour, and the former 5:30 p.m. NBC newscast moved to 6 p.m. in 2023.

1. 2023NBC evening news schedule changes

   The station moved its NBC early-evening newscast from 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

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2. 2015The CW joins the lineup

   The station added a CW subchannel and moved MyNetworkTV to late-night carriage.

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3. 2013Local news returns

   WXXV launched newscasts on its Fox and NBC services on September 30.

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4. 2012NBC expansion announced

   Morris announced NBC carriage on a digital subchannel and an associated expansion of studio and news facilities.

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5. 2009Analog transmission ends

   WXXV completed its transition to digital-only broadcasting on February 17.

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6. 1997Morris Network ownership begins

   Morris Network purchased WXXV from Prime Cities and assumed control in June.

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7. 1990Prime Cities acquires WXXV

   After AmSouth took control through a bankruptcy settlement, Prime Cities Broadcasting acquired the station.

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8. 1988Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing

   The station's licensee sought bankruptcy protection to stop a creditor-planned auction.

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9. 1987WXXV launches

   WXXV began full-time broadcasting in February as an independent station and joined Fox in April.

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10. 1982Applications filed for channel 25

    The FCC received competing applications for a second local television station on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

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A regional Mississippi Gulf Coast broadcast station combining Fox, NBC and CW network services with locally produced news and community-oriented programming.

• WXXV FoxNetwork television service1987

  WXXV's primary Fox-affiliated service, carrying Fox network programming alongside locally produced news, syndicated content and advertising directed at the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The Fox service has historically been the station's principal over-the-air identity and has also carried MyNetworkTV programming in late-night hours after the network moved off a dedicated subchannel.

• WXXV NBCNetwork television service2012

  The NBC service was introduced on a WXXV digital subchannel in 2012. It broadened the station's network portfolio and became a second outlet for local news, including morning, noon and evening broadcasts. Its launch also supported investment in expanded studios and a dedicated news operation.

• Gulf Coast CWDigital multicast television service2015

  WXXV's CW-branded digital multicast service, introduced in 2015. It carries programming from The CW Plus and extends the station's entertainment and network offering beyond its Fox and NBC services for viewers in the Mississippi Gulf Coast market.

• WXXV local newsLocal television news2013

  Locally produced news programming serving the Mississippi Gulf Coast on the station's Fox and NBC services. The current operation dates from 2013, after earlier local-news efforts in 1992 and 1999–2001 were discontinued. Its schedule has expanded to include morning, noon, afternoon, evening and Sunday broadcasts.

• 2015Add The CW and reposition MyNetworkTVGeneration change

  WXXV was using digital multicast capacity to broaden its network offering after adding NBC.

  What changed. The station launched a CW subchannel and moved MyNetworkTV programming to late nights on the Fox service.

  Aftermath. WXXV maintained a multi-network structure centered on Fox, NBC and The CW Plus.

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• 2012Build a broader digital-network and news platformStrategy

  Morris sought to expand WXXV's role in a market where competitor WLOX was also adding a major-network digital service.

  What changed. Morris added NBC to a WXXV digital subchannel, expanded the Lyman studios and committed to a new local-news operation.

  Aftermath. The station launched Fox and NBC newscasts in 2013 and later added a CW service in 2015.

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• 1999Launch Fox 25 News at NineProduct launch

  Morris Network pursued an in-house local-news operation after earlier management had avoided the expense of a full department.

  What changed. WXXV launched Fox 25 News at Nine in March.

  Aftermath. The news department was discontinued on January 6, 2001, because it was not economically successful.

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• 1992Carry Mississippi News TonightProduct launch

  WXXV sought a long-form local-news offering despite not yet operating a large in-house news department.

  What changed. The station aired a Jackson-produced 9 p.m. program called Mississippi News Tonight.

  Aftermath. The program lasted about three months and ended on April 4.

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• 1988File for Chapter 11 protectionOther

  The station's licensee had fallen behind on loan repayments and faced a planned public auction initiated by AmSouth Bank.

  What changed. Gulf Coast Television filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection shortly before the auction.

  Aftermath. The bankruptcy case was resolved through a settlement that transferred the station to AmSouth, which later sold it to Prime Cities Broadcasting.

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• 2015The CW added to WXXV's multicast lineup

  WXXV launched a CW subchannel, while MyNetworkTV moved to late-night programming on the Fox service.

  Product launch
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• 2013WXXV relaunches local news operation

  Newscasts began on the station's Fox and NBC services on September 30, supported by a newly staffed news department.

  Product launch
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• 2012NBC programming added to WXXV digital service

  Morris announced that WXXV would add NBC on a digital subchannel, while expanding its Lyman facilities and preparing a new local-news operation.

  Product launch
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• 1997Morris Network acquires WXXV

  Morris Network announced an acquisition of WXXV from Prime Cities Broadcasting and assumed control later that year.

  M&A
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• 1988Bankruptcy filing prevents planned station auction

  After falling behind on loan payments, the station's licensee filed for Chapter 11 protection shortly before a creditor-backed public auction was scheduled.

  Bankruptcy
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• 1987WXXV-TV begins broadcasting

  The station made its first broadcast on February 8, 1987, experienced technical difficulties, and began continuous full-time broadcasting on February 14.

  Other
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• 1987WXXV joins Fox

  WXXV affiliated with Fox in April, shortly after launching as an independent station.

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1. WXXV-TV
2. WXXV-TV official website