Biloxi-Gulfport (Miss.) is poised to get its first-ever NBC affiliate, as Morris Network's WXXV, a Fox affiliate, has agreed to air NBC programming on a subchannel. WXXV currently airs MyNetworkTV on its .2 slot, and will move it to.3.
Morris Network, which owns NBC affiliate WMGT Macon, plans to have the new NBC affiliate up and running by July 1, ahead of the Summer Olympics that kick off in London later that month.
"We're very fortunate to align ourselves with NBC in that marketplace," says Dean Hinson, president of Morris Network. "We're very excited to be bringing a local NBC affiliate to a growing market like Biloxi-Gulfport."
NBC will air in high def in DMA No. 162, and Morris Network, part of Morris Multimedia, will introduce local news to both the NBC and its existing Fox affiliate. Hinson says the station plans to add around 15 bodies, and extend its station building.
Hinson and NBC say the market has never had its own NBC affiliate, instead getting the feed from stations in New Orleans or Mobile (Ala.). Raycom's WLOX, an ABC affiliate, grabs almost 80% of the market revenue, according to BIA/Kelsey, which does not list a CBS station for Biloxi-Gulfport.
NBC welcomes WXXV to the fold. "Morris Network has been a terrific broadcast partner for many years and we look forward to working with them on the launch of our newest affiliate," Jean Dietze, NBC's executive VP of affiliate relations, said in a statement.
