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Ion Media Networks
Ion Media
FormerlyPaxson Communications Corporation (1988–2006)
Ion Media Networks (2006–2017)
Company typeMass media
IndustryTelevision broadcasting
Founded1988; 36 years ago (1988)
FounderLowell Paxson
DefunctJanuary 7, 2021; 3 years ago (2021-01-07)
FateStations acquired by the E. W. Scripps Company and networks merged into Katz Broadcasting
SuccessorKatz Broadcasting
Inyo Broadcast Holdings
Headquarters
West Palm Beach, Florida
,
U.S.
Key people
R. Brandon Burgess (Chairman & CEO)
ProductsIon Media Television[1]
Network-produced programming
(through Ion Media Entertainment,[2] Ion Media's in-house production unit; formerly Paxson Productions, Paxson Communications Corporation's in-house production unit)
BrandsIon Television
Ion Plus
Qubo
RevenueUS$415 million[3] (2014)
Number of employees
425 (2020)

Ion Media (formerly known as Paxson Communications Corporation and Ion Media Networks) was an American broadcasting company that owned and operated over 71 television stations in most major American markets (through its television stations group, Ion Media Television), as well as the linear broadcast networks Ion Television, Ion Plus, and Qubo. After being operated as a private company through its entire existence, it was acquired by the E. W. Scripps Company and merged with its Katz Broadcasting subsidiary on January 7, 2021, after Scripps' purchase of Ion Media to manage those assets separately from its traditional broadcast network-affiliated television stations.

History

As Paxson Communications Corporation

The company was founded in 1988 by Lowell W. "Bud" Paxson in Florida. The company purchased radio stations and a couple of television stations, eventually becoming Florida's largest radio group. The radio stations' formats included rock, contemporary hit radio, news and talk, and adult contemporary. The television stations were network affiliates of ABC and NBC. In 1993 the company began to purchase stations on the outer fringes of large television markets.[citation needed]

In 1994, Paxson acquired its first television station, ABC affiliate WPBF in West Palm Beach, Florida.[4]

The company divested itself of both the radio group and major-network affiliated television stations in 1998, focusing on building its own independent TV network, "PAX TV". The company focused on acquiring UHF television stations. Some of these stations are out-of-market stations, such as WPXD in Ann Arbor, Michigan (45 miles (72 km) from Detroit), KXLI in St. Cloud, Minnesota (60 miles (97 km) from Minneapolis), WTLK in Rome, Georgia (45 miles (72 km) from Atlanta), WPXJ in Pavilion, New York (45 miles (72 km) from both Buffalo and Rochester, New York), and WAYK in Melbourne, Florida (60 miles (97 km) from Orlando). Still in some markets the company bought low-rated stations that had the same type of signals as established stations with medium to high ratings. These stations included WCFC in Chicago (religious), WTGI in Wilmington, Delaware (brokered), WAKC in Akron, Ohio (Cleveland's secondary ABC affiliate), and channel 35 in Miami (Shopping), among others. In the fall of 1997, a tentative lineup was announced, and it included a family entertainment lineup of drama shows, movies, first-run shows, wildlife shows, sitcoms, and talk shows. The most expensive station acquisition was WBIS in New York City. The city government had sold this station to Dow Jones & Company and ITT in 1996 for nearly US$200 million. In January 1997, Dow Jones launched a business format called S+ during the day and a sports channel after 7 pm and on weekends. Dow Jones/ITT lost money on the operation, sold the station for about $225 million in May 1997, and shut down S+ that June in favor of Bloomberg Business News, Fox Sports Net and a block previewing new networks, IntroTV. Channel 31 was renamed WPXN with plans to be the flagship station of PAX TV in the fall of 1998.[citation needed]

In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the company wanted to buy WPCB, channel 40, from Cornerstone Television, and move the license to channel 16 (which was, and still is, occupied by WINP-TV), with channel 40 used for educational purposes. The two agreed on a purchase price, but the Federal Communications Commission had too many questions about the deal, most relating to the type of broadcast license to be operated on each channel, and it fell through.[citation needed]

