KWPX-TV

KWPX-TV is a full-power television station licensed to Bellevue, Washington, and serving viewers in the Seattle–Tacoma market. The station operates as an Ion Television affiliate and is part of the Ion Media station group, which is owned by The E. W. Scripps Company. Its business is primarily the over-the-air distribution of Ion Television programming and related digital multicast services rather than the production of a broad local news operation. The station began broadcasting on May 17, 1989, under the call sign KBGE. Its initial transmission facility was located atop Seattle’s Columbia Center. The transmitter was subsequently moved to West Tiger Mountain near Issaquah, a site that supports coverage of the wider Puget Sound region. The station’s offices are located on 304th Avenue Southeast in Preston, Washington. A significant ownership and programming transition occurred in the late 1990s. Paxson Communications acquired the station, and on March 9, 1998, its call sign changed to KWPX-TV. Around the same period, the station moved away from its ValueVision affiliation and carried programming associated with Paxson’s inTV service. When the Pax television network launched on August 31, 1998, KWPX became part of that network. Pax was later rebranded as Ion Television, and KWPX subsequently became the Ion outlet for the Seattle–Tacoma area. In the early 2000s, KWPX participated in a network-level arrangement involving NBC and local broadcaster KING-TV. Under that arrangement, KWPX repeated KING-TV’s weeknight 11 p.m. newscast at 11:30 p.m. The delayed newscast provided an additional distribution outlet in the market, although the arrangement was discontinued in 2003. KWPX has otherwise been identified primarily with national entertainment programming supplied by its network owner rather than with locally originated news programming. The station also carried Telemundo Seattle on a digital multicast subchannel through 2021. That arrangement ended after Scripps acquired Ion Media and reorganized the use of Ion station subchannels in favor of networks associated with the expanded ownership group. Telemundo Seattle later returned to the market through KIRO-TV in 2022 on a different digital subchannel. KWPX completed the federally mandated transition from analog to digital broadcasting on February 17, 2009. Its analog transmission on UHF channel 33 ended, while its digital operation moved from pre-transition UHF channel 32 to UHF channel 33. Today, KWPX remains an operating broadcast station serving the Seattle–Tacoma region under the Ion Television brand, with its technical facilities and ownership integrated into the broader Scripps television portfolio.

KWPX-TV first signed on May 17, 1989, using the call sign KBGE. The station was licensed to Bellevue, Washington, and initially transmitted from the top of Columbia Center in downtown Seattle. Its transmitter was later relocated to West Tiger Mountain near Issaquah, a location used to serve the broader Seattle–Tacoma television market. The station’s offices are in Preston, Washington. The station entered a new phase in the late 1990s after its purchase by Paxson Communications. On March 9, 1998, the call sign changed from KBGE to KWPX-TV. Around the time of the transaction, the station replaced ValueVision programming with Paxson’s inTV service. Paxson subsequently launched the Pax television network on August 31, 1998, and KWPX became the network’s Seattle-area outlet. Pax was later renamed Ion Television, establishing the station’s long-term network identity. During the early 2000s, KWPX participated in an arrangement intended to extend the reach of local NBC-affiliated news. KING-TV’s weeknight 11 p.m. newscast was repeated on KWPX at 11:30 p.m. Although KING-TV already supplied news programming to sister station KONG, the delayed broadcast gave viewers another opportunity to watch the newscast. The rebroadcast ended in 2003. KWPX later carried Telemundo Seattle on its seventh digital subchannel. That carriage arrangement continued until 2021, when The E. W. Scripps Company’s acquisition of Ion Media resulted in a change to the station’s digital network lineup. Telemundo Seattle subsequently reappeared in the market on KIRO-TV in 2022. KWPX completed the United States digital television transition on February 17, 2009. Its analog signal, which operated on UHF channel 33, was shut down. The station’s digital signal moved from pre-transition UHF channel 32 to channel 33. KWPX remains an active Ion Television station owned through Ion Media by The E. W. Scripps Company, serving the Seattle–Tacoma area primarily with nationally distributed network programming.

