WSPX-TV
WSPX-TV, virtual channel 56 (UHF digital channel 36), is an Ion Television owned-and-operated station licensed to Syracuse, New York, United States. The station is owned by West Palm Beach, Florida-based Ion Media Networks (the former Paxson Communications). WSPX-TV's studios are located on Basile Rowe in East Syracuse, and its transmitter is located on Sevier Road in Pompey, New York.
| Syracuse, New York United States | |
|---|---|
| Branding | Ion Television |
| Slogan | Positively Entertaining |
| Channels | Digital: 36 (UHF) Virtual: 56 (PSIP) |
| Affiliations | |
| Owner | Ion Media Networks |
| Licensee | Ion Media Syracuse License, Inc. |
| First air date | November 24, 1998 |
| Call sign meaning | Syracuse's PaX |
| Former channel number(s) | Analog: 56 (UHF, 1998–2009) Digital: 15 (UHF, until 2019) |
| Transmitter power | 82 kW |
| Height | 452.1 m (1,483 ft) |
| Class | DT |
| Facility ID | 64352 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 42°56′42″N 76°1′27″W |
| Licensing authority | FCC |
| Public license information | Profile CDBS |
| Website | iontelevision |
History
WSPX-TV has been operating since November 24, 1998.[1] From 2001 to 2005, WSPX re-aired newscasts from NBC affiliate WSTM-TV (channel 3).
Digital television
Digital channels
The station's digital signal is multiplexed:
| Channel | Video | Aspect | PSIP Short Name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56.1 | 720p | 16:9 | ION | Main Ion Television programming |
| 56.2 | 480i | 4:3 | qubo | Qubo |
| 56.3 | IONPlus | Ion Plus | ||
| 56.4 | Shop | Ion Shop | ||
| 56.5 | QVC | QVC | ||
| 56.6 | HSN | HSN |
WSPX-TV started broadcasting in high definition in May 2010.
The channel 15 frequency was short-spaced to Belleville, Ontario's CBLFT and was approved on the condition that the effective radiated power of the U.S. station not exceed 100 kilowatts.[3]
According to WSPX-TV, an early reduction in analogue power and start of digital operation needed to take place months in advance of the February 17, 2009 FCC digital transition deadline to ensure that channel 15's antenna could be installed on the top of the tower in place of the existing channel 56 antenna before the onset of winter.[4] UHF 56 was then left operational from a secondary, side-mounted antenna at a 25% reduction in coverage area until analogue shut-off.
Analog-to-digital conversion
WSPX-TV shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 56, 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 15.[5] Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former UHF analog channel 56, which was among the high band UHF channels (52–69) that were removed from broadcasting use as a result of the transition.
References
- Fybush, Scott (November 26, 1998). "WQEW Getting Mouse Ears?". North East RadioWatch. The Archives at BostonRadio.org. Retrieved 2006-04-30.
- RabbitEars TV Query for WSPX
- FCC construction permit for DTV beginning Feb 2009
- FCC application to reduce power on analogue UHF 56
- "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-08-29. Retrieved 2012-03-24.