The PAX network was launched in 1998 with family dramas such as Life Goes On, Our House, Touched by an Angel, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, Highway to Heaven, and Bonanza, a game show titled The Reel to Reel Picture Show, sitcoms Dave's World, Here's Lucy and The Hogan Family, and some movies. The network ran weekdays from noon until 1 am.[5] Due to low ratings and mounting financial costs, PAX TV soon reduced its hours. In 1999, they were reduced to between 3 pm and midnight, and in 2002, they were reduced again to 6 pm to midnight.[citation needed]

In September 1999, NBC bought a 32% stake in Paxson.[6] On December 4, 2001, it was announced that Paxson had filed with the FCC an arbitration to block NBC's acquisition of Telemundo.[7] In September 2002, it was announced that Paxson's arbitration against NBC was denied.[8] On November 13, NBC requested a redemption of its investment in Paxson of $549.2 million.[9][10] In August 2004, NBC Universal filed a lawsuit against Paxson.[11] On November 7, 2005, to settle several lawsuits between the company and NBC Universal, Lowell Paxson granted NBCU an 18-month transferable option to purchase his shares of the company in an agreement which, if activated, would also trigger a sale of the rest of the company. If Mr. Paxson's shares of the company weren't sold in the option window, the company was obligated to buy them back from Mr. Paxson. Concurrent with this deal, Mr. Paxson left the company, and was succeeded by R. Brandon Burgess in the role of President and CEO.[12][13]

