WFXR

WFXR

Roanoke–Lynchburg, Virginia United States
City	Roanoke, Virginia
Channels	Digital: 36 (UHF) Virtual: 27
Branding	WFXR
Programming
Affiliations	27.1: Fox 27.2: The CW for others, see § Subchannels
Ownership
Owner	Nexstar Media Group (Nexstar Media Inc.)
Sister stations	WWCW
History
Founded	January 25, 1983
First air date	November 13, 1986 (38 years ago) (1986-11-13)
Former call signs	WVFT (1986–1993) WFXR-TV (1993–2009)
Former channel number(s)	Analog: 27 (UHF, 1986–2009) Digital: 17 (UHF, 2005–2019)
Former affiliations	Independent (1986–1990) The WB (secondary, 1999–2001 and 2002–2006)[a]
Call sign meaning	"Fox Roanoke"
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	24813
ERP	944 kW
HAAT	607.3 m (1,992 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	37°11′47.8″N 80°9′14.6″W / 37.196611°N 80.154056°W / 37.196611; -80.154056
Repeater(s)	WWCW 21.2 Lynchburg
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Website	www.wfxrtv.com

WFXR (channel 27) is a television station licensed to Roanoke, Virginia, United States, serving as the Fox affiliate for the Roanoke–Lynchburg market. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside Lynchburg-licensed CW station WWCW (channel 21). The two stations share studios at the Valleypointe office park on Valleypoint Parkway in northeastern Roanoke County; WFXR's transmitter is located on Poor Mountain in southwestern Roanoke County. WWCW broadcasts WFXR's Fox programming from its transmitter on Thaxton Mountain in Bedford County as one of its subchannels and vice versa.

WFXR is the third station to occupy channel 27 in Roanoke. After seven years of battles over the permit and construction, it began broadcasting on November 13, 1986, as WVFT, the market's second new general-entertainment independent station in twelve months. The market proved unable to bear both WVFT and WJPR (channel 21), which had gone on the air earlier that year, due to insufficient advertising revenue and signal issues; in April 1989, the station's owner, Family Group Broadcasting, filed for bankruptcy protection. In 1990, Henry A. Ash of Tampa, Florida, acquired both stations out of bankruptcy, receiving a federal waiver to own the combination. On August 20, 1990, they began simulcasting as "Fox 21/27", the Fox affiliate for the market; WJPR had been airing Fox programming since October 1986.

WVFT and WJPR were acquired in 1993 by Grant Communications, and WVFT changed its call sign to WFXR-TV. Under Grant, the stations began airing a local newscast produced by WSLS-TV and also acquired The WB and later The CW affiliation in the market, which was initially aired in overnight hours and then on a local cable channel. With the conversion to digital broadcasting, the Fox and CW services were broadcast as subchannels in both Roanoke and Lynchburg, with channel 21 recognized as the originating station for The CW. Nexstar acquired WFXR and WWCW in 2013 and moved them into new, larger studios two years later, allowing them to begin producing their own news programming.

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