• 2021

  Telemundo Seattle carriage ends

  [1]KWPX-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Telemundo Seattle leaves KWPX-TV’s seventh digital subchannel after the Scripps acquisition of Ion Media changes the station’s multicast arrangements.

• 2009

  Analog broadcasting ends

  [1]KWPX-TVen.wikipedia.org

  KWPX shuts down its analog UHF 33 signal on February 17, 2009, completing the federally mandated digital transition.

• 2003

  KING-TV news rebroadcast ends

  [1]KWPX-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The delayed 11:30 p.m. rebroadcast of KING-TV’s weeknight newscast is discontinued.

• 1998

  Call sign changes to KWPX-TV

  [1]KWPX-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Following its acquisition by Paxson Communications, the station adopts the KWPX-TV call sign on March 9, 1998.

• 1998

  Becomes a Pax network station

  [1]KWPX-TVen.wikipedia.org

  KWPX carries Pax programming when the Pax television network launches on August 31, 1998.

• 1989

  Station signs on as KBGE

  [1]KWPX-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The station begins broadcasting on May 17, 1989, from an initial transmitter site atop Columbia Center in Seattle.

A network-affiliated broadcast station focused on distributing Ion Television’s national entertainment schedule across the Seattle–Tacoma market, with additional digital multicast capacity and limited documented local programming.

• Broadcast network affiliation

  Ion Television

  KWPX-TV’s principal programming service is Ion Television, a national network known for a schedule centered on acquired entertainment programming. The station distributes the network over its main broadcast channel to viewers in the Seattle–Tacoma market.

• Digital television

  Digital multicast services

  In addition to its primary Ion service, KWPX-TV has used digital multicast capacity for additional network programming. The station formerly carried Telemundo Seattle on its seventh subchannel before that arrangement ended in 2021.

• 2021

  Multicast lineup changes after Ion Media acquisitionM&A

  Background

  The E. W. Scripps Company’s acquisition of Ion Media affected the use of digital subchannels at Ion stations, including KWPX-TV.

  Action taken

  KWPX ended its carriage of Telemundo Seattle on the seventh digital subchannel and reorganized its multicast services.

  Aftermath

  Telemundo Seattle later returned to the Seattle market through KIRO-TV in 2022.

  Source

• 2003

  Discontinuation of KING-TV news rebroadcastStrategy

  Background

  KWPX had been repeating KING-TV’s weeknight 11 p.m. newscast at 11:30 p.m. as part of an early-2000s arrangement involving NBC and Pax stations.

  Action taken

  KWPX stopped carrying the delayed local newscast.

  Aftermath

  The station returned to a programming profile centered more heavily on its network schedule rather than the documented KING-TV news rebroadcast.

  Source

• 1998

  Transition from ValueVision and inTV to Pax programmingStrategy

  Background

  After Paxson Communications acquired the station, KWPX moved away from its previous ValueVision programming and carried Paxson’s inTV service before the launch of the Pax network.

  Action taken

  The station changed its call sign to KWPX-TV and became associated with the newly launched Pax network on August 31, 1998.

  Aftermath

  The Pax brand was later renamed Ion Television, which became KWPX-TV’s continuing network identity.

  Source

• 2022

  Telemundo Seattle returns to the market through KIRO-TV[1]KWPX-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  After leaving KWPX-TV’s digital multicast lineup, Telemundo Seattle relaunched in the Seattle market through KIRO-TV on a different subchannel.

• 2021

  Scripps acquisition of Ion Media changes KWPX-TV multicast arrangements[1]KWPX-TVen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Following The E. W. Scripps Company’s acquisition of Ion Media, KWPX-TV stopped carrying Telemundo Seattle on its seventh digital subchannel as the station’s multicast strategy was reorganized.

• 2009

  KWPX-TV begins digital television transition[1]KWPX-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  KWPX-TV ended analog broadcasting on February 17, 2009, and continued digitally on UHF channel 33 after moving from its pre-transition digital channel.

1. 1KWPX-TVen.wikipedia.org