WRSP/WCCU FOX 55 News Champaign TV Live Stream

WCCU (virtual channel 27, UHF digital channel 26) in Urbana–Champaign operates as a semi-satellite of WRSP for the eastern portion of the market, including Danville. As such, it disperses all network and syndicated programming from its parent but airs separate commercial inserts, legal identifications, and a weeknight prime time newscast (see below). WCCU’s transmitter is placed along US 136 in Vermilion County between Penfield and Armstrong; the station shares studios with WICD on South Country Fair Drive in downtown Champaign. On September 11, 2006, WRSP/WCCU (then separately controlled) established a news share agreement with WICS/WICD. As a result, a nightly prime time newscast began airing on the Fox affiliates that was jointly produced by the two ABC outlets. Known as NewsChannel at 9 on Fox Illinois, it declared from a modified set at WICS’s Springfield studios featuring unique duratrans indicating the Fox-branded show. From the start, NewsChannel at 9 competed with a newscast already established in the time slot on then-UPN affiliate WCFN (produced by WCIA). Unlike the WRSP/WCCU show, WCFN’s broadcast originated from WCIA’s Champaign facilities but was targeted specifically at a Springfield audience. The WRSP/WCCU newscast featured market wide coverage, including contributions from WICD reporters, but there was a separate weeknight weather segment for WRSP and WCCU. WCFN’s prime time broadcast would be eventually canceled by WCIA on September 28, 2009. On October 7, 2013, the weekday edition NewsChannel at 9 was expanded to an hour. The effort on WRSP/WCCU was further extended on January 20, 2014 when WICS began producing a two-hour weekday morning show for the Fox affiliates. Known as Good Day Illinois, the program can be seen from 7 until 9 and offers a local alternative to the national morning programs seen on the big three networks. It also contends with another two-hour local newscast seen at same time on MyNetworkTV affiliate WCIX (produced by WCIA) On March 13, 2015, Sinclair announced that WICD would stop offering separate newscasts on weekdays that focus on the eastern areas of the market (Champaign/Urbana/Danville). This change took effect after the final WICD-produced newscast aired on April 3. In its place are newscasts simulcasted from WICS (in all time slots) which provide market-wide coverage including content from the eastern areas through a downsized bureau at WICD’s studios. On April 7, 2015 despite this significant reduction, WICD began airing a full sixty-minute Champaign-based prime time newscast (weeknights at 9) on WCCU entitled Fox Champaign News at Nine. The existing hour-long WICS-produced newscast on WRSP, which had been simulcast on WCCU, was transferred to Springfield and became known as Fox News at Nine. The weekend edition of the prime time news will continue to be a market-wide product simulcasted on WRSP and WCCU. With the exception of the WCCU newscast, WICD no longer produces Champaign-specific local news.