Stations owned and/or operated outside of future PAX stations

  • Note: This list does NOT include stations eventually joining the PAX television network in 1998.[citation needed]
Television stations
DMA Market Station
PSIP (RF)		 Years Owned Sold To Present Day
1 Bridgeport, Connecticut - New York, New York WHAI-TV/WIPX 43 (21)1 1996-1999 Shop at Home Network - 1999 MeTV+ owned and operated WZME, owned by Weigel Broadcasting
9 Washington, D.C. WSIT-LP 422 1996-1999 Capital Media - 1999 Daystar owned and operated WDDN-LD on channel 23
11 Phoenix K67FE 67 1996-1999 Spanish Independent Broadcasting Network - 1999 K14RK-D, still owned by Spanish Independent Broadcasting Network, now on channel 38
19 Cleveland - Akron - Canton, Ohio WOAC 67 N/A3 Shop at Home Network - 1999 TCT owned and operated WRLM, now on channel 47
30 Salt Lake City - Provo - Ogden, Utah KOOG-TV/KUPX 30 (35)4 1997-1999 ACME Communications - 1999 CW network affiliate KUCW, owned by Nexstar Media Group
39 Tequesta - West Palm Beach - Fort Pierce - Stuart - Vero Beach, Florida WPBF 25 (16) 1993-1997 Hearst Corporation – 1997 ABC network affiliate owned and operated by Hearst Television
WTVX 34 (20) N/A5 Paramount Stations Group - 1997 CW network affiliate owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group
50 Buffalo - Niagara Falls, New York WNYP-TV 26 1966-1970 New York State Board of Educational Services - 1970s TCT owned and operated (O&O) as WNYB
150 Rochester - Austin - Albert Lea - Mason City, Minnesota/Iowa KXLT-TV 47 (26)6 1996-1997 Shockley Communications - 1997 Fox network affiliate owned by SagamoreHill Broadcasting
  • 1 Paxson intended to make WHAI-TV as a PAX network charter or flagship as WIPX, however, the company already operated WPXN-TV and Paxson was not yet allowed to own and operate multiple stations within a single market and chose to keep WPXN and sell WIPX instead.
  • 2 Paxson had just purchased WVVI, and was in the process of converting it into a PAX charter O&O as WPXW-TV. As a result, WSIT-LP was sold off to Capital Media in 1999, after the network launched.
  • 3 Paxson only operated WOAC, as it already owned WAKC-TV, which also had a stronger signal. Paxson opted to keep WAKC and convert it into a PAX charter O&O as WVPX-TV and sell WOAC to the Shop at Home television network.
  • 4 Paxson attempted a license and asset swap with Roberts Broadcasting and ACME Communications, which at the time, split ownership of KZAR-TV (now KUPX-TV), but retained and continued carrying WB network programming until its switch to The CW in 2006.
  • 5 WTVX was at the time operated by WPBF. When WPBF was sold to Hearst Corporation in 1997, Viacom through Paramount Stations Group, purchased WTVX, but had to resell the station again to Straightline Communications, since at the time, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) did not permit one entity to directly own two television stations in adjacent markets whose city-grade signals overlapped. WBFS-TV in Miami provided a city-grade signal to West Palm Beach (indeed, for years, WBFS identified as "Miami–Fort Lauderdale–West Palm Beach"), so Paramount could not retain both stations. To solve the problem, Paramount sold the license and other FCC assets of WTVX to Straightline Communications, with WBFS taking control over WTVX through a Local Marketing Agreement. Viacom did reacquire WTVX outright in 2001, after the FCC loosened some of its own ownership restrictions.
  • 6 At the time of its acquisition, KXLT-TV was a satellite station of KXLI. Paxson opted to split the two stations, keeping KXLI and selling off KXLT, while eventually converting KXLI into a charter PAX O&O as KPXM-TV.
Radio stations
AM Station FM Station
Rank Market Station Years Owned Sold To Present Day
11 Miami - Fort Lauderdale - Hollywood, Florida WIOD 610 1996-1998 Clear Channel Communications - 1998 Owned by iHeartMedia
WINZ 940 1992-1998 Owned by iHeartMedia
WFTL 1400 1995-1998 WFLL; owned by Nossa Rádio
WSRF 1580 1996-1997 Entertainment Radio Systems, Inc. - 1997 Owned by Niche Radio, Inc.
WLVE 93.9 1992-1998 Clear Channel Communications - 1998 WMIA-FM; owned by iHeartMedia
WZTA 94.9 1991-1998 WZTU; owned by iHeartMedia
WPLL 103.5 1996-1998 WMIB; owned by iHeartMedia
WEAT-FM 104.31 1997-1998[14] WSFS; owned by Audacy, Inc.
