View source for WFSB

{{Short description|Television station in Hartford, Connecticut}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{For|the radio station known as WFSB from 1970 until 1974|WDJM-FM}}
{{Infobox television station
| callsign               = WFSB
| city                   = Hartford, Connecticut
| logo                   = WFSB 3D logo.svg
| logo_upright           = 0.8
| image                  = WFSB Studios.jpg
| image_upright          = 1
| caption                = WFSB's studio facility in Rocky Hill off Capital Boulevard, located directly west of [[Henkel]]'s North American headquarters. The road into the station's parking lot was re-dedicated as [[Denise D'Ascenzo]] Way in the spring of 2020.
| branding               = {{ubl|Channel 3|''Channel 3 [[Eyewitness News]]''}}
| digital                = 36 ([[UHF]])
| virtual                = 3
| translators            =
| subchannels            =
| affiliations           = {{ubl|'''3.1:''' [[CBS]]|''for others, see {{section link||Subchannels}}''}}
| airdate                = {{start date and age|1957|9|23|p=y}}
| location               = [[Hartford]]–[[New Haven, Connecticut]]
| country                = United States
| callsign_meaning       = [[Frederick Sessions Beebe]] (former president of former owner [[Post-Newsweek Stations]])
| former_callsigns       = WTIC-TV (1957–1974)
| former_channel_numbers = {{ubl|'''Analog:''' 3 ([[VHF]], 1957–2009)|'''Digital:''' 33 (UHF, 2005–2019)}}
| owner                  = [[Gray Media]]
| licensee               = Gray Television Licensee, [[LLC]]
| sister_stations        = [[WGGB-TV]], [[WSHM-LD]], WWAX-LD
| former_affiliations    = [[Independent station|Independent]] (1957–1958)
| erp                    = 1,000 [[kW]]
| haat                   = {{convert|289|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| facility_id            = 53115
| coordinates            = {{coord|41|46|30|N|72|48|18.3|W|type:landmark_scale:2000|display=inline, title}}
| licensing_authority    = [[FCC]]
| website                = {{url|https://www.wfsb.com/}}
}}
{{Infobox television station
| callsign               = WWAX-LD
| logo                   = WWAX-LD Logo.svg
| logo_size              = 200px
| branding               = theWAX
| digital                = 27 ([[UHF]])
| virtual                = 27
| affiliations           = {{ubl|'''27.1:''' [[Independent station|Independent]]|''for others, see {{section link||Subchannels}}''}}
| airdate                = {{start date and age|2013|3|11}} (in [[Westmoreland, NH]])
| location               = Hartford, Connecticut
| callsign_meaning       = The word [[wax]]
| former_callsigns       = {{ubl|W20EB-D|W27ER-D}}
| former_channel_numbers = {{ubl|'''Digital:''' 20 (UHF)}}
| erp                    = 15 [[kW]]
| haat                   = {{convert|273.7|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| facility_id            = 186687
| class                  = [[Low-power broadcasting#Television|LD]]
| coordinates            = {{coord|41|46|30|N|72|48|18.3|W|type:landmark_scale:2000}}
| licensing_authority    = [[FCC]]
| website                = {{url|https://www.wfsb.com/wwax/}}
}}
'''WFSB''' (channel 3) is a [[television station]] licensed to [[Hartford, Connecticut]], United States, serving the Hartford–[[New Haven]] [[Media market|market]] as an affiliate of [[CBS]]. Owned by [[Gray Media]], the station maintains studios on Denise D'Ascenzo Way in [[Rocky Hill, Connecticut|Rocky Hill]] and a transmitter on [[Talcott Mountain]] in [[Avon, Connecticut]].

Most of WFSB's programs are seen in [[Springfield, Massachusetts]], over a [[low-power broadcasting#Television|low-power]] [[semi-satellite]] station, [[WSHM-LD]] (channel 33). That station is based at the facilities of [[sister station]] [[WGGB-TV]] (channel 40) in Springfield, although some [[master control]] and other internal operations are hubbed through WFSB.

