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WPXW-TV

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Coordinates:38°57′49.9″N77°6′17.2″W/ 38.963861°N 77.104778°W/38.963861; -77.104778
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WPXW-TV
CityManassas, Virginia
Channels
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
WWPX-TV,WMAR-TV
History
First air date
April 2, 1978(46 years ago)(1978-04-02)
Former call signs
  • WTKK (1978–1994)
  • WVVI (1994–1998)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog:66 (UHF, 1978–2009)
  • Digital:43 (UHF, 2001–2009), 34 (UHF, 2009–2020)
Call signmeaning
Pax Washington, D.C.
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID74091
ERP949kW
HAAT234.1 m (768 ft)
Transmitter coordinates38°57′49.9″N77°6′17.2″W/ 38.963861°N 77.104778°W/38.963861; -77.104778
Repeater(s)WWPX-TV60Martinsburg, WV
Links
Public license information
Websiteiontelevision

WPXW-TV(channel 66) is atelevision stationlicensed toManassas, Virginia,United States, broadcasting theIon Televisionnetwork to theWashington, D.C.area. The station is owned by theIon Mediasubsidiary of theE. W. Scripps Company,and maintains business offices inFairfax Station, Virginia;its transmitter is located on River Road inBethesda, Maryland.The Ion network is also broadcast in the region fromWWPX-TV(channel 60) inMartinsburg, West Virginia,which shares the same subchannels as WPXW-TV, and on a subchannel of Scripps-ownedABCaffiliateWMAR-TV(channel 2) inBaltimore.

Channel 66 went on the air April 2, 1978, as WTKK ( "Witnessing the King of Kings" ), a Christian station owned by Manassas-based National Capital Christian Broadcasting. The station's programming consisted of local and national religious shows, though in the 1980s it broadened its format to include some classic TV series. National Capital Christian Broadcasting sold channel 66 to home shopping networkValueVisionin 1994, though the seller would continue to be investigated for fraud and misrepresentations to investors. The station had the call sign WVVI under ValueVision. Paxson Communications Corporation, forerunner to Ion Media, acquired WVVI-TV and incorporated it into its Infomall TV network, broadcasting infomercials and paid programs, in 1997; these stations formed the core of the Pax network, predecessor to Ion, in 1998.

History

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National Capital Christian Broadcasting ownership

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In 1974, National Capital Christian Broadcasting (NCCB) began organizing to build a Christian- and family-oriented television station in Manassas, which would serve greater Washington. This required petitioning theFederal Communications Commission(FCC) to allot channel 66 to Manassas.[2]

Activity accelerated in 1977, when NCCB applied for theconstruction permitafter having channel 66 approved to operate in Manassas. Raker bought a former school and church and converted it into a television studio.[3]The FCC granted the permit on October 3, 1977,[4]and WTKK ( "Witnessing theKing of Kings"[5]) began broadcasting on April 2, 1978—Easter Sunday.[6]The fledgling station's finances were unsteady: within a year, it was described by program host Ken Connolly as "in a fight for life".[5]Connolly's program marked the bulk of WTKK's local programming in 1979, alongside a children's show known asBeyond the Blueand a newscast. Raker—described financially by the head of the National Association of Religious Broadcasters as a "loner" compared to other similar ventures—was able to beg for equipment and money, including a used set and studio lights belonging toGood Morning Americaand a lease of the abandoned Baptist church, complete with an organ and stained glass windows.[7]In 1982, the station increased its power to a full five million watts and moved its transmitter fromIndependent Hillto a new site inFairfax Station;[8][9]it was off the air for three months to make the move.[10]

In 1983, channel 66 began to experiment with an increased secular programming schedule, as its all-religious lineup failed to attract viewers. With the addition of shows likeThe Lone Ranger,Green Acres,andMister Ed,WTKK's ratings soared 1,000 percent from a 0.2 share to a 2.5 share in the span of a year. The station also had to hire advertising sales representatives to handle its increasing business.[9]In November 1984, National Capital Christian Broadcasting expanded by startingWTLL(channel 63, "Witnessing the Lord of Lords" ) inRichmond;it was able to borrow money to start the Richmond station because of a land donation made by real estate developer Cecil D. Hylton.[9]WTKK and WTLL shared some programming that was produced in Manassas, including the religious talk showCapital Lifeand an exercise program,Beverly Exercise.[11]However, with continued money losses among independent TV stations, NCCB sold the Richmond station to Sudbrink Broadcasting in 1986.[12]

ValueVision and Pax/Ion ownership

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In 1994, WTKK was purchased by a subsidiary ofValueVision,ahome shoppingnetwork, for $5.4 million.[13]ValueVision at the same time acquired two other stations:WTWS-TVinNew London, Connecticut,andKRTWinBaytown, Texas.[14]and on June 6, 1994, the call letters were changed to WVVI; it was one of as many as four company-owned stations.[15]After National Capital Christian Broadcasting sold channel 66, it came under state government scrutiny for its methods of attracting investors. The Commonwealth's Attorney forPrince William Countysolicited aVirginia State Policeinvestigation of NCCB in November 1996 after more than a dozen investors sued the company seeking the return of their investments over misrepresentations.[16]The company filed for bankruptcy with assets of $430,000 and liabilities exceeding $9 million. Many of these investors had provided funds for expansions that never were undertaken. By 1998, a Virginia State Police agent had written in court filings that "as of this date, this investigator doesn't know how the ValueVision [sale] proceeds finally were used".[17]

