WPXE-TV
WPXE-TV is an Ion Television station licensed to Kenosha, Wisconsin, serving the Milwaukee television market.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WPXE-TV is a full-power television station licensed to Kenosha, Wisconsin, and serving viewers in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and surrounding southeastern Wisconsin. The station broadcasts the Ion Television network and is owned by Ion Media, a subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company. It operates alongside Milwaukee NBC affiliate WTMJ-TV, which is also owned by Scripps. Engineering and some master-control functions are handled from WTMJ-TV's Radio City facility on East Capitol Drive in Milwaukee, while WPXE's transmitter is located on the WITI television tower in Shorewood, Wisconsin. The station began broadcasting on June 1, 1988, under the call sign WHKE. Its original owner was LeSEA Broadcasting, and its initial format was religious programming. After Paxson Communications acquired the station in 1995, it was converted to an infomercial-oriented service associated with the Infomall TV Network, also known as inTV. During this period, WPXE's predecessor also carried a daily greyhound-racing recap from Kenosha's Dairyland Greyhound Park, helping satisfy local-programming obligations after another Milwaukee-area station stopped airing the program. During the late 1990s, the station moved its transmitter from Kenosha to a site in northern Racine County near Interstate 94. The move was intended to improve access to the Milwaukee market, although the tower's location and height constrained over-the-air coverage in parts of southeastern Wisconsin. Cable distribution became increasingly important, particularly in the northern portion of the market, as the station pursued carriage under federal must-carry provisions. The station became a charter affiliate of Pax TV when that network launched on August 31, 1998, and adopted the call sign WPXE-TV. Pax TV was later renamed i: Independent Television and ultimately became Ion Television. WPXE historically had programming and advertising links with WTMJ-TV. A joint sales arrangement, connected in part to NBC's investment relationship with Paxson Communications, allowed selected WTMJ-produced or WTMJ-associated programming to appear on WPXE, including repeats of local newscasts, Martha Stewart Living, preseason Green Bay Packers material, and coverage related to the 2004 Summer Olympics. The arrangement ended on July 1, 2005, following Pax TV's rebranding as i. The station's former studio facility was on North Flint Road near the Milwaukee-Glendale city line. Following repeal of the Federal Communications Commission's Main Studio Rule in 2019, Ion Media registered the facility for WPXE and many other Ion stations as the Scripps Center in Cincinnati, reflecting the network's increasingly centralized operating model. In September 2020, Scripps announced an agreement to acquire Ion Media for $2.65 billion, using financing from Berkshire Hathaway. The transaction closed on January 7, 2021. Scripps retained WPXE-TV and made it a sister station to WTMJ-TV; the Milwaukee market presented no regulatory obstacle to that ownership combination. WPXE now generally carries the Ion schedule without regular locally produced programming beyond hourly station identification. In 2024, it resumed a limited backup role for WTMJ's Packers preseason coverage during an Olympic year, carrying the team's Family Night scrimmage and a preseason game against the Cleveland Browns. The station completed the U.S. analog-to-digital transition on June 12, 2009, continuing on digital UHF channel 40 while retaining virtual channel 55. Permanent high-definition service began on April 28, 2010, after an earlier short-lived test of 720p transmission in 2009.