WFSB also maintains a second sister station, '''WWAX-LD''' (channel 27), also licensed to Hartford. Known on-air as ''theWax'', WWAX-LD mainly features simulcasts and repeats of WFSB's news programming, along with second runs of its syndicated shows and other Gray-produced programming. Its own third subchannel features a full-time automated feed of WFSB news briefs, headlines, current weather conditions, and other miscellanea known as ''Eyewitness News Now'', which simulcasts on the station's website and mobile app.

==History==
WFSB signed on the air on September 23, 1957, as WTIC-TV, owned by the Hartford-based [[Travelers Insurance Company]], along with WTIC radio ([[WTIC (AM)|1080 AM]] and [[WTIC-FM|96.5 FM]]).<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=WTIC-TV Formally Opens with Telecast Tonight |work=The Hartford Courant |date=September 23, 1957}}</ref> As Connecticut's second [[VHF]] station, WTIC-TV was one of the most powerful stations in [[New England]], not only covering the entire state but a large chunk of western Massachusetts and eastern [[Long Island]] in New York. It provided secondary coverage to much of the southern sections of [[Vermont]] and [[New Hampshire]]. During its first year on the air, Channel 3 was an [[independent station]], as [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] was affiliated with the state's other VHF outlet, WNHC-TV (channel 8, now [[WTNH]]) in New Haven; while CBS and [[NBC]] had [[owned-and-operated station]]s on the [[UHF]] band in the market, WHCT-TV (channel 18, now [[Univision]] affiliate [[WUVN]]) in Hartford and WNBC (channel 30, now [[WVIT]]) in [[New Britain, Connecticut|New Britain]], respectively. With no network affiliation, WTIC-TV devoted much of its airtime to [[feature film|movies]], [[broadcast syndication|syndicated]] programs that were mostly on film, and three daily newscasts (including one at 10&nbsp;pm).<ref name=tb-wticearlyfare>{{cite news|title=WTIC to Air News, Sports, and Weather|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SCEEAAAAMBAJ&q=WTIC+1957&pg=PA12|access-date=January 27, 2013|newspaper=[[Billboard (magazine)|The Billboard]]|date=August 19, 1957}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=WTIC-TV Faces Challenge As Independent Station |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/hartford-courant-wtic-tv-faces-challenge/173435179/ |access-date=May 29, 2025 |newspaper=The Hartford Courant |date=September 29, 1957 |location=Hartford, Connecticut |page=1F |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

In 1958, CBS was looking to sell WHCT-TV. The network's ratings had been alarmingly low in the market because television manufacturers were not required to have UHF tuners at the time. Many viewers northeast of Hartford got a better signal for CBS programming from [[WNAC-TV (Boston)|WNAC-TV]] (now [[WHDH (TV)|WHDH]]) in [[Boston]], or WPRO-TV (now [[WPRI-TV]]) in [[Providence, Rhode Island]]; while those southwest of Hartford with an outdoor antenna were able to watch the network via New York City [[flagship station]] [[WCBS-TV]]. Network head [[William S. Paley]] decided that it was better to have CBS air its programming on a VHF station, even if it was only an affiliate. WTIC-TV was the obvious choice due to its massive coverage area. Paley quickly negotiated an affiliation deal, and channel 3 became the network's new affiliate on November 16, 1958. WTIC radio had been with [[NBC Radio]] for over thirty years.<ref name="WHCT-TV history">{{Cite web |url=http://radiodxer.bravehost.com/whct.html |title=Untitled |access-date=December 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426080621/http://radiodxer.bravehost.com/whct.html |archive-date=April 26, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Soon after the affiliation switch, channel 3 surged to the top of the ratings, and has remained there more or less ever since.

