Editing WFXT (section)

== History ==

=== Early years (1977–1986) ===
The station first signed on the air on October 10, 1977, as WXNE-TV (standing for "Christ (X) in New England");<ref>{{cite news |title=Ch. 25 debut awaits cue from FCC |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-ch-25-debut-awaits-cue/172996378/ |access-date=May 23, 2025 |newspaper=The Boston Globe |date=October 7, 1977 |location=Boston, Massachusetts |page=55 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> originally operating as an [[independent station]], it was founded by the then–[[Portsmouth, Virginia]]–based [[Christian Broadcasting Network]]. After being awarded a [[construction permit#broadcasting|construction permit]] to build the station from the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) in June 1972, CBN targeted the new channel 25 to begin operations within one year. However, various delays in obtaining both a studio and transmitter location resulted in a wait of over five years for the station to finally sign-on. WXNE-TV's early programming format was targeted at a family audience, consisting of older syndicated reruns and a decent amount of [[religious programming]]—including CBN's flagship show, ''[[The 700 Club]]'', hosted by the ministry's founder [[Pat Robertson]]. Religious programs ran for about six hours a day during the week, and throughout the day on Sundays. The station also carried the daily and Sunday [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]] from the [[CatholicTV|Boston Catholic Television Center]]. [[Secular]] programming consisted of [[westerns]], older [[feature film|movies]], family-oriented [[drama series]], old [[short film|film shorts]], and classic television series. For several years under CBN ownership, Tim Robertson served as the station's program director, appointed by his father, Pat Robertson.

The station began adding more cartoons, [[made-for-TV movies]], and off-network sitcoms and family dramas during the early 1980s. Most notably, in 1980, WXNE took over production of the weekday bowling program ''[[Candlepins]] for Cash'', which had just been canceled by [[CBS]] affiliate [[WNAC-TV (Boston)|WNAC-TV]] (channel 7, now [[WHDH (TV)|WHDH]]) after seven seasons. With new host [[Rico Petrocelli]], the show moved production from WNAC-TV's studios, in bowling lanes that were built in the basement of the facility, to the now-defunct [[Wal-Lex Recreation Center|Wal-Lex Lanes]] in [[Waltham, Massachusetts|Waltham]]. After only a few months as host, Petrocelli was ousted in favor of the program's original host when it aired on WNAC-TV, [[Bob Gamere]], who remained on ''Candlepins'' until it ended its run on channel 25 in 1983. During this time, the station rebranded itself as "Boston 25", as it converted into a true independent. While the station was carried only on cable providers in the [[Greater Boston]] market, WXNE-TV held a solid third place among the area's independent stations, behind the longer-established [[WSBK-TV]] (channel 38) and [[WLVI-TV]] (channel 56), and sixth in the [[Nielsen ratings|ratings]] among the market's commercial television stations.

In April 1986, WXNE and the other two CBN-owned stations—[[KXTX-TV]] in [[Dallas]] and WYAH-TV (now [[WGNT]]) in Portsmouth—were put up for sale.<ref name="b-wxneforsale">{{cite news |title=In Brief |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1986/BC-1986-04-07.pdf |access-date=August 23, 2018 |date=April 7, 1986 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]] |page=192 }}</ref> That August, [[News Corporation]] announced that it would purchase channel 25,<ref>{{cite news|title=7th TV Outlet For Murdoch|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/08/16/business/7th-tv-outlet-for-murdoch.html|access-date=March 31, 2013|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=August 16, 1986}}</ref> with plans to make it an [[owned-and-operated station]] of its [[Fox Broadcasting Company]]. Fox had been in preliminary negotiations to secure an affiliation with either WSBK or WLVI, but ended its pursuit of both outlets. Until the sale was completed, channel 25, upon the Fox network's startup on October 9, 1986, did not air the network's inaugural program and what was then its lone offering, ''[[The Late Show (1986 TV series)|The Late Show]] Starring [[Joan Rivers]]'', a late-night talk show that aired opposite ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson]]'' on [[NBC]]. The outgoing CBN ownership believed that the program did not fit its strict content guidelines. Fox instead contracted Boston radio station WMRE (1510 AM, now [[WMEX (AM)|WMEX]]) to carry the audio portion of ''The Late Show'' in the interim.<ref name="b-wxnenojoanrivers">{{cite news |title=Rivers TV show debuts in Boston on radio |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1986/BC-1986-10-13.pdf |access-date=August 30, 2018 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]] |date=October 13, 1986 |page=66 }}</ref>

