WPXE
Encyclopedia
WPXE-TV, digital channel 40, is the Ion Television O&O station for Milwaukee, Wisconsin
, with the city of license
thirty miles south in Kenosha
. However, the digital transmitter is situated within the traditional tower farm site on Milwaukee's northeast side with the antenna located on the Milwaukee Public Television
tower, and the station offices straddling the city line between Milwaukee and Glendale
. Its signal covers most of southeastern Wisconsin
and parts of northeastern Illinois
, including the cities of Racine
, Kenosha
, and Waukesha
, Ozaukee, Fond du Lac
, Dodge
and Sheboygan counties.
. The call letters stood for World Harvest Kenosha Evangelism. The station's first analog transmitter was located in Kenosha, just north of the Illinois/Wisconsin stateline on the tower which is still currently in use by WWDV
(96.9). In the late 90s after its purchase by Paxson, the station moved their transmitter to a tower in northern Racine County near Interstate 94
which was shared (and continues to be used by) WEZY (92.1). Despite the reason for the transmitter move being to serve more of the Milwaukee market, the southerly tower location from the traditional northeast side tower farm and a lower power, both mainly to keep the channel 55 allocation open for an eventual new station in Wausau
(which would eventually be given to Wittenberg
-licensed WFXS in 1999), limited the station's coverage area in southeastern Wisconsin; this caused the station to not be available in Fond du Lac and Sheboygan counties except through cable.
At times during summer due to tropospheric propagation
in the analog era, WHKE/WPXE would receive heavy interference a few times and even have their signal overwhelmed by that of another distant channel 55, WBNX-TV
from Cleveland, Ohio
, which broadcast at a stronger power and had their signal brought over Lake Michigan
into Wisconsin due to Lake Erie
's heavy "trop effect" amplifying their signal across northern Indiana and lower Michigan.
Paxson Communications, now ION Media, bought the station in 1995 and turned it into an all-infomercial channel, though it also included the daily greyhound racing
recap program from Dairyland Greyhound Park for many years after WVTV
discontinued carrying that show in 1996. It became a charter affiliate of Pax TV in 1998, at which time it adopted its current call letters.
with WTMJ
(Channel 4) that resulted from NBC
having a stake in Paxson/PAX TV, sharing programming and airing repeats of WTMJ's newscasts for several years, with WTMJ selling ad time for WPXE; Martha Stewart Living
and repeats of preseason Green Bay Packers
games produced for WTMJ (and live games during the 2004 Summer Olympics
) also aired on WPXE. This agreement was discontinued on July 1, 2005 after the conversion of PAX into i - Independent Television, and the agreement ended. The network was renamed once again to Ion Television on January 29, 2007.
The station airs the entire Ion Television schedule, with the only local programming paid programming
for local businesses, and a public affairs program, Ion Milwaukee, which airs at various times throughout the week.
WPXE-TV's digital service remained on channel 40 after the June 12, 2009 digital switchover, as channel 55
was removed from the television bandplan and sold to Qualcomm
for use in its nationwide MediaFLO
system. When Qualcomm introduced MediaFLO to Chicago in 2008, WPXE-TV agreed to accept potential interference to 28.87% of the population within its Grade B contour resulting from the service, mostly occurring in fringe areas of Lake County, Illinois
which also received Ion service from Chicago sister station WCPX-TV (Channel 38). WPXE's digital signal and subchannels were not affected; through the use of PSIP
, digital television receivers display its virtual channel
as 55.
On February 2, 2009, the station converted their main digital signal to air HD content in 720p, ahead of Ion's eventual launch of their high definition program schedule. After various testing however Ion decided to wait on a full transition and switched back to 480i in April 2009 due to their concerns about a seamless digital transition (as days before February 2, the national transition date was moved from February 17 to June 12). Full permanent HD service for WPXE launched on April 28, 2010, with the station also receiving HD cable coverage via Channel 1015 on Time Warner Cable
and Channel 615 on Charter Communications
.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
, with the city of license
City of license
A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
thirty miles south in Kenosha
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Kenosha is a city and the county seat of Kenosha County in the State of Wisconsin in United States. With a population of 99,218 as of May 2011, Kenosha is the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Kenosha is also the fourth-largest city on the western shore of Lake Michigan, following Chicago,...
. However, the digital transmitter is situated within the traditional tower farm site on Milwaukee's northeast side with the antenna located on the Milwaukee Public Television
Milwaukee Public Television
For information on Channels 10 and 36 individually, see WMVS and WMVTMilwaukee Public Television is the branding name for the alliance between two Milwaukee based Public Broadcasting Service public television affiliates: WMVS, Channel 10, and WMVT, Channel 36...
tower, and the station offices straddling the city line between Milwaukee and Glendale
Glendale, Wisconsin
Glendale is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 13,367 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Glendale is located at ....