The switch to WTIC-TV for CBS had repercussions in Springfield. Although Springfield already had a CBS affiliate in WHYN-TV (channel 40, now sister station WGGB-TV), that station's owners, the Hampden-Hampshire Corporation, knew they would find the going difficult competing against WTIC-TV's stronger VHF signal. WHYN-TV sought to move to the VHF band as well, to no avail. In response, WHYN-TV switched its affiliation to ABC (previously, some ABC programs had been seen on [[WWLP]]). Over the years, WTIC-TV repeatedly blocked WHYN/WGGB's attempts to switch back to CBS.

The station also played a role in a nadir for the [[New York Giants]] in the 1970s, as the station is outside of the NFL's {{convert|75|mi|km|0|adj=on}} [[National Football League television blackout policies|blackout radius]] and the team was entering a long period of futility and a nomadic existence after losing [[Yankee Stadium (1923)|Yankee Stadium]] when it was renovated exclusively into a baseball venue, as the team waited for [[Giants Stadium]] to be built and open in 1976. This included games being played at New Haven's [[Yale Bowl]], a 71,000 seat venue which was impossible to sell out. Despite this, the team had a decades-long fanbase, well before the [[New England Patriots]] could begin to compete equally in the market. This meant that fans of the team in the New York area who refused to support the team with their attendance, would then drive into the Hartford–New Haven area to watch Giants home games, either by patronizing area bars or checking into a motel room while the game was on channel 3.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-1996-12-20-9612200526-story.html|title=IT MAY BE PATRIOTS TERRITORY|last=Garber|first=Greg|date=December 19, 1996|work=[[Hartford Courant]]|access-date=September 19, 2022}}</ref>

In 1962, the WTIC stations moved to Broadcast House, a state-of-the-art facility in the [[Constitution Plaza]] development in [[Downtown Hartford]]. A decade later, in late 1972, Travelers Insurance decided to exit broadcasting. The announcement was made to the staff at an employee meeting held in Studio A on January 15, 1973. While the WTIC radio stations were spun off to a company formed by station management called 1080 Corporation, WTIC-TV was sold to [[The Washington Post Company]]. The sale of all three stations was closed on March 8, 1974, and the Post's broadcasting division, [[Post-Newsweek Stations]], changed Channel 3's call letters on that date to the current WFSB in honor of broadcasting division president [[Frederick Sessions Beebe]], who had died a few months earlier. At the time, the FCC did not allow television and radio stations in the same market to share the same call letters if they had different owners.<ref name=FSB>{{cite news|title=Fates & Fortunes (Death notice for Frederick Sessions Beebe)|url=http://americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1973/1973-05-07-BC.pdf|access-date=February 26, 2023|newspaper=[[Broadcasting (magazine)|Broadcasting]]|date=May 7, 1973}} {{dead link|date=November 2017}}</ref> To get the WFSB call letters, the Post had to convince [[Framingham State College]] in [[Framingham, Massachusetts]], to give up those call letters, which were used on the college's low-power FM radio station, whose call letters were changed to [[WDJM-FM]] as a result of the switch. The WTIC call letters returned to Connecticut television in 1984 when Arch Communications, owned by the son of the then-owner of WTIC radio, launched a new independent station on [[WTIC-TV|channel 61]].<ref name="Re: WTIC/WFSB">{{Cite web|url=http://lists.bostonradio.org/bri/v02/msg04050.html|title = Re: WTIC/WFSB}}</ref>

In the late 1980s, Post-Newsweek moved its corporate offices from Washington, D.C., to space located alongside Broadcast House making the station the company's flagship. This was part of a strategy move by the Post to give its various subsidiaries their own independent identities, which worked well at first. By the mid-1990s, however, WFSB found itself in a shrinking market without any significant growth opportunities. In June 1997, Post-Newsweek traded WFSB to the [[Meredith Corporation]] in exchange for WCPX-TV (now [[WKMG-TV]]) in [[Orlando, Florida]].<ref>Meredith Corporation to acquire Hartford Conn., television station], ''[[Business Wire]]'', June 2, 1997.</ref> The sale closed that September although the Post-Newsweek group maintained its base in Hartford until 2000, when the company relocated to its then-largest station, [[WDIV-TV]] in Detroit.

