WFFT-TV
 
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Fort Wayne, Indiana United States |
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| Branding | WFFT Local (general) WFFT Local News (newscasts) |
| Channels |
Digital: 36 (UHF) Virtual: 55 () |
| Subchannels | 55.1 Fox 55.2 Bounce TV |
| Affiliations | Fox (since 2013; also from 1986–2011) |
| Owner |
Heartland Media (Ft. Wayne TV License Company, LLC) |
| First air date | December 21, 1977 |
| Call letters' meaning | We're Fifty Five Television (former analog and current PSIP channel number) |
| Former channel number(s) |
Analog: 55 (UHF, 1977–2009) |
| Former affiliations |
Primary: Independent (1977–1986, 2011–2013) Secondary: UPN (1995–2003) |
| Transmitter power | 1,000 kW |
| Height | 219 m |
| Facility ID | 25040 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 41°6′33.4″N 85°11′42.2″W / 41.109278°N 85.195056°W |
| Licensing authority | FCC |
| Public license information: |
Profile CDBS |
| Website | www |
WFFT-TV, virtual channel 55 (UHF digital channel 36), is a Fox-affiliated television station located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. The station is owned by Heartland Media. WFFT's studios and transmitter are both located on Hillegas Road in Fort Wayne.
The station signed on the air on December 21, 1977 as an independent station. Many shows on WFFT during its early days had not been seen in the market since their original airing on network television; among the classic series it aired were The Little Rascals, Superman, Batman, Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek, Night Gallery, The Wild Wild West and McHale's Navy. For a time, the station carried ABC shows that were preempted by WPTA, which usually included shows that were part of the "ABC Late Night" block.
In January 1978, just one month after it signed on, the Midwestern United States suffered through a snowstorm known as the "Great Blizzard of 1978". Due to the severity of the storm, engineers were trapped at the station, and rather than sign off the air as they normally would, they got permission from management to simply continue transmitting. They filled the time with information about the weather situation (to the degree that they could given their limited resources), and public-domain films and videos from the station's library. The appeal of 24-hour broadcasting was so popular, it would later end up staying on the air all night each Friday and Saturday on a regular basis during a time when the other Fort Wayne stations would sign-off for the night around 1:00 or 2:00 a.m.; it filled the overnight timeslot with a feature film showcase called Nite Owl Theatre, which began with the beginning refrain of "I've Been Searching So Long" by Chicago as its theme music.
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