- WRLH-TV
Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = WRLH-TV
city =
station_
station_slogan = The Right Time for News
station_branding = Fox Richmond
MyTV Richmond
analog = 35 (UHF)
digital = 26 (UHF)
other_chs =
affiliations = FoxMyNetworkTV (DT2)
network =
founded =
airdate =February 20 ,1982
location =Richmond, Virginia
callsign_meaning =
former_callsigns =
former_channel_numbers =
owner =Sinclair Broadcast Group
licensee = WRLH Licensee, LLC
sister_stations =
former_affiliations = independent (1982-1986)UPN (secondary, 1995-1997)
effective_radiated_power = 2570 kW (analog)
800 kW (digital)
HAAT = 384 m (analog)
327.7 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 412
coordinates = coord|37|30|21.6|N|77|41|57|W|type:landmark_scale:2000 (analog)
coord|37|30|45.5|N|77|36|4.7|W|type:landmark_scale:2000 (digital)
homepage = [http://www.foxrichmond.com/ www.foxrichmond.com]
[http://www.mytvrichmond.com/ www.mytvrichmond.com]WRLH-TV, channel 35, is the Fox television affiliate serving the
Richmond, Virginia television market. It is owned by theSinclair Broadcast Group . It offers a mix of talk/reality shows, court shows, sitcoms, paid programming and first-run programming from Fox along with sports. It also carries a 10 p.m. newscast produced byWWBT-TV . WRLH's transmitter is located inMidlothian, Virginia .Formerly known as "Fox 35," the station currently identifies on-air as "Fox Richmond".
History
WRLH began operation on
February 20 ,1982 [cite web | url=http://www.fox35.com/inside/contact.shtml | title=Fox Richmond History | publisher=Official Website for WRLH TV] as Richmond's first general entertainment independent television station. It was owned by theTVX Broadcast Group , which had launchedWTVZ , a successful independent station in the neighboring Norfolk-Portsmouth-Virginia Beach market, in 1979.The station initially offered a format consisting of cartoons, sitcoms, movies, drama shows, and religious programming (in mid-mornings after the cartoons). When WRNX (channel 63, now dark) signed on in 1983 with a religious format, WRLH's religious programming moved there. Some of those shows moved back to WRLH when WRNX took on the general entertainment format in the summer of 1985 under a new set of call sign (
WVRN ), and the two stations now competed under the same format.The competition rendered both stations less profitable than before and TVX sold WRLH to Times Mirror Broadcasting in the spring of 1986 . Times Mirror then turned around and sold WRLH (along with
WMAR inBaltimore ) to Gillett Broadcasting that fall. By then, WRLH was already a Fox network affiliate (the affiliation agreement having been inherited from TVX ownership). WRLH is the only Richmond television station that has never changed its network affiliation, having been a Fox affiliate since the network's inception.WVRN was put up for sale after its parent company, Sudbrink Broadcasting, filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy in late 1986 . It was purchased byAct III Broadcasting in 1987 , which wanted to improve the station's ratings. Act III offered to buy WRLH's programming, on the condition that WRLH be sold to a different group and turned into a non-commercial station. Gillett declined, but offered instead to sell WRLH outright to Act III. Act III took over WRLH in September 1988 , moved WVRN's programming to WRLH and shut down WVRN. The license for channel 63 was turned into the FCC, which then proceeded to delete the license.The Act III group was purchased by Abry in 1993 , giving WRLH new owners. Sullivan Broadcasters (in which Sinclair had an interest) took over the station in 1996 and Sinclair bought the station outright in 1998.
WRLH began to carry a secondary
UPN affiliation in 1995 . The UPN affiliation moved to WZYX Channel 65 (nowWUPV-TV ) in 1998; also that year, WRLH began to carry programming fromKids WB (withWWBT-TV carrying The WB programming out of rotation in late-night).WRLH carries secondary
My Network TV affiliation on digital subchannel 35.2 [cite web | url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6335167.html?display=Breaking+News | title=MyNetworkTV Signs 13 More Affils | publisher= Broadcasting and Cable] .Sinclair and Fox recently finalized a six-year affiliation contract extension for Sinclair's 19 Fox affiliates, including WRLH. WRLH's affiliation contract now expires in March 2012. [cite web | url=http://www.sbgi.net/news_releases/2006/release_200652_160.pdf | title=Sinclair Secures Renewal of FOX Station Affiliations]
WRLH FOX Richmond along with other television stations in Virginia broadcasted for the first time on television on March 14, 2008 showed
Virginia High School League championships basketball tournament.On
June 24 2008 , Sinclair announced that it was purchasingWTVR-TV fromRaycom Media , and selling WRLH to the previously-unknownCarma Broadcasting to comply with FCC ownership requirements [cite web | url=http://sbgi.net/site_mgr/temp/Richmond%20sale%20buy_1w5r4syx.shtml | title=Sinclair to Purchase WTVR-TV and Sell WRLH-TV in Richmond-Petersburg, VA] . Sinclair was to provide "sales and other non-programming related services" to WRLH after the sale is finalized. However, the Justice Department, under provisions of a consent decree with Raycom Media, denied Raycom permission to sell WTVR-TV to Sinclair [cite web | url=http://www.sbgi.net/site_mgr/temp/Richmond%20buy%20update_zf8czykj.shtml | title=Justice Department Denies Raycom's Sale of WTVR to Sinclair] in August 2008.Logos
References
External links
* [http://www.fox35.com/ Fox Richmond website]
* [http://www.mytvrichmond.com/ MyTV Richmond website]
*TVQ|WRLH
*BIA|WRLH|TV|TV
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