17 Tampa - St. Petersburg - Clearwater, Florida WTKN/WHNZ 570 1991-1998 Clear Channel Communications - 1998 WTBN; owned by Salem Media Group
WNZE/WZTM 820 1995-1998 WWBA; owned by Genesis Communications
WWQT 14702 1970s-? Unknown - ? WMGG; owned by NIA Broadcasting Inc.
WEZY/WSJT 94.13 1993-1998 Clear Channel Communications - 1998 WLLD; owned by Beasley Broadcast Group
WKES/WILV 91.1/101.54 1997-1998 WPOI; owned by Cox Media Group
WHPT 102.55 1991-1998 Owned by Cox Media Group
29 Orlando, Florida WGTO/WWZN/WQTM 540 1994-1998 Clear Channel Communications - 1998 WFLF; owned by iHeartMedia
WWNZ 740 1991-1998 WYGM; owned by iHeartMedia
WPRD 1440 1993-1998 Owned by J & V Communications, Inc.
WDIZ/WSHE 100.3 1996-1998 WRUM; owned by iHeartMedia
WVRI/WJRR 101.1 1993-1998 Owned by iHeartMedia
WSSP/WZTU/WHVE/WWNZ-FM/WTKS 104.1 1991-1993
1996-1998		 Press Broadcasting - 1993
Clear Channel Communications - 1998		 WTKS-FM; owned by iHeartMedia
WMGF 107.7 1993-1998 Clear Channel Communications - 1998 Owned by iHeartMedia
40 Nashville, Tennessee WPTN 780 1994-1998 Clear Channel Communications - 1998 Owned by Cookeville Communications, LLC
WHUB 1400 1996-1998 Owned by Cookeville Communications, LLC
WGSQ 94.7 1994-1998 Owned by Cookeville Communications, LLC
WHUB-FM/WGIC 98.5 1996-1998 WKSW; owned by Zimmer Broadcasting, LLC
46 Jacksonville, Florida WNZS 930 1993-1998 Clear Channel Communications - 1998 WFXJ; owned by iHeartMedia
WZNZ 1460 WQOP; owned by Relevant Radio
WAIA/WPLA 92.7 WJBT (93.3 FM); owned by iHeartMedia
WFSJ 97.9 1997-1998 WKSL; owned by iHeartMedia
WPVJ/WTLK-FM 106.5 1996-1998 WXXJ; owned by Cox Media Group
WCRJ-FM/WROO 107.3 1991-1998 WWJK; owned by iHeartMedia
48 West Palm Beach - Boca Raton, Florida WEAT 850 1997-1998[14] James Crystal Enterprises - 1998 WFTL; owned by Hubbard Radio
WBZT 1290 1995-1998 Clear Channel Communications - 1998 WJNO; owned by iHeartMedia
WOLL 94.3 1997-1998[14] WRLX; owned by iHeartMedia
WKGR 98.7 1995-1998 Owned by iHeartMedia
WIRK-FM 107.9 1997-1998[14] Infinity Broadcasting - 1998 WEAT; owned by Hubbard Radio
60 Rochester, New York WACK 1420 1962-? Unknown - ? Owned by Waynco Radio, Inc.
123 Pensacola, Florida WTKX-FM 101.5 1996-1998 Clear Channel Communications - 1998 Owned by iHeartMedia
WOWW-FM/WYCL 107.3 WRGV; owned by iHeartMedia
158 Tallahassee - Thomasville, Florida/Georgia WNLS 1270 1996-1998 Clear Channel Communications - 1998 WTLY; owned by iHeartMedia
WTNT-FM 94.9 Owned by iHeartMedia
WTPS/WJZT 100.7 WFLA-FM; owned by iHeartMedia
WXSR 101.5 Owned by iHeartMedia
WSNI 107.1 WGMY; owned by iHeartMedia
226 Panama City, Florida WDIZ 590 1996-1998 Clear Channel Communications - 1998 Taken off-air and license cancelled as WDDV in 2020
WPAP-FM 92.5 Owned by iHeartMedia
WPBH 94.5 WFLF-FM; owned by iHeartMedia
WFSY 98.5 Owned by iHeartMedia
WEBZ-FM/WSHF 99.3 WEBZ; owned by iHeartMedia
UNR Key West - Key Largo - Marathon -
Islamorada - Plantation Key, Florida		 WKRY 93.7 1996-1998 Clear Channel Communications - 1998 WKEY-FM; owned by Spottswood Partners II, Ltd
WFKZ 103.1 Owned by Florida Keys Media, LLC
WAVK 105.5 WWWK; owned by Florida Keys Media, LLC
Jamestown - Dunkirk - Fredonia - Warren, New York/Pennsylvania WXYJ 1340 1966-? Unknown - ? WKSN; owned by Media One Group
  • 1 WEAT-FM (now WSFS) was originally in the West Palm Beach radio market before moving altogether to the Miami market in 2012.
  • 2 WWQT would become the predecessor and springboard for what would become the Home Shopping Club, known today as HSN, short for Home Shopping Network.
  • 3 WLLD is technically licensed within the Lakeland radio market (ranked 82nd), it is also licensed as serving the Tampa Bay radio market.
  • 4 In 1997, in a three way swap, Paxson acquired Lakeland Christian station WCIE 91.1 FM from the Carpenter's Home Church, who in turn swapped the station with WKES, at the time owned by the Moody Bible Institute. WKES would soon move to 91.1 FM; after a brief simulcast period, the WKES call sign would move to 91.1, while 101.5 would become WILV, broadcasting a "Love Songs" format branded as "Love 101.5", in July of that year.
  • 5 WHPT is technically licensed within the Sarasota radio market (ranked 70th), it is also licensed as serving the Tampa Bay radio market.

