WXIX-TV

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WXIX-TV, channel 19, is the Fox Broadcasting Company affiliate in Cincinnati, Ohio. The station is licensed across the Ohio River in Newport, Kentucky. WXIX is owned by Raycom Media, with studios and transmitter located in Cincinnati.

History

The station began operation on August 1, 1968, owned by James Lang and partners. It was the first new commercial station in the market since 1949, and the second UHF station in the area (behind PBS member WCET). The FCC had allocated one full-power UHF station to Cincinnati--channel 64. However, when Lang and his partners found out there was a channel 19 allocation available across the river in Newport, they sought it in order to provide more signal at less cost. WXIX offered Japanese cartoons such as Speed Racer, Johnny Cypher in Dimension Zero, Marine Boy and 8 Man.

While WXIX was running test transmissions before its inaugural broadcast, the station intermittently aired "mini-shows" featuring The Larry Smith Puppets promoting the sale of UHF converters which can be used with pre-1964 television sets which were only equipped to receive VHF signals at the time. Larry Smith and his puppets (a witch named "Battie Hattie from Cincinnati" and her dog "Snarfy" among other characters) later hosted a daytime children's program in the weekday afternoons for several years. Afterward, "The Cool Ghoul" [1] – played by Dick VonHoene, known for his weekend late night sci-fi/monster movie program "Scream-In" – also hosted a weekday children's show in the afternoons.

Channel 19 was sold to U.S. Communications in 1970, and then to Metromedia in 1972. Metromedia's deep pockets helped WXIX develop as a strong-performing general entertainment independent station, airing cartoons, off-network sitcoms, first-run talk shows, dramas, movies and talk shows. After nearly a decade on air, it finally received competition in 1980 with the launch of WBTI (channel 64, now WSTR-TV), which ran general entertainment and religious programing before 6 p.m., and subscription TV at night. However, that competition was short-lived, ending when WBTI became a full-time subscription station by 1982. The over-air subscription TV pheonomeon occurred in larger markets in the U.S. where cable had yet to penetrate city centers before the late 1980s.

WXIX logo during the 1990s.

Malrite Communications bought channel 19 in 1983. It remained the leading independent station in the market, even after WBTI returned to full-time general entertainment programming in 1986. Also in 1986, WXIX became a charter affiliate of the Fox network (which, coincidentally, was based around some of WXIX's former Metromedia sister stations). The station changed its on-air branding from "19xix" to "Fox 19" in 1996.

The station launched a 10 p.m. newscast in 1993 and a morning newscast in 1997. It also aired a newscast at 11:30 a.m. during the late 1990s. The station will begin airing newscasts at 6:30 pm Monday through Friday starting on August 11th. WXIX partnered with WBQC-TV to air channel 19's evening newscast during the Cincinnati Bearcats basketball season. However, with that station no longer on basic cable in Northern Kentucky or Southwest Ohio, these newscasts are seen on Insight Communications' channel 6 in Kentucky and on Time Warner Cable channel 2 in Ohio. WXIX no longer broadcasts Bearcat football or basketball games.

In 1998, Malrite merged with Raycom Media, which still owns WXIX today.

On January 31, 2007, WXIX announced that meteorologist Paul Horton would become the chief meteorologist. Horton decided to leave channel 19 on August 7, 2007, to take the morning meteorologist position at CBS affiliate KPHO-TV in Phoenix.

On August 21, 2007, WXIX announced that they plan to offer their newscasts in high definition on August 9 2008, although this date was not met.

On March 17, 2008, it was announced that WKRC-TV morning and noon Meteorologist Steve Horstmeyer would be leaving that station effective March 31st. He has accepted the position of Chief Meteorologist at WXIX and started on August 7, 2008. [1] Horstmeyer began his duties on-air as the chief meteorologist of WXIX on August 10, 2008 during the Ten O'Clock News. WXIX lent Horstmeyer to Raycom's KPLC-TV in Lake Charles, Louisiana on August 31, 2008 to assist with the smaller station's coverage of Hurricane Gustav.

On August 11, 2008 WXIX began airing a 6:30 p.m. newscast[2]. This newscast was aimed at 18-54-year-old workers who can't get home in time for WLWT, WCPO, or WKRC-TV's 5-6 p.m. news.

Digital television

After the analog television shutdown and digital conversion, which is tentatively scheduled to take place on February 17, 2009[3], WXIX-TV will remain on its current pre-transition channel number, 29 [4] using PSIP to display WXIX's virtual channel as 19.

Notable WXIX alumni

Current news staff

Anchors

  • Jack Atherton
  • Tricia Macke
  • Shelia Gray
  • Rob Williams
  • Dan Carroll

Weather

  • Chief Meteorologist Steve Horstmeyer
  • Meteorologist Frank Marzullo
  • Weather Specialist Pat Barry

Sports

  • Brian Gisenschlag
  • Zach Wells

Reporters

  • Joe Danneman
  • Sara Gouedy
  • Corey McConnell
  • Megan Mongillo
  • Steve Oldfield-Entertainment Reporter
  • Regina Russo
  • Jacqueline Sprague
  • Dan Wells
  • Brad Underwood

Fox19.COM Staff

  • Roger Seay- Executive Producer
  • Trina Kinstler-Producer
  • Amber Jenkins-Producer

References

  1. ^ Steve Horstmeyer's Official Webpage
  2. ^ Kiesewitter, John. The Cincinnati Enquirer 3 Aug. 2008.
  3. ^ http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf
  4. ^ CDBS Print

External links

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