WNPX-TV
A television station licensed to Franklin, Tennessee, serving the Nashville market.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WNPX-TV is a full-power television station serving the Nashville, Tennessee, metropolitan area. The station is licensed to Franklin, although it originally operated under a Cookeville city of license, and its transmission facilities are located near Cross Plains, Tennessee. It is owned by The E. W. Scripps Company and operates alongside Nashville CBS affiliate WTVF, with the stations sharing studio facilities on James Robertson Parkway in downtown Nashville. The station began broadcasting on January 23, 1989, as WMTT. Dove Broadcasting launched it as an independent station serving Cookeville and the surrounding Upper Cumberland area. Its early schedule consisted of general-entertainment programming, including cartoons, sitcoms, movies, religious shows, and infomercials. After InaVision Broadcasting acquired the station in 1993, it adopted the WKZX call sign. In 1995, WKZX became a charter affiliate of The WB. Because Nashville was also served by WNAB, which launched shortly afterward, the market initially had a shared and transitional WB arrangement. WKZX also introduced a local news operation under the News 28 name, airing an evening newscast at 6:30 p.m. with a later repeat. InaVision sold the station to Roberts Broadcasting in 1997. A major strategic change occurred in 1998, when Roberts sold WKZX to Paxson Communications. Paxson discontinued the local news operation, upgraded and relocated the station's transmitter to improve its reach into Nashville, changed the call sign to WNPX-TV, and moved the station from The WB to Pax TV. Pax TV was later renamed Ion Television, and WNPX became an Ion-owned-and-operated station. For many years, the station primarily carried Ion's national schedule and had limited local programming beyond required station identification. The station's market identity evolved further in the late 2010s. Its city of license was changed from Cookeville to Franklin around 2019, reflecting its longstanding orientation toward the Nashville market. WNPX also participated in the Federal Communications Commission's broadcast spectrum incentive auction and later relocated its digital transmission facility as part of the national spectrum-repacking process. The E. W. Scripps Company announced its acquisition of Ion Media in September 2020 and completed the transaction on January 7, 2021. Scripps retained WNPX rather than divesting it, making the station a sister outlet to WTVF. Following the acquisition, WNPX continued to carry Ion while its multicast lineup was reorganized around Scripps-owned and affiliated networks. Court TV, Grit, Laff, Defy TV, TrueReal, HSN, and QVC appeared at different times on its digital subchannels. In April 2026, Scripps and the Nashville Predators announced a new sports and programming direction for the station. Beginning with the 2026–27 National Hockey League season, WNPX was announced as the primary local broadcast outlet for the Predators' regional games under a planned independent-station format. The station was also announced as The Spot – Nashville 28 and as a future home for WTVF's original public-affairs programming previously associated with NewsChannel 5+. The Ion affiliation was announced as moving to WTVF's second digital subchannel. This planned transition would reposition WNPX from a primarily network-fed Ion outlet into a locally branded independent station combining sports, news-related public affairs, and other acquired programming.
History
WNPX-TV began operations on January 23, 1989, when Dove Broadcasting signed on WMTT as an independent station licensed to Cookeville, Tennessee. Its initial programming was a broad general-entertainment mix, combining syndicated series, cartoons, movies, religious programs, and infomercials. The station was sold to Steven J. Sweeney less than two months after launch. InaVision Broadcasting acquired it in 1993 and changed the call sign to WKZX. WKZX became a charter affiliate of The WB in 1995. The Nashville market also had WNAB, which launched later in the year, creating a period in which WB programming was shared between local outlets and, in some circumstances, distributed through the superstation feed of Chicago's WGN-TV. WKZX attempted to establish a stronger local identity by launching News 28, a nightly newscast airing at 6:30 p.m. and repeated at 10 p.m. InaVision sold the station to Roberts Broadcasting in 1997. Roberts sold WKZX to Paxson Communications in 1998. Paxson ended the station's local news service, upgraded and relocated its transmitter to improve service to Nashville, changed the call letters to WNPX-TV, and affiliated the station with Pax TV on August 31 of that year. Pax TV later became Ion Television. The station consequently shifted from a local independent and WB-oriented format to a schedule dominated by national network programming. The WB affiliation continued in Nashville through WNAB, while WGN's temporary cable distribution of WB programming ended the following year. WNPX remained