WXXV-TV (channel 25) is a

television station A television station is a set of equipment managed by a business, organisation or other entity, such as an amateur television (ATV) operator, that transmits video content and audio content via radio waves directly from a transmitter on the eart ...

licensed to

Gulfport, Mississippi Gulfport is the second-largest city in Mississippi after the state capital, Jackson. Along with Biloxi, Gulfport is the co-county seat of Harrison County and the larger of the two principal cities of the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolit ...

, United States, serving the

Mississippi Gulf Coast The Mississippi Gulf Coast, also known as Mississippi Coast, Mississippi Gulf Coast region, Coastal Mississippi, and The Coast, is the area of Mississippi along the Mississippi Sound at the northern extreme of the Gulf of Mexico. Geography At th ...

as an affiliate of

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

MyNetworkTV MyNetworkTV (unofficially abbreviated MyTV, MyNet, MNT or MNTV, and sometimes referred to as My Network) is an American commercial broadcast television syndication service and former television network owned by Fox Corporation, operated by its ...

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

and

The CW Plus The CW Plus is a secondary national programming service feed of The CW that is fully controlled and 75% owned by Nexstar Media Group, with Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery each owning a 12.5% stake in the network. It is intended prima ...

. The station is owned by

Morris Multimedia Morris may refer to: Places Australia *St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia Canada * Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry * Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba ** Morris, Manitob ...

, and maintains studios on

US 49 U.S. Route 49 (US 49) is a north–south United States highway. The highway's northern terminus is in Piggott, Arkansas, at an intersection with US Route 62/ Highway 1/ Highway 139 (US 62/AR 1/AR 139). Its southern terminus ...

in Lyman (with a Gulfport postal address); its transmitter is located on Wire Road East, in

unincorporated Unincorporated may refer to: * Unincorporated area, land not governed by a local municipality * Unincorporated entity, a type of organization * Unincorporated territories of the United States, territories under U.S. jurisdiction, to which Congress ...

Stone County, northeast of McHenry.

History

The station signed on February 14,

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...

, as the

market Market is a term used to describe concepts such as: *Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand *Market economy *Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market Geography *Märket, an ...

's second commercial outlet (after

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

affiliate

WLOX WLOX (channel 13) is a television station licensed to Biloxi, Mississippi, United States, serving the Mississippi Gulf Coast as an affiliate of ABC and CBS. Owned by Gray Television, the station maintains studios on DeBuys Road in Biloxi, an ...

). It was originally locally owned by Gulf Coast Television Ltd. Airing an

analog Analog or analogue may refer to: Computing and electronics * Analog signal, in which information is encoded in a continuous variable ** Analog device, an apparatus that operates on analog signals *** Analog electronics, circuits which use analog ...

signal on UHF channel 25, WXXV immediately joined Fox as Mississippi's first Fox affiliate. For the first four months of the network's existence, the network (which only aired late night programs at the time) was only available over-the-air in the extreme western and extreme eastern portions of the market via

WNOL-TV WNOL-TV (channel 38) is a television station in New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, airing programming from The CW. It is owned-and-operated station, owned and operated by network majority owner Nexstar Media Group alongside Amer ...

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

(now an affiliate of

The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

) or

WPMI-TV WPMI-TV (channel 15) is a television station licensed to Mobile, Alabama, United States, serving as the NBC affiliate for southwest Alabama and northwest Florida. It is owned by Deerfield Media alongside Pensacola, Florida–licensed independent ...

Mobile Mobile may refer to: Places * Mobile, Alabama, a U.S. port city * Mobile County, Alabama * Mobile, Arizona, a small town near Phoenix, U.S. * Mobile, Newfoundland and Labrador Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Mobile ( ...

(now an NBC affiliate); WXXV signed on two months prior to Fox's first night of primetime programming. Gulf Coast Television sold the station to AmSouth Realty, a subsidiary of AmSouth Bank in 1989. Prime Cities Broadcasters bought the station in 1991. WXXV aired the ABC

crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combin ...

'' NYPD Blue'' for its entire run from 1993 until 2005, as WLOX refused to air it. From January 1995 until September 2006, the station also featured some limited

UPN The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that launched on January 16, 1995. It was originally owned by Chris-Craft Industries' United Television. Viacom (through its Paramount Television unit, which pr ...

programming out-of-pattern through a secondary affiliation. Prime Cities Broadcasters sold the station to current owner

in 1997. A new second digital subchannel was launched in September 2006 to be the area's MyNetworkTV affiliate. Now considered a programming service rather than a true over-the-air broadcast network, it is a sister operation to Fox. WXXV's broadcasts became digital-only on February 17, 2009. The station continues to broadcast on digital channel 48.http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf However, through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display WXXV's virtual channel as 25. The station was added to

DirecTV DirecTV (trademarked as DIRECTV) is an American multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital satellite service serving the United States. I ...

's local station offering on June 16, 2010. The station also served as the

Hattiesburg Hattiesburg is a city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, located primarily in Forrest County (where it is the county seat and largest city) and extending west into Lamar County. The city population was 45,989 at the 2010 census, with the populat ...