By this point, with the transfer of the [[American Football Conference|AFC]] contract from NBC to [[NFL on CBS|CBS]] in 1998, WFSB became a direct beneficiary of what would become the [[Brady–Belichick era]] for the Patriots. Though Hartford would be disappointed when the team decided to build [[Gillette Stadium|a new stadium]] in [[Foxborough, Massachusetts]], rather than coming to Connecticut, the team's later success and a shift away from the market's longtime enthusiasm for the Giants meant that WFSB would attain successful ratings growth after four years without any NFL games. The success of the Patriots would inspire Meredith to launch a station specifically for the Springfield market to the north to allow it to benefit from the revenue of two separate stations. It also wanted to avoid preempting Patriots games in Springfield, as Connecticut straddles the traditional dividing line between the home territories for Boston and New York teams. Meredith purchased a [[Trinity Broadcasting Network]] translator in Springfield and converted it to a locally focused CBS affiliate, [[WSHM-LP]] in 2003. WSHM brands as "CBS 3" to continue to trade on WFSB's continued success and familiarity; until Gray split it off to its own channel 33 in February 2023, it shared its [[virtual channel]] number with WFSB.

In 2005, WFSB announced plans for a new, modern studio at an office park in suburban Rocky Hill, with a glass façade and lobby. It was originally intended to be built in downtown Hartford at Main and Trumbull streets, adjacent to the station's longtime home on Constitution Plaza. However, WFSB opted for a suburban location after finding that the downtown site was too small.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-2006-11-24-0611240944-story.html|title=WFSB goes into future, out of city|first=Kenneth|last=Gosselin|publisher=[[The Hartford Courant]]|date=November 11, 2006}}</ref> The new studio opened in 2007.

Meredith announced on March 20, 2015, a multi-station affiliation agreement for three of [[Katz Broadcasting]]'s networks, with WFSB putting Escape (now [[Ion Mystery]]) on DT2 and [[Laff (TV network)|Laff]] on DT3.<ref>{{cite news|title=Meredith To Add Three Katz Diginets|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/83908/meredith-to-add-three-katz-diginets|access-date=March 8, 2018|work=TVNewsCheck.com|date=March 20, 2015|language=en}}</ref>

On May 3, 2021, [[Gray Television]] announced its intent to purchase the Meredith Local Media division for $2.7&nbsp;billion. The sale was completed on December 1.<ref name=meredithdone>{{cite press release |url=https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/12/01/2344524/0/en/GRAY-TELEVISION-CLOSES-ON-ACQUISITION-OF-MEREDITH-CORPORATION-S-LOCAL-MEDIA-GROUP.html |title=Gray Television Closes on Acquisition of Meredith Corporation's Local Media Group |agency=[[Globe Newswire]] |publisher=[[Gray Television]] |date=December 1, 2021}}</ref> As a result, WFSB (along with WGGB and WSHM-LD) became Gray's first stations in southern New England.

On April 3, 2023, WWAX rebranded to '''The Wax'''. The Wax airs additional newscasts and sports programming not available on WFSB.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kane|first=Shannon|title=How to watch The Wax, WWAX-TV|url=https://www.wfsb.com/2023/04/03/watch-wwax-over-air-cable/|access-date=August 22, 2024|publisher=WFSB|date=April 3, 2023|language=en}}</ref>

