KFPX-TV

KFPX-TV is a full-power television station serving central Iowa and the Des Moines television market. The station is licensed to Newton, Iowa, while its offices are located on 114th Street in Urbandale. Its transmitter is in Alleman, Iowa, a later site that gives the station broader over-the-air coverage than its former facility in Baxter. KFPX broadcasts the Ion Television network, an American network built around syndicated and acquired entertainment programming. The station began broadcasting on August 31, 1998. It was launched by Paxson Communications as a charter affiliate of Pax TV, a network initially associated with family-oriented entertainment. Overnight hours on the station included programming from The Worship Network. Pax TV later shifted toward a broader general-entertainment format, adopted the branding i: Independent Television, and eventually became Ion Television. KFPX consequently remained part of the network's evolution from a family-oriented service into a nationally distributed entertainment network. KFPX has also had a limited local-programming role. In 2001, it briefly carried a prime-time newscast produced by WHO-TV, the NBC affiliate in Des Moines. The program was intended to compete with KDSM-TV's Fox News at Nine. After the original newscast ended, KFPX carried a delayed repeat of WHO-TV's 10 p.m. newscast for a period, with the arrangement ending in early 2005. The station has otherwise been primarily a network entertainment outlet rather than a sustained local-news operation. The station completed the United States digital television transition on June 12, 2009, shutting down its analog transmission on UHF channel 39 and performing a digital flash-cut on the same channel. KFPX previously transmitted from Baxter, where the relatively short tower limited its practical signal reach and made cable and satellite distribution important for full-market access. The move to Alleman improved the station's terrestrial coverage and brought it closer to the coverage profile of other Des Moines-market stations. Ownership changed at the corporate level in the 2020s. On September 24, 2020, The E. W. Scripps Company announced an agreement to acquire Ion Media, including KFPX-TV, in a transaction valued at $2.65 billion and financed in part by Berkshire Hathaway. Regulatory and portfolio considerations required the divestiture of 23 stations to Inyo Broadcast Holdings, but KFPX was part of the Ion Media assets moving into the Scripps organization. The station continues to operate as an Ion Television outlet, combining national network programming with local over-the-air service for the Des Moines area.

KFPX-TV launched on August 31, 1998, as a station established by Paxson Communications. It was among the original affiliates of Pax TV, a network that initially emphasized family-oriented programming. The station also carried religious programming from The Worship Network during overnight hours. As Pax TV changed its programming strategy and identity, KFPX followed the network through its later branding as i: Independent Television and then Ion Television. Although principally a network station, KFPX experimented with local news in the early 2000s. For a short period in 2001, WHO-TV produced a prime-time newscast for KFPX. The arrangement positioned the station against KDSM-TV's Fox News at Nine. When that program was canceled, KFPX continued to air WHO-TV's 10 p.m. newscast on a 30-minute delay until early 2005. The station subsequently remained primarily focused on Ion's national entertainment schedule rather than maintaining an independent local-news operation. KFPX's transmission history includes a significant facilities change. Its original transmitter site in Baxter, Iowa, had a relatively short tower, which constrained the station's over-the-air reach to much of the immediate Des Moines area. Cable and satellite carriage therefore helped extend access across the market. The station later moved its transmitter to Alleman, Iowa, improving its terrestrial coverage and making it more comparable with the service areas of other major Des Moines stations. The station completed the federally mandated U.S. digital television conversion on June 12, 2009. It shut down its analog signal on channel 39 and immediately operated its digital signal on that channel through a flash-cut. This change placed KFPX within the post-transition digital broadcast environment and enabled continued service using its established UHF channel identity. A major corporate development came on September 24, 2020, when The E. W. Scripps Company announced that it would acquire Ion Media, KFPX-TV's owner, for $2.65 billion. Berkshire Hathaway provided financing connected with the transaction. To address ownership and regulatory requirements, 23 stations were designated for divestiture to Inyo Broadcast Holdings. KFPX remained associated with the Ion Media assets acquired by Scripps. Its current role is that of an Ion Television station licensed to Newton and serving viewers in the Des Moines market, with station offices in Urbandale and transmission facilities in Alleman.

• 2020

  Ion Media acquisition announced

  [1]KFPX-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The E. W. Scripps Company announces its planned purchase of Ion Media, bringing KFPX into the Scripps corporate group.