=== As WFXT (1987–present) ===
When the sale to News Corporation was completed on [[New Year's Eve|December 31]], 1986,<ref name="b-saletofoxcomplete">{{cite news |title=In Brief |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1987/BC-1987-01-05.pdf |access-date=June 22, 2018 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]] |date=January 5, 1987 }}</ref> WXNE-TV, renamed WFXT on January 19, 1987, became the seventh Fox-owned property and the first to be acquired separately from News Corporation's 1986 purchase of [[Metromedia]]'s six television stations that served as the foundation for the new network. Besides adding ''The Late Show'' to the schedule, airings of ''The 700 Club'' were cut to once a day, and the daily broadcast of the Roman Catholic Mass was moved to an earlier timeslot. The station also began airing the syndicated, Fox-produced tabloid magazine ''[[A Current Affair (American TV program)|A Current Affair]]'' on weeknights; WFXT was the second station, after producing station and Fox flagship [[WNYW]] in [[New York City]], to air the program.<ref name="b-wfxtacurrentaffair">{{cite news |title='Affair' gets Fox go-ahead |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1987/BC-1987-06-22.pdf |access-date=August 30, 2018 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]] |date=June 22, 1987 |page=66 }}</ref> WXNE staff announcer Chris Clausen had already been let go in late 1986 (promptly joining WNEV-TV in January 1987) in favor of the services of Fox affiliate voiceover [[Beau Weaver]], who would remain with both the station and [[Fox Television Stations]] for over a decade. The station's schedule, however, was largely unchanged at the outset, aside from the removal of several older sitcoms that soon resurfaced on WQTV (channel 68, now [[WBPX-TV]]). The Sunday evening religious program block was finally discontinued on April 5, 1987, when Fox launched its prime time lineup, which initially aired only on Sundays before expanding to Saturdays that July (as such, WFXT is the only Boston television station that has never changed its network affiliation, as it has been with Fox since the network's prime time expansion; it wasn't until 1993 that Fox had programming on all seven days of the week).

Over the next few years, WFXT, for the most part was unable to acquire the better syndicated programs and continued to only acquire shows that WSBK, WLVI, and the market's network affiliates passed on. In addition to Fox programming, most of the shows added to WFXT's schedule were low-budget, first-run syndicated programs and [[animated cartoon|cartoons]]. However, in 1988, the station did manage to buy two popular weekday syndicated shows away from WNEV—''[[Hollywood Squares]]'' (the then-current [[John Davidson (entertainer)|John Davidson]] version) and ''[[Entertainment Tonight]]''—when the CBS affiliate phased them off its schedule, due to other programming commitments. WFXT aired ''Squares'' through its 1989 cancellation; it carried ''ET'' weeknights at 7&nbsp;p.m., as the lead-in to ''A Current Affair'', until selling the show back to WHDH-TV (the former WNEV) in 1990. WFXT has again aired ''ET'' since 2015.

