WXTX - News Operation

News Operation

Since 2004 through a news share agreement, WTVM has been producing the Chattahoochee Valley's only prime time newscast on WXTX. Known as Fox 54 News at 10, the broadcast airs every night for thirty minutes from the ABC affiliate's facility on Wynnton Road/SR 22 Spur in the Diglewood section of Columbus. In 2007, the ABC outlet began airing an hour-long extension of its weekday morning show on WXTX. Known on-air as Fox 54 Morning News, this program was seen for an hour starting at 7 and offered a local alternative to the national morning broadcasts on the big three stations in Columbus. The production was eventually cancelled most likely due to inconsistent viewership and/or low ratings.

WXTX's newscasts have a separate music package and graphics theme from WTVM and employs the use of the ABC affiliate's primary set but modified with duratrans indicating the Fox-branded show. Although WXTX features the majority of WTVM's on-air personnel, this station maintains a separate additional news anchor on weeknights that can fill-in on WTVM when necessary.

In late-October 2010, HD-ready graphics began to be seen in weather forecasting segments indicating WTVM and WXTX would be making the switch to high definition newscasts. The entire graphics package made a full switch to an updated theme in January 2011. On February 16, 2012, production of Fox 54 News at 10 moved to the newsroom while a temporary weather office was constructed in the hallway between the editing bay and the newsroom. The main set during this time was finally upgraded to high definition. The new HD set and transition to high definition news was completed on March 14 at which point WXTX retained the same graphics scheme and news music package. On July 25, 2012, WXTX debuted an updated set of Raycom Media corporate graphics and a new music package.

On September 17, 2012, the station launched a weeknight half-hour newscast at 7. Since Alabama (which is in the Central Time Zone) is an hour behind Georgia, this program is the only local news catering to viewers on the western side of the market airing at 6. Viewers in those areas also have access to stations from Dothan and Montgomery offering broadcasts geared for the Central Time Zone. In addition to WTVM's main studios, that station also operates an East Alabama Bureau on Executive Park Drive in Opelika offering coverage of that city (in addition to Auburn and Phenix City).

Since half of the viewing area includes East-Central Alabama, WTVM and WXTX are part of the "Raycom News Network". This is a system designed to rapidly share information among the company's widespread group of television stations and websites in Alabama. A regional network has developed among WSFA/WDFX-TV in Montgomery/Dothan, WAFF in Huntsville, and WBRC in Birmingham in which the outlets share information, equipment (such as satellite trucks), and video footage from reporters. Between them, these stations cover the entire state of Alabama (except for the Gulf Coast) and also comprise of the regional "Raycom Weather Network".