WQPX-TV

Last updated

WQPX-TV
City Scranton, Pennsylvania
Channels
BrandingIon
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
May 18, 1998(26 years ago) (1998-05-18) [1]
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 64 (UHF, 1998–2009)
  • Digital: 32 (UHF, 2003–2019)
  • inTV (1998)
  • UPN (secondary, 1998–1999)
Call sign meaning
Susquehanna Valley Pax
Technical information [2]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 64690
ERP 700 kW
HAAT 377 m (1,237 ft)
Transmitter coordinates 41°26′6″N75°43′34″W / 41.43500°N 75.72611°W / 41.43500; -75.72611
Translator(s) 49 (UHF) Waymart
Links
Public license information
Website iontelevision.com

WQPX-TV (channel 64) is a television station licensed to Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States, broadcasting the Ion Television network to Northeastern Pennsylvania. Owned and operated by the Ion Media subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company, the station has offices on Lackawanna Avenue in downtown Scranton, and its transmitter is located on Bald Mountain, northwest of Scranton and I-476.

Contents

WQPX-TV operates a digital replacement translator on UHF channel 49 that is licensed to Waymart with a transmitter in Forest City. It exists because wind turbines run by NextEra Energy Resources at the Waymart Wind Farm interfere with the transmission of full-power television signals.

History

WQPX began broadcasting May 18, 1998, [1] with test broadcasts; the official sign on took place June 1. [3] Before WQPX signed on, the station's call sign was WSWB-TV, [4] [5] first used on channel 38 in the early 1980s (before its own sign-on) and currently used on that same station today. [6] WSWB initially planned to sign on in July 1997, but delayed its launch so that it could construct a 5,000,000-watt signal to increase its must carry reach. [7] Initially, WQPX aired Paxson's InfoMall format of infomercials and religious programming; [8] on August 31, 1998, the station became one of the launch stations for Pax TV (the forerunner to Ion). [9]

On October 5, 1998, WQPX added a secondary affiliation with UPN as part of a group deal between Paxson Communications and UPN; the network's programming aired in late night, following Pax's prime time lineup. UPN programming had previously aired in weekend late night timeslots on CBS affiliate WYOU (channel 22). [10] WQPX dropped UPN in 1999. [11]

The New York Times Company, then-owner of ABC affiliate WNEP-TV, announced plans to take over WQPX's advertising sales through a joint sales agreement in October 2000; [12] the agreement came after negotiations with NBC affiliate WBRE-TV (channel 28) fell through. [13] The arrangement with WNEP ended on June 30, 2005, after Paxson Communications terminated all joint sales agreements involving its stations. [14]

Newscasts

From 2001 to 2005, WQPX aired rebroadcasts of newscasts from ABC affiliate WNEP-TV (channel 16) instead of airing newscasts from NBC affiliate WBRE-TV (channel 28). [15]

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of WQPX-TV [16]
Channel Res. Aspect Short nameProgramming
64.1 720p 16:9 ION Ion Television
64.2 480i Bounce Bounce TV
64.3CourtTV Court TV
64.4Grit Grit
64.5IONPlus Ion Plus [17]
64.6SCRIPPS Scripps News
64.7Jewelry Jewelry TV
64.8HSN HSN
64.9QVC QVC

Analog-to-digital conversion

WQPX-TV shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 64, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 32, [18] using virtual channel 64.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WNEP-TV</span> ABC affiliate in Scranton, Pennsylvania

WNEP-TV is a television station licensed to Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States, serving as the ABC affiliate for Northeastern Pennsylvania. Owned by Tegna Inc., the station maintains studios on Montage Mountain Road in Moosic. Through a channel sharing agreement with PBS member WVIA-TV, the two stations transmit using WNEP-TV's spectrum from an antenna at Penobscot Knob near Mountain Top.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBRE-TV</span> NBC affiliate in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

WBRE-TV is a television station licensed to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, United States, serving Northeastern Pennsylvania as an affiliate of NBC. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which provides certain services to Scranton-licensed CBS affiliate WYOU under a shared services agreement (SSA) with Mission Broadcasting. The two stations share studios on South Franklin Street in downtown Wilkes-Barre, with a news bureau and sales office next to WYOU's former studios on Lackawanna Avenue in downtown Scranton. WBRE-TV's transmitter is located at the Penobscot Knob antenna farm near Mountain Top.