==== Sale to the Boston Celtics ====
As the FCC prohibited the [[Concentration of media ownership|common ownership of a television station and a newspaper in the same market]], in purchasing channel 25, News Corporation had to apply for and was granted a temporary waiver in order to retain WFXT and the newspaper it had also published, the ''[[Boston Herald]]''. On April 21, 1988, [[Rupert Murdoch]], who had earlier stated his intention to retain the ''Herald'', announced that WFXT would be put up for sale.<ref name="upi-wfxtforsale88">{{cite news |last1=Goldsmith |first1=Charles |title=Murdoch to sell Boston TV station |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1988/04/21/Murdoch-to-sell-Boston-TV-station/9187577598400/ |access-date=October 14, 2021 |work=[[United Press International]] |date=April 21, 1988 |language=en}}</ref> In 1989, Fox proposed placing WFXT in a trust company as it sought to find a buyer willing to meet its $35 million asking price; on April 26, the FCC ruled that the trust would be required to sever all of the station's ties to Fox, including the network affiliation.<ref name="b&c-foxtrustfcc">{{cite news |title=Fox wins some, loses some in Boston |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1989/BC-1989-05-01.pdf |access-date=October 14, 2021 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]] |date=May 1, 1989 |page=38}}</ref> That September, Fox agreed to sell the station to the [[Boston Celtics]]' ownership group for $20 million;<ref name="b&c-saletoceltics">{{cite news |title=In Brief |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1989/BC-1989-09-25.pdf |access-date=October 14, 2021 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]] |date=September 25, 1989 |page=72}}</ref> the sale was completed on May 11, 1990.<ref name="fcc-wfxtsalecomplete">{{cite web |title=Initial Decision of Administrative Law Judge Joseph Chackin |year = 1992|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vpKSriqV-XUC&q=%22May+11%22+1990+WFXT&pg=PA3802 |publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]] |access-date=October 15, 2021 |quote=The assets of WFXT, Inc. (including the FCC licenses) were assigned to Boston Celtics Broadcasting Limited Partnership (BCBLP) on May 11, 1990.}}</ref> As part of the deal, News Corporation was given the opportunity to eventually buy back a 37.5-percent stake in the station.<ref name="twp-wfxtcelticsfoxstake">{{cite news |last1=Sloan |first1=Allan |title=Game plan of Celtics' owners is to keep tax break intact |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1990/10/23/game-plan-of-celtics-owners-is-to-keep-tax-break-intact/9d2fb919-78ae-471c-8ddf-d280387aff49/ |access-date=October 15, 2021 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=October 23, 1990}}</ref> The Celtics made WFXT the [[NBA]] team's [[flagship station]] starting with the [[1990–91 Boston Celtics season|1990–91 season]], following the expiration of its existing contract with WLVI-TV.<ref name="b&c-wfxtceltics">{{cite news |title=Celtics make fast break for radio station |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1989/BC-1989-10-02.pdf |access-date=October 14, 2021 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]] |date=October 2, 1989 |page=39}}</ref> The station also gained a radio sister station, as the Celtics also purchased WEEI (then at 590 AM, now [[WEZE]]; now at [[WEEI (AM)|850 AM]]) at the same time.<ref name=nyt-weeipurchase>{{cite news|title=Celtics Plan to Buy a Radio Station|url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0717FD3A5C0C7B8EDDA00894D1484D81|access-date=February 13, 2011|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=September 28, 1989}}</ref>

The Celtics did not have the financial means to compete as a broadcaster. Nonetheless, under Celtics ownership, WFXT finally began to acquire stronger programming, becoming a serious competitor to WSBK and WLVI for the first time. In 1990, among securing the rights to several new, high-profile rerun syndication packages, WFXT managed to buy rights to ''[[The Cosby Show]]'', reruns of which had been airing on [[WCVB-TV]] (channel 5) for the past two years. WCVB, which had lost a lot of money airing ''The Cosby Show'' in weekend blocks only, retained a small portion of the show's syndication rights for weekends and occasional airings in prime time (in the event that they chose to preempt an ABC network program). WFXT, meanwhile, began airing ''Cosby Show'' reruns on weekdays in the fall of 1990; aside from a couple of years off between 1994 and 1996, ''The Cosby Show'' would remain a staple of WFXT's schedule for well over a decade.