Paxson Communications agreed to acquire WVVI in 1996; the deal was for a $30 million purchase price plus another $10 million if theSupreme Court of the United Statesupheldmust carryregulations that required Washington's cable systems to air the station in their lineups.[18]Paxson closed on the deal on August 1, 1997, and replaced ValueVision's home shopping programming with its inTV infomercial service.[19]On January 13, 1998, the call letters were changed to the current WPXW in advance of the launch of thePaxnetwork later that year.[20]The station airedBaltimore Oriolesgames in 2005, the first year that they shared the market with theWashington Nationals.[21]After changing its name to i: Independent Television in 2005, the network became known as Ion Television in 2007.[22]

Technical information

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Subchannels

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The station's signal ismultiplexed:

Subchannels of WPXW-TV[23]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
66.1 720p 16:9 ION Ion Television
66.2 Bounce Bounce TV
66.3 480i CourtTV Court TV
66.4 Laff Laff
66.5 IONPlus Ion Plus[24]
66.6 Scripps Scripps News
66.7 Jewelry Jewelry TV
66.8 HSN HSN

Analog-to-digital conversion

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WPXW-TV shut down its analog signal, overUHFchannel 66, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United Statestransitioned from analog to digital broadcastsunder federal mandate. The station's digital signal moved from its pre-transition UHF channel 43 to channel 34, usingvirtual channel66.[25]WPXW-TV relocated its signal from channel 34 to channel 35 on August 2, 2019, as a result of the2016 United States wireless spectrum auction.[26]

References

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  1. ^"Facility Technical Data for WPXW-TV".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^Grandstaff, Lynne (February 6, 1974)."Family viewing aim of station".Potomac News.Woodbridge, Virginia. p. C-10.RetrievedNovember 9,2023– via Newspapers.
  3. ^"Christian station nears".Potomac News.Woodbridge, Virginia. April 15, 1977. p. A-6.RetrievedNovember 9,2023– via Newspapers.
  4. ^"History Cards for WTKK".Federal Communications Commission.
  5. ^abGardner, C. Mason (March 24, 1979)."Pastors appear on program".Culpeper Star-Exponent.Culpeper, Virginia. p. 5.RetrievedNovember 9,2023– via Newspapers.
  6. ^Breeden, Nancy (April 4, 1978)."New television station operating in Manassas".Potomac News.Woodbridge, Virginia. p. A-2.RetrievedNovember 9,2023– via Newspapers.
  7. ^Peters, Jean (September 25, 1979). "Religious TV Finds a Niche in Manassas".The Washington Post.pp. B1, B4.ProQuest147038892.
  8. ^Owen, Dean (March 26, 1982)."Manassas TV station expands its range".Potomac News.Woodbridge, Virginia. p. A1.RetrievedNovember 9,2023– via Newspapers.
  9. ^abcHockstader, Lee (April 12, 1984). "Secular Reruns Prove Bonanza For WTKK-TV's Low Ratings: All-Religious Programming No Match for 'Lone Ranger'".The Washington Post.pp. C1, C4.ProQuest138392525.
  10. ^Lewis, Michael (March 24, 1983)."'Gomer,' 'Hillbillies,' 'Van Dyke,' to rerun on WTKK, Christian TV ".Potomac News.Woodbridge, Virginia. pp. A1,A5.RetrievedNovember 9,2023– via Newspapers.
  11. ^Durden, Douglas (November 24, 1984)."New station had start in the '70s".Richmond Times-Dispatch.Richmond, Virginia. p. B-6.RetrievedNovember 9,2023– via Newspapers.
  12. ^Durden, Douglas (January 15, 1986)."WTLL being sold; Channel 65 planned".Richmond Times-Dispatch.Richmond, Virginia. p. C-5.RetrievedNovember 9,2023– via Newspapers.
  13. ^"Changing Hands".Broadcasting & Cable.November 29, 1993. p. 86.ProQuest1016942842.
  14. ^"In Brief".Broadcasting & Cable.October 25, 1993. p. 65.ProQuest1016948278.
  15. ^Brown, Rich (September 11, 1995). "ValueVision builds war chest".Broadcasting.pp. 44–45.ProQuest1014761480.
  16. ^Fisher, Dennis (November 23, 1996)."State Attorney to investigate Manassas broadcaster".Journal Messenger.Woodbridge, Virginia. p. 1.RetrievedNovember 9,2023– via Newspapers.
  17. ^Smith, Leef (September 23, 1998). "Fraud Investigation of Religious Broadcasting Firm Moves Forward".The Washington Post.ProQuest408402548.
  18. ^"In Brief".Broadcasting & Cable.November 25, 1996. p. 88.ProQuest1014771169.
  19. ^"Paxson Communications acquires Washington D.C. TV station and completes sale of two Florida network affiliated TV stations" (Press release). Paxson Communications Corporation. August 1, 1997.ProQuest447008252– via Business Wire.
  20. ^Waresh, Julie (January 9, 1998)."Pax Net stations renamed".The Palm Beach Post.West Palm Beach, Florida. p. 7D.RetrievedNovember 9,2023– via Newspapers.
  21. ^Fisher, Eric (April 12, 2005). "TV ratings remain low for Nationals".The Washington Times.
  22. ^"i Is Now ION Television".Multichannel News.January 24, 2007.Archivedfrom the original on August 1, 2022.RetrievedAugust 1,2022.
  23. ^"TV query for WPXW-TV".RabbitEars.Archivedfrom the original on August 21, 2017.RetrievedAugust 21,2017.
  24. ^Keys, Matthew (June 28, 2024)."Scripps replacing Defy TV with Ion Plus on broadcast TV".TheDesk.net.RetrievedJune 28,2024.
  25. ^"DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on August 29, 2013.RetrievedMarch 24,2012.
  26. ^"FCC TV Spectrum Phase Assignment Table"(CSV).Federal Communications Commission.April 13, 2017.Archivedfrom the original on April 17, 2017.RetrievedApril 17,2017.
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