WFFT-TV

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = WFFT-TV
city =
station_
station_slogan =
station_branding = Fox Fort Wayne
analog = 55 (UHF)
digital = 36 (UHF)
other_chs =
affiliations = Fox
network =
founded =
airdate = December 21, 1977
location = Fort Wayne, Indiana
callsign_meaning = Fifty-Five Television
former_callsigns =
former_channel_numbers =
owner = Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc.
licensee = Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
sister_stations =
former_affiliations = independent (1977-1986)
UPN secondary (1995-200?)
effective_radiated_power = 603 kW (analog)
1000 kW (digital)
HAAT = 232 m (analog)
219 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 25040
coordinates = coord|41|6|33.4|N|85|11|42.2|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
homepage = [http://www.fortwaynehomepage.net/ www.fortwaynehomepage.net]

WFFT-TV is a television station in Fort Wayne, Indiana which broadcasts as a Fox affiliate on channel 55. Its transmitter is located on Hillegas Road in Fort Wayne.

History

The station signed on as an independent station on December 21, 1977. A month after the station signed on, in January 1978, the Midwest suffered through what has come to be known as the "Great Blizzard of 1978." The station did not sign off during this period, as it normally would do, but kept viewers informed of the situation to the degree that it could given its limited resources. Eventually the station would stay on the air all night Friday and Saturday nights on a regular basis during a time when the other Fort Wayne stations would sign off for the night around 1 or 2 AM. Late night on Friday nights, the station would air classic horror movies such as Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolfman, The Mole People, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, etc. hosted by a character called "The Shroud" on "Nightmare Theater", then from midnight until 6am, minus the costume, he hosted "Nightowl Theatre" which showed the all time classics such as Casablanca, Key Largo, Yankee Doodle Dandee, White Heat, Adventures of Robin Hood, Wizard of Oz and so on. Though many independent stations in the 1970s and 1980s would air similar horror movie showcases, such as KTVU in San Francisco, KTXL in Sacramento, and KSHB in Kansas City, "Nightmare Theater" was more serious about the material, providing trivia about the actors and the production during the movie breaks, which included interviews with horror stars such as Vincent Price, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee among others.

The station provided a much-needed alternative to viewers in the Fort Wayne area, particularly younger viewers, with its array of cartoons, movies, and old sitcoms. This was especially important for viewers who did not have cable and could not see regional or national superstations, such as WTTV from Indianapolis, or WGN-TV from Chicago. Many shows on WFFT during its early days hadn't been seen in Northern Indiana since they originally aired on their respective networks. WFFT also provided some coverage of local events such as the Three Rivers Festival.

The station formerly was the official Fort Wayne outlet for Chicago Cubs baseball.

The station also is remembered for its Happy's Place and Froggy's Pad children's programs in the 1980s and 1990s. Happy's Place was known for its two hour block of Fox children's programing that initially aired from 3 to 5 in the afternoon. During programming breaks, Happy the Hobo would emcee children's activities from the WFFT studios. Also on the broadcast were characters such as Froggy, Chester T. Fox, and Lawn Boy. Froggy's Pad was a morning show spun off from Happy's Place that featured the raspy-voiced frog puppet presenting animated shows. In the late 1990s, amidst the station's shift away from programming produced at the WFFT studio, the Happy's Place program was retooled. Segments were taped on location (and sometimes even in transit) and featured area attractions such as the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo. This format did not last long and the show was cancelled. After this point, WFFT's programming apart from the Fox schedule has been centered around syndicated fare, including daytime talk shows, court shows, and reruns of sitcoms such as My Wife & Kids and According to Jim.

WFFT became affiliated with Fox in 1986 and became known as Super 55 Fox for many years. After the launch of the United Paramount Network (now merged into the CW), WFFT picked up a secondary affiliation with the fledgling network, airing programs such as , Dilbert and Nowhere Man. Eventually, however, WANE-TV picked up the affiliation full-time for its digital subchannel.

The station was rebranded as Fox Fort Wayne on January 1, 2008 to reflect WFFT's channel position on Comcast (channel 12), Verizon FiOS TV (channel 5), Mediacom (channel 6), and its digital over-the-air signal (channel 36). WFFT's channel position on these carriers, or those of satellite providers DirecTV and DISH Network, will not change as a result of the rebranding. After the digital television transition takes place on February 17, 2009, WFFT will broadcast over-the-air on channel 36 because MediaFLO will be using UHF channel 55 exclusively on a national basis.

News Broadcasts

WFFT is unusual among Fox affiliates as it does not have a news operation. Starting in the 1980s, news director (and current Allen County, Indiana Republican Party Chairperson) Steve Shine would give occasional news updates; at one point, he also hosted a discussion program, "Rise with Shine". However, the station has not had a regular news operation for the better part of a decade. Despite rumors, the station will NOT start any newscasts anytime soon.

Digital Television

WFFT-DT went on the air on channel 36 in 2003, following WFWA-DT and WISE-DT. Prior to December 2007, it aired only a standard-definition simulcast at an ERP of 980 watts, limiting reception to within miles of the station. The station now broadcasts in 720p, but will not broadcast full-power until late 2008. [http://fortwaynehomepage.net/content/fulltext/?sid=b7aa3f2d3e9e2c6c048fc9423847bee7&cid=117] . However, Comcast and Verizon FiOS TV customers in the Fort Wayne area can get WFFT's HD feed as part of their normal HD programming.

Logo Gallery

External links

* [http://www.fortwaynehomepage.net/ Official site]
*TVQ|WFFT-TV
*BIA|WFFT|TV|TV