WLAX
Encyclopedia
WLAX is the Fox-affiliated television station
for Western Wisconsin
licensed to La Crosse
. It broadcasts a high definition
digital signal on UHF channel 17 (or virtual channel
25.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter in La Crescent, Minnesota
near the studios of ABC
affiliate WXOW. The station can also be seen on Charter
, Mediacom
, and CenturyLink
channel 3. There is a high definition feed offered on CenturyLink digital channel 306, Charter digital channel 605, and Mediacom digital channel 803. Owned by Grant Broadcasting System II
, it has studios at Interchange
Place in La Crosse next to the I-90
/US 53
/WIS 45/Rose Street junction (hence the station's street address name).
Syndicated
programming on WLAX includes The Office, Two and a Half Men
, How I Met Your Mother
, and Judge Judy
among others. WEUX in Chippewa Falls
serves as a full-time satellite of WLAX in the Chippewa Valley
. This broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 49 (or virtual channel 48.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter in Colfax
(north of WIS 29) along the Dunn and Chippewa
County line. The station maintains an advertising sales office on WIS 93 in Eau Claire
between I-94
and US 53.
affiliate WEAU-TV
. The big three outlet
was added to the second digital subchannel
after its broadcast tower in Fairchild
collapsed during a winter storm
on March 22, 2011. Although WEAU has resumed its own over-the-air transmissions as of July 22, the simulcast on WLAX-DT2 still exists right now.
The carriage agreement between WLAX and WEAU represents the second partnership between the two stations as there was an existing news share agreement (see below).
with an analog signal on UHF channel 25. It affiliated with Fox right from the start and also aired syndicated programming seen at the time. However, since the station's transmitter was located in Minnesota
, it provided an inadequate over-the-air signal to the northern part of the market
(the same problem that long plagued WXOW).
To close this coverage gap, full-time satellite WEUX launched in February 1993
with an analog signal on UHF channel 48. As a result, the two stations began to be co-branded together. WLAX/WEUX were acquired by current owner Grant Broadcasting on May 15, 1996. On April 29, 2004, the stations became available on DISH Network
's local package and DirecTV
would do the same on May 24, 2005.
On December 9, 2004, WLAX sign-on a standard definition digital signal on UHF channel 17. WEUX followed on February 1, 2006 with a digital signal on UHF channel 49 in standard definition. WLAX added high definition capabilities on January 28, 2008 while also launching a new second digital subchannel to offering standard definition service. As part of the DTV transition on February 17, 2009, both outlets discontinued analog transmissions. WEUX would not upgrade is digital signal to high definition until September 10, 2009 and also added a second subchannel to continue standard definition service.
), this station began airing a weeknight prime time newscast produced by the NBC affiliate. Known as Fox News at 9, the thirty minute broadcast expanded to weekends on January 20, 2007. For a time, MyNetworkTV
affiliate WKBT-DT2 also aired a prime time newscast at 9 but it was only a weeknight operation. That show was dropped in 2009 for an unknown reason and WKBT-DT2 currently airs a repeat of its parent station's weeknight 6 o'clock broadcast in the 9 p.m. slot.
This station's show features most of WEAU's on-air team except for having a separate weeknight meteorologist and weeknight sports anchor (although the two can contribute to that station). Fox News at 9 originates from a secondary set at WEAU's facility on South Hastings Way/US 53 Business in Altoona
(postal address is actually Eau Claire). It features the news music and graphics package licensed from News Corporation Digital Media (modified from original use on Fox owned-and-operated station
s). Fox News at 9 is simulcasted on WEAU-DT2, a 24-local weather channel. This carriage allows the newscast to still air even if Fox programming delays or prevents the show from airing on WLAX/WEUX.
Anchors
Videographers
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
for Western Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
licensed to La Crosse
La Crosse, Wisconsin
La Crosse is a city in and the county seat of La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States. The city lies alongside the Mississippi River.The 2011 Census Bureau estimates the city had a population of 52,485...
. It broadcasts a high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
digital signal on UHF channel 17 (or virtual channel
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
25.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter in La Crescent, Minnesota
La Crescent, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,923 people, 1,940 households, and 1,367 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,634.4 people per square mile . There were 2,014 housing units at an average density of 668.6 per square mile...
near the studios of ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
affiliate WXOW. The station can also be seen on Charter
Charter Communications
Charter Communications is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 4.7 million customers in 25 states. By revenues, it is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States, behind Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications...
, Mediacom
Mediacom
Mediacom is a cable television and communications provider in the United States. Founded in July 1995, it serves primarily smaller markets in the Midwest and Southern United States. Formerly a publicly traded firm, it went private in a $600.0 million transaction in March 2011 and is, as of 2011,...