==== Return to Fox ownership ====
By 1992, WFXT was carried on many cable providers in areas of New England where there was no locally-based Fox affiliate station. Locally, however, the station was still rated in third place (though not as distant as the CBN or early Fox days), behind WSBK and WLVI. Still, for a while under the Celtics' watch, WFXT was perceived to be in danger of losing its Fox affiliation. As early as March 1993, Fox was again considering the purchase of a Boston television station, even though News Corporation still owned the ''Boston Herald'', and entered into preliminary discussions with Boston Celtics Communications about reacquiring WFXT;<ref name="b&c-foxinterest1">{{cite news |title=Fox still on the station hunt |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1993/BC-1993-04-26.pdf |access-date=October 14, 2021 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable]] |date=April 26, 1993 |page=17}}</ref> the Celtics subsequently said, in a filing with the [[Securities and Exchange Commission]] (SEC), that Fox had warned the company that it could pull its affiliation from the station if it were to acquire another property in the market.<ref name="b&c-foxinterest2">{{cite news |title=Shop talk |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1993/BC-1993-08-23.pdf |access-date=October 14, 2021 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable]] |date=August 23, 1993 |page=87}}</ref> By this point, Fox held a 25-percent convertible interest in WFXT, and indicated it was seeking to expand this interest.<ref name="b&c-foxinterest2"/> That October, Fox obtained a 10-year option to repurchase the station as early as 1995, and immediately announced that it would not seek a waiver to own both channel 25 and the ''Herald'';<ref name=tbg-foxoption>{{cite news|last=Bailey|first=Doug|title=Murdoch won't seek Ch. 25 waiver|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8248172.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105135441/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8248172.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 5, 2012|access-date=February 13, 2011|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]|date=October 5, 1993}} (Subscription content preview.)</ref> News Corporation sold the newspaper to its publisher, Pat Purcell, in February 1994, clearing the way for a potential purchase of WFXT.<ref name="upi-heraldsale">{{cite news |title=Murdoch sells Boston Herald to publisher Purcell |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1994/02/04/Murdoch-sells-Boston-Herald-to-publisher-Purcell/3427760338000/ |access-date=August 20, 2018 |work=[[United Press International]] |date=February 4, 1994 |language=en}}</ref> The Celtics also moved their games off their own station, shifting the team's over-the-air broadcast rights to WSBK-TV in a five-year deal that began with the [[1993–94 Boston Celtics season|1993–94 season]]; this move followed WFXT's increasing difficulty in scheduling Celtics telecasts around the Fox lineup.<ref name=bdn-wfxtnoceltics>{{cite news|last=Neff|first=Andrew|title=Channel 38 to televise Celts' home games|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PPAzAAAAIBAJ&dq=wfxt%20celtics&pg=1343%2C1216426|access-date=February 13, 2011|newspaper=[[Bangor Daily News]]|date=November 5, 1993}}</ref>

