WPXM-TV
WPXM-TV, virtual channel 35 (UHF digital channel 21), is an Ion Television owned-and-operated station licensed to Miami, Florida, United States and also serving Fort Lauderdale. The station is owned by West Palm Beach-based Ion Media Networks (the former Paxson Communications). WPXM's offices are located on Northwest 14th Street in Sunrise, and its transmitter is located on Northwest 199th Street in Andover. It also shares a sales office with Lake Worth-licensed sister station WPXP-TV (channel 67, serving the West Palm Beach market) on Northeast 20th Avenue in North Miami.[2] On cable, WPXM is available on Comcast Xfinity channels 16 (standard definition) and 437 (high definition).
| Miami–Fort Lauderdale, Florida United States | |
|---|---|
| City | Miami, Florida |
| Branding | Ion Television |
| Slogan | Positively Entertaining |
| Channels | Digital: 21 (UHF) Virtual: 35 (PSIP) |
| Affiliations | |
| Owner | Ion Media Networks |
| Licensee | Ion Media License Company, LLC |
| First air date | October 1992[1] |
| Call sign meaning | PaX Miami |
| Former call signs | WMLB-TV (1992) WDLP-TV (1993) WCTD (1993–1998) |
| Former channel number(s) | Analog: 35 (UHF, 1993–2009) Digital: 26 (UHF, 2004–2010) 35 (UHF, 2010–2018) |
| Former affiliations | Independent (1992–1998) inTV (1998) |
| Transmitter power | 225 kW |
| Height | 279 m (915 ft) |
| Facility ID | 48608 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 25°57′31″N 80°12′43″W |
| Licensing authority | FCC |
| Public license information | Profile CDBS |
| Website | iontelevision |
History
The station first signed on the air in October 1992 as WMLB-TV. Originally operating as an independent station, the station changed its call letters to WDLP-TV in 1993, before changing it again to WCTD several months later. Channel 35 was acquired by Paxson Communications in 1997. Shortly after the sale was finalized, the station became an affiliate of the Infomall TV Network (inTV), which carried an infomercial format. On August 31, 1998, the station's call letters were changed to WPXM-TV; that same date, the station became a charter owned-and-operated station of Pax TV (now Ion Television).
From 2002 through the 2005 season, WPXM was the flagship broadcast station of the Florida Marlins (now the Miami Marlins), whose games also aired on sister station WPXP in West Palm Beach.
Digital television
Digital channels
The station's digital signal is multiplexed:
| Channel | Video | Aspect | PSIP Short Name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35.1 | 720p | 16:9 | ION | Main Ion Television programming |
| 35.2 | 480i | 4:3 | qubo | Qubo |
| 35.3 | IONPlus | Ion Plus | ||
| 35.4 | Shop | Ion Shop | ||
| 35.5 | QVC | QVC | ||
| 35.6 | HSN | HSN |
Analog-to-digital conversion
WPXM-TV ended programming on its analog signal, on UHF channel 35, on February 17, 2009, the original target date in which full-power television stations in the United States to transition from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate (which was later pushed back to June 12, 2009). On February 18, the station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition UHF channel 26 to channel 35.[4] WPXM was the only Miami-licensed station that applied to cease analog transmissions on the original transition date, despite the DTV Delay Act having extended the deadline to June 12. WPXM elected to use UHF channel 35 as its post-transition allocation during the first round of the digital channel elections, and was allowed to keep the allocation despite a conflict with another station.
Newscasts
From 2001 until 2005, when NBC entered a shared services agreement with Pax TV, WPXM aired rebroadcasts of NBC owned-and-operated station WTVJ (channel 6)'s newscasts.
References
- The Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook says October 15, while the Television and Cable Factbook says October 25.
- WPXM Station Information
- RabbitEars TV Query for WPXM
- "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2012.