==Programming==
===Sports programming===
Since 2023, WFSB and WWAX have an agreement with the [[University of Connecticut]]. WFSB airs one [[college football]] game per season featuring UConn, while WWAX airs live soccer and volleyball.<ref>{{cite news|title=UConn Athletics Announces Partnership With WFSB & WWAX|url=https://uconnhuskies.com/news/2023/7/27/general-uconn-athletics-announces-partnership-with-wfsb-wwax.aspx|access-date=August 22, 2024|work=UConn Huskies|date=July 27, 2023|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=UConn soccer, volleyball to air on The Wax|url=https://www.wfsb.com/2024/08/16/uconn-soccer-volleyball-air-wax/|access-date=August 22, 2024|publisher=WFSB|date=August 16, 2024|language=en}}</ref> In [[2025 Boston Red Sox season|2025]], WWAX reached an agreement with the [[Boston Red Sox]] to air four [[spring training]] games.<ref>{{Cite web|title=NESN Announces 2025 Red Sox Spring Training Broadcast Schedule|url=https://nesn.com/2025/02/nesn-announces-2025-red-sox-spring-training-broadcast-schedule/|date=February 12, 2025|access-date=February 15, 2025|publisher=[[NESN]]}}</ref>

WFSB also aired five of the six [[UConn Huskies men's basketball]] team's NCAA championship victories in [[1999 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game|1999]], [[2004 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game|2004]], [[2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game|2011]], [[2014 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game|2014]], and [[2023 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game|2023]].

===News operation===
WFSB presently broadcasts {{frac|41|1|2}} hours of news per week (with {{frac|6|1|2}} hours each weekday and {{frac|4|1|2}} hours each on Saturdays and Sundays). WFSB has been far and away the ratings leader in the Hartford–New Haven television market for as long as it has been a CBS affiliate,<ref>{{Cite web|title=WFSB Wins the May Ratings Race in Hartford {{!}} Hartford|url=http://www.newenglandone.com/news/local/hartford/wfsb-wins-the-may-ratings-race-in-hartford.html|access-date=September 7, 2020|website=New England One|language=en-gb}}</ref> with WTNH and WVIT regularly switching between a distant second and third place.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Santos|first=Derrick|title=November 2015 Ratings Results for Hartford {{!}} Hartford|url=http://www.newenglandone.com/news/local/hartford/november-2015-ratings-results-for-hartford.html|access-date=September 7, 2020|website=New England One|language=en-gb}}</ref> In addition to its local newscasts, the station has a Sunday morning news program called ''CT '25'' with Eric Parker at 8:30&nbsp;am. During the May 2011 sweeps, the program (then known as ''Face the State'') had ratings above that of the national Sunday shows, including NBC's ''[[Meet the Press]]'' and ABC's ''[[This Week (American TV program)|This Week]]''.<ref name="tvspy">{{cite news|last1=Knox|first1=Merrill|title=WFSB's 'Face the State' beats national Sunday shows in Hartford/New Haven|url=http://www.adweek.com/tvspy/wfsbs-face-the-state-beats-national-sunday-shows-in-hartfordnew-haven/12829?red=ts|access-date=March 8, 2018|work=TV Spy. Ad Week|date=June 10, 2011}}</ref>

On February 28, 2012, WFSB entered into a partnership with ''[[The Bulletin (Norwich)|The Bulletin]]'' in which the two media properties share news footage and stories, along with WFSB providing local forecasts for the [[Norwich, Connecticut]]–based newspaper.<ref>[http://www.norwichbulletin.com/news/x18904730/Bulletin-Channel-3-teaming-up Bulletin, Channel 3 teaming up], ''[[Norwich Bulletin]]'', February 28, 2012. {{Dead link |date=November 2017}}</ref>

Currently, WFSB simulcasts its weekday morning newscast on WWAX-LD and produces four exclusive weekday newscasts for the low-power station: 7–8 a.m., 12:30–1, 7:30–8 and 10–10:30 p.m.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wfsb.com/programming/schedule/|title=WFSB Programming Schedule|publisher=WFSB|accessdate=October 4, 2023}}</ref>

