GHENT--After signing on the air in January 1997, WVSX Fox 59 has doubled its viewership and plans to double it again this year, said Gary O'Halloran, general manager.
Before it became Fox 59, WVSX was a low-powered Warner Brothers station that was purchased by High Mountain Broadcasting, owned by John Tupper and Bruce Fox.
Currently, Fox 59 employs 22 full-time people and three part-time people.
There are many challenges a relatively new station faces when it enters a market area, O'Halloran said. One of the biggest challenges is name recognition.
Before Fox 59 signed on the air, Southern West Virginia was essentially a two-station market, due to the lack of a local CBS affiliate.
It's been a challenge to attract viewers, said, however, the lack of a CBS affiliate has made getting viewers a bit easier.
'For a lot of years, this was a two-station market. We have a good NBC station in this market, we have a good ABC station in this market. So, it has just been a matter of letting people now why they should watch the Fox product rather than watching ABC and NBC,' he said.
Even though 79 percent of the Designated Market Area's (DMA) viewers have access to CBS programming from Charleston and Roanoke, Va., not having a local CBS affiliate has definitely helped Fox 59 grab a larger share of the viewers in its DMA, O'Halloran said.
'Being new, it's just a matter of getting eyeballs to watch the station. One of the key things I am working on is getting the station more involved in the community. I think that is important,' O'Halloran said.
At one time, WVAH Fox 11 was available in Fox 59's market area, but it recently was withdrawn from the local cable system.
This also has helped Fox 59 attract more viewers, O'Halloran said.
'I think this will help create less confusion for people filling out their Neilsen Diaries,' he said.
Fox 59's DMA by county is made up of Fayette, Greenbrier, Raleigh, Summers, Monroe, Mercer, Wyoming and McDowell counties in West Virginia and Tazwell County in Virginia.
This represents about 137,000 households or 260,000 adult viewers, according to O'Halloran.
This market is ranked as the 149th DMA out of 200 DMAs nationwide.
'This television market is about a $12 million market overall. The biggest challenges you face regionally and nationally are ratings. You live and die by the ratings because this is a new station,' O'Halloran said. 'Even though we are showing growth, we are probably only one book away. In November our ratings should go up, the confidence level in the station will go up because it has a history now and that will increase our national and regional revenues, no question about it.'
According to O'Halloran, since WVSX is a Fox affiliate, its core demographic audience is 18-49 years old and depending on the program, its audience tends to skew toward male or female.
'Sports help us a lot with the male skew, having this year the National League Championship, the World Series and in January, Super Bowl XXXIII. So, we skew pretty much like a traditional Fox affiliate does nationwide,' O'Halloran said.
Having programming like the NFL, the Super Bowl and the World Series helps a station like Fox 59 because it allows it to attract more viewers and advertisers.
'There is no question about it, when Fox first got football away from CBS, it was also a self-promotion vehicle for other prime time programming. Fox saw a great ratings growth and we're seeing the same thing. We're seeing a ratings growth from Fox promoting its own product within those highly visible elements.'
Another way Fox 59 attracts viewers to its station is by counter programming, O'Halloran said.
'We did an experiment this past May by putting Judge Judy in prime access and it's done extremely well. It is No. 1 in the market in a number of demographics. Jerry Springer is another program that performs very well for us, so well as to the point that I've moved it into prime time in September,' he said.
Counter programming is giving the audience a programming choice they may not find on another station at a given time.
'I think the key is to effectively counter program what the other stations are doing and offer another option for people to tune into your station. In the afternoon I have Jerry Springer up against soap operas,' O'Halloran said. 'So, if you don't want to watch a soap opera, I counter program with talk or with news, I counter program with sitcoms.'
Counter programming is the key to growth for a new station like Fox 59, O'Halloran said.
Although O'Halloran was not at Fox 59 for its start up, every start-up station he has worked for have been major endeavors.
'Being the new kid on the block is more difficult because you have to really get out there and create the awareness that you exist, but once you get to that point, the rewards are phenomenal. The hard work pays off, he said.
For Fox 59 to be successful in its market, it is a matter of finding the right programming and staying visible in the community, O'Halloran said.
One of the challenges for a new station like Fox 59 is finding out what programs will perform well in its market.
'Some things will play well in this market at won't play well on the East Coast or the West Coast, and there are things that will play well on the East Coast or the West Coast that won't play well in this market.
'You really have to research how individual programs perform in your market and just kind of throw away how they are doing nationally, because there are some very large variances,' he said.
Even though Fox 59 doesn't currently offer local news coverage for its market, it is something O'Halloran is looking toward for the future, he said.
According to O'Halloran, as Fox 59 continues to grow, its parent company, High Mountain Broadcasting, has plans to add additional stations to its network.
'We plan on being here for a long time. This is a company that is looking to grow and I anticipate good things a year from now and two years from now as the station establishes itself as a major player in this market.'
