From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

WXMI
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Branding	FOX17
Slogan	West Michigan's FOX
Channels	17 (UHF) analog, 19 (UHF) digital
Translators	42 Hesperia, Michigan 52 Muskegon, Michigan
Affiliations	FOX
Owner	Tribune Broadcasting
Founded	March 1982
Call letters meaning	FoX MIchigan
Former callsigns	WWMA
Former affiliations	Independent
Website	www.wxmi.com

WXMI, "FOX17" Channel 17 (Digital Channel 19) is the Western Michigan affiliate for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is licensed to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where its studios and offices are located (at 3117 Plaza Drive Northeast). Broadcasting at 1.7 megawatts of power from a 334-meter (1096-feet) tower located near Middleville, Michigan, WXMI has been owned by Tribune Broadcasting since 1998. WXMI also operates two translators, W42CB Channel 42 in Hesperia, and W52DB Channel 52 in Muskegon.

Contents 1 History 2 News 2.1 Newscasts 2.2 Slogans 3 Sports 4 Major Personalities 4.1 Fox 17 News at Ten 4.2 Fox 17 Morning News 4.3 Sports Ticket 4.4 Blitz shows 5 Ownership 6 References 7 External links

WXMI's original call letters were WWMA when it signed on the air in March 1982 as a locally owned independent. The call letters are said to have stood for West Michigan Alternative.

Approximately a year after signing on, additional shareholders bought control of the station and changed the call letters to the current WXMI on August 15, 1983. The XMI at the time were said to stand for "EXtreme Michigan." WXMI is a charter affiliate of the Fox network. It is Fox's longest serving affiliate in Michigan after Fox dropped WKBD for New World owned WJBK in Detroit.

1989 saw the station's stock purchased by a New York-based company headed by Robert Dudley. Nine years later, the station was purchased by New York based Emmis Communications, which later traded the station with sister KTZZ Seattle to Tribune Broadcasting in exchange for FM station WQCD New York City.

Like some Fox affiliates, WXMI started a local news program even though the FOX Network had no nightly newscast. WXMI produces a nightly news program at 10 PM, giving the station a possible leg up on the competition. The newscast started in 1999 as a 35 minute newcast, which expanded to one hour in 2004.

In August 2006, The Tube started airing on a digital channel.

On August 28, 2006, Fox 17 Morning News premiered. It airs from 6:00am to 8:00am Monday through Friday. See newscasts section below.

The weather radar is called "Storm Tracker".

• Fox 17 News at Ten: Occasionally delayed by sports (Fox Sports and Detroit Lions) coverage and long movies. Full hour Monday-Saturday. On Sunday, half-hour newscast followed by Sports Ticket. Half-hour newscast on Blitz days. Began in 1999.
• Fox 17 Morning News: Monday through Friday from 6 to 8am. [1]. Began in 2006.

• Station: "West Michigan's FOX" (since 2004)
• News at Ten: "At Ten It's News. At Eleven It's History." (since 1999)
• Morning News: "Get News. Get Weather. Get Going." (since 2006)

Sports Ticket is a weekly half-hour sports broadcast that airs every Sunday at 10:30 PM. Brent Ashcroft and Tim Doty host this program, which covers local, regional and national sports news.

Blitz is a weekly sports broadcast focusing on high school sports. During the fall, it is the Friday Football Blitz, and during the winter, it is the Basketball Blitz.

• Sunday through Thursday:
  • Michelle DeSelms - Anchor. She was the original weekday anchor when the newscast started in 1999.
  • Christian Frank - Anchor. He was the original weekend anchor when the newscast started in 1999.
  • Peter Chan - Chief Meteorologist. He worked at WWMT and the National Weather Service before joining WXMI in 1999.
  • Brent Ashcroft - Sports Director. He worked at WZZM before joining WXMI in 1999.
• Friday through Saturday:
  • Mike Avery - Anchor. He previously worked in Savannah, GA before joining WXMI in 2005.
  • Rachel Calderon - Anchor. Formerly of WILX and KGWN.
  • Kevin Craig - Meteorologist. He worked at WIFR and WKOW before joining WXMI in 2001.
  • Tim Doty - Sports Anchor. He previously worked at WLNS before joining WXMI in 2001.
• Reporters:
  • Carl Apple
  • Mike Avery
  • Rachel Calderon
  • Dan Krauth
  • Lindsay Kus
  • Lisa LaPlante
  • Theresa Rashid
  • Emily Richett

• Weekdays:
  • Amy Turner - Anchor.
  • Jon Shaner - Meteorologist. Formerly of WOTV and WSBT.

• Sunday at 10:30pm.
  • Brent Ashcroft - Sports Director.
  • Tim Doty - Sports Anchor.

• Friday Football Blitz - Fridays at 10:45 during high school football season.
  • Brent Ashcroft - Sports Director.
  • Tim Doty - Sports Anchor.
• Basketball Blitz - Fridays at 10:30 during high school boys basketball season.
  • Tim Doty - Sports Anchor.
  • Bret Bakita - Program Director at WBBL - Sports 1340 AM.

• Sold in 1998 to Emmis Broadcasting, who in turn sold it to Tribune Broadcasting.

• WXMI TV Channel 17 (June 13, 2005). Michigan's Radio and TV Broadcast Guide.
• WXMI.com |About The Station (June 7, 2006).
• WXMI.com | WXMI News Staff (March 18, 2007).

• FOX 17
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WXMI
• Query the FCC's TV station database for W42CB
• Query the FCC's TV station database for W52DB

Broadcast television in the Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo-Battle Creek/Muskegon area  (Nielsen DMA #39)
WWMT 3 (CBS - The CW on DT2) - WOOD 8 (NBC) - WZZM 13 (ABC) - WXSP 15 (MNTV) - WXMI 17 (Fox) - WUHQ 29 (A1/MTV3) - WGVU 35 / WGVK 52 (PBS) - WUHO 36 (Ind.) - WMKG 38 (FN/Sportsman) - WOTV 41 (ABC) - WZPX 43 (ION) - W48CL 48 (3ABN) - WTLJ 54 (TBN) - WLLA 64 (FN)