closely associated with Ion for more than two decades. After the repeal of the FCC Main Studio Rule, it carried Ion's national schedule with little local content beyond hourly station identification. The station's official city of license changed from Cookeville to Franklin around 2019, while its transmission facilities continued to serve the broader Nashville area. WNPX participated in the FCC's 2016–17 broadcast incentive auction. It subsequently obtained authorization to move its digital signal from UHF channel 36 to channel 32. The relocation took place on October 18, 2019, during the national spectrum-repacking process. The station had also operated an analog low-power translator, WNPX-LP on channel 20 in Whites Creek, until that facility was sold to Daystar in 2015. The E. W. Scripps Company announced a $2.65 billion acquisition of Ion Media in September 2020, financed in part by Berkshire Hathaway. Regulatory ownership limits required divestitures of some Ion stations, but Scripps chose to retain WNPX. The transaction closed on January 7, 2021, making WNPX a Scripps station and a sister outlet to Nashville CBS affiliate WTVF. Scripps subsequently reorganized the station's digital multicast services. The station replaced Qubo, Ion Plus, and Ion Shop with Court TV, Grit, and Laff in February 2021. Defy TV and TrueReal replaced QVC and HSN on additional subchannels in mid-2021, although HSN returned in 2022 and QVC later returned as well. These changes reflected Scripps' effort to place its Katz Broadcasting and other digital networks on former Ion stations while maintaining Ion as the primary service for WNPX. In April 2026, the Nashville Predators announced an agreement with Scripps Sports for regional media rights beginning with the 2026–27 NHL season. WNPX was designated as the principal broadcast outlet, with a subscription direct-to-consumer option also planned. Scripps announced that the station would leave Ion Television and relaunch as the independent The Spot – Nashville 28. The planned service would also carry WTVF's original public-affairs programs formerly produced for NewsChannel 5+. Ion programming in Nashville was announced as moving to WTVF-DT2. This transition would give WNPX a more locally identifiable role based on sports, public affairs, and independent programming rather than a largely national network schedule.
- 2026
Planned independent relaunch as The Spot
[1]Scripps announced that WNPX would leave Ion Television and become The Spot – Nashville 28, with Nashville Predators regional broadcasts and WTVF public-affairs programming.
- 2021
Scripps ownership begins
[1]Scripps completed its acquisition of Ion Media and retained WNPX as part of its Nashville station group.
- 2021
Multicast lineup reorganization
[1]Court TV, Grit, Laff, Defy TV, and TrueReal were introduced across WNPX's digital subchannels during Scripps' network restructuring.
- 2019
Digital channel relocation
[1]WNPX moved its digital transmission allocation to UHF channel 32 during spectrum repacking.
- 2015
Translator sale
[1]The station's former WNPX-LP translator in Whites Creek was sold to Daystar.
- 2009
Digital transition
[1]WNPX ended regular analog broadcasting as part of the national digital television transition.
- 1998
Conversion to Pax TV
[1]Paxson Communications acquired the station, ended its local news operation, changed the call sign to WNPX-TV, and affiliated it with Pax TV.
- 1995
WB affiliation and News 28 launch
[1]WKZX joined The WB as a charter affiliate and began a local evening newscast branded News 28.
- 1993
Call sign changes to WKZX
[1]InaVision Broadcasting acquired the station and changed its call letters from WMTT to WKZX.
- 1989
WMTT signs on
[1]Dove Broadcasting launched the station as WMTT, an independent station licensed to Cookeville, Tennessee.
Products and positioning
A Nashville-area broadcast television station whose identity developed from a Cookeville independent outlet into an Ion Television station and, as announced for 2026, an independent, sports-oriented local station branded The Spot – Nashville 28.
Broadcast television · 1989
WNPX-TV broadcast service
The station's primary over-the-air television service for the Nashville market. For most of its history under Pax and Ion ownership, the service carried a nationally programmed schedule with limited local content. Its announced 2026 repositioning is intended to make the main service an independent local outlet branded The Spot – Nashville 28.
Network affiliation · 1998
Ion Television affiliation
WNPX carried Pax TV beginning in 1998, later continuing under the Ion Television name. The affiliation supplied a primarily national schedule and remained the station's main programming identity until Scripps announced its planned move to independent programming in 2026.
Independent television station · 2026
The Spot – Nashville 28
The announced independent-station brand for WNPX beginning June 29, 2026. The format is intended to combine locally relevant programming, WTVF public-affairs content, acquired entertainment, and Nashville Predators regional hockey broadcasts.