. Its signal covers most of southeastern Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
and parts of northeastern Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, including the cities of Racine
Racine, Wisconsin
Racine is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city had a population of 82,196...
, Kenosha
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Kenosha is a city and the county seat of Kenosha County in the State of Wisconsin in United States. With a population of 99,218 as of May 2011, Kenosha is the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Kenosha is also the fourth-largest city on the western shore of Lake Michigan, following Chicago,...
, and Waukesha
Waukesha, Wisconsin
Waukesha is a city in and the county seat of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, in the Upper Midwest region of the United States. The population was 70,718 at the 2010 census, making it the largest community in the county and 7th largest in the state. The city is located adjacent to the Town of Waukesha...
, Ozaukee, Fond du Lac
Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin
Fond du Lac County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 97,296. Its county seat is Fond du Lac. The United States Census Bureau's Fond du Lac Metropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Fond du Lac County. The county name is French for "bottom of the...
, Dodge
Dodge County, Wisconsin
Dodge County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2010, the population was 88,759. Its county seat is Juneau.-Geography:According to the U.S...
and Sheboygan counties.
History
The station signed on in June 1988 as WHKE, a religious station owned by LeSEALeSEA
LeSEA Broadcasting , also known as World Harvest Television, is an American Christian television network with over 40 affiliate stations in a number of U.S...
. The call letters stood for World Harvest Kenosha Evangelism. The station's first analog transmitter was located in Kenosha, just north of the Illinois/Wisconsin stateline on the tower which is still currently in use by WWDV
WWDV
WWDV is a radio station in Zion, Illinois, known as "The Drive". The station is currently owned by Hubbard Broadcasting, and simulcasts with WDRV...
(96.9). In the late 90s after its purchase by Paxson, the station moved their transmitter to a tower in northern Racine County near Interstate 94
Interstate 94
Interstate 94 is the northernmost east–west Interstate Highway, connecting the Great Lakes and Intermountain regions of the United States. I-94's western terminus is in Billings, Montana at a junction with Interstate 90; its eastern terminus is the U.S...
which was shared (and continues to be used by) WEZY (92.1). Despite the reason for the transmitter move being to serve more of the Milwaukee market, the southerly tower location from the traditional northeast side tower farm and a lower power, both mainly to keep the channel 55 allocation open for an eventual new station in Wausau
Wausau, Wisconsin
Wausau is a city in and the county seat of Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States. The Wisconsin River divides the city. The city is adjacent to the town of Wausau.According to the 2000 census, Wausau had a population of 38,426 people...
(which would eventually be given to Wittenberg
Wittenberg, Wisconsin
Wittenberg is a village in Shawano County, Wisconsin, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,177 at the 2000 census. The village is located within the Town of Wittenberg.-Geography:Wittenberg is located at ....
-licensed WFXS in 1999), limited the station's coverage area in southeastern Wisconsin; this caused the station to not be available in Fond du Lac and Sheboygan counties except through cable.
At times during summer due to tropospheric propagation
Tropospheric propagation
Tropospheric propagation describes electromagnetic propagation in relation to the troposphere.The service area from a television or frequency modulated radio transmitter extends to just beyond the optical horizon, at which point signals start to rapidly reduce in strength...
in the analog era, WHKE/WPXE would receive heavy interference a few times and even have their signal overwhelmed by that of another distant channel 55, WBNX-TV
WBNX-TV
WBNX-TV, virtual channel 55 , is the CW television affiliate serving the Cleveland/Akron/Canton, Ohio television market; it brands itself as "WBNX, The CW". The studios are located in Cuyahoga Falls and the transmitter is in Parma, although it is licensed to Akron...
from Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, which broadcast at a stronger power and had their signal brought over Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
into Wisconsin due to Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
's heavy "trop effect" amplifying their signal across northern Indiana and lower Michigan.
Paxson Communications, now ION Media, bought the station in 1995 and turned it into an all-infomercial channel, though it also included the daily greyhound racing
Greyhound racing
Greyhound racing is the sport of racing greyhounds. The dogs chase a lure on a track until they arrive at the finish line. The one that arrives first is the winner....
recap program from Dairyland Greyhound Park for many years after WVTV
WVTV
WVTV is a television station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA and serves as Southeast Wisconsin's The CW Television Network affiliate. The station broadcasts from the Milwaukee Public Television tower on Milwaukee's northeast side with WMVS/WMVT, along with WCGV , WVTV's sister station...
discontinued carrying that show in 1996. It became a charter affiliate of Pax TV in 1998, at which time it adopted its current call letters.
Programming
The station formerly had a local marketing agreementLocal marketing agreement
In U.S. and Canadian broadcasting, a local marketing agreement is an agreement in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another licensee...
with WTMJ
WTMJ-TV
WTMJ-TV, digital channel 28 ; branded as "Today's TMJ4", is the NBC-affiliated television station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the flagship station of the Journal Broadcast Group. Its signal covers most of southeastern Wisconsin and parts of northeastern Illinois, including Racine, Kenosha,...