• 2009

  Digital television transition

  [1]KFPX-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The station terminates analog broadcasting and flash-cuts its digital signal to UHF channel 39 on June 12.

• 2005

  Delayed WHO-TV newscast ends

  [1]KFPX-TVen.wikipedia.org

  KFPX's delayed repeat of WHO-TV's 10 p.m. newscast ends in early 2005.

• 2001

  Prime-time local newscast experiment

  [1]KFPX-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WHO-TV produces a short-lived prime-time newscast for KFPX to compete with KDSM-TV's evening Fox newscast.

• 1998

  Station signs on

  [1]KFPX-TVen.wikipedia.org

  KFPX-TV begins broadcasting on August 31 as a Pax TV charter affiliate established by Paxson Communications.

A local broadcast outlet focused primarily on distributing Ion Television's nationally scheduled entertainment programming, with coverage of the Des Moines market and a limited historical role in locally produced news.

• Television network affiliate · 1998

  Ion Television service

  KFPX's principal offering is local broadcast distribution of Ion Television, a national network centered on acquired and syndicated entertainment programming. The station adapts that network service for the Des Moines market through its licensed broadcast signal and local distribution relationships.

• Broadcast transmission · 2009

  Digital terrestrial television

  Following the 2009 U.S. digital transition, KFPX has operated as a digital television station on UHF channel 39. Its transmitter relocation from Baxter to Alleman expanded over-the-air reach across the Des Moines area and reduced reliance on cable and satellite carriage for market coverage.

• Local television programming · 2001

  Local news programming

  KFPX has historically carried locally oriented news programming supplied by WHO-TV. The best-documented arrangement consisted of a brief prime-time newscast in 2001 followed by a delayed airing of WHO-TV's 10 p.m. newscast, which ended in early 2005. This was a historical programming initiative rather than a continuing flagship service.

• 2020

  Ion Media acquisition by ScrippsM&A

  Background

  Ion Media's station portfolio became the subject of a proposed acquisition by The E. W. Scripps Company as part of Scripps's expansion in broadcast television.

  Action taken

  Scripps announced an agreement to purchase Ion Media for $2.65 billion, with Berkshire Hathaway financing and a planned divestiture of 23 stations to Inyo Broadcast Holdings.

  Aftermath

  KFPX became part of the Ion Media assets associated with the Scripps organization while retaining its Ion Television affiliation.

  Ion Media acquisition value. $2.65 billion announced transaction value (Announced September 24, 2020)

  Source

• 2009

  Conversion from analog to digital transmissionGeneration change

  Background

  Federal rules required full-power U.S. television stations to complete the transition from analog broadcasting to digital transmission.

  Action taken

  KFPX shut down its analog channel 39 signal and flash-cut its digital service to UHF channel 39 on June 12, 2009.

  Aftermath

  The station continued broadcasting digitally and later benefited from a transmitter move that improved its over-the-air coverage of the Des Moines market.

  Source

• Transmitter relocation from Baxter to AllemanStrategy

  Background

  The former Baxter transmitter's short tower restricted KFPX's over-the-air service in portions of the Des Moines market.

  Action taken

  KFPX moved its transmission facilities to Alleman, Iowa.

  Aftermath

  The new site provided coverage more comparable to that of other stations serving the market and improved terrestrial reach.

  Source

• 2020

  Scripps announces acquisition of Ion Media[1]KFPX-TVen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  The E. W. Scripps Company announced an agreement to acquire Ion Media for $2.65 billion, including KFPX-TV. The transaction was supported in part by Berkshire Hathaway financing and involved planned divestitures of 23 stations.

• 2009

  KFPX-TV completes the United States analog-to-digital transition[1]KFPX-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Regulation · Product generation

  On June 12, 2009, KFPX ended analog broadcasting and moved its digital transmission to UHF channel 39 through a flash-cut.

• 2001

  KFPX-TV briefly adds a WHO-TV-produced prime-time newscast[1]KFPX-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  KFPX carried a prime-time newscast produced by Des Moines NBC affiliate WHO-TV as a local attempt to compete with KDSM-TV's Fox News at Nine.

• 1998

  KFPX-TV begins broadcasting as a charter Pax TV station[1]KFPX-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  The station signed on August 31, 1998, under Paxson Communications as an early affiliate of Pax TV, later known as i: Independent Television and Ion Television.

1. 1KFPX-TVen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Ion Televisioniontelevision.com