–

Laurel Laurel may refer to: Plants * Lauraceae, the laurel family * Laurel (plant), including a list of trees and plants known as laurel People * Laurel (given name), people with the given name * Laurel (surname), people with the surname * Laurel (mus ...

market's longtime default Fox affiliate. WXXV's transmitter tower site and directional antenna pattern are strategically located and designed to enable the station to cover the entire southern half of Mississippi, including the Gulf Coast and Pine Belt regions. In addition, WXXV could be picked up locally on Comcast systems in the Pine Belt. On October 13, 2011, low-power

WHPM-LD WHPM-LD (channel 23) is a low-power television station in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, United States, affiliated with the Fox network and owned by Waypoint Media. The station's studios are located on Mayfair Road in Hattiesburg, and its transmitt ...

joined the network as the first ever Fox outlet for Hattiesburg and Laurel. Despite the addition of that outlet to the network, Comcast's system in Hattiesburg and Laurel continues to offer WXXV's

standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object th ...

and high definition channels. That market still lacks its own MyNetworkTV-affiliated station resulting in WXXV being the Pine Belt's default affiliate (through its main channel's secondary affiliation as of 2015).

Subchannel history

WXXV-DT2

WXXV-DT2 is the

-affiliated second digital subchannel of WXXV-TV, broadcasting on channel 25.2.

Over the air Over the Air was an annual mobile technology-focused overnight hack day event held in London from 2008 to 2016. The two-day event would include practical and educational talks and a hacking competition. Sponsors of the event have included the B ...

, WXXV-DT2 broadcasts a

720p 720p (1280×720 px; also called HD ready, standard HD or just HD) is a progressive HDTV signal format with 720 horizontal lines/1280 columns and an aspect ratio (AR) of 16:9, normally known as widescreen HDTV (1.78:1). All major HDTV broadcast ...

high definition signal (downconverted from the native

1080i 1080i (also known as Full HD or BT.709) is a combination of frame resolution and scan type. 1080i is used in high-definition television (HDTV) and high-definition video. The number "1080" refers to the number of horizontal lines on the scre ...

resolution of the NBC network); however, a direct-to-cable full 1080i high definition feed of this subchannel is available on select cable providers. WXXV-DT2 first signed on in September 2006 to be the market's

affiliate. On June 25, 2012, it was announced WXXV would become the area's first-ever locally based NBC affiliate. The MyNetworkTV affiliation was moved to cable-exclusive status so that WXXV-DT2 could become the NBC outlet. Prior to the station adding NBC, both

WDSU-TV WDSU (channel 6) is a television station in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Hearst Television. The station's studios are located on Howard Avenue in the city's Central Business District, and its transmitt ...

in New Orleans (for Gulfport,

Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

and

Pass Christian Pass Christian (), nicknamed The Pass, is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 6,307 at the 2019 census. History Pre-European history ...

) and

WDAM-TV WDAM-TV (channel 7) is a television station licensed to Laurel, Mississippi, United States, serving the Hattiesburg area as an affiliate of NBC and ABC. Owned by Gray Television, the station maintains studios and transmitter facilities on US ...

in Hattiesburg–Laurel (for

Biloxi Biloxi ( ; ) is a city in and one of two county seats of Harrison County, Mississippi, United States (the other being the adjacent city of Gulfport). The 2010 United States Census recorded the population as 44,054 and in 2019 the estimated popu ...

, D'Iberville, Jackson County and Stone County) served as the Gulf Coast's longtime ''de facto'' affiliates on

cable Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...

, with both affiliates having over-the-air coverage in some portions of the market.

WXXV-DT3

WXXV-DT3 is the CW+-affiliated third digital subchannel of WXXV-TV, broadcasting on channel 25.3. What is now WXXV-DT3 began its life on September 21, 1998, as "WBGP" (standing for The WB Gulfport), a cable-only affiliate of

The WB The WB Television Network (for Warner Bros., or the "Frog Network", for its former mascot, Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network launched on terrestrial television, broadcast television on January 11, 1995, as a joint venture be ...

through the national WB 100+ service. Since it was only available on cable, the

call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assign ...

was fictional in nature and thus not officially recognized by the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdicti ...

(FCC). Before its sign-on, viewers in the area received The WB through Superstation WGN or the network's New Orleans affiliates (first

WGNO WGNO (channel 26) is a television station in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside CW owned-and-operated station WNOL-TV (channel 38). Both stations share studios at The Galler ...

, then later WNOL-TV). With the merge between UPN and The WB on September 18, 2006, the station became part of The CW through the new network's similar national service, The CW Plus. Throughout its cable-exclusive period, the station did not have an actual owner and had a signal provided to cable companies through a closed circuit satellite feed. "WBGP" was carried on CableOne (now

Sparklight Cable One, Inc. is an American broadband communications provider. Under the Sparklight brand, it provides service to 21 states and 900,000 residential and business customers. It is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, though it does not serve that ...

) channel 7 in Harrison County and channel 80 in Jackson County. Its previous CW logo referred to the channel 7 slot but it was not identified on-air with reference to it. On

January 1 January 1 or 1 January is the first day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 364 days remaining until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This day is also known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the yea ...