Sports broadcasting · 2026
Nashville Predators regional broadcasts
Scripps Sports announced WNPX as the primary local broadcast outlet for Nashville Predators regional games beginning with the 2026–27 National Hockey League season. A separate subscription direct-to-consumer service was also announced as part of the rights arrangement, although its final details were not specified in the available material.
Multicast television · 2021
Digital multicast services
WNPX has carried a changing collection of digital subchannels, including Court TV, Grit, Laff, Defy TV, TrueReal, HSN, and QVC. The lineup reflects Scripps' post-Ion acquisition strategy for distributing national digital networks over-the-air.
Brand decisions
2026
Planned relaunch as The Spot – Nashville 28StrategyBackground
Scripps Sports acquired regional media rights for the Nashville Predators beginning with the 2026–27 NHL season and sought a local broadcast outlet for the games.
Action taken
Scripps announced that WNPX would leave Ion Television, adopt the independent The Spot – Nashville 28 brand, carry Predators broadcasts, and become a home for WTVF public-affairs programming.
Aftermath
The Ion affiliation was announced as moving to WTVF-DT2, while WNPX was positioned for a more locally focused sports and independent-programming role.
2021
Retention of WNPX in the Ion Media acquisitionM&ABackground
Scripps acquired Ion Media but needed to divest certain stations to satisfy broadcast ownership requirements.
Action taken
Scripps retained WNPX-TV and integrated it into its Nashville station group alongside WTVF.
Aftermath
WNPX remained an Ion affiliate while receiving a reconfigured multicast lineup and becoming part of Scripps' broader digital-network portfolio.
Ion Media acquisition value. $2.65 billion (Announced September 24, 2020; completed January 7, 2021)
2021
Expansion of Scripps digital multicast servicesProduct launchBackground
Scripps reorganized the digital subchannels of former Ion-owned stations after discontinuing Qubo, Ion Plus, and Ion Shop.
Action taken
WNPX introduced Court TV, Grit, and Laff on subchannels, followed by Defy TV and TrueReal on additional services; HSN and QVC later returned to the lineup.
Aftermath
The station's multicast portfolio became more closely aligned with Scripps' Katz Broadcasting and digital-network strategy.
1998
Shift from The WB to Pax TVStrategyBackground
After acquiring WKZX, Paxson Communications sought to use the station as part of its emerging national Pax TV network and to improve its reach into Nashville.
Action taken
Paxson ended the local News 28 operation, upgraded and relocated the transmitter, changed the call sign to WNPX-TV, and replaced the WB affiliation with Pax TV.
Aftermath
The station became a primarily nationally programmed outlet and later continued that role under the Ion Television brand.
Recent events
- 2026
WNPX-TV announced as future home of Predators broadcasts[1]
Product launch · Campaign
Scripps Sports and the Nashville Predators announced that WNPX would carry regional Predators games beginning with the 2026–27 NHL season as part of a planned independent-station relaunch.
- 2021
Scripps completes acquisition of Ion Media[1]
M&A
The E. W. Scripps Company completed its acquisition of Ion Media and retained WNPX-TV, making it a sister station to WTVF.
- 2021
WNPX-TV adds Scripps multicast networks[1]
Product launch
The station replaced several former Ion Media multicast services with Court TV, Grit, Laff, Defy TV, and TrueReal at different stages of the lineup reorganization.
- 2019
WNPX-TV changes city of license to Franklin[1]
Other
The station's city of license changed from Cookeville to Franklin, reinforcing its identification with the Nashville market.
- 2009
WNPX-TV completes analog shutdown[1]
Regulation
The station ended regular analog broadcasts on UHF channel 28 as part of the federally mandated full-power television transition to digital transmission.
- 1998
Paxson Communications acquires WKZX and converts it to Pax TV[1]
M&A
Paxson acquired the station, ended its local news operation, changed its call sign to WNPX-TV, and affiliated it with the emerging Pax TV network.
- 1995
WKZX becomes a charter WB affiliate[1]
Other
Under the WKZX call sign, the station joined The WB at the network's launch and introduced a local News 28 newscast.
- 1989
WNPX-TV launches as WMTT[1]
Other
Dove Broadcasting signed on the station as WMTT, an independent television outlet licensed to Cookeville, Tennessee.
Sources3 sources
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