As Ion Media Networks

In 2006, the company adopted its current name.[15][16]

In May 2007, Ion, NBC Universal, and Citadel LLC reached an agreement for the recapitalization of Ion. Citadel acquired the public common stock of the company, as part of the plan to take the company private. In addition, Citadel invested $100 million of new capital into the company to further support management's plan to revitalize the TV network.[17][18]

In November 2007, Ion Media Networks was taken to trial, having been sued in Federal Court by Positive Ions, Inc for trademark infringement of the use of the word Ion,[19] resulting in a $1.7 million settlement awarded to Positive Ions, Inc.[20]

In 2008, Ion Media Networks and Comcast reached an agreement to not only continue to carry Ion Television, but also introduced two new digital networks Qubo and Ion Life.[21] By January 2009, Ion had another subchannel network, Urban TV, in the works with BET founder Robert L. Johnson targeted to African-Americans.[22]

In April 2009, it was announced that Ion Media Networks was once again facing balance sheet problems. The company disclosed that it was in discussions with lenders on "a comprehensive recapitalization" of its balance sheet. That translates to an effort to restructure its considerable debt, which stands at $2.7 billion as of April 2009, according to The Wall Street Journal.

On May 19, 2009, Ion Media Networks filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, putting the Ion network under bankruptcy for the second time, saying it had reached an agreement with holders of 60% of its first lien secured debt that would extinguish all of its $2.7 billion in legacy debt and preferred stock and recapitalize the company with a $150 million new funding commitment.[23] It emerged from bankruptcy in December, under the ownership of its bondholders & secured lenders/first lien holders, wiping out Citadel's ownership.[24]

In late 2009, a trio of private equity companies (Black Diamond Capital Management, Avenue Capital Group, & Trilogy Capital) purchased a 62.5% controlling stake in Ion Media Networks from the Ion Media Liquidating Trust (the legal entity selling the stake) through their partnership, Media Holdco L.P. (43.7% owned by Black Diamond via its BD Ion Media GP Holdings subsidiary; 15.8% by Trilogy via its Trilogy Ion, LLC subsidiary; & 40.5% by Avenue via its Avenue Ion Holdings LP subsidiary). The remaining 37.5% of Ion Media Networks remained with the company's senior investors from previous rounds of financing.[25][26][27]

Ion Media Networks signed carriage agreements in May 2010 with Advanced Cable Communications and Comcast Colorado Springs for Qubo and Ion Life and with Blue Ridge Cable for Qubo.[28]

By 2012, Media Holdco's stake in Ion Media Networks was at 87%,[29] with the company's senior investors from previous rounds of financing holding 13%.

Sometime in 2013, Ion Media Networks signed a deal with Liberty Media to bring the QVC and HSN networks to most of its Ion Television O&O stations throughout the country on digital subchannels X.5 and X.6.

In December 2013, the United States bankruptcy court approved a plan by creditors of Roberts Broadcasting to transfer East St. Louis-based WRBU and its sister stations, WZRB in Columbia and WAZE-LP in Evansville, Indiana, to a trust with Ion Media Networks (a creditor in Roberts' chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, which it filed for in 2011) as its beneficiary, with Roberts' attorney subsequently stating that Ion Media Networks would purchase the three stations.[30][31] The deal is complete on February 10, 2014, and both WZRB and WRBU became Ion stations.

Also in December 2013, Black Diamond purchased Avenue & Trilogy's stakes in Media Holdco, placing Black Diamond as Media Holdco's sole shareholder.[32]

As of November 2014, Media Holdco's majority equity stake in Ion Media Networks is at 85%,[3] leaving the company's senior investors from previous rounds of financing with a minority stake of 15%.

As Ion Media

On April 20, 2017, Ion Media Networks, through its website, announced a name change to "Ion Media" (with the company still legally operating as "Ion Media Networks").[33]

On August 2, 2017, it was reported that 21st Century Fox was proposing that Ion Media contribute its stations into a joint venture with its Fox Television Stations division, to create a larger station group in an effort to counter Sinclair Broadcast Group and their proposed purchase of Tribune Media. The proposal also included the possibility for as many as 26 stations owned by Sinclair or Tribune to be switched from Fox after existing affiliation contracts expire. It has been argued that this deal was intended to place pressure on Sinclair to abandon its acquisition, lest it potentially lose Fox affiliations to the venture.[34][35]

An analyst felt the proposed partnership was hampered by Ion Media's decision to assert must-carry status over its stations rather than retransmission consent, as Fox would be unable to immediately benefit financially from the partnership's scale, which would have included being able to collect carriage payments for all of the stations. The analyst added that Ion stations alone did not have enough leverage to negotiate with television providers, because of their limited local or first-run programming.[36][37][38]

