WFTC
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| Channels for WFTC | |
| Channels for KFTC | |
| Branding | Fox 9+ |
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| Ownership | |
| Owner | Fox Television Stations, LLC |
| KMSP-TV | |
| History | |
First air date |
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| Technical information | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
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Transmitter coordinates | |
| Translator | see § Translators |
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Public license information |
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| Website | www |
WFTC (channel 9.2) is a television station licensed to Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, broadcasting the MyNetworkTV programming service to the Twin Cities area. It is owned and operated by Fox Television Stations alongside Fox outlet KMSP-TV (channel 9). The two stations share studios on Viking Drive in Eden Prairie; WFTC's transmitter is located in Shoreview, Minnesota. KFTC (channel 26) in Bemidji, Minnesota, rebroadcasts the main subchannels of WFTC and KMSP-TV, alongside a network of translators across Minnesota.
This station began broadcasting on October 6, 1982, as WFBT-TV on channel 29. Owned by Channel 29 Television and the Faith Broadcasting Network, it intended to be a family-friendly independent station with Christian ministry programming and classic TV shows. Ratings were low, and in 1984 the Beverly Hills Hotel Corporation acquired the station. It relaunched in May 1984 as a more conventionally programmed independent under the KITN-TV call sign. KITN became a major sports station under the ownership of Beverly Hills and Nationwide Communications, at various times in its history holding rights to telecast games of the Minnesota North Stars, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Minnesota Twins. In 1988, it became the Fox affiliate for the Twin Cities after KMSP-TV dropped the network over its underperforming Saturday night lineup.
Clear Channel Television acquired the station in 1993 and changed its call sign to WFTC ("Fox Twin Cities") in September 1994. WFTC was Clear Channel's largest-market TV station and, by 2001, its highest-billing. The station began airing a 9 p.m. local newscast in April 2001, but this was overshadowed by Fox parent News Corporation's acquisition of Chris-Craft Television, the owner of KMSP-TV. Speculation circulated for more than a year that KMSP-TV, with its existing news department and higher profile, would become the new Fox affiliate for the Twin Cities. This proved correct: on September 8, 2002, KMSP-TV became a Fox affiliate and WFTC a UPN affiliate. WFTC's news department was partially absorbed into KMSP's operation, with the 9 p.m. news moved to 10 p.m., but ratings fell even as they rose for KMSP's newscasts, leading to the cancellation of WFTC's news on June 30, 2006.
When UPN and The WB merged into The CW in September 2006, Fox's UPN stations were not invited, with competing stations in many markets (though not the Twin Cities) announced as affiliates. Fox started MyNetworkTV to serve stations not chosen for The CW, including WFTC. The station rebranded as Fox 9+ in 2017 and began airing a 7 p.m. local newscast.