WIPX-LD
WIPX-LD, virtual channel 51 (UHF digital channel 34), is a low-powered Daystar owned-and-operated television station licensed to Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The station is owned by Word of God Fellowship, parent company of the Daystar Television Network. WIPX-LD's transmitter is located on Walnut Drive in Indianapolis' northwest side. It is operated separately from full-power sister station WDTI (channel 69) in the city.
| Indianapolis, Indiana United States | |
|---|---|
| Branding | Daystar |
| Slogan | Experience It |
| Channels | Digital: 34 (UHF) Virtual: 51 (PSIP) |
| Affiliations | 51.1: Daystar (O&O) |
| Owner | Word of God Fellowship |
| Licensee | Word of God Fellowship, Inc. |
| First air date | October 30, 1990 |
| Call sign meaning | callsign from former sister station WIPX-TV |
| Former call signs | W51BU (1990–1998) WIPX-LP (1998–2015) |
| Former affiliations | ValueVision (1990–1998) Pax TV, now Ion Television (1998–2014) |
| Transmitter power | 9.5 kW |
| Height | 291.7 m (957 ft) |
| Class | LD |
| Facility ID | 65121 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 39°53′40″N 86°12′21″W |
| Licensing authority | FCC |
| Public license information | Profile CDBS |
| Website | daystar |
History
The station signed-on on October 30, 1990 as W51BU. It was originally silent, then affiliated with ValueVision sometime.
In August 1998, W51BU was acquired DP Media and was converted into a translator of WIIB (channel 63) and were affiliates of Pax TV (now Ion Television). The low-power translator also changed its callsign to WIPX-LP to reflect its new affiliation. When DP merged with Paxson Communications in 2000, WIPX-TV/LP were Pax TV owned-and-operated stations (Paxson had earlier attempted to purchase WB affiliate WNDY-TV [channel 23, now a MyNetworkTV affiliate] for $28.4 million in 1997, before it was outbid by a $35 million offer from the Paramount Stations Group that October[1]).
As a former translator of WIPX-TV
WIPX-LP formerly relayed WIPX-TV's signal to the northern portions of Indianapolis that received a Grade B to a non-existent signal of WIPX-TV (including Kokomo, Marion and Muncie), although there was significant overlap between the two stations' contours otherwise. WIPX-LP was a straight simulcast of WIPX-TV; on-air references to WIPX-LP were limited to Federal Communications Commission (FCC)-mandated hourly station identifications during programming.
Sale of WIPX-LP to Daystar
On December 15, 2014, Ion Media Networks reached a deal to donate WIPX-LP to Word of God Fellowship, parent company of the Daystar network.
On October 8, 2015, the station returned to the air as digital-only WIPX-LD.
References
- WB, UPN woo WNDY-TV, Broadcasting & Cable, October 27, 1997. Retrieved June 19, 2014 from HighBeam Research.