Acquisition by Scripps

On September 24, 2020, Ion Media agreed to be acquired by The E. W. Scripps Company for $2.65 billion, with Berkshire Hathaway making an investment in Scripps to help finance the purchase.[39] The transaction, which is projected to close in the first quarter of 2021 and is subject to FCC approval, would see Ion Media and its networks combined with Scripps' Katz Broadcasting subsidiary, which already operates five specialty networks, most notably Bounce TV and Court TV. Scripps would also sell 23 of Ion Media's 71 television stations to comply with national ownership caps; the buyer, revealed in an October 2020 FCC filing to be Inyo Broadcast Holdings, has promised to maintain the stations' Ion Television affiliations after the purchase.[40][41][42] However, the number of stations to be sold increased according to a Public Applications Report from the FCC on October 16, 2020, and although unconfirmed, it is possible that Scripps could still operates at least some of these stations. Whether or not that pans out remains to be seen.[43] As of October 17, 2020, 27 stations are likely up for sale; however, three of those stations in Philadelphia, San Francisco and Minneapolis are predicated and contingent upon whether Scripps can complete its sale of New York City's WPIX to Mission Broadcasting (to be operated by Nexstar Media Group) in time before these transactions are finalized.[42] If WPIX was sold before these transactions, then those stations will be retained. On October 20, broadcast industry website TV News Check confirmed the pending sales in a "station roundup" report outlining the stations slated to be sold, and the number being reduced to 26 again.[44]

That number, again, is cut down to 23, after Scripps was able to complete its sale of WPIX to Mission Broadcasting on December 30, 2020. As such, Scripps would keep its Ion stations in San Francisco, Philadelphia and Minneapolis.[45][46]

The transaction, which closed on January 7, 2021,[47] saw Ion Television, Ion Plus, and Qubo integrated into Scripps' Katz Broadcasting subsidiary (operator of fellow multicast networks Court TV, Ion Mystery, Bounce TV, Laff and Grit).[48]

On January 14, 2021, Scripps announced that it would discontinue Ion Plus and Qubo effective February 28, 2021. The spectrum allocated to the networks on the former Ion Media stations will be repurposed to carry the Katz-owned networks starting March 1, with the initial slate of Ion Television O&Os adding those networks following the expiration of Scripps/Katz's existing contracts with other broadcasting companies the day prior, and other stations following suit as contracts with existing affiliates expire throughout 2021 and 2022; in markets where major network affiliates operated by Scripps already carry a Katz-owned network, some will be offloaded to the Ion stations to free up limited spectrum capacity during the ATSC 3.0 transition. Several of the Ion Plus full-power stations paired with Ion Television stations were also concurrently sold off to Inyo Broadcast Holdings in order to alleviate local ownership conflicts and national cap issues related to Scripps' purchase of Ion Media under the FCC's regulatory station ownership limits.[49]

In October 2021, Scripps notified the Federal Communications Commission that it had closed the local facilities of the Ion Media stations (with those in duopoly markets having their operations consolidated with the existing Scripps commercial station), and consolidated the regulatory 'studios' for all of the stations at Scripps Center in Cincinnati. The FCC had repealed the Main Studio Rule in 2019 requiring a facility for each station in their local market, and for all intents and purposes, the studios were all office suites with almost no broadcast equipment containing mainly the station's public file with a minimum staff of one engineer and one general manager merely maintaining the network's transmitters. The network's operations remain based out of West Palm Beach.[50]