History
WPXE-TV began operations on June 1, 1988, as WHKE, a Kenosha-licensed religious station owned by LeSEA Broadcasting. Its early service was oriented toward religious broadcasting. Paxson Communications acquired the station in 1995 and changed its programming model to an infomercial-heavy format affiliated with the Infomall TV Network, or inTV. The station also aired a daily greyhound-racing recap from Dairyland Greyhound Park in Kenosha for a period, preserving a form of local programming after WVTV stopped carrying the program. In the late 1990s, WHKE moved its transmitter from Kenosha to northern Racine County, near Interstate 94. The relocation was intended to improve the station's reach toward Milwaukee, but the site's relatively southerly position and limited tower height meant that over-the-air coverage remained constrained across parts of southeastern Wisconsin. Cable carriage therefore became important to the station's presence in the northern part of the Milwaukee market. Paxson eventually used federal must-carry rights to support broader cable distribution. When Pax TV launched on August 31, 1998, WHKE became one of its charter affiliates and changed its call sign to WPXE-TV. Pax TV later became i: Independent Television and then Ion Television. WPXE has generally functioned as a network outlet rather than a conventional local-news station. Its schedule has been dominated by national Ion programming, with local output limited in later years to station identification and occasional special carriage. For a period, WPXE maintained a joint sales and programming relationship with WTMJ-TV, Milwaukee's NBC affiliate. The arrangement was associated with NBC's investment relationship with Paxson Communications and allowed WTMJ to sell WPXE advertising while selected WTMJ-produced or WTMJ-associated material appeared on WPXE. Examples included repeats of WTMJ evening newscasts, Martha Stewart Living, repeats of preseason Green Bay Packers programming, and live Olympic-related programming in 2004. The arrangement ended July 1, 2005, following the change from Pax TV to i: Independent Television. WPXE's former studios were located on North Flint Road near the Milwaukee-Glendale boundary. After the FCC's Main Studio Rule was repealed in 2019, Ion Media registered the station's studio operation, along with those of many other Ion stations, at the Scripps Center in Cincinnati. This reflected the centralization of technical and administrative functions across the Ion station group. WPXE's transmitter is now located on the WITI TV Tower in Shorewood, while engineering and some master-control work are conducted through WTMJ-TV's Radio City facility in Milwaukee. On September 24, 2020, Scripps announced that it would purchase Ion Media for $2.65 billion, with Berkshire Hathaway providing financing. Scripps divested 23 Ion stations but retained WPXE-TV. The acquisition closed on January 7, 2021, placing WPXE under Scripps ownership and creating a Milwaukee-market relationship with WTMJ-TV. Because the ownership structure did not create a prohibited regulatory combination in that market, WPXE remained with Scripps as a sister station to WTMJ. WPXE ended analog transmission on June 12, 2009, the federally mandated transition date for full-power U.S. television stations. Its digital signal continued on UHF channel 40 using virtual channel 55. The station briefly tested 720p high-definition transmission in February 2009, returned to 480i during the transition period, and began permanent HD service on April 28, 2010. In 2024, WPXE again served a limited supporting function for WTMJ by carrying Packers Family Night and a preseason game against the Cleveland Browns during an Olympic year. Outside such special arrangements, it continues to carry the Ion schedule with little or no locally originated programming.
- 2024
Returns as a limited Packers backup outlet
[1]WPXE carries selected Packers preseason-related programming associated with WTMJ during an Olympic year.
- 2021
Ion Media acquisition closes
[1]WPXE becomes owned by Scripps and a sister station to WTMJ-TV.
- 2020
Scripps announces Ion Media purchase
[1]Scripps announces its planned $2.65 billion acquisition of Ion Media and identifies WPXE as a retained station.
- 2010
Permanent HD service begins
[1]WPXE begins permanent high-definition broadcasting after earlier testing.
- 2009
Analog transmission ends
[1]WPXE shuts down its analog channel 55 signal and continues digitally on UHF channel 40.
- 2005
WTMJ joint sales arrangement ends
[1]The earlier programming and advertising relationship with WTMJ-TV is discontinued.
- 1998
Joins Pax TV as WPXE-TV
[1]The station becomes a charter Pax TV affiliate and changes its call sign from WHKE to WPXE-TV.
- 1995
Paxson Communications acquires the station
[1]The station shifts toward an infomercial-oriented format associated with the Infomall TV Network.
- 1988
Station launches as WHKE
[1]The Kenosha-licensed station signs on with a religious programming format under LeSEA Broadcasting.
Products and positioning
A network-owned Ion Television outlet serving the Milwaukee and Kenosha area, with a primarily national schedule and limited local programming.
