WFTS-TV

As an independent station

WFTS first signed on the air on December 14, 1981,[11] operating as a family-oriented independent station with cartoons, off-network dramas, classic movies and religious programs.[12] Its call letters originally stood for "Family Television Station".[13]

In 1984, after having launched the station for just $6 million and turning a profit in the first year,[14] Family sold the station to Capital Cities Communications for more than $30 million. The deal gave Capital Cities its first station in Florida and its first (and only) independent, as well as bringing the group to its then-maximum of seven stations.[15] Under Capital Cities, the station added more off-network sitcoms and reduced the number of religious programs and drama series on its schedule, improving ratings against established Tampa Bay independent WTOG.

In March 1985, Capital Cities stunned the broadcasting industry with its announced purchase of ABC—a network that was ten times bigger than Capital Cities was at the time. In addition to WFTS-TV, Capital Cities owned four ABC and two CBS affiliates (which would change to ABC after the merger).[16] The combination of Cap Cities and ABC exceeded the new ownership limit of 12 stations and the 25% national reach limit, so the companies opted to sell WFTS; WXYZ-TV, the ABC-owned station in Detroit; and Cap Cities-owned ABC affiliates WKBW-TV in Buffalo and WTNH in New Haven, Connecticut;[17] WFTS and WXYZ-TV were sold to Scripps.[18]

Scripps continued the general-entertainment format on WFTS, running cartoons, sitcoms, movies and drama series. WFTS became the Tampa Bay market's Fox affiliate on August 8, 1988, after the network was dropped by WTOG.[19]

As an ABC affiliate

On May 23, 1994, New World Communications signed an affiliation agreement with Fox that resulted in twelve of New World's stations, including Tampa Bay's longtime CBS affiliate WTVT (channel 13), being tapped to switch to the network. Among the stations making the switch were longtime CBS affiliates WJBK-TV in Detroit and WJW-TV in Cleveland.[20] Not wanting to be relegated to the UHF band, CBS heavily wooed Detroit's longtime ABC affiliate, WXYZ, as well as Cleveland's longtime ABC affiliate, WEWS-TV. Both were owned by Scripps, who told ABC that it would switch WXYZ and WEWS to CBS unless ABC affiliated with three of its stations: WFTS, KNXV-TV in Phoenix (which was also slated to lose its Fox affiliation to New World-owned CBS affiliate KSAZ-TV), and WMAR-TV in Baltimore. Scripps insisted on including WFTS and KNXV in the deal, even though a news department was in construction at KNXV and no movement had yet occurred to build one in Tampa.[21]

The ABC affiliation, confirmed on June 15,[22] set off a mad dash. WFTS had already been planning a new studio facility in the vicinity of Tampa Stadium, and with the ABC tie-up confirmed, management scrambled to hire a news director.[23] With the station's new facility not planned to be ready until late 1995, the news department initially operated from former facilities of the Home Shopping Network in Clearwater.[24]

Another consequence of WFTS replacing WTSP (channel 10) in ABC's affiliate lineup was that it had a more centrally located transmitting facility, which then-ABC president Bob Iger cited as a positive in the switch.[25] That meant that the network would no longer have had a need to affiliate with WWSB (channel 40) in Sarasota, which had aired ABC programming since its 1971 sign-on. WWSB had become an ABC affiliate because WTSP's signal did not reach Sarasota.[26] However, this had become less necessary on technical grounds with high cable television penetration in the Sarasota area, while WFTS-TV's signal reached Sarasota.[27] Coinciding with the Scripps-ABC pact, ABC notified WWSB that it would be terminating its affiliation; though the network gave no reason for its decision, WWSB cited conversations with ABC officials who described it as essential to the broader deal when the Sarasota station petitioned to deny channel 28's license renewal.[28] WWSB ended up winning its battle with ABC and signed a new affiliation contract in March 1995.[29]

On December 12, 1994, WFTS became the market's ABC affiliate, WTSP switched to CBS, and WTVT joined Fox; that same day, WFTS launched local news and broke ground on the new Himes Avenue studio.[30] Most of WFTS's syndicated programs were then acquired by WTVT[31] and WTTA, which also aired Fox Kids in the market.[32]

WFTS was briefly the local over-the-air broadcast partner of the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning, airing four Lightning games produced by the Sunshine Network during the 2002–03 season.[33] An East Coast traffic hub and the station group–wide graphics operation for Scripps were established at Tampa in 2009, as an open floor was available at the WFTS facility.[34]

On September 24, 2020, a consortium made up of Scripps and Berkshire Hathaway announced the purchase of Ion Media, including local Ion Television station WXPX-TV (channel 66) and the company's technical operations center in Clearwater.[35]

Notable former on-air staff

• Jay Crawford – sports director (1998–2003)[54]
• Scott Hanson – sports anchor (1994–2000)[55]
• Walt Maciborski – anchor/reporter (2005–2009)
• Elaine Quijano – reporter (1998–2000)[56]
• Sage Steele – reporter (1998–2001)[57]

Analog-to-digital conversion

WFTS-TV began broadcasting a digital signal on October 1, 1999.[59] It shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 28, on June 12, 2009, as part of the federally mandated transition from analog to digital television. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 29, using virtual channel 28.[60]