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This article is about the Fox affiliate in York, Pennsylvania. For the former station in Portland, Maine, seeWPMT (Maine).
WPMT
CityYork, Pennsylvania
Channels
BrandingFox 43
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
December 21, 1952(71 years ago)(1952-12-21)
Former call signs
WSBA-TV (1952–1983)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog:43 (UHF, 1952–2009)
  • Digital:47 (UHF, 2004–2018)
Call signmeaning
"Pennsylvania Movie Time" (in reference to its movie-heavy format as anIndependent)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID10213
ERP84 kW
HAAT431 m (1,414 ft)
Transmitter coordinates40°20′43.6″N76°52′7.6″W/ 40.345444°N 76.868778°W/40.345444; -76.868778
Translator(s)W34FM-D 34Chambersburg
Links
Public license information
Websitefox43

WPMT(channel 43) is atelevision stationlicensed toYork, Pennsylvania,United States, serving as theFoxaffiliate for theSusquehanna Valleyregion. Owned byTegna Inc.,the station maintains studios on South Queen Street inSpring Garden Township(with a Yorkmailingaddress). Through achannel sharingagreement withHarrisburg–licensedPBSmemberWITF-TV(channel 33), the two stations transmit using WITF-TV's spectrum from an antenna inSusquehanna Township.

WPMT is also rebroadcast on atranslator,W34FM-DinChambersburg, Pennsylvania.

History

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Early history

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The station first signed on the air on December 21, 1952, as WSBA-TV, originally operating as anABCaffiliate. It was owned by theSusquehanna Radio Corporation,a subsidiary of theSusquehanna Pfaltzgraffconglomerate, along with radio stationWSBA(910 AM). It was one of the first commercially licensed UHF television stations in the United States, signing on the air just over three months afterKPTVinPortland, Oregon,which originally broadcast on channel 27 when it signed on in 1952, before moving toVHFchannel 12 five years later. This makes WPMT the second-oldest continuously broadcasting UHF station in the country, only behindWSBT-TVinSouth Bend, Indiana(although WSBT moved from its original channel 34 to channel 22 in the late 1950s, making WPMT the oldest UHF station that broadcasts continuously on the same virtual channel number to this day).

In 1963, the station became aCBSaffiliate and joinedWHP-TV(channel 21) in Harrisburg andWLYH-TV(channel 15) inLebanonto form the Keystone Network. The three stations provided a strong combined signal with about a 55% overlap. Initially, WHP-TV, WLYH, and WSBA aired the same programming despite separate ownership. By the late 1960s, while all three stations ran most of the CBS programming schedule, WHP-TV ran different local programming during non-network hours, while WLYH and WSBA continued to simulcast for nearly the entire broadcast day. WHP ran CBS shows that WSBA and WLYH preempted, while the latter two stations ran programming that WHP preempted, allowing most of the market to view the entire CBS schedule. All three ran most of the CBS lineup, duplicating over three-quarters of the network's programs. This arrangement was necessary for the days before cable gained significant penetration.

In April 1983, Susquehanna sold WSBA-TV toIdaho-based Mohawk Broadcasting, who changed its call letters to the current WPMT. The station signed off in August and returned to the air the following month as the Susquehanna Valley's first general entertainmentindependent station.Until then, the only over-the-air source of non-network programming in South Central Pennsylvania wasWGCB-TV(channel 49) inRed Lion,areligiousstation that had been on the air since 1979. WPMT was a typical UHF independent with a schedule heavy oncartoons,sitcoms,movies,dramas,sportsandwesterns.

As a Fox affiliate

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In 1986, Mohawk sold the station toRenaissance Broadcasting.On October 9, 1986, WPMT became one of the charter affiliates of the newly launchedFoxnetwork. From 1990 to 2004, WPMT featured original children's programming hosted by the station's mascot, aclownnamedPete McTee(a play on the station's call letters). The station was acquired byTribune Broadcastingfollowing the company's purchase of Renaissance in 1996.[2]A year earlier, WPMT had added programming fromThe WB,half-owned by Tribune, in off-hours. However, cable customers could watch the full WB schedule onsister stationWPHL-TVfromPhiladelphia.

The station's newscasts were seen in a fictional sense in the 2010 filmUnstoppable,which is set in the station's market area.

