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WJXT marks 10 years of independence, but its rivals are coming on fast
When various Fox affiliates started flying the coop last summer, the phone belonging to Bob Ellis, WJXT Jacksonville vice president and general manager, began to buzz. After all, WJXT is held up as the model of a station finding its way after a difficult split with a network, and the general managers at the former Fox affiliates recast as independents wanted a peek at the WJXT blueprints.
Ellis won't give up his strategy, but he says unaffiliated stations can, against the odds, thrive. "It can be done wildly successfully, with the right group of people who focus on what matters the most to the community," Ellis says.
It's been 10 years since the Post-Newsweek station and CBS broke off their relationship, and Ellis asserts WJXT has never been stronger. "We've got a great brand as the local station," he says. "Viewers understand what that means and look...