====Notable former on-air staff====
* [[Dick Bertel]]
* [[Julie Banderas|Julie Bidwell (Banderas)]]
* [[Mika Brzezinski]]
* [[N. J. Burkett]]
* [[Virginia Cha]]
* [[Denise D'Ascenzo]] – Lead evening news anchor at WFSB from 1986 until her death in 2019, becoming the longest-serving anchor at the station and the longest-serving news anchor at any Connecticut television station.<ref>[https://deadline.com/2019/12/denise-dascenzo-obituary-wfsb-news-anchor-1202803986/ "Denise D'Ascenzo Dies: Emmy Winning News Anchor For WFSB-TV In Connecticut Was 61"] from Deadline Hollywood (December 8, 2019)</ref>
* [[Jim Forbes (journalist)|Jim Forbes]]
* [[Gayle King]]
* [[Ted Leitner]]
* [[Bob Neumeier]]
* [[Bill O'Reilly (political commentator)|Bill O'Reilly]]
* [[Janet Peckinpaugh]]
* [[Randall Pinkston]]
* [[Mike Randall (entertainer)|Mike Randall]]
* [[Bob Steele (broadcaster)|Bob Steele]]
* [[Al Terzi]]
* [[Joe Tessitore]]
* [[David Ushery]]
* [[Jim Vicevich]]

==Technical information==
===Subchannels===
The station's signal is [[Multiplex (TV)|multiplexed]]:
{| class="wikitable"
|+Subchannels of WFSB<ref name="reiwfsb">{{cite web|title=Digital TV Market Listing for WFSB|url=https://rabbitears.info//market.php?request=station_search&callsign=WFSB#station|website=[[RabbitEars.info]]|access-date=March 8, 2018|language=en}}</ref>
! scope = "col" | [[Digital subchannel#United States|Channel]]
! scope = "col" | [[Display resolution|Res.]]
! scope = "col" | [[Aspect ratio (image)|Aspect]]
! scope = "col" | Short name
! scope = "col" | Programming
|-
! scope = "row" | 3.1
| [[1080i]] || rowspan=4| [[16:9]] || WFSB || [[CBS]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 3.2
| rowspan=2| [[480i]] || MYSTERY || [[Ion Mystery]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 3.3
| LAFF || [[Laff (TV network)|Laff]]
|- style="background-color: #E6FFF7;"
! scope = "row" | 3.4
| 1080i || theWAX || WWAX-LD ([[Independent station|Independent]])
|- style="background-color:#DFEBF6; border-top: 2px solid #003399;"
! scope = "row" | [[WCCT-TV|20.2]]
| rowspan=2|480i || rowspan=2|16:9 || Grit || [[Grit (TV network)|Grit]] ([[WCCT-TV]])
|- style="background-color:#DFEBF6;"
! scope = "row" | [[WCCT-TV|20.3]]
| Comet || [[Comet (TV network)|Comet]] ([[WCCT-TV]])
|}
{{legend|#E6FFF7|Simulcast of WWAX-LD1}}
{{legend|#DFEBF6|Broadcast on behalf of another station}}

{| class="wikitable"
|+Subchannels of WWAX-LD<ref name="reiwwax">{{cite web|title=Digital TV Market Listing for WWAX|url=https://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=wwax|website=[[RabbitEars.info]]|access-date=March 8, 2018|language=en}}</ref>
! scope = "col" | [[Digital subchannel#United States|Channel]]
! scope = "col" | [[Display resolution|Res.]]
! scope = "col" | [[Aspect ratio (image)|Aspect]]
! scope = "col" | Short name
! scope = "col" | Programming
|-
! scope = "row" | 27.1
| [[1080i]] || rowspan=3| [[16:9]] || WWAXHD || Main WWAX-LD programming
|-
! scope = "row" | 27.2
| rowspan=6| [[480i]] || ROAR || [[Roar (TV network)|Roar]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 27.3
| EWNNOW || {{ubl|''Eyewitness News Now''|{{small|(continuous rolling news/weather)}}}}
|-
! scope = "row" | 27.4
| rowspan=2|[[4:3]] || Fido || Bark TV
|-
! scope = "row" | 27.5
| DEFY || [[Defy (TV network)|Defy]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 27.6
| rowspan=2|[[16:9]] || WWAX365 || [[365BLK]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 27.7
| WWAXOUT || [[Outlaw (TV network)|Outlaw]]
|}