Stations sold
Station PSIP/RF City of License State Market Network Existing Scripps Properties
WPXH-TV 44 (33) Hoover Alabama Birmingham Ion None
KPPX-TV 51 (31) Tolleson Arizona Phoenix Ion KNXV-TV and KASW
KPXC-TV 59 (18) Denver Colorado Denver Ion KMGH-TV and KCDO-TV
WHPX-TV 26 (28) New Britain Connecticut Hartford/New Haven Ion None
WPXP-TV 67 (36) Lake Worth Florida West Palm Beach Ion WPTV-TV and WHDT; operates WFLX
KPXO-TV 66 (32) Kaneohe Hawaii Honolulu Ion None
KTRV-TV 12 (13) Nampa Idaho Boise Ion KIVI-TV/KSAW-LD; operates KNIN-TV
WCLJ-TV 42 (28) Bloomington Indiana Indianapolis Ion Plus WRTV
WIPX-TV 63 (28) Ion
WUPX-TV 67 (25) Richmond Kentucky Lexington Ion WLEX-TV
WPXD-TV 31 (24) Ann Arbor Michigan Detroit Ion WXYZ-TV and WMYD
WZPX-TV 43 (21) Battle Creek Grand Rapids Ion WXMI
KPXE-TV 50 (30) Kansas City Missouri Kansas City Ion KSHB-TV and KMCI-TV
WYPX-TV 55 (19) Amsterdam New York Albany/Schenectady/Troy Ion None
WPXJ-TV 51 (24) Batavia Buffalo/Niagara Falls Ion WKBW-TV
WGPX-TV 16 (26) Burlington North Carolina Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Ion None
WDLI-TV 17 (22) Canton Ohio Cleveland Ion Plus WEWS-TV
WVPX-TV 23 (22) Akron Ion
KOPX-TV 62 (18) Oklahoma City Oklahoma Oklahoma City Ion None
WLWC 28 (17) New Bedford Rhode Island Providence Ion Plus None
WPXX-TV 50 (33) Memphis Tennessee Memphis Ion None
WPXV-TV 49 (32) Norfolk Virginia Norfolk Ion WTKR and WGNT
KGPX-TV 34 (34) Spokane Washington Spokane Ion None