WFXT's Fox affiliation again came into question in 1994, in the wake of the network's [[Fox affiliate switches of 1994|affiliation deal]] with twelve [[New World Communications]] stations, when reports emerged that then-CBS affiliate WHDH-TV was considering a switch to Fox.<ref name="upi-whdhfox?">{{cite news |title=Washington Post, NBC renew pact |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1994/07/05/Washington-Post-NBC-renew-pact/7001773380800/ |access-date=October 14, 2021 |work=[[United Press International]] |date=July 5, 1994 |language=en}}</ref> After [[Westinghouse Broadcasting]] signed a deal that July to affiliate all of its stations, including [[WBZ-TV]] (channel 4), with CBS, WHDH was given the opportunity to choose between Fox and the NBC affiliation being vacated by WBZ;<ref name="b&c-whdhfoxornbc1">{{cite news |title=CBS, Group W form historic alliance |last=Zier |first=Julie A. |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1994/BC-1994-07-18.pdf |access-date=October 14, 2021 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable]] |date=July 18, 1994 |page=14}}</ref><ref name="b&c-whdhfoxornbc2">{{cite news |title=ABC bags Hearst for long-term affiliation deal |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1994/BC-1994-07-25.pdf |access-date=October 14, 2021 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable]] |date=July 25, 1994 |page=6}}</ref> it elected to sign with NBC in August 1994, keeping Fox on WFXT.<ref name="tbg-whdhcbstonbc">{{cite news |last1=Frederic M. |first1=Biddle |title=Boston's TV shuffle will put NBC on Channel 7 |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/television/1994/08/03/boston-shuffle-will-put-nbc-channel/byJ2nwgHF8sUp6DUsJLRaO/story.html |access-date=August 17, 2018 |work=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=August 3, 1994}}</ref> On October 5, 1994, Fox announced it would exercise its purchase option and buy WFXT.<ref name="bh-saletofox">{{cite news |last1=Nutile |first1=Tom |last2=Krasner |first2=Jeffrey |title=Fox buys remainder of Ch. 25 |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=BNHB&p_theme=bnhb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_dispstring=WFXT%20AND%20date(10/1/1994%20to%2010/20/1994)&p_field_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_date-0=date:B,E&p_text_date-0=10/1/1994%20to%2010/20/1994)&p_field_advanced-0=&p_text_advanced-0=(WFXT)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no |access-date=August 20, 2018 |work=[[Boston Herald]] |date=October 6, 1994 |page=41}} (preview of subscription content)</ref> That November, the deal, as well as Fox's concurrent purchase of [[WTXF]] in Philadelphia, encountered objections from NBC, alleging that Fox's interest in [[SF Broadcasting]], in connection with the Boston and Philadelphia purchases, would put Fox over the FCC's twelve-station ownership limit;<ref name="b&c-nbcobjection1">{{cite news |title=NBC is keeping the regulatory pressure on Fox. |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1994/BC-1994-11-28.pdf |access-date=October 14, 2021 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable]] |date=November 28, 1994 |page=137}}</ref> NBC subsequently filed a separate petition concerning Fox's ties to the then-Australian-based News Corporation.<ref name="b&c-nbcobjection2">{{cite news |title=NBC tackles Fox ownership |last=Stern |first=Christopher |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1994/BC-1994-12-05.pdf |access-date=October 14, 2021 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable]] |date=December 5, 1994 |page=60}}</ref> NBC withdrew its petitions on February 17, 1995,<ref name="b&c-nbcobjectionsend">{{cite news |title=NBC drops opposition to Fox |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1995/BC-1995-02-20.pdf |access-date=October 14, 2021 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable]] |date=February 20, 1995 |page=7}}</ref> allowing Fox to retake control of channel 25 on July 7.<ref name="bh-saletofoxcomplete">{{cite news |last1=Collins |first1=Monica |title=Murdoch's Fox Television retakes reins at Channel 25 |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=BNHB&p_theme=bnhb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_dispstring=WFXT%20AND%20date(9/1/1994%20to%207/31/1995)&p_field_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_date-0=date:B,E&p_text_date-0=9/1/1994%20to%207/31/1995)&p_field_advanced-0=&p_text_advanced-0=(WFXT)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no |access-date=August 20, 2018 |work=[[Boston Herald]] |date=July 7, 1995 |page=37}} (preview of subscription content)</ref>

As the 1990s progressed, WFXT began phasing in more talk and reality programs. It continued running cartoons (including the [[Fox Kids]] block) each weekday—later becoming the last station in the market that had run a morning children's program block—and sitcoms during the evening hours. WFXT served as the television flagship of the [[Boston Red Sox]] for three seasons from [[2000 Boston Red Sox season|2000]] to [[2002 Boston Red Sox season|2002]] (before that and since then, WFXT only carried Red Sox games that were [[Fox Major League Baseball|televised by Fox]] itself, including games from its four [[World Series]] victories in [[2004 World Series|2004]], [[2007 World Series|2007]], [[2013 World Series|2013]], and [[2018 World Series|2018]]).