Former WPMT logo, used from 2007 to 2009.

Aborted sale to Sinclair Broadcast Group

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On May 8, 2017,Hunt Valley, Maryland–basedSinclair Broadcast Group—which has owned WHP-TV since 2012, through its acquisition of several television stations owned byNewport Television—entered into an agreement to acquire Tribune Media for $3.9 billion, plus the assumption of $2.7 billion in debt held by Tribune. However, Sinclair was precluded from acquiring WPMT directly, as both WHP and WPMT rank among the four highest-rated stations in the Harrisburg–Lancaster–Lebanon–York market in total day viewership, and there are too few independently owned full-power stations in the Susquehanna Valley area to permit legal duopolies in any event.[3][4][5][6][7]On April 24, 2018, Sinclair announced that it would sell WPMT and eight other stations – Sinclair-operatedKOKH-TVinOklahoma City,WRLH-TVinRichmond,KDSM-TVinDes Moines,WOLF-TV(along with LMA partnersWSWBandWQMY) inScranton–Wilkes-BarreandWXLV-TVinGreensboro–Winston-Salem–High Point,and Tribune-ownedWXMIinGrand Rapids—toStandard Media Group(an independent broadcast holding company formed byprivate equity firmStandard General to assume ownership of and absolve ownership conflicts involving the aforementioned stations) for $441.1 million.[8][9][10][11][12]

Three weeks after the FCC's July 18 vote to have the deal reviewed by anadministrative law judgeamid "serious concerns" about Sinclair's forthrightness in its applications to sell certain conflict properties, on August 9, 2018, Tribune announced it would terminate the Sinclair deal, intending to seek otherM&Aopportunities. Tribune also filed abreach of contractlawsuit in theDelaware Chancery Court,alleging that Sinclair engaged in protracted negotiations with the FCC and the DOJ over regulatory issues, refused to sell stations in markets where it already had properties, and proposed divestitures to parties with ties to Sinclair executive chair David D. Smith that were rejected or highly subject to rejection to maintain control over stations it was required to sell. The termination of the Sinclair sale agreement places uncertainty for the future of Standard Media's purchases of WPMT and the other six Tribune- and Sinclair-operated stations included in that deal, which were predicated on the closure of the Sinclair–Tribune merger.[13][14][15][16][17][18]

Sale to Nexstar Media Group and resale to Tegna

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On December 3, 2018,Irving, Texas–basedNexstar Media Group—which has owned ABC affiliateWHTM-TV(channel 27) since January 2017—announced it would acquire the assets of Tribune Media for $6.4 billion in cash and debt. Nexstar was precluded from acquiring WPMT directly or indirectly, as FCC regulations prohibit common ownership of two or more of the four highest-rated stations in the same media market. (Furthermore, any attempt by Nexstar to assume the operations of WPMT throughlocal marketingorshared servicesagreements would have been subject to regulatory hurdles that could have delayed completion of the FCC and Justice Department's review and approval process for the acquisition.) As such, Nexstar was required to sell either WPMT or WHTM to a separate, unrelated company to address the ownership conflict.[19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]On March 20, 2019,McLean, Virginia–basedTegna Inc.announced it would purchase WPMT from Nexstar upon consummation of the merger, as part of the company's sale of nineteen Nexstar- and Tribune-operated stations to Tegna and theE. W. Scripps Companyin separate deals worth $1.32 billion; along with Scranton sister stationWNEP-TV(which was also acquired by Tegna as part of the spin-offs), this would make WPMT among the first television properties in Pennsylvania for Tegna.[29][30]The sale was consummated on September 19, 2019.[31]

News operation

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WPMT presently broadcasts 47 hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with nine hours each weekday and one hour each on Saturdays and Sundays); in regards to the number of hours devoted to news programming, it is the highest local newscast output of any television station in the Harrisburg–Lancaster–Lebanon–York market.

As a CBS affiliate, WSBA-TV ran a small news department branded asNewsWatch 43.In 1980, the station relaunched its news department as a much larger operation, and retitled its newscasts toTeleJournal News.The station's signal prevented the competitive newscast from being seen throughout the market, however, preventing it from adequately competing against the established news departments of the other localBig Threenetwork affiliates in theSusquehanna Valley(including NBC affiliate and longtime market leader WGAL, ABC affiliate WHTM, fellow CBS affiliates WHP-TV and WLYH); as a result, the news department was discontinued in 1983.

