Jackson's new Fox network television affiliate was supposed to go on the air Sunday morning, but a shooting at the station's tower in Edwards has put those plans on hold.

Ted Rudolph, market manager for the new affiliate, said about seven or eight members of the tower crew were working Sunday when several shots were fired at them. Two shots narrowly missed one of the workers, leaving dents in the steel partition the crew was working on.

No injuries were reported, and the Hinds County Sheriff's Department is investigating. The completion of the tower will be delayed until the criminal investigation is complete or until the station receives assurance that the crew is safe to return to work, Rudolph said.

WUFX officials had planned the to air the Fox NFL pregame show Sunday, followed by two football games, including the New Orleans Saints game. Those plans have been nixed, and the new start-up date for the channel has not been set.

"Because of this incident, a lot of people are going to be disappointed this Sunday when they will miss the Saints football games," Rudolph said. "Because of one person, viewers will not have Fox 35 on the air this week. The Jackson community has been without their Fox favorites for long enough, and they will be back as soon as the person responsible for this vicious attack can be apprehended."

Whether the Fox network will provide a feed of the Saints game to the Jackson area Sunday is anyone's guess, Rudolph said.

While local sports bar managers were looking forward to having local access to the Saints game, the advent of satellite programming ensures they'll be able to show their customers any and all NFL games Sunday.

"We've got Direct TV and the NFL package, and we do plan to have every game on that day," said Ken Prewitt, manager at Time Out Sports Cafe on Old Canton Road. "That gives us an advantage, so it really won't hurt us at all."

Jim Ouderkirk, bar manager at The Forum on Ridgewood Road, said 60 to 70 percent of the typical NFL Sunday crowd is made up of Saints fans. "We'll still have it Sunday," he said. "We're going to have a huge crowd."
By Jeremy Hudson
and Gary Pettus The Clarion Ledger