See also

References

  1. ^ "Ion Media Television, Inc.: Private Company Information - Businessweek". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  2. ^ "Company Overview of Ion Media Entertainment, Inc". Bloomberg Businessweek. Businessweek.com. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Moody's affirms Ion Media's B1 CFR and B1 rating on first lien debt". moodys.com. Moody's Investors Service. November 10, 2014. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  4. ^ "Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. April 11, 1994. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  5. ^ Elber, Lynn (August 30, 1998). "PAX TV: New Network Promises x Family Fare". Williamson Daily News. Retrieved October 15, 2012 – via Google News.
  6. ^ Carter, Bill (September 17, 1999). "THE MEDIA BUSINESS; NBC Completes Acquisition Of 32% Stake in Paxson". New York Times. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  7. ^ Carter, Bill (December 5, 2001). "Paxson Communications Moves To Bar NBC Bid for Telemundo". New York Times. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  8. ^ "Paxson loses arbitration against NBC". South Florida Business Journal. September 23, 2002. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  9. ^ Carter, Bill (November 14, 2003). "THE MEDIA BUSINESS: ADVERTISING; NBC Moves To Break Up Relationship With Paxson". New York Times. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  10. ^ Londner, Robin (November 13, 2003). "NBC asks Paxson for $549.2M". South Florida Business Journal. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  11. ^ Carter, Bill (August 23, 2004). "MEDIA; NBC Universal And Paxson: An Odd Dance To a Divorce". New York Times. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  12. ^ Carter, Bill (November 8, 2005). "Deal Brings an End to NBC-Paxson Feud". New York Times. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  13. ^ "Bud Paxson departs Paxson, NBC may buy out or sell out". South Florida Business Journal. November 7, 2005. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  14. ^ a b c d Waresh, Julie (September 20, 1997). "Westinghouse buy includes local stations". Newspapers.com. The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved August 21, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ^ "Name change: Paxson becomes Ion Media Networks". South Florida Business Journal. February 28, 2006. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  16. ^ "Paxson Has Ion Aspirations". Archived from the original on February 28, 2006. Retrieved January 30, 2021. {{cite news}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; September 20, 2013 suggested (help)
  17. ^ "Ion Media Networks, Citadel, and NBC Universal Reach Agreement to recapitalize Ion -- Ion expected to become privately held following transaction". Reuters. May 4, 2007. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  18. ^ Kouwe, Zachery (May 4, 2007). "Ion APPROVES NBC SALE AMID UNREST". New York Post. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  19. ^ Federal Judge to Decide Whether Ion Television Can Continue as Ion , Positive Ions v. Ion Media Networks.
  20. ^ Judgment Entered Against Ion Media Networks, Inc. in Dispute Over "Ion" Trademark Registration, Positive Ions v. Ion Media Networks.
  21. ^ Ion Media Plugs In New Comcast Accord, Multichannel News, January 14, 2008
  22. ^ Romano, Allison (January 19, 2009). "Cutting Bait On Subchannels". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  23. ^ Ion Files for Bankruptcy Protection, Multichannel News, May 20, 2009
  24. ^ Ion Media Emerges From Bankruptcy, Leveraged Finance News.
  25. ^ "S&P rates Media Holco". reuters.com. Reuters. Reuters. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  26. ^ TVBR, RBR-. "New backers DIP into Ion". rbr.com. Radio + Television Business Report. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
  27. ^ TVBR, RBR-. "Big markets, but big problems". rbr.com. Radio + Television Business Report. Retrieved September 15, 2009.
  28. ^ "Ion Media Networks Inks Multi-Affiliate Deals for Diginets". Telecommunications Weekly. May 26, 2010. Archived from the original on June 11, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2014 – via HighBeam Research.
  29. ^ "Moody's assigns Media Holdco (Ion) B1 CFR and B2 term loan rating; outlook is stable". moodys.com. Moody's Investors Service. December 26, 2012. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
  30. ^ Mueller, Angela (December 11, 2013). "Judge approves creditors' proposal in Roberts Broadcasting bankruptcy". St. Louis Business Journal. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  31. ^ Brown, Lisa (December 11, 2013). "Roberts' TV stations to be sold". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  32. ^ Wright, Natalie. "Ion Media readies $795M dividend recap loan". reuters.com. Reuters. Reuters. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  33. ^ "ION MEDIA PLEASED WITH FAVORABLE FCC ACTION TO REI..." ION Media. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  34. ^ Sakoui, Anousha (August 2, 2017). "Fox in Talks With Ion Media to Operate Local TV Stations, Source Says". Bloomberg. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  35. ^ Lieberman, David (August 3, 2017). "Sinclair Broadcast Shares Slip On Report That Fox May Switch Affiliations To Ion". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  36. ^ "Analyst: Ion's Must-Carry Kills Potential Fox Deal". Broadcasting & Cable. October 13, 2017. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  37. ^ "Analyst Expects Ion to Choose Must-Carry". Broadcasting & Cable. September 29, 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  38. ^ "ION Media Sweetens Offer to 21st Century Fox for Local-TV Station Venture". The Street.
  39. ^ Cimilluca, Dana. "E.W. Scripps Agrees to Buy ION Media for $2.65 billion in Berkshire-Backed Deal". Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  40. ^ "Scripps creates national television networks business with acquisition of ION Media," press release from Scripps.com, September 24, 2020
  41. ^ E.W. Scripps Co (SSP) SEC Filing 8-K Material Event for the period ending Wednesday, September 23, 2020 on Last10K.com (accessed 10/15/2020)
  42. ^ a b Ellis, Jon (October 14, 2020). "Scripps May Divest Minneapolis Station as Part of ION Purchase". NorthPine.com. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  43. ^ "PUBLIC NOTICE: REPORT #29845" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission (PDF). October 16, 2020. pp. 1–6. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  44. ^ "Station Trading Roundup: 2 Deals, $45,450,000". TV News Check. October 20, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  45. ^ Jacobson, Adam (December 16, 2020). "Ion/Scripps' Fourth Amendment: TV Trio Not Going To INYO". Radio & Television Business Report. Streamline Publishing, Inc. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  46. ^ Wethington, Kari (December 30, 2020). "Scripps Completes Sale of WPIX". Scripps. The E.W. Scripps Company. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  47. ^ January 2021, Jon Lafayette 07 (January 7, 2021). "E.W. Scripps Completes Acquisition of Ion Media". Broadcasting Cable. Retrieved January 7, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  48. ^ "No Retrans, No Problem for Scripps’ Ion Deal," from Broadcasting & Cable, September 25, 2020)
  49. ^ Micheli, Carolyn (January 14, 2021). "Scripps takes first steps to realize ION synergies with multicast networks move" (Press release). E. W. Scripps Company. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  50. ^ Ellis, Jon (October 31, 2021). "FCC/CRTC Monitor: New FM Signal in Brainerd, New LPTV in Fargo". Northpine. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
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