WPXQ-TV

WPXQ-TV, virtual channel 69 (UHF digital channel 17), is an Ion Television owned-and-operated station serving Providence, Rhode Island and New Bedford, Massachusetts, United States that is licensed to Newport, Rhode Island. The station is owned by West Palm Beach, Florida-based Ion Media Networks (the former Paxson Communications), as part of a duopoly with New Bedford-licensed Ion Plus owned-and-operated station WLWC (channel 28). The two stations share transmitter facilities on Champlin Hill in Hopkinton, Rhode Island. Their main studio facilities for the purposes of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations are located in New London, Connecticut with the Hartford–New Haven market's Ion station, WHPX-TV (channel 26).

WPXQ-TV
Newport/Providence, Rhode Island/
New Bedford, Massachusetts
United States
CityNewport, Rhode Island
BrandingIon Television
SloganPositively Entertaining
ChannelsDigital: 17 (UHF)
(shared with WLWC and WRIW-CD)
Virtual: 69 (PSIP)
Affiliations69.1: Ion Television
69.2: qubo
69.3: Ion Shop
69.5: QVC
69.6: HSN
OwnerIon Media Networks
LicenseeOcean State Television, L.L.C.
First air dateApril 2, 1992 (1992-04-02)
(in Block Island, Rhode Island; license moved to Newport in 2018[1][2])
Call sign meaningPX = Pax
Sister station(s)WLWC
Former call signsWOST-TV (1992–1998)
Former channel number(s)Analog:
69 (UHF, 1992–2009)
Former affiliationsIndependent (1992–1996)
inTV (1996–1998)
Transmitter power1,000 kW
Height228 m (748 ft)
Facility ID50063
Transmitter coordinates41°29′41″N 71°47′4″W
Licensing authorityFCC
Public license informationProfile
CDBS
Websiteiontelevision.com

Despite originally being licensed to Block Island, Rhode Island, WPXQ was never carried by former cable operator Block Island Cable TV.[3]

History

The FCC was persuaded to allocate channel 69 (WPXQ's original analog frequency) to Block Island by Ted Robinson, an island resident, who claimed during the allocation filing process in 1984–85 that an independent TV station providing niche programming from there would serve the public interest better. Robinson subsequently ran into local opposition to tower siting, and sold out his interest to Ray Yorke, who obtained the initial construction permit. The station began broadcasting a few hours of old movies daily in 1992 using the callsign WOST-TV (meaning Ocean State Television, the original owners). By 1996, the station was owned by Paxson Communications, which had implemented their infomercials (via their inTV network) and religious programming. The station became WPXQ in 1998, and in August of that year began to run programming from the Pax TV network (later i: Independent Television; now Ion Television).

Digital television

Digital channels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming[4]
69.1720p16:9IONMain WPXQ-TV programming / Ion Television
69.2480i4:3quboQubo
69.3ShopIon Shop
69.5QVCQVC
69.6HSNHSN

Analog-to-digital conversion

WPXQ-TV discontinued regular programming on its analog signal, over UHF channel 69, on June 12, 2009, the official date in which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 17,[5] using PSIP to display the station's virtual channel as its former UHF analog channel 69, which was among the high band UHF channels (52-69) that were removed from broadcasting use as a result of the transition.

References
  1. WPXQ-TV Petition for Rule Making Nov 2017
  2. "Amendment of Section 73.622(i) Digital Television Broadcast Stations (Block Island and Newport, Rhode Island)" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. September 18, 2018. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  3. This cable company ceased operations on October 31, 2006. Since then, there has been no cable television service on the island. See:
  4. RabbitEars TV Query for WPXQ
  5. "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
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