In the fall of 2001, [[WPXT]] (which served as the over-the-air Fox affiliate for the [[Portland, Maine|Portland]] area since the network launched) disaffiliated from Fox due to a payment dispute between Pegasus Broadcasting (the station's owner at the time) and the network. This left Portland and the entire state of Maine without a Fox affiliate until then-[[Ion Television|Pax TV]] affiliate [[WPFO|WMPX-TV]] switched to the network in April 2003; during this time, WFXT served as the default Fox affiliate for the New Hampshire side of the Portland market, while [[Foxnet]] provided the network's programming throughout Maine.

[[File:Wfxt 2011.png|right|125px|thumb|WFXT's logo from July 2006 to October 26, 2015, using a logo format also used at other Fox-owned television stations. The "25" in this logo had been used from September 22, 1997, to October 26, 2015.]]

At one point in 2006, the station was "tentatively planning" to carry programming from News Corporation-owned [[MyNetworkTV]] (a sister network to Fox) on weekdays from 1 to 3&nbsp;p.m. if the new network was unable to find an affiliate in the Boston market. On July 21, 2006, News Corporation announced that [[Derry, New Hampshire]]–based WZMY-TV (channel 50, now [[WWJE-DT]]) would become the market's MyNetworkTV affiliate when the network began operations on September 5, 2006. Channel 50 ended its affiliation with MyNetworkTV in September 2011, shortly after changing call letters to WBIN-TV; WSBK (a [[CBS Corporation|CBS]]-owned sister station to WBZ-TV that had shunned the network at its formation) took over the affiliation at that time. Before MyNetworkTV became a programming service consisting solely of reruns, WFXT occasionally promoted that network's programming.

On October 12, 2007, [[Xfinity|Comcast]] began blacking out Fox prime time and sports programming from WFXT on its systems in [[Bristol County, Massachusetts|Bristol County]] due to an invocation of the FCC's network non-duplication rule by [[WNAC-TV]], the Fox affiliate in [[Providence, Rhode Island]], leaving only channel 25's syndicated programs and newscasts available in that area. On July 31, 2008, [[Spectrum (cable service)|Charter Communications]]' system in [[Westport, Massachusetts|Westport]] also became subject to the blackouts, this contributed to WFXT's eventual removal from that system on September 23, 2008.<ref name="st-charterdrop">{{cite news|url=http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080805/NEWS/808050352/-1/NEWS|title=Charter Communications to cut Fox 25 from Westport lineup|last=Boyd|first=Brian|date=August 5, 2008|work=[[The Standard-Times (New Bedford)|The Standard-Times]]|access-date=December 8, 2008}}</ref>

==== Trade to Cox Media Group ====
On June 24, 2014, Fox announced that it would trade WFXT and [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] sister station [[WHBQ-TV]] to the [[Cox Media Group]], in exchange for the [[San Francisco]] [[duopoly (broadcasting)|duopoly]] of Fox affiliate [[KTVU]] and independent station [[KICU-TV]].<ref name=tvnc-foxcox>{{cite web|title=Fox And Cox To Swap 4 Stations In 3 Markets|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/77286/fox-and-cox-to-swap-4-stations-in-3-markets|website=TVNewsCheck|date=June 24, 2014|access-date=June 24, 2014}}</ref><ref name=variety-foxcox>{{cite web|title=Fox Acquires San Francisco TV Stations in Swap with Cox|url=https://variety.com/2014/tv/news/fox-acquires-san-francisco-tv-stations-in-swap-with-cox-1201245613/|website=Variety|date=June 24, 2014|access-date=June 25, 2014}}</ref><ref name=b&c-saletocox>{{cite news|last1=Eggerton|first1=John|title=Fox, Cox Swap Stations|url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/local-tv/fox-cox-swap-stations/132003|access-date=June 24, 2014|work=[[Broadcasting & Cable]]|date=June 24, 2014}}</ref> The trade was completed on October 8, 2014.<ref name=b&c-coxfoxcomplete>{{cite news|last1=Malone|first1=Michael|title=Cox, Fox Swap Closes in Boston, Bay Area, Memphis|url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/local-tv/cox-fox-swap-closes-boston-bay-area-memphis/134671|access-date=October 8, 2014|work=[[Broadcasting & Cable]]|date=October 8, 2014}}</ref> Following this deal, CBS-owned WBZ-TV and Telemundo-owned [[WNEU]] briefly became the only network O&O stations in the Boston area (prior to the launch of [[NBC Boston]] in January 2017), and also made WFXT the largest Fox affiliate not owned by the network (prior to the completion of the swap, KTVU held that title). In November 2014, shortly after the closure of the sale, WFXT was briefly pulled from [[Verizon FiOS]] in the Boston area for a week due to a discrepancy in contract negotiations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bostonherald.com/business/media_marketing/2014/12/fox_25_broadcasting_again_on_verizon_after_reaching_agreement|title = Fox 25 broadcasting again on Verizon after reaching agreement|date = December 4, 2014}}</ref>

