WZAW-LD

WZAW-LD

Wausau, Wisconsin United States
Channels	Digital: 33 (UHF) Virtual: 33
Branding	Fox WZAW (general) NewsChannel 7 (newscasts)
Programming
Affiliations	33.1: Fox 33.2: MeTV 33.3: Movies! 33.4: Heroes & Icons 33.5: Start TV 34.10: The CW
Ownership
Owner	Gray Television (Gray Television Licensee, LLC)
Sister stations	WSAW-TV, WEAU, WMTV, WBAY-TV, WLUC-TV
History
Founded	May 27, 2015 (2015-05-27)[citation needed]
First air date	July 1, 2015 (6 years ago) (2015-07-01)
Former channel number(s)	Digital: 31 (UHF, 2015−2016) Virtual: 55 (PSIP, 2015−2016)
Former affiliations	LD4: Laff (until 2019) LD5: Stadium (until 2019)
Call sign meaning	disambiguation of WSAW ("Z" added in honor of former News Director Mark Zelich)
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	183262
Class	LD
ERP	15 kW
HAAT	313 m (1,027 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	45°3′22″N 89°27′54″W / 45.05611°N 89.46500°W / 45.05611; -89.46500
Translator(s)	WSAW-DT 7.3 (VHF) Wausau 7.3 (UHF) W21DS-D3 Sayner/Vilas County, WI
Links
Public license information	Profile LMS

WZAW-LD, virtual and UHF digital channel 33, is a low-powered Fox-affiliated television station licensed to Wausau, Wisconsin, United States and serving north-central Wisconsin, including Rhinelander. Owned by Gray Television, it is a sister station to CBS affiliate WSAW-TV (channel 7). The two stations share studios on Grand Avenue/US 51 in Wausau; WZAW-LD's transmitter is located northeast of Nutterville in unincorporated Marathon County.

Overview[]

Since WZAW transmits at low-power, its signal does not reach Rhinelander or other areas to the north and east (such as Eagle River and Crandon), which would have caused complications, especially for Fox's broadcasts of NFL games, including games of the Green Bay Packers. Therefore, the station is simulcast on WSAW's third digital subchannel in 720p high definition to increase its over-the-air broadcasting radius. This signal broadcasts on virtual and VHF channel 7.3 from a transmitter on Rib Mountain. It is also seen on WSAW's Sayner translator, W21DS-D3, which also maps to PSIP channel 7.3.

History[]

On July 1, 2015, Gray bought the non-license assets of the market's previous Fox affiliate WFXS-DT (owned by Davis Television, LLC). Due to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ownership restrictions, Gray established this new low-powered station to become the new Fox affiliate. All of WFXS' program streams including its existing PSIP channel numbering was then moved to WZAW. Subsequently, WFXS ceased broadcasting after nearly sixteen years on-the-air and its studios on North 3rd Street in Wausau were shut down.^[1][2]

In consenting to the interference that would be caused by WZAW operating under special temporary authority on channel 31 (the same RF channel as WFXS) rather than its licensed channel 33, Davis Television stated that it would return the WFXS license to the FCC for cancellation following the sale.^[3] In August 2015, WSAW launched a prime time newscast on this Fox outlet known as WZAW News at 9. The half-hour broadcast offers direct competition to WAOW's thirty-minute, weeknight-only news airing at the same time on its CW digital subchannel.

In September 2016, WZAW moved from virtual channel 55 and RF channel 31 to RF and virtual channel 33. In 2017, its simulcast on WSAW-DT3 was upgraded to high definition to provide full-market access to Fox programming in HD.

Digital channels[]

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

References[]

External links[]

• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WZAW-LD