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WWCP-TV
Johnstown/Altoona/State College, Pennsylvania
Branding	Fox 8
Slogan	The Place to Be (main slogan) Up to Date, Not Up Late! (news slogan)
Channels	Analog: 8 (VHF) Digital: 29 (UHF)
Affiliations	Fox
Owner	Peak Media of Pennsylvania
Founded	October 13, 1986
Call letters meaning	WW Central Pennsylvania
Former affiliations	Independent (1986-87)
Transmitter Power	166 kW/368 m (analog) 1000 kW/352 m (digital)
Website	www.fox8tv.com

WWCP-TV is the FOX affiliate in Johnstown/Altoona/State College, Pennsylvania media market. It is owned by Peak Media of Pennsylvania, who also controls ABC affiliate WATM-TV. The station operates on VHF channel 8, with a digital signal on UHF channel 29. Its transmitter is located atop Laurel Ridge near Ligonier, Pennsylvania.

Initially, WWCP was supposed to be licensed to Pittsburgh, but its owners petitioned the FCC to move the license to Johnstown. Additionally, programming prices were lower in Johnstown, and more shows would be available to them there as opposed to in Pittsburgh. Another likely consideration was the need to protect WJW in Cleveland. The FCC approved the move, under the condition that Pittsburgh would need to receive a grade B signal.

This posed a problem for the new channel 8, as this stipulation meant that its signal would be all but unviewable in the eastern portion of the market (including Altoona and State College). WWCP's owners solved this problem by buying the dormant license of Altoona's former ABC affiliate, WOPC-TV. It moved the WOPC license from channel 38 to channel 23 and changed the calls to WWPC-TV. As a result, the station signed on October 13, 1986, with WWPC as a full-time satellite.

Originally, both stations broadcast a general entertainment format, running cartoons, classic sitcoms, old movies, recent sitcoms, and drama shows. Finding itself in the unique position of being an independent station on the VHF band, the station immediately took most of the stronger shows from the only other independent in the market, WFAT (channel 19)--a coup which effectively spelled the end for that station (it went off the air in 1991, returned in 1996 and is now Pittsburgh CW station WPCW). Within 10 months of going on the air, the stations obtained a FOX affiliation.

Since WOPC had gone dark in the early 1980s, the eastern portion of the market had gotten ABC programming from WHTM-TV in Harrisburg, while the western portion was served by WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh. At the time, both stations preempted a moderate amount of network shows. It soon became obvious that Johnstown needed its own ABC affiliate. In 1988, channel 8 converted WWPC to a separate station, WATM-TV, which then took the ABC affiliation. WATM was soon sold off in order to comply with FCC regulations on station ownership, but the FCC allowed WWCP to continue to control channel 23 under a local marketing agreement. WWCP successfully contended that if operated separately, both stations may have been in danger of going dark.

For a time, a repeater was set up that allowed WWCP to be received as UHF Channel 57 to the Altoona area. This was not effective anyway; As the transmitter for channel 57 was located near Martinsburg, 20 miles away, Altoona viewers who did not possess a high-powered antenna could not receive channel 57. Throughout most of the city, viewers only saw a picture, no sound, or vice versa, or neither. Also, the station was widely available on cable, which is all but essential for acceptable television in much of this market.

WWCP was the first Fox affiliate in the nation to refuse to air O.J. Simpson's two-night interview special with Judith Regan on November 27 and 29, 2006, If I Did It, Here's How It Happened, with the station owner saying it was inappropriate for Simpson to profit on his infamy [1]. A special on St. Jude's Hospital in Memphis would have aired on the 27th, with a locally produced program about domestic abuse, "When Violence Hits Home" produced by Josh Bandish and anchored by Jim Penna airing on the 29th, had Fox not pulled the special from air on November 21.

On November 28, 2007 The Tribune Democrat reported that WWCP's news will be assumed by Cox Enterprises owned station WJAC effective January 14, 2008. According to a written statement, WWCP and sister station WATM's news cast had been operating at a loss for years and the move was needed. WWCP's news will be produced by WJAC and reduced from one hour to 35 minutes. All WWCP and WATM reorters will be released but could be hired by WJAC to fill the on-air positions.

• Jim Penna (news director/anchor, Monday-Friday)
• Ian Holtzman (executive producer)
• Sherry Stalley (news anchor, Monday-Friday)
• Travis Koshko (chief meteorologist, Monday-Friday)
• Greg Whitmer (sports director, Monday-Friday)
• Matt Parsons (sports, weekends)
• Angie Boddorf (reporter)
• Jennifer Black (reporter)
• Amy Cutler (reporter)
• Kate O'Donovan (reporter/weekend anchor)
• Will Driscoll (reporter/weekend weather)

• Rich (Knight) Apuzzo, Meteorologist (formerly at WXIX-TV Cincinnati)
• Donya Archer, Co-Anchor (WTXF-TV Fox Philadelphia)
• Mindy Basara, Reporter (WBAL-TV Baltimore)
• Ryan Brant, Sports Anchor, reporter (Sports Director, WKEF/WRGT-TV Dayton)
• Scott Brooks, Producer, reporter
• Paige Hopkins, Co-Anchor (Anchor, Fox News)
• David Pingalore, Sports Director (Sports Director, WKMG-TV Orlando)
• Melissa White, Blair County Reporter
• Josh Bandish, State College Bureau Reporter/Executive Producer
• Bob McCall, Senior Producer (WBFF-TV Baltimore)

• WWCP (FOX 8) Website
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WWCP