With Fox preparing to heighten its profile once Fox took over the contractual rights to theNational Football Conferencetelevision package in the fall of 1994 (as part of December 1993 contract deal with theNFLthat transferred the NFC contract fromCBS), Fox began urging management atowned-and-operatedand affiliated stations that had limited to no local news presence to develop full-scale news departments. Renaissance Broadcasting agreed to Fox's request and commenced development of a full-scale news department for Channel 43. Long-form newscasts would return to WPMT on September 12, 1994, when the station premiered its flagship prime time newscast,Fox 43 News at Ten.Originally airing Monday through Fridays for a half-hour, it was first anchored by Evan Forrester and Donya Archer, who were accompanied by weather anchor Susan Schrack and sports director Tom Werme. (As of 2021, the weeknight editions of the 10 p.m. broadcast compete with prime time newscasts onCWaffiliate WHP-DT3 [channel 21.3], andMeTVaffiliateWGAL-DT2[channel 8.2].) Half-hour Saturday and Sunday editions of the newscast were subsequently added on January 7, 1995; this was followed by the expansion of the weeknight editions of the newscast to one hour on September 13, 1997, with the weekend editions following suit on January 9, 1999.

News programming on Channel 43 expanded on January 16, 2006, with the addition of theFox 43 Morning News,an hour-long weekday morning newscast at 7 a.m.; the newscast, which was formatted to feature updated traffic and weather segments in 10-minute intervals, gradually expanded within the next decade: theMorning Newsadded two additional hours (expanding it to run from 5 to 8 a.m.) by September 2007 and expanded to include an 8 a.m. hour in September 2008. On February 13, 2013, WPMT expanded the weekday morning newscast to five hours (moving its start time one hour early to 4 a.m.), becoming the first and only station in the market, and the fifth Tribune-owned station to begin its morning newscast at 4 a.m. (WGAL and WHTM start their morning newscasts at 4:30, while WHP's continues to start at 5 a.m.)[32]The weekday morning show later expanded to six hours (with the addition of a 9 a.m. block) on September 17, 2018.[33]

On September 4, 2009, WPMT began airing a local sports highlight program calledHigh School Football Frenzy,that airs Fridays at 6 p.m. during thehigh school footballseason.[34]On September 21, 2009, the station debuted a half-hour weeknight newscast at 6:30, that competed against the national network newscasts on WHP, WGAL, and WHTM.[34][35]The station launched a weeknight 11 p.m. newscast on January 11, 2010.[36]

On January 15, 2011, WPMT became the first station in Central Pennsylvania and the last Tribune-owned Fox affiliate to begin broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition (rival WGAL was the first station in the market to offer local newscasts in the16:9format, albeit inenhanced definitionwidescreenin mid-December 2010; WGAL switched to full HD on August 29, 2011).[37]WPMT was the first television station in the market to provide news video from the field in true high definition, as it upgraded itsENGvehicles, satellite truck, studio and field cameras and other equipment in order to broadcast news footage from the field in high definition, in addition to segments broadcast from the main studio.

On January 9, 2012, WPMT expanded its early evening newscast to one hour with the addition of a half-hour at 6 p.m.[38]WPMT debuted two hour-long newscasts at 4 and 5 p.m. weekdays on August 5, 2013, while discontinuing its hour-long 6 p.m. newscast. The station's 11 p.m. newscast was discontinued the following month on September 6, and was replaced by the second incarnation ofThe Arsenio Hall Show(which was produced by Tribune) three days later.[39][40]

Technical information

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Subchannels

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The station's signal ismultiplexed:

Subchannels of WPMT
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
43.1 720p 16:9 WPMT-DT Main WPMT programming /Fox
43.2 480i 4:3 Antenna Antenna TV

On October 26, 2009, WPMT launched a24-hour newschannel, known as "Fox 43 News 24/7", which is available on its seconddigital subchannel,and onBlue Ridge Communicationsdigital channel 126 andComcastdigital channel 244. Programming consists of simulcasts and rebroadcasts of local news programming from the station's main channel.[41]Beginning on January 1, 2011, WPMT began carrying the Tribune-owned networkAntenna TVon digital subchannel 43.2. On July 18, 2015, WPMT began carryingThis TVon digital subchannel 43.3, replacing the 24-hour news channel, known as "Fox 43 News 24/7". Fox 43 News 24/7 can still be viewed through alivestreamlink on their webpage.[42]As part of a channel sharing agreement with WITF, the This TV subchannel on 43.3 was dropped.

