WCPX-TV

WCPX-TV is a full-power television station licensed to Chicago, Illinois, and affiliated with Ion Television. The station broadcasts on virtual channel 38 and serves viewers across the Chicago metropolitan area, including parts of northern Illinois and northwest Indiana. Its transmitter is located at Willis Tower, while its offices are associated with locations on Des Plaines Street and Van Buren Street in the Chicago Loop. The station is owned by Ion Media, which operates as a subsidiary of The E. W. Scripps Company. The station originated in a long-delayed effort to establish a television outlet on Chicago's UHF channel 38. The Chicago Federation of Labor filed for a construction permit in 1964, but regulatory and ownership complications delayed construction for more than a decade. Zenith Radio Corporation later pursued the permit because it hoped to use the station for an over-the-air subscription-television experiment. Zenith eventually withdrew from the proposed acquisition, leaving the permit in dispute among competing applicants and the original permit holder. Christian Communications of Chicagoland ultimately acquired the construction permit and equipment in the mid-1970s. The organization had been formed after Pastor Owen C. Carr promoted the creation of a Christian station for the Chicago area. Fundraising by Carr's congregation and financing from a local bank supported the development of studio facilities and transmission operations. The call letters were changed to WCFC in May 1976, representing the phrase “Winning Chicagoland for Christ,” and the station began broadcasting on May 31, 1976. For its first two decades, WCFC-TV operated as a full-time Christian broadcaster rather than as a conventional general-entertainment independent station. Its schedule included religious programs, sermons, Christian children's shows, Bible-oriented productions, and nationally syndicated evangelical programs. Among the station's better-known offerings were The 700 Club, The PTL Club, and programs associated with Rex Humbard, Jimmy Swaggart, Kenneth Copeland, and Oral Roberts. WCFC also produced local programming, including Among Friends, hosted by general manager Jerry Rose. The station expanded its hours gradually, moving from a limited schedule at launch to a 24-hour schedule by 1982. A major change came in 1998, when Paxson Communications acquired WCFC-TV for a reported $120 million. The sale allowed Christian Communications of Chicagoland to use the proceeds to establish the Total Living Network, while the Chicago station became an affiliate of the newly launched Pax TV network. The station changed its call letters to WCPX when Pax launched on August 31, 1998. Religious programming was retained in a reduced morning block, while Pax programming occupied much of the daytime and evening schedule. Pax was later renamed i and then Ion Television. As part of Ion's national operating model, WCPX-TV generally does not produce a conventional local newscast. It has carried public-affairs programming such as WCPX Positive Living and The Calumet Roundtable, as well as selected sports broadcasts obtained through Scripps Sports, including national or regional coverage involving the Chicago Sky of the WNBA and the Chicago Red Stars of the NWSL. The station completed the United States' federally mandated transition from analog to digital broadcasting on June 12, 2009, retaining virtual channel 38 while using digital UHF channel 43. It began carrying Ion programming in high definition in April 2009. Today, WCPX-TV functions primarily as a Chicago-market Ion Television outlet, with a schedule centered on nationally distributed entertainment programming, movies, syndicated content, and limited local or sports-related material.