WVIA-TV is a PBS member television station licensed to Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States, serving Northeastern Pennsylvania. Owned by the Northeast Pennsylvania Educational Television Association, it is sister to NPR member WVIA-FM (89.9). Both stations share studios in Jenkins Township, which shares a post office with Pittston. Through a channel sharing agreement with ABC affiliate WNEP-TV, the two stations transmit using WNEP-TV's spectrum from an antenna at Penobscot Knob near Mountain Top.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WYOU</span> CBS affiliate in Scranton, Pennsylvania

WYOU is a television station licensed to Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States, serving as the CBS affiliate for Northeastern Pennsylvania. It is owned by Mission Broadcasting, which maintains a shared services agreement (SSA) with Nexstar Media Group, owner of Wilkes-Barre–licensed NBC affiliate WBRE-TV, for the provision of certain services. The two stations share studios on South Franklin Street in downtown Wilkes-Barre, with a news bureau and sales office in the Ritz Theater in downtown Scranton. WYOU's transmitter is located at the Penobscot Knob antenna farm near Mountain Top.

WYPX-TV is a television station licensed to Amsterdam, New York, United States, serving the Capital District as an affiliate of Ion Television. Owned by Inyo Broadcast Holdings, the station has offices on Charles Boulevard in Guilderland, and its transmitter is located in the Helderberg Escarpment in New Scotland.

WZPX-TV is a television station licensed to Battle Creek, Michigan, United States, serving as the Ion Television affiliate for West Michigan. Owned by Inyo Broadcast Holdings, the station maintains offices on Horizon Drive in Grand Rapids and a transmitter on South Norris Road in Orangeville Township.

WPXX-TV is a television station in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with Ion Television. Owned by Inyo Broadcast Holdings, WPXX-TV maintains studios and transmitter facilities on Brother Boulevard in Bartlett, Tennessee. The station also serves as the de facto Ion outlet for the Jackson, Tennessee, and Jonesboro, Arkansas, markets.

WPXL-TV is a television station in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, broadcasting the Ion Television network. It is owned and operated by the Ion Media subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company, and maintains offices on Veterans Memorial Boulevard and Cleary Avenue in Metairie; its transmitter is located off Paris Road near the Orleans–St. Bernard parish line.

KOPX-TV is a television station in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, affiliated with Ion Television. Owned by Inyo Broadcast Holdings, the station maintains offices on Railway Drive in north Oklahoma City, and its transmitter is located near 122nd Street on the city's northeast side.

WGPX-TV is a television station licensed to Burlington, North Carolina, United States, serving the Piedmont Triad region as an affiliate of Ion Television. The station is owned by Inyo Broadcast Holdings, and maintains offices on North O'Henry Boulevard in Greensboro; its transmitter is located in Randleman, North Carolina.

WPXC-TV is a television station licensed to Brunswick, Georgia, United States, broadcasting the Ion Television network to the Jacksonville, Florida, area. It is the only major commercial station in the Jacksonville market that is licensed in Georgia. The station is owned and operated by the Ion Media subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company, and has studios on Blythe Island Highway/State Route 303 in southwestern Brunswick; its transmitter is located in unincorporated southwestern Camden County, Georgia.

WUPX-TV is a television station licensed to Richmond, Kentucky, United States, serving the Lexington area as an affiliate of Ion Television. The station is owned by Inyo Broadcast Holdings, and maintains a transmitter on High Bridge Road north of Bryantsville, Kentucky.