(Channel 4) that resulted from NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
having a stake in Paxson/PAX TV, sharing programming and airing repeats of WTMJ's newscasts for several years, with WTMJ selling ad time for WPXE; Martha Stewart Living
Martha Stewart Living
Martha Stewart Living is a magazine and a television show featuring entertaining and home decorating guru Martha Stewart. Both the magazine and the television program focus on the domestic arts. Martha Stewart Living began as a quarterly magazine in 1990, published by Time Inc..and is currently...
and repeats of preseason Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
games produced for WTMJ (and live games during the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
) also aired on WPXE. This agreement was discontinued on July 1, 2005 after the conversion of PAX into i - Independent Television, and the agreement ended. The network was renamed once again to Ion Television on January 29, 2007.
The station airs the entire Ion Television schedule, with the only local programming paid programming
Infomercial
Infomercials are direct response television commercials which generally include a phone number or website. There are long-form infomercials, which are typically between 15 and 30 minutes in length, and short-form infomercials, which are typically 30 seconds to 120 seconds in length. Infomercials...
for local businesses, and a public affairs program, Ion Milwaukee, which airs at various times throughout the week.
WPXE-DT
WPXE-DT broadcasts on digital channel 40.| Virtual channel |
Physical channel |
Video | Aspect Aspect ratio The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,... |
Name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55.1 | 40.1 | 1080i 1080i 1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels... |
16:9 16:9 16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ... |
WPXE-DT | Main WPXE-DT programming / Ion Television HD |
| 55.2 | 40.2 | 480i 480i 480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the US NTSC television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics. The i, which is sometimes uppercase, stands for interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution of 480 lines containing picture information; while NTSC... |
4:3 | qubo Qubo Qubo is a multi-platform children's television specialty channel endeavor operated as a joint venture between ION Media Networks, NBCUniversal, Nelvana, Scholastic Corporation, and Classic Media... |
Children's programming, primarily consisting of animated series |
| 55.3 | 40.3 | 480i 480i 480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the US NTSC television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics. The i, which is sometimes uppercase, stands for interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution of 480 lines containing picture information; while NTSC... |
4:3 | ION Life ION Life ION Life is a digital television network carried by ION Television affiliates, airing lifestyle programming during the day, and movies in the evening. It was launched February 19, 2007... |
Lifestyle and entertainment programming |
WPXE-TV's digital service remained on channel 40 after the June 12, 2009 digital switchover, as channel 55
Channel 55
Channel 55 refers to several television stations. This frequency is also in use by MediaFLO, a US system developed by Qualcomm to send video and media to mobile devices:...
was removed from the television bandplan and sold to Qualcomm
Qualcomm
Qualcomm is an American global telecommunication corporation that designs, manufactures and markets digital wireless telecommunications products and services based on its code division multiple access technology and other technologies. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, USA...
for use in its nationwide MediaFLO
MediaFLO
MediaFLO is a technology developed by Qualcomm for transmitting audio, video and data to portable devices such as mobile phones and personal televisions, used for mobile television...
system. When Qualcomm introduced MediaFLO to Chicago in 2008, WPXE-TV agreed to accept potential interference to 28.87% of the population within its Grade B contour resulting from the service, mostly occurring in fringe areas of Lake County, Illinois
Lake County, Illinois
Lake County is a county in the northeastern corner of the state of Illinois, on the shore of Lake Michigan. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 703,462, which is an increase of 9.2% from 644,356 in 2000. Its county seat is Waukegan. The county is part of the Chicago metropolitan area...
which also received Ion service from Chicago sister station WCPX-TV (Channel 38). WPXE's digital signal and subchannels were not affected; through the use of PSIP
Program and System Information Protocol
The Program and System Information Protocol is the protocol used in the ATSC digital television system for carrying metadata about each channel in the broadcast MPEG transport stream of a TV station and for publishing information about television programs so that viewers can select what to watch...
, digital television receivers display its virtual channel
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
as 55.
On February 2, 2009, the station converted their main digital signal to air HD content in 720p, ahead of Ion's eventual launch of their high definition program schedule. After various testing however Ion decided to wait on a full transition and switched back to 480i in April 2009 due to their concerns about a seamless digital transition (as days before February 2, the national transition date was moved from February 17 to June 12). Full permanent HD service for WPXE launched on April 28, 2010, with the station also receiving HD cable coverage via Channel 1015 on Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable is an American cable television company that operates in 28 states and has 31 operating divisions...
and Channel 615 on Charter Communications
Charter Communications
Charter Communications is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 4.7 million customers in 25 states. By revenues, it is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States, behind Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications...
.