, and CenturyLink
CenturyLink
CenturyLink, Inc. is a United States telecommunications firm, headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana. The company, founded as Central Telephone & Electronics Corporation in 1968, later changed its name to Century Telephone Enterprises, Inc. in 1971, and then was called CenturyTel, Inc. from 1999 to 2010...
channel 3. There is a high definition feed offered on CenturyLink digital channel 306, Charter digital channel 605, and Mediacom digital channel 803. Owned by Grant Broadcasting System II
Grant Broadcasting System II
Based in Roanoke, Virginia, Grant Broadcasting System II is an owner of various television stations in the United States....
, it has studios at Interchange
Interchange (road)
In the field of road transport, an interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation, and one or more ramps, to permit traffic on at least one highway to pass through the junction without directly crossing any other traffic stream. It differs from a standard intersection, at which...
Place in La Crosse next to the I-90
Interstate 90 in Wisconsin
In the U.S. state of Wisconsin, Interstate 90 runs east–west through the western, central and southern portions of the state. A total of of Interstate 90 lie in Wisconsin.-Route description:...
/US 53
U.S. Route 53
U.S. Route 53 is a north–south U.S. highway that runs for 403 miles from La Crosse, Wisconsin to northern Minnesota. It is the primary north–south route in northwestern Wisconsin, serving as a vital link between I-94 at Eau Claire, Wisconsin and the city of Duluth, Minnesota...
/WIS 45/Rose Street junction (hence the station's street address name).
Syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
programming on WLAX includes The Office, Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men is an American television sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2003. Starring Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and Angus T. Jones, the show was originally about a hedonistic jingle writer, Charlie Harper; his uptight brother, Alan; and Alan's growing son, Jake...
, How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 19, 2005, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays.As a framing device, the main character, Ted Mosby with narration by Bob Saget, in the year 2030 recounts to his son and daughter the events that led to his meeting...
, and Judge Judy
Judge Judy
Judge Judy is an American court show featuring former family court judge Judith Sheindlin arbitrating over small claims cases in small claims court...
among others. WEUX in Chippewa Falls
Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin
Chippewa Falls is a city located on the Chippewa River in Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 13,661 at the 2010 census. Incorporated as a city in 1869, it is the county seat of Chippewa County....
serves as a full-time satellite of WLAX in the Chippewa Valley
Chippewa Valley
The Chippewa Valley was first inhabited by the Ojibwe Indians and settled by German and Scandinavian immigrants. The region also has a large Hmong community...
. This broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 49 (or virtual channel 48.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter in Colfax
Colfax, Wisconsin
Colfax is a village in Dunn County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,136 at the 2000 census. The village is located within the Town of Colfax.-Geography:Colfax is located at ....
(north of WIS 29) along the Dunn and Chippewa
Chippewa County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,088 people, 5,361 households, and 3,597 families residing in the county. The population density was 22 people per square mile . There were 5,855 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile...
County line. The station maintains an advertising sales office on WIS 93 in Eau Claire
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Eau Claire is a city located in the west-central part of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 65,883 as of the 2010 census, making it the largest municipality in the northwestern portion of the state, and the 9th largest in the state overall. It is the county seat of Eau Claire County,...
between I-94
Interstate 94 in Wisconsin
In the U.S. state of Wisconsin, Interstate 94 runs east–west through the western, central and southeastern portions of the state.-Route description:A total of of Interstate 94 lie in Wisconsin....
and US 53.
Digital programming
On WLAX-DT2 is a standard definition simulcast of NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
affiliate WEAU-TV
WEAU-TV
WEAU-TV is the NBC affiliate for much of western Wisconsin, including Eau Claire and La Crosse. WEAU is licensed to Eau Claire and its transmitter is located in Fairchild, Wisconsin. WEAU is currently broadcasting from a tower near the station's studio in Eau Claire due to a collapse of its main...
. The big three outlet
Big Three Television Networks
The Big Three Television Networks are the three traditional commercial broadcast television networks in the United States: ABC, CBS and NBC...
was added to the second digital subchannel
Digital subchannel
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compression techniques to reduce the size of each individual...
after its broadcast tower in Fairchild
Fairchild (town), Wisconsin
Fairchild is a town in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 351 at the 2000 census. The Village of Fairchild is located within the town.-Geography:...
collapsed during a winter storm
Winter storm
A winter storm is an event in which the dominant varieties of precipitation are formed that only occur at low temperatures, such as snow or sleet, or a rainstorm where ground temperatures are low enough to allow ice to form...
on March 22, 2011. Although WEAU has resumed its own over-the-air transmissions as of July 22, the simulcast on WLAX-DT2 still exists right now.
