Ion Television is a television network based in the United States made up of 44 owned-and-operated stations and 194 network affiliates, 164 of which broadcast as digital subchannels. [1] The Ion-owned stations are a part of the Ion Media unit of Scripps Networks, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company. [2]
Stations are listed in alphabetical order by city of license.
Ion Television is an American broadcast television network and FAST television channel owned by the Scripps Networks subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company. The network first began broadcasting on August 31, 1998, as Pax TV, focusing primarily on family-oriented entertainment programming. It rebranded as i: Independent Television on July 1, 2005, converting into a general entertainment network featuring recent and older acquired programs. The network adopted its identity as Ion Television on January 29, 2007.
The E. W. Scripps Company, also known as Scripps, is an American broadcasting company founded in 1878 as a chain of daily newspapers by Edward Willis "E. W." Scripps and his sister, Ellen Browning Scripps. It was also formerly a media conglomerate. The company is headquartered at the Scripps Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its corporate motto is "Give light and the people will find their own way", which is symbolized by the media empire's longtime lighthouse logo. In terms of market reach, Scripps is the second largest operator of ABC affiliates, behind the Sinclair Broadcast Group, and ahead of Hearst Television and Tegna. Scripps also owns a number of free-to-air multi-genre digital subchannel multicast networks through its Scripps Networks division, including the Ion Television network and Scripps News.
WAGM-TV is a television station in Presque Isle, Maine, United States, affiliated with CBS, Fox, and The CW Plus. It is owned by Gray Television alongside Fort Kent–licensed low-power NBC affiliate WWPI-LD. The two stations share studios on Brewer Road in Presque Isle; WAGM-TV's transmitter is located on the northern section of Mars Hill Mountain among the wind turbines.
KGWN-TV is a television station in Cheyenne, Wyoming, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW Plus. The station is owned by Marquee Broadcasting, and maintains studios on East Lincolnway/East 14th Street/I-80 BUS/US 30 in Cheyenne; its transmitter is located in unincorporated Laramie County between I-80/US 30 and WYO 225.
WIFS is a television station licensed to Janesville, Wisconsin, United States, serving as the Ion Television affiliate for the Madison area. Owned by Byrne Acquisition Group, the station maintains studios on Syene Road on Madison's far south side, and its transmitter is located in Madison's Junction Ridge neighborhood.
WCTV is a television station licensed to Thomasville, Georgia, United States, serving the Tallahassee, Florida, market as an affiliate of CBS and MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Gray Television alongside Live Oak, Florida–licensed MeTV affiliate WFXU. The two stations share studios on Halstead Boulevard in Tallahassee ; WCTV's transmitter is located in unincorporated Thomas County, Georgia, southeast of Metcalf, along the Florida state line.
WLWC is a television station licensed to New Bedford, Massachusetts, United States, serving the Providence, Rhode Island, area as an affiliate of Court TV. Owned by Inyo Broadcast Holdings, the station shares transmitter facilities with former sister WPXQ-TV on Champlin Hill in Ashaway, Rhode Island.
KOLN is a television station licensed to Lincoln, Nebraska, United States, serving southeastern and central Nebraska as an affiliate of CBS. Owned by Gray Television, the station maintains studios on North 40th Street in Lincoln and transmitter facilities near Beaver Crossing, Nebraska.
WHSV-TV is a television station in Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by Gray Television alongside two low-power stations: Class A dual Fox/CBS affiliate WSVF-CD and dual NBC/CW+ affiliate WSVW-LD. The three stations share studios on North Main Street in downtown Harrisonburg, and operate a newsroom in Fishersville, serving Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County. WHSV-TV's transmitter is located at Elliott Knob west of Staunton.
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a method of transmitting more than one independent program stream simultaneously from the same digital radio or television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compression techniques to reduce the size of each individual program stream, and multiplexing to combine them into a single signal. The practice is sometimes called "multicasting".
In the United States, owned-and-operated television stations constitute only a portion of their parent television networks' station bodies, due to ownership limits imposed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Currently, the total number of television stations owned by any company can only reach a maximum of 39% of all U.S. households; in the past, the ownership limit was much lower, and was determined by a specific number of television stations rather than basing the limits on total market coverage.
WRGX-LD is a low-power television station in Dothan, Alabama, United States, affiliated with NBC, The CW Plus, and Telemundo. It is owned by Gray Television alongside CBS affiliate WTVY. The two stations share studios on North Foster Street in Downtown Dothan; WRGX-LD's transmitter is located in Bethlehem, Florida.
KXJB-LD is a low-power television station licensed to Horace, North Dakota, United States, serving the Fargo–Grand Forks market as an affiliate of CBS and The CW Plus. It is owned by Gray Television alongside NBC affiliate KVLY-TV. The two stations share studios on 21st Avenue South in Fargo, where KXJB-LD's transmitter is also located.