WJXT (Ch. 4) Jacksonville, CBS affiliate since station went on ai...
WJXT (Ch. 4) Jacksonville, CBS affiliate since station went on air in Oct. 1949, will end its association with network when current contract expires this summer, owner Post-Newsweek’s Pres. Alan Frank announced Wed. CBS is being dropped, he said,…
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because network relationship “has been evolving in ways that constrain our ability [to] dramatically expand [WJXT’s] local presence” and prevent it from “committing to serving Jacksonville-area viewers more effectively.” WJXT will operate as independent, Frank said, with strengthened schedule of local news and “compelling syndicated programming… Our strategy going forward will be rooted in what television is all about: Local programming and lots of it.” Negotiations on new affiliation contract had been under way for several months. CBS official had no comment. Post-Newsweek’s WKMG-TV (Ch. 6) Orlando also is CBS affiliate. Frank is chmn. of Network Affiliated Stations Alliance, which has asked FCC to investigate practices of Big 4 TV networks (CD Feb 7 p6).