The carriage agreement between WLAX and WEAU represents the second partnership between the two stations as there was an existing news share agreement (see below).
| Channels | Name | Video | Aspect Aspect ratio The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,... |
Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25.1 48.1 |
WLAX-HD WEUX-HD |
720p 720p 720p is the shorthand name for 1280x720, a category of High-definition television video modes having a resolution of 1080 or 720p and a progressive scan... |
16:9 16:9 16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ... |
Main WLAX/WEUX programming / FOX |
| 25.2 48.2 |
WLAX-DT2 WEUX-DT2 |
480i 480i 480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the US NTSC television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics. The i, which is sometimes uppercase, stands for interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution of 480 lines containing picture information; while NTSC... |
4:3 | SD simulcast of WEAU SD simulcast of WLAX/WEUX (To be replaced by Me-TV) |
History
WLAX signed-on November of 19861986 in television
The year 1986 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1986.For the American network television schedule, please see 1986-87 American network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:*September 6 –...
with an analog signal on UHF channel 25. It affiliated with Fox right from the start and also aired syndicated programming seen at the time. However, since the station's transmitter was located in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, it provided an inadequate over-the-air signal to the northern part of the market
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
(the same problem that long plagued WXOW).
To close this coverage gap, full-time satellite WEUX launched in February 1993
1993 in television
The year 1993 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1993.For the American TV schedule, see: 1993-94 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1950s:...
with an analog signal on UHF channel 48. As a result, the two stations began to be co-branded together. WLAX/WEUX were acquired by current owner Grant Broadcasting on May 15, 1996. On April 29, 2004, the stations became available on DISH Network
Dish Network
Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
's local package and DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
would do the same on May 24, 2005.
On December 9, 2004, WLAX sign-on a standard definition digital signal on UHF channel 17. WEUX followed on February 1, 2006 with a digital signal on UHF channel 49 in standard definition. WLAX added high definition capabilities on January 28, 2008 while also launching a new second digital subchannel to offering standard definition service. As part of the DTV transition on February 17, 2009, both outlets discontinued analog transmissions. WEUX would not upgrade is digital signal to high definition until September 10, 2009 and also added a second subchannel to continue standard definition service.
Newscasts
On August 28, 2006 after entering into a news share agreement with WEAU (owned by Gray TelevisionGray Television
Gray Television, Inc. is a communications company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with administrative offices in Albany, Georgia.Established in 1946 by James H...
), this station began airing a weeknight prime time newscast produced by the NBC affiliate. Known as Fox News at 9, the thirty minute broadcast expanded to weekends on January 20, 2007. For a time, MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
affiliate WKBT-DT2 also aired a prime time newscast at 9 but it was only a weeknight operation. That show was dropped in 2009 for an unknown reason and WKBT-DT2 currently airs a repeat of its parent station's weeknight 6 o'clock broadcast in the 9 p.m. slot.
This station's show features most of WEAU's on-air team except for having a separate weeknight meteorologist and weeknight sports anchor (although the two can contribute to that station). Fox News at 9 originates from a secondary set at WEAU's facility on South Hastings Way/US 53 Business in Altoona
Altoona, Wisconsin
Altoona is a city in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 6,706 at the 2010 census. The city is a railroad terminal on the Union Pacific Railroad.-History:...
(postal address is actually Eau Claire). It features the news music and graphics package licensed from News Corporation Digital Media (modified from original use on Fox owned-and-operated station
Owned-and-operated station
In the broadcasting industry , an owned-and-operated station usually refers to a television station or radio station that is owned by the network with which it is associated...
s). Fox News at 9 is simulcasted on WEAU-DT2, a 24-local weather channel. This carriage allows the newscast to still air even if Fox programming delays or prevents the show from airing on WLAX/WEUX.
Anchors
- Sarah Stokes - weeknight news
- Amelia Cerling - weekend news and reporter three days a week
- Andrew McCawley - weeknight meteorologist
- Matt Hoffman - weekend meteorologist and news reporter
- Matt Cullen - weeknight sports and sports reporter
- Justus Cleveland - weekend sports
Videographers
- Andrew Fefer - Assistant News DirectorNews DirectorA news director is an individual at a broadcast station or network or a newspaper who is in charge of the news department. In local news, the news director is typically in charge of the entire news staff, including journalists, news presenters, photographers, copy writers, television producers,...
seen weeknights and fill-in news anchor - Chris Baylor - weeknights and weekend producer
- Martha Boehm - La Crosse Bureau
- Jenny You - reporter
- Megan Peterson
- Kelly Schlicht