With local [[PBS]] member [[CPTV]] as partner on December 1, 2008, WFSB launched Connecticut Sports Network, which covered 41 high school championships and 20 small colleges.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Romano|first1=Allison|title=Cutting Bait On Subchannels|url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/news-articles/cutting-bait-subchannels/109752|access-date=March 8, 2018|work=Broadcasting & Cable|date=January 19, 2009|language=en}}</ref>

====Former Fairfield County-specific feed====
WIth [[Fairfield County, Connecticut|Fairfield County]] being part of the New York City market where CBS flagship WCBS-TV is based, WFSB formerly served viewers in that county through "WFSB Fairfield County" on WFSB-DT4 and the digital tier of [[Altice USA|Optimum]] systems in that market, which was a semi-simulcast in standard definition of channel 3.1. The feed's main purpose outside of providing state-specific newscasts to southwestern Connecticut cable subscribers was to air alternate syndicated programming that replaced those shows on the WFSB schedule whose rights were claimed by New York stations within the county; WFSB could not offer those same shows due to [[syndication exclusivity]] rules. It also carried advertising specific to Fairfield County to provide additional revenue to the station. The last two shows requiring such accommodation moved off WFSB's schedule in 2022: ''[[The Dr. Oz Show|Dr. Oz]]'' in January when it was ended by the syndicator when [[Mehmet Oz]] [[2022 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania|ran for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania]], and then ''[[Live with Kelly and Mark|Live]]'' in September, when that show moved to WTNH, and Gray discontinued the channel at that time.

===Analog-to-digital conversion===
WFSB ended regular programming on its analog signal, over VHF channel 3, on June 12, 2009, as part of the [[Digital television transition in the United States|federally mandated transition from analog to digital television]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |title=List of Digital Full-Power Stations |access-date=June 22, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829004251/http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |archive-date=August 29, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition [[UHF]] channel 33, using virtual channel 3.<ref name="FCCForm387">https://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=WFSB CDBS Print</ref> WFSB was the only Connecticut station that participated in the "[[analog nightlight]]" program, with the analog signal remaining in operation until June 26.<ref name="FCC Nightlight">{{cite web|url=http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-291375A1.pdf|title=UPDATED List of Participants in the Analog Nightlight Program|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|date=June 12, 2009|access-date=June 4, 2012}}</ref> The sign-off included a clip of the first sign-on of WFSB when they were WTIC and it repeated itself before the actual switch occurred.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|https://www.wfsb.com/}}
* {{URL|https://www.wfsb.com/wwax/|WWAX website}}
* {{URL|https://www.westernmassnews.com/|WSHM-LD "CBS 3 Springfield"}}
* {{URL|https://www.wticalumni.com/}} - A site that was created by Bill Clede and carried on by David Kaplan featuring pictures, audio, information and trivia about the old WTIC AM/FM/TV, before its sale by the Travelers Insurance Company in 1974.

{{Hartford/New Haven TV}}
{{Springfield MA TV}}
{{CBS New England}}
{{Gray TV}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wfsb}}
[[Category:1957 establishments in Connecticut]]
[[Category:CBS affiliates]]
[[Category:Gray Media]]
[[Category:Ion Mystery affiliates]]
[[Category:Laff (TV network) affiliates]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1957]]
[[Category:Television stations in Connecticut|FSB]]