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WPXW-TV (channel 66) is a television station licensed to Manassas, Virginia, United States, broadcasting the Ion Television network to the Washington, D.C., area. The station is owned by Ion Media and maintains business offices in Fairfax Station, Virginia; its transmitter is located on River Road in Bethesda, Maryland. The Ion network is also broadcast in the region from WWPX-TV (channel 60) in Martinsburg, West Virginia, which shares the same subchannels as WPXW-TV, and on a subchannel of Scripps-owned WMAR-TV in Baltimore.

Channel 66 went on the air April 2, 1978, as WTKK ("Witnessing the King of Kings"), a Christian station owned by Manassas-based National Capital Christian Broadcasting. The station's programming consisted of local and national religious shows, though in the 1980s it broadened its format to include some classic TV series. National Capital Christian Broadcasting sold channel 66 to home shopping network ValueVision in 1994, though the seller would continue to be investigated for fraud and misrepresentations to investors. The station had the call sign WVVI-TV under ValueVision. Paxson Communications Corporation, forerunner to Ion Media, acquired WVVI-TV and incorporated it into its Infomall TV network, broadcasting infomercials and paid programs, in 1997; these stations formed the core of the Pax network, predecessor to Ion, in 1998.

History

In 1974, National Capital Christian Broadcasting (NCCB) began organizing to build a Christian- and family-oriented television station in Manassas, which would serve greater Washington. This required petitioning the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to allot channel 66 to Manassas.

Activity accelerated in 1977, when NCCB applied for the construction permit after having channel 66 approved to operate in Manassas. Raker bought a former school and church and converted it into a television studio. The FCC granted the permit on October 3, 1977, and WTKK ("Witnessing the King of Kings") began broadcasting on April 2, 1978—Easter Sunday. The fledgling station's finances were unsteady: within a year, it was described by program host Ken Connolly as "in a fight for life". Connolly's program marked the bulk of WTKK's local programming in 1979, alongside a children's show known as Beyond the Blue and a newscast. Raker—described financially by the head of the National Association of Religious Broadcasters as a "loner" compared to other similar ventures—was able to beg for equipment and money, including a used set and studio lights belonging to Good Morning America and a lease of the abandoned Baptist church, complete with an organ and stained glass windows. In 1982, the station increased its power to a full five million watts and moved its transmitter from Independent Hill to a new site in Fairfax Station; it was off the air for three months to make the move.

In 1983, channel 66 began to experiment with an increased secular programming schedule, as its all-religious lineup failed to attract viewers. With the addition of shows like The Lone Ranger, Green Acres, and Mister Ed, WTKK's ratings soared 1,000 percent from a 0.2 share to a 2.5 share in the span of a year. The station also had to hire advertising sales representatives to handle its increasing business. In November 1984, National Capital Christian Broadcasting expanded by starting WTLL (channel 63, "Witnessing the Lord of Lords") in Richmond; it was able to borrow money to start the Richmond station because of a land donation made by real estate developer Cecil D. Hylton. WTKK and WTLL shared some programming that was produced in Manassas, including the religious talk show Capital Life and an exercise program, Beverly Exercise. However, with continued money losses among independent TV stations, NCCB sold the Richmond station to Sudbrink Broadcasting in 1986.

In 1994, WTKK was purchased by ValueVision, a home shopping network, and on June 6, 1994, the call letters were changed to WVVI. Paxson Communications purchased the station in 1997, and on January 13, 1998, the call letters were changed to the current WPXW. The station was an all-infomercial channel ("inTV") from the time that Paxson bought the station until the Pax network launched on August 31, 1998. The station had the rights to the 2005 season of Baltimore Orioles games in the Washington area that were produced by MASN. It was formerly known as "Pax 66", before the Pax network changed its name to i: Independent Television and later Ion Television.

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Analog-to-digital conversion

WPXW-TV shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 66, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal moved from its pre-transition UHF channel 43 to channel 34, using virtual channel 66.

References

1. "Facility Technical Data for WPXW-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
2. Grandstaff, Lynne (February 6, 1974). "Family viewing aim of station". Potomac News. Woodbridge, Virginia. p. C-10. Retrieved November 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Christian station nears". Potomac News. Woodbridge, Virginia. April 15, 1977. p. A-6. Retrieved November 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "History Cards for WTKK". Federal Communications Commission.
5. ^ Gardner, C. Mason (March 24, 1979). "Pastors appear on program". Culpeper Star-Exponent. Culpeper, Virginia. p. 5. Retrieved November 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Breeden, Nancy (April 4, 1978). "New television station operating in Manassas". Potomac News. Woodbridge, Virginia. p. A-2. Retrieved November 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Peters, Jean (September 25, 1979). "Religious TV Finds a Niche in Manassas". The Washington Post. pp. B1, B4. ProQuest 147038892.
8. Owen, Dean (March 26, 1982). "Manassas TV station expands its range". Potomac News. Woodbridge, Virginia. p. A1. Retrieved November 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
9. ^ Hockstader, Lee (April 12, 1984). "Secular Reruns Prove Bonanza For WTKK-TV's Low Ratings: All-Religious Programming No Match for 'Lone Ranger'". The Washington Post. pp. C1, C4. ProQuest 138392525.
10. Lewis, Michael (March 24, 1983). "'Gomer,' 'Hillbillies,' 'Van Dyke,' to rerun on WTKK, Christian TV". Potomac News. Woodbridge, Virginia. pp. A1, A5. Retrieved November 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Durden, Douglas (November 24, 1984). "New station had start in the '70s". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Richmond, Virginia. p. B-6. Retrieved November 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
12. Durden, Douglas (January 15, 1986). "WTLL being sold; Channel 65 planned". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Richmond, Virginia. p. C-5. Retrieved November 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "RabbitEars.Info". www.rabbitears.info. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
14. "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.

External links

• Official website

• Ion Television affiliates
• Bounce TV affiliates
• Court TV affiliates
• Laff (TV network) affiliates
• Ion Mystery affiliates
• Scripps News affiliates
• E. W. Scripps Company television stations
• Television channels and stations established in 1978
• 1978 establishments in Virginia
• Television stations in Washington, D.C.
• Manassas, Virginia