Sunday is the day Jacksonville FOX affiliate WAWS officially becomes WFOX and CBS affiliate WTEV becomes WJAX, both Cox Media and Bayshore Television have announced.
“Changing the call letters to WFOX-TV better represents FOX30 with the FOX TV network,” WAWS-WTEV VP and GM Jim Zerwekh said in a statement. “FOX30 has historically and continues to be one of the top 10 performing FOX TV affiliates in the country.”
The Cox Media owned FOX affiliate signed on in 1981 as an independent station and picked up its FOX affiliation in 1986.
“Changing the call letters to WJAX-TV better identifies the strengths and ties of CBS 47 to the Jacksonville market,” said Bruce Baker managing partner of Bayshore Television.
WJAX signed on as WXAO in 1981. Its call letters were changed first to WNFT in 1983 and then to WTEV in 1995. WTEV picked up its CBS affiliation in 2002.