[[File:WFXT 2015 Logo.png|thumb|left|WFXT's final "Fox 25" logo, used from October 27, 2015, to February 2018. The subsequent "Boston 25" logos are based on this logo.]]

On October 27, 2015, WFXT dropped the Fox O&O-style branding and introduced a new logo and on-air appearance; the logo was criticized by some viewers for its simplified appearance—omitting the standard Fox network logo in favor of an italicized [[Helvetica]] logotype—and received national attention when Larry Potash, anchor of the ''[[WGN Morning News|Morning News]]'' on [[WGN-TV]] in [[Chicago]], criticized the change as a move by station-hired consultants to help bring in viewers who defected from WFXT's newscasts following the departure of longtime evening anchor Maria Stephanos earlier that year (Stephanos would join WCVB-TV in 2016).<ref name=ne1-wfxtnew>{{cite news|title=FOX 25 Unveils New Logo and Graphics Package|url=http://www.newenglandone.com/news/local-news/item/1236-fox-25-unveils-new-logo-and-graphics-package.html|access-date=October 28, 2015|work=New England One}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Change Making Waves from Boston to Chicago|url=http://www.newenglandone.com/newser-blog/352-the-change-making-waves-from-boston-to-chicago.html|author=Derrick Santos|website=New England One|date=November 3, 2015}}</ref> Prior to [[Super Bowl LI]] in February 2017, the station began downplaying the Fox name from its overall branding; this was reflected in a promo that aired prior to and during the game (which itself used the same music, tagline, and overall format as a 2014 image promotion made by [[Australia]]'s [[Seven Network]]) that referred to the news operation as "''25 News''".<ref name="tvnc-7everywhere">{{cite web|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/marketshare/2017/02/08/wfxt-uses-music-from-australian-network-promo/|title=WFXT FOX25 Uses Music From Auzzey's Network Promo|website=TVNewsCheck|access-date=February 9, 2017}}</ref>

[[File:WFXT Boston 25 logo.png|thumb|right|150px|WFXT's first "Boston 25" logo, used from April 24, 2017 (initially alongside the "Fox 25" logo), until 2019]]

On April 13, 2017, the station announced that it would rebrand its newscasts as ''Boston 25 News'' on April 24, 2017; from then on, the "Fox 25" branding was retained as a generalized identity restricted to WFXT's entertainment programming and station promotions (the move followed a similar split branding structure that Cox Media Group employed when it operated KTVU as a Fox affiliate between 1986 and 2014, in which references to the Fox network were omitted from use within that station's local news programs). General manager Tom Raponi told ''[[The Boston Globe]]'' that the change was made to eliminate a perception that WFXT's newscasts leaned [[Conservatism in the United States|conservative]], which the station attributed to an internal survey taken in 2015 in which 41% of Boston area news viewers that were polled associated its newscasts with the national [[Fox News Channel]], rather than its sister broadcast network (as an affiliate of the Fox Broadcasting Company, WFXT's only association with Fox News is through a compulsory content arrangement with Fox News Edge, which supplies national and international news footage, and reports from FNC correspondents to Fox stations for potential but not mandatory inclusion in their local newscasts).<ref name="tbg-wfxtboston25">{{cite news|last1=Vaccaro|first1=Adam|title=Channel 25 to drop 'Fox' from newscast name|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2017/04/13/channel-drop-fox-from-newscast-name/dZMe0bP446w6iMGR5wcK4J/story.html|access-date=April 14, 2017|work=[[The Boston Globe]]|date=April 14, 2017}}</ref> In February 2018, the station dropped the "Fox 25" branding entirely and began referring to itself as "Boston 25" full time, including in promotions for syndicated and Fox network programming, making WFXT one of only a handful of Fox affiliates that does not use "Fox" in its branding.