KPXB-TV is a television station licensed to Conroe, Texas, United States, serving as the Houston area outlet for the Ion Television network. It is owned and operated by the Ion Media subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company, and maintains a transmitter near Missouri City, in unincorporated northeastern Fort Bend County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KPXJ</span> CW affiliate in Minden, Louisiana

KPXJ is a television station licensed to Minden, Louisiana, United States, serving the Shreveport area as an affiliate of The CW. The station is owned by locally based KTBS, LLC, alongside ABC affiliate KTBS-TV. The two stations share studios on East Kings Highway on the eastern side of Shreveport; KPXJ's transmitter is located near St. Johns Baptist Church Road in rural northern Caddo Parish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSWB</span> CW affiliate in Scranton, Pennsylvania

WSWB is a television station licensed to Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States, serving as the CW affiliate for Northeastern Pennsylvania. It is owned by MPS Media, which maintains a local marketing agreement (LMA) with New Age Media, owner of Hazleton-licensed Fox affiliate and company flagship WOLF-TV and Williamsport-licensed MyNetworkTV affiliate WQMY, for the provision of certain services. All three stations, in turn, are operated under a master service agreement by the Sinclair Broadcast Group. The stations share studios on PA 315 in the Fox Hill section of Plains Township; WSWB's transmitter is located on Bald Mountain, northwest of Scranton and I-476. However, newscasts have originated from the facilities of sister station and CBS affiliate WSBT-TV in South Bend, Indiana, since January 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WOLF-TV</span> Fox affiliate in Hazleton, Pennsylvania

WOLF-TV is a television station licensed to Hazleton, Pennsylvania, United States, serving Northeastern Pennsylvania as an affiliate of the Fox network. It is the flagship property of locally based New Age Media, LLC, and is co-owned with Williamsport-licensed MyNetworkTV affiliate WQMY ; New Age also provides certain services to Scranton-licensed CW affiliate WSWB under a local marketing agreement (LMA) with MPS Media. All three stations, in turn, are operated under a master service agreement by Sinclair Broadcast Group. The stations share studios on PA 315 in the Fox Hill section of Plains Township; WOLF-TV's transmitter is located at the Penobscot Knob antenna farm near Mountain Top. However, newscasts have originated from the facilities of sister station and CBS affiliate WSBT-TV in South Bend, Indiana, since January 2017.

KSPX-TV is a television station in Sacramento, California, United States, airing programming from the Ion Television network. It is owned and operated by the Ion Media subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company, and maintains offices on Prospect Park Drive in Rancho Cordova; its transmitter is located at TransTower in Walnut Grove, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WQMY</span> MyNetworkTV affiliate in Williamsport, Pennsylvania

WQMY is a television station licensed to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, United States, serving Northeastern Pennsylvania as an affiliate of MyNetworkTV. It is owned by locally based New Age Media, LLC, alongside Hazleton-licensed Fox affiliate and company flagship WOLF-TV ; New Age also provides certain services to Scranton-licensed CW affiliate WSWB under a local marketing agreement (LMA) with MPS Media. All three stations, in turn, are operated under a master service agreement by Sinclair Broadcast Group. The stations share studios on PA 315 in the Fox Hill section of Plains Township; WQMY's transmitter is located on Bald Eagle Mountain. However, newscasts have originated from the facilities of sister station and CBS affiliate WSBT-TV in South Bend, Indiana, since January 2017. There is no separate website for WQMY; instead, it is integrated with that of sister station WOLF-TV.

WNPX-TV is a television station licensed to Franklin, Tennessee, United States, broadcasting the Ion Television network to the Nashville area. It is owned and operated by the Ion Media subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company alongside CBS affiliate WTVF. WNPX-TV's transmitter is located near Cross Plains, Tennessee.