WCPX-TV traces its origins to efforts to establish a television station on Chicago's UHF channel 38. The Chicago Federation of Labor submitted an application for a construction permit in October 1964. The authorization process was prolonged by competing applications, ownership changes, and disagreements over the intended programming model. Zenith Radio Corporation became interested in acquiring the permit because of its development of subscription television technology, but the transaction was challenged and Zenith abandoned the proposed purchase in 1973. The permit remained subject to further regulatory proceedings, and the FCC declined to extend the original permit in late 1974 before the federation sought reinstatement. A new direction emerged through Christian Communications of Chicagoland. Pastor Owen C. Carr had proposed creating a Christian television outlet for the Chicago area, and his congregation raised funds for the project. The organization was incorporated in 1973 and obtained financing for equipment and studio development. In 1975 it reached an agreement with the Chicago Federation of Labor to acquire the construction permit and equipment. The FCC approved the transfer in January 1976. The call letters changed to WCFC in May 1976, and the station signed on at 5 p.m. on May 31 from Olympic Studios on Chicago's Near West Side. Carr read from the opening chapter of Genesis before the station presented The 700 Club. The call-sign concept referred to “Winning Chicagoland for Christ”; the “-TV” suffix was added later. Jerry Rose, who had experience at KXTX-TV in Dallas and had worked with Pat Robertson, became general manager. WCFC-TV initially broadcast only during limited portions of the day, but expanded its schedule progressively. By 1977 it was transmitting for approximately twelve hours daily, and by 1982 it operated around the clock. Its programming was strongly religious, with little or no secular entertainment. The schedule included The 700 Club, The PTL Club, nationally distributed programs from prominent evangelical ministers, Christian children's programs, Bible competitions, and selected Catholic programming. Among Friends, a locally produced program hosted by Rose, was broadcast on weekdays. Mother Angelica appeared as a guest on the program; her visit has been associated with her later decision to develop the network that became EWTN. In 1983 the station moved to a facility on Wacker Drive that had been built for the former Catholic Television Network of Chicago. A decade after launch, WCFC-TV had a reported operating budget of approximately $5 million and about 65 employees, reflecting its position as a significant religious broadcaster in the Chicago market. The station's identity changed substantially in the late 1990s. Paxson Communications, led by Lowell Paxson, was assembling stations for the launch of Pax TV, a network intended to provide family-oriented programming. In January 1998, Paxson reached an agreement to purchase WCFC-TV. The transaction reportedly valued the station at $120 million, and proceeds were used by Christian Communications of Chicagoland to establish the Total Living Network. When Pax TV launched on August 31, 1998, the Chicago station adopted the WCPX call letters. Religious programming remained during morning hours, while Pax programs occupied the main daytime and evening schedule; overnight hours initially included programming from The Worship Network. Religious programming was reduced further between 2002 and 2005 as the Pax network and its stations revised their schedules. During a period of reduced entertainment output, WCPX-TV carried substantial infomercial content, a pattern that later diminished as Ion expanded its entertainment schedule. The network was subsequently renamed i and then Ion Television. WCPX-TV does not generally produce a local news operation. Its local presence has instead included public-affairs programs such as WCPX Positive Living and The Calumet Roundtable. It has also carried selected sports programming through Scripps Sports, including broadcasts connected with the Chicago Sky and Chicago Red Stars. Technically, the station began transmitting Ion programming in high definition in April 2009. It ended analog broadcasting on June 12, 2009, as required by the national digital transition, and continued using virtual channel 38 with a digital signal on UHF channel 43. The station is now part of Ion Media under The E. W. Scripps Company and continues to serve the Chicago television market as an Ion affiliate.

• 2009

  Digital transition and high-definition service

  [1]WCPX-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The station introduced HD Ion programming and ended analog transmission under the national digital-transition mandate.

• 1998

  Pax TV affiliation begins

  [1]WCPX-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Paxson Communications acquired the station, which adopted the WCPX call letters when Pax TV launched.

• 1982

  Twenty-four-hour operation begins

  [1]WCPX-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WCFC-TV expanded to a continuous daily broadcast schedule.

• 1976

  WCFC-TV signs on

  [1]WCPX-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The station began broadcasting on May 31 as a full-time Christian television outlet.

• 1975

  Christian Communications of Chicagoland obtains the permit

  [1]WCPX-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Christian Communications of Chicagoland reached an agreement to acquire the channel 38 permit and equipment.

• 1964

  Construction-permit application filed

  [1]WCPX-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The Chicago Federation of Labor applied to build a television station on Chicago's UHF channel 38.

A Chicago-market broadcast outlet centered on Ion Television's nationally distributed, family-oriented entertainment schedule, supplemented by limited public-affairs and sports programming.

• Broadcast network affiliation · 1998

  Ion Television

  WCPX-TV's principal service is its free-to-air broadcast of Ion Television. The schedule is nationally distributed and emphasizes serialized entertainment, movies, and other broadly accessible programming rather than a locally produced news lineup.

• Public-affairs television

  WCPX Positive Living

  A locally carried public-affairs program that gives the station a limited community-oriented presence within an otherwise nationally programmed schedule.

• Public-affairs television

  The Calumet Roundtable

  A public-affairs program produced with participation from Purdue University Calumet communication and creative-arts students and faculty, reflecting the station's historical connection to communities in northwest Indiana.

• 2009

  Conversion to digital broadcastingGeneration change

  Background

  United States full-power television stations were required to complete the federally mandated transition from analog transmission to digital broadcasting.

  Action taken

  WCPX-TV shut down its analog signal on channel 38 and continued digital transmission on UHF channel 43 while retaining virtual channel 38.

  Aftermath

  The station became a digital broadcast service and subsequently carried Ion programming in 720p high definition.

  Source

• 1998

  Sale to Paxson CommunicationsM&A

  Background

  Paxson Communications was seeking a Chicago outlet for its new Pax TV family-oriented network, while Christian Communications of Chicagoland had an opportunity to fund a successor Christian network through a station sale.

  Action taken

  Paxson agreed to acquire WCFC-TV, and the station was converted into a Pax TV affiliate under the WCPX call letters.

  Aftermath

  The transaction ended the station's era as a predominantly Christian broadcaster. Religious programming was reduced to morning hours, and the station later became part of the i and Ion Television network evolution.

  Reported acquisition price. $120 million (1998)

  Source

1. 1WCPX-TVen.wikipedia.org