Broadcast television network affiliate · 1998
Ion Television network service
WPXE-TV's principal offering is the Ion Television schedule, delivered to the Milwaukee market through over-the-air digital broadcasting and multichannel distribution. In its current operating model, the station primarily relays national Ion programming and does not maintain a substantial independent local-news or local-production slate.
Digital terrestrial television · 2009
WPXE-TV digital broadcast signal
The station broadcasts using virtual channel 55 and a digital assignment on UHF channel 40. It completed the transition from analog transmission in 2009 and has provided permanent high-definition service since April 2010.
Sports and special-event television
Special-event and backup programming
Although WPXE is primarily a national network outlet, it has periodically carried special programming connected with WTMJ-TV, including Packers preseason material and selected Olympic-related coverage. In 2024, it again served as a backup outlet for Packers Family Night and a preseason game.
Brand decisions
2020
Retained WPXE in the Scripps acquisition of Ion MediaM&ABackground
Scripps agreed to acquire Ion Media and planned to divest 23 Ion-owned stations to address ownership considerations.
Action taken
Scripps retained WPXE-TV, allowing it to become a sister station to WTMJ-TV in the Milwaukee market.
Aftermath
The transaction closed in January 2021 and placed WPXE within Scripps's broadcast portfolio.
Ion Media acquisition value. $2.65 billion (Announced September 24, 2020; completed January 7, 2021)
2009
Completed the analog-to-digital transitionGeneration changeBackground
Full-power U.S. television stations were required to end analog broadcasting under the nationwide digital transition.
Action taken
WPXE ended analog transmission on channel 55 and continued digital broadcasting on UHF channel 40 with virtual channel 55.
Aftermath
The station continued as a digital television service and later established permanent high-definition transmission.
2005
Ended the WTMJ joint sales and programming relationshipStrategyBackground
WPXE and WTMJ had shared selected programming and advertising functions under an earlier arrangement linked to Paxson's relationship with NBC.
Action taken
The arrangement was discontinued on July 1, 2005, after Pax TV rebranded as i: Independent Television.
Aftermath
WPXE operated with greater separation from WTMJ and continued primarily as a national network affiliate.
1998
Adopted Pax TV affiliation and WPXE-TV call signStrategyBackground
Paxson Communications was developing a national general-entertainment television network after operating the station in an infomercial-oriented format.
Action taken
The station joined Pax TV at its launch and changed its call letters from WHKE to WPXE-TV.
Aftermath
WPXE became part of the network lineage that later evolved from Pax TV to i: Independent Television and then Ion Television.
Recent events
- 2024
WPXE-TV resumes limited backup carriage of Packers preseason programming[1]
Product launch · Other
The station carried WTMJ-associated Packers Family Night and a preseason game against Cleveland as a backup outlet during an Olympic year.
- 2021
Scripps completes Ion Media acquisition[1]
M&A
The acquisition closed on January 7, making WPXE-TV a Scripps-owned Ion station and a sister station to WTMJ-TV.
- 2020
Scripps announces acquisition of Ion Media[1]
M&A
The E. W. Scripps Company announced an agreement to acquire Ion Media for $2.65 billion, with financing from Berkshire Hathaway. WPXE-TV was among the Ion stations retained by Scripps.
- 2010
WPXE-TV begins permanent high-definition broadcasting[1]
Product generation
After an earlier HD test and temporary return to standard definition, WPXE launched permanent high-definition service.
- 2009
WPXE-TV completes the U.S. analog television shutdown[1]
Other · Regulation
WPXE discontinued its analog UHF channel 55 signal as part of the nationwide transition to digital television and continued digital broadcasting on UHF channel 40.
- 2005
WPXE-TV ends its joint sales arrangement with WTMJ-TV[1]
Other
A programming and advertising relationship between the two stations ended after Pax TV changed its identity to i: Independent Television.
- 1998
WPXE-TV becomes a charter Pax TV affiliate and adopts its current call sign[1]
Other
The station joined Pax TV at the network's launch and changed its call letters from WHKE to WPXE-TV.
Sources2 sources
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