Analog-to-digital conversion

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WPMT discontinued regular programming on its analog signal, overUHFchannel 43, on June 12, 2009, as part of thefederally mandated transition from analog to digital television.[43]The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 47,[44][45]usingvirtual channel43.

WPMT sold its spectrum for $50 million in the2016–2017 FCC incentive auctionand the station will have to cease broadcasting on its current digital channel 90 days after it receives payment from the FCC.[46]On August 31, 2017, it was announced that WPMT had entered into a channel sharing agreement withPBSmember stationWITF-TV.[47]

References

[edit]
  1. ^"Facility Technical Data for WPMT".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^Tribune Co. Looks to Boost Role in TV with Offer for Six Stations,Los Angeles Daily News,July 2, 1996.
  3. ^Battaglio, Stephen (May 8, 2017)."Sinclair Broadcast Group to buy Tribune Media for $3.9 billion plus debt".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedJune 6,2017.
  4. ^Littleton, Cynthia (May 8, 2017)."Sinclair Broadcast Group Sets $3.9 Billion Deal to Acquire Tribune Media".Variety.Prometheus Global Media.RetrievedJune 6,2017.
  5. ^Frankel, Todd (May 8, 2017)."Sinclair Broadcast to buy Tribune Media for $3.9 billion, giving it control over 215 local TV stations".The Washington Post.Nash Holdings, LLC.RetrievedJune 6,2017.
  6. ^Baker, Liana; Toonkel, Jessica (May 7, 2017)."Sinclair Broadcast nears deal for Tribune Media".Reuters.RetrievedJune 6,2017.
  7. ^Jessell, Harry A.; Miller, Mark K. (May 8, 2017)."The New Sinclair: 72% Coverage + WGNA".TVNewsCheck.NewsCheck Media.
  8. ^Jessell, Harry A. (April 24, 2018)."Sinclair Spins Off 23 TVs To Grease Trib Deal".TVNewsCheck.NewsCheck Media.RetrievedApril 25,2018.
  9. ^"Sinclair Enters Into Agreements to Sell TV Stations Related to Closing Tribune Media Acquisition"(PDF)(Press release). Sinclair Broadcast Group. April 24, 2018. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on April 26, 2018.RetrievedApril 25,2018.
  10. ^"Sinclair Revises TV Spinoff Plans For Tribune Deal, Announces Deals For Several Stations".All Access.April 24, 2018.RetrievedApril 25,2018.
  11. ^"Station Trading Roundup: 7 Deals, $571.7M".TVNewsCheck.NewsCheck Media. May 1, 2018.RetrievedMay 2,2018.
  12. ^"Form of Transition Services Agreement".Federal Communications Commission.April 30, 2018.RetrievedMay 2,2018.
  13. ^"Tribune Terminates $3.9 Billion Sinclair Merger, Sues Broadcast Rival".The Wall Street Journal.News Corp.August 9, 2018.
  14. ^Miller, Mark K. (August 9, 2018)."Tribune Kills Sinclair Merger, Files Suit".TVNewsCheck.NewsCheck Media.
  15. ^Dinsmore, Christopher (August 9, 2018)."Tribune Media pulls out of Sinclair Broadcast merger".Baltimore Sun.Tronc.
  16. ^Lee, Edmund; Tsang, Amie (August 9, 2018)."Tribune Ends Deal With Sinclair, Dashing Plan for Conservative TV Behemoth".The New York Times.
  17. ^Lafayette, Jon (August 9, 2018)."Tribune Ends Deal with Sinclair, Files Breach of Contract Suit".Broadcasting & Cable.NewBay Media.
  18. ^Fung, Brian; Romm, Tony (August 9, 2018)."Tribune withdraws from Sinclair merger, saying it will sue for 'breach of contract'".The Washington Post.Nash Holdings LLC.