WPXR-TV is a television station licensed to Roanoke, Virginia, United States, broadcasting the Ion Television network to the Roanoke–Lynchburg market. The station is owned and operated by the Ion Media subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company, and maintains a transmitter atop Poor Mountain in unincorporated southwestern Roanoke County.

References

  1. 1 2 "FCC 398 Children's Television Programming Report". KidVid Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. March 30, 1999. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WQPX-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ↑ Mates, Rich (May 23, 1998). "Citadel Takes Stations on a Country Drive". The Scranton Times . p. 5C. Channel 64, WQPX-TV is on the air, … Theyre in the testing mode … before the official June 1 sign-on.
  4. ↑ "Call Sign History (WQPX-TV)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission . Retrieved November 6, 2018.
  5. ↑ Mates, Rich (December 27, 1997). "Figures Indicate WVIA Runs a Tight Fiscal Ship". The Scranton Times . p. 4C. …WQPX, Channel 64, which is due to go on the air soon. They dumped WSWB call letters…
  6. ↑ Mates, Rich (April 25, 1998). "New commercial TV outlet scheduled on Ch. 56". The Scranton Times . p. 3C. Channel 38 will become WSWB-TV. The call letters WSWB were originally assigned to Channel 64, which is not on the air yet.
  7. ↑ Mates, Rich (November 29, 1997). "News Anchor Team Gaining Some Yardage". The Scranton Times . p. 4C. Initially, the station was to sign on in July, but Paxson Communications Inc. shifted gears and decided to go on the air with a 5 million watt signal so they could assert must carry status with some 50 different cable operators in Northeast Pennsylvania, nearby New York and New Jersey.
  8. ↑ Mates, Rich (December 20, 1997). "New TV Station WSWB Searching for Employees". The Scranton Times . p. 5C. When it buys a station, Paxson begins airing a format of infomercials and paid religious programming called InfoMall on each station. WSWB will sign on with this format…
  9. ↑ Mates, Rich (August 22, 1998). "New Network To Focus on Family Entertainment". The Scranton Times . p. 4C. At noon, a week from Monday, WQPX will become part of Pax TV, a new over-the-air network.
  10. ↑ Mates, Rich (September 19, 1998). "WQPX-TV Programming To Get New Feeling". The Scranton Times . p. 4C. The PAX-TV-owned Channel 64 will be carrying the UPN network programming starting Oct. 5. Ray Gillette, WQPX general manager, said the UPN programming will follow PAX-TVs nightly lineup.
  11. ↑ Mates, Rich (August 21, 1999). "Kosich, Tidey Leaving Newswatch 16 Spots". The Scranton Times . p. 3C. WQPX-TV (Ch. 64) is ending its secondary affiliation with UPN. It had been carrying UPN primetime shows on a three-hour delay.
  12. ↑ Mates, Rich (October 13, 2000). "WNEP Plans To Take Over Operations of Local WQPX-TV". The Scranton Times . p. 32.
  13. ↑ Mates, Rich (October 21, 2000). "WNEP-TV, WQPX-TV link remains unclear". The Scranton Times . p. B1. WBRE- TV (Ch. 28) tried to work out a similar joint sales deal with Paxson so it could air 28 News on WQPX. The talks got nowhere…
  14. ↑ Mates, Rich (April 30, 2005). "Adelphia adding Fine Living channel to its cable lineup". The Scranton Times . p. 3B. …WNEP-TV, which has a contract with Paxson to sell WQPX's commercials locally. WNEP also runs some programs on WQPX. All relationships between PAX and WNEP will end June 30…
  15. ↑ Mates, Rich (August 18, 2001). "WNEP chief stepping down after 19 years with station". The Scranton Times . p. 1B. …expanded WNEP's reach by running repeats of the 6 and 11 p.m. news on WQPX-TV…
  16. ↑ "RabbitEars TV Query for WQPX" . Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  17. ↑ Keys, Matthew (June 28, 2024). "Scripps replacing Defy TV with Ion Plus on broadcast TV". TheDesk.net. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  18. ↑ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.