====Sale to Apollo Global Management====
In February 2019, it was announced that [[Apollo Global Management]] would acquire Cox Media Group and [[Northwest Broadcasting]]'s stations.<ref name="coxsaletoapollo1">{{cite web|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/174558/apollo-global-management-acquires-coxs-television-stations-plus-radio-newspapers-in-dayton/|title=Apollo Global Management Acquires Cox's Television Stations Plus Radio & Newspapers In Dayton|work=RadioInsight|date=February 15, 2019|access-date=February 15, 2019}}</ref><ref name="terriermedia">{{cite web|url=https://tvnewscheck.com/article/top-news/231448/cox-tv-valued-3-1-billion-apollo-acquisition/|title=Cox TV Valued At $3.1 Billion In Apollo Acquisition|last=Jessell|first=Harry A.|work=TVNewsCheck|publisher=NewsCheckMedia LLC|date=March 6, 2019|access-date=March 6, 2019}}</ref> Although the group planned to operate under the name Terrier Media, it was later announced in June 2019 that Apollo would also acquire Cox's radio and advertising businesses, and retain the Cox Media Group name.<ref name="rbr-radiosaletoapollo">{{cite news |last1=Jacobson |first1=Adam |title=It's Official: Cox Radio, Gamut, CoxReps Going To Apollo |url=https://www.rbr.com/cox-media-group-radio-apollo/ |access-date=June 26, 2019 |work=Radio & Television Business Report |date=June 26, 2019}}</ref> The sale was completed on December 17, 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/182425/apollo-global-management-closes-on-its-acquisition-of-cox-media-group/|title=Apollo Global Management Closes On Its Acquisition Of Cox Media Group|last=Venta|first=Lance|work=RadioInsight|date=December 17, 2019|access-date=December 17, 2019}}</ref>

====Canceled sale to Standard General====
On February 22, 2022, as part of [[Standard General]]'s acquisition of [[Tegna Inc.]], as well as Cox Media Group's acquisition of the four [[Standard Media]] television stations, along with [[WFAA]], [[KMPX]], [[KVUE]], [[KHOU]] and [[KTBU]], Cox announced that it would sell WFXT to an affiliate of Standard General.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last1=Weprin |first1=Alex |last2=Szalai |first2=Georg |date=February 22, 2022 |title=Local TV Giant TEGNA Sold to Private Equity Firms in Mega-Deal |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/tegna-sale-private-equity-firms-1235097233/ |access-date=February 22, 2022 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=February 22, 2022 |title=WFAA and Houston, Austin TV stations expected to go to Cox Media in Tegna's $5.4 billion sale |url=https://www.dallasnews.com/business/local-companies/2022/02/22/wfaa-and-houston-austin-tv-stations-expected-to-go-to-cox-media-in-tegnas-54-billion-sale/ |access-date=February 22, 2022 |website=Dallas News |language=en}}</ref><ref name="radioinsight.com">{{Cite web |title=Radio Implications To Today's Standard General Acquisition of TEGNA |url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/220210/radio-implications-to-todays-standard-general-acquisition-of-tegna/ |access-date=February 22, 2022 |website=RadioInsight |date=February 22, 2022 |language=en-US}}</ref> The deal was canceled on May 22, 2023.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 22, 2023 |title=Standard General's Tegna Takeover Doomed After Money Dries Up |language=en |website=Bloomberg.com |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-22/standard-general-s-tegna-takeover-doomed-after-money-dries-up |access-date=May 26, 2023}}</ref>