  19. ^"Acquisition of Tribune Media Company"(PDF).Nexstar Media Group.December 3, 2018.
  20. ^Miller, Mark K. (December 3, 2018)."Nexstar Buying Tribune Media For $6.4 Billion".TVNewsCheck.NewsCheck Media.
  21. ^White, Peter; Hayes, Dade (December 3, 2018)."Nexstar Confirms $4.1B Tribune Media Acquisition To Become Leading Local TV Station Owner".Deadline Hollywood.Penske Media Corporation.
  22. ^Smith, Gerry; Ahmed, Nabila; Newcomer, Eric (December 3, 2018)."Nexstar to buy WGN owner Tribune Media for $4.1 billion".Chicago Tribune.Tribune Publishing.Bloomberg News.
  23. ^Panchadar, Arjun; Rai, Sonam (December 3, 2018)."Nexstar to buy Tribune Media for $4.1 billion".Reuters.
  24. ^Lafayette, Jon (December 3, 2018)."Nexstar Announces Deal to Buy Tribune for $6.4B".Broadcasting & Cable.NewBay Media.
  25. ^Jacobson, Adam (December 3, 2018)."It's Official: Nexstar Takes Tribune In Billion-Dollar Stock Deal".Radio-Television Business Report.Streamline-RBR, Inc.
  26. ^Jessell, Harry A.; Miller, Mark K. (December 3, 2018)."Nexstar To Spin Off $1B In Stations".TVNewsCheck.NewsCheck Media.
  27. ^"Nexstar Media Group Enters into Definitive Agreement to Acquire Tribune Media Company for $6.4 Billion in Accretive Transaction Creating the Nation's Largest Local Television Broadcaster and Local Media Company".Nexstar Media Group.December 3, 2018.RetrievedDecember 3,2018.
  28. ^"Nexstar Media Group Enters Into Definitive Agreement To Acquire Tribune Media Company".Tribune Media.December 3, 2018.RetrievedDecember 3,2018.
  29. ^Miller, Mark K. (March 20, 2019)."Nexstar Selling 19 TVs In 15 Markets For.32B".TVNewsCheck.NewsCheck Media.
  30. ^Ahmed, Nabila; Sakoui, Anousha (March 20, 2019)."Nexstar to Sell Stations to Tegna, Scripps for $1.32 Billion".Bloomberg News.Bloomberg, L.P.
  31. ^"TODAY.... Nexstar Takes Control of Tribune".September 19, 2019.
  32. ^WPMT Morning News Expands to 5 Hours,TVNewsCheck,February 11, 2013.
  33. ^Adams, Sean (July 23, 2018)."Fox 43 preps expanded morning schedule, adds new reporter to team".The Patriot-News.Advance Local Media LLC.RetrievedMarch 4,2021.
  34. ^abStark, Eric (August 16, 2009)."Fox 43 adds third newscast".LancasterOnline.LNP Media Group, Inc.RetrievedMarch 4,2021.
  35. ^WPMT York, Pa., Adding 6:30 P.M. News,TVNewsCheck,August 12, 2009.
  36. ^WPMT FOX43 [@fox43] (January 6, 2010)."FOX43 News at 11 launches Monday, January 11, 2010"(Tweet) – viaTwitter.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  37. ^WPMT, WGAL newscasts getting an upgrade,Lancaster New Era,January 2, 2011.
  38. ^WPMT Harrisburg Adds 6 p.m. Newscast,TVNewsCheck,December 6, 2011.
  39. ^WPMT FOX 43 to start two new hours of News this AugustFOX43,May 14, 2013.
  40. ^WPMT To Expand Evening News LineupTVNewsCheck,May 14, 2013.
  41. ^WPMT Launching Local 24-Hour News Ch.,TVNewsCheck,October 16, 2009.
  42. ^WPMT Livestream Page
  43. ^List of Digital Full-Power Stations
  44. ^FCC document: "APPENDIX B: ALL FULL-POWER TELEVISION STATIONS BY DMA, INDICATING THOSE TERMINATING ANALOG SERVICE ON OR BEFORE FEBRUARY 17, 2009."
  45. ^CDBS Print
  46. ^"Consumer FAQs: TV Spectrum Auction".April 12, 2017.
  47. ^Modification of a Licensed Facility for DTV Application
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