, 2015, WXXV took over promotional and advertising responsibilities of "WBGP" from CableOne. As a result, the service was added to a new third subchannel of WXXV in order to offer over-the-air viewers access to The CW for the first time. The new subchannel did not retain the slots on CableOne's basic tier allotted to "WBGP"; instead, WXXV-DT3 replaced WXXV's cable-only MyNetworkTV channel on digital channel 476. MyNetworkTV programming concurrently moved to a secondary affiliation on WXXV's primary channel and can be seen on weeknights from 10 until midnight.

WXXV-DT4

WXXV-DT4 is the

Defy TV Defy TV is an American free-to-air television network owned by the Katz Broadcasting subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company. Defy TV is targeted at men aged 25–54. Defy TV and TrueReal, a complementary network targeted at women aged 25–54 ...

-affiliated fourth subchannel of WXXV-TV, broadcasting on channel 25.4. It was launched upon Defy's sign-on in July 2021. During the fall of 2021, WXXV also brought Grit programming to the Mississippi Gulf Coast on its fifth subchannel.

Programming

Syndicated programming

Syndicated programming on WXXV-DT1 includes '' The Good Dish'', ''

The Big Bang Theory ''The Big Bang Theory'' is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom served as executive producers on the series, along with Steven Molaro, all of whom also served as head writers. It premiered on C ...

'', ''

Family Feud ''Family Feud'' is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson. It features two families who compete to name the most popular answers to survey questions in order to win cash and prizes. The show has had three separate runs, th ...

'', and '' The Doctors'' among others. Syndicated programming on WXXV-DT2 includes ''

Judge Judy ''Judge Judy'' is an American arbitration-based reality court show presided over by former Manhattan Family Court Judge Judith Sheindlin. The show featured Sheindlin as she adjudicated real-life small-claims disputes within a simulated courtr ...

'', ''

The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' (often shortened to ''Ellen'' or ''The Ellen Show'') is an American daytime television variety comedy talk show that was created and hosted by its namesake Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it was pro ...

'', and ''Family Feud'' among others.

News operation

The station airs all national breaking news coverage from

Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...

and the network's weekly public affairs show. Unlike most Fox affiliates, however, WXXV did not operate a local news department of its own for most of its existence but has done so in two previous attempts in the past. From 1991 to 1992, WDBD aired a local newscast called ''Mississippi News Tonight'' which was simulcasted on WXXV and produced by WLOX's then-owners Love Communications. Likewise, it featured regional news and

weather Weather is the state of the atmosphere, describing for example the degree to which it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloud cover, cloudy. On Earth, most weather phenomena occur in the lowest layer of the planet's atmos ...

coverage despite being produced at WDBD's studios in Jackson. Due to low ratings and inconsistent viewership, the program was dropped from both outlets after only a year on the air. For a few years in the late-1990s and early 2000s, WXXV operated its own locally based news operation from its Gulfport studios. A broadcast, known as ''Fox 25 News at Nine'', attempted to provide another option for viewers in the market besides longtime dominant WLOX. For an unknown reason, however, this effort also eventually ceased production. On September 30, 2013, WXXV launched an in-house news operation for the second time in its history following the expansion of its studios to house the department; the station hired 15 personnel to staff the startup operation. Locally produced newscasts, running a half-hour in length, air on both the Fox and NBC channels in high definition under the ''News 25'' branding. The main channel airs a weeknight prime time show at 9 p.m. while weeknight newscasts at 5:30 and 10 p.m. are seen on WXXV-DT2. ''

NBC Nightly News ''NBC Nightly News'' (titled as ''NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt'' for its weeknight broadcasts since June 22, 2015) is the flagship daily evening News broadcasting#Television, television news program for NBC News, the news division of the NB ...

'' is therefore aired on an alternate live feed at 6 p.m. which is unlike most NBC affiliates in the

Central Time Zone The North American Central Time Zone (CT) is a time zone in parts of Canada, the United States, Mexico, Central America, some Caribbean Islands, and part of the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Central Standard Time (CST) is six hours behind Coordina ...

. The NBC subchannel also carries local weather cut-ins on weekday mornings from 7 to 11 a.m. during the ''

Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It w ...

''.Local News to Debut on WXXV Tonight
''TVSpy'', September 30, 2013.WXXV Fox Lineup
/ref> The station does not maintain a sports department. On September 21, 2015, WXXV debuted an hour-long weekday morning newscast from 7 to 8 a.m. called ''News 25 Today'' on its main channel while it airs from 6 to 7 a.m. on the NBC subchannel. On September 27, 2015, it debuted a Sunday night newscast on both stations.

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's digital signal is

multiplexed In telecommunications and computer networking, multiplexing (sometimes contracted to muxing) is a method by which multiple analog or digital signals are combined into one signal over a shared medium. The aim is to share a scarce resource - a ...

References

External links

*
WXXV-DT3 "Gulf Coast CW"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wxxv-Tv Television channels and stations established in 1987 1987 establishments in Mississippi XXV-TV NBC network affiliates Fox network affiliates MyNetworkTV affiliates Defy TV affiliates Grit (TV network) affiliates Morris Multimedia