KPXM
Encyclopedia
KPXM-TV virtual channel 41 (digital
channel 40) is a television station based in Minneapolis, Minnesota
and owned and operated by ION Media Networks
(the former Paxson Communications). The station is an affiliate of the Ion Television network
. The station is licensed to St. Cloud, Minnesota
. The KPXM Tower
near the city of Big Lake
(halfway between St. Cloud and the heart of the Twin Cities is the tallest structure in the state, standing 1505 feet tall—nearly twice as high as the skyscrapers of downtown Minneapolis.
Aside from evening shows from Ion Television, most content broadcast on the channel consists of infomercial
s.
). The station identified themselves as K-41 and showed syndicated fare and cartoons. In 1988, the identity was changed to TV Heaven 41, airing reruns of classic shows in themed nights (westerns would air on one night, detective/mystery shows on another). KXLI was also simulcast on KXLT-TV
channel 47 in Rochester
, and by the late 1980s, Minnesota North Stars
hockey broadcasts would also air on the stations.
In the late 1980s, KXLI attempted to create the Minnesota Independent Network (MIN) along with Twin Cities station KTMA (now WUCW
) and a broadcasting group in Fargo, North Dakota
. After a significant amount of planning and initial work, the plan fell through. A financial crisis led KXLI and KXLT to go off the air at the end of 1988 (KTMA also teetered financially for a time). KXLI and KXLT resurfaced in 1990 with religious and infomercial programming, which continued through their purchase by Lowell "Bud" Paxson in the mid-1990s.
From 1991 to about 1995 KXLI/KXLT aired programming from the Home Shopping Network. On Sunday morning and evenings there were religious programming airing. Saturday afternoons during this time consisted of local and national hunting programs. Programming originated from the transmitter building during this time in Big Lake, MN.
Once it was decided to bring back the moniker of TV Heaven, money was spent on a new building near the tower. TV Heaven was brought back with programs from the 50's, 60', 70's, 80's and some new shows during the 90's. They also had agreements to air programming from an upstart conservative network NET (National Empowerment Television
) run by Paul Weyrich
. They would later nickname themselves the Political News Network. Late evenings were taken up by many different shopping networks.
In 1998, Paxson broke the KXLI/KXLT simulcast by selling the latter station (which became a Fox
affiliate for the Rochester market). Paxson also changed KXLI's call letters to KPXM, and the station would join the Pax TV network (now ION Television) later in 1998. Upgrades to the equipment were made to make them more current then the 1970s La Kart tape switching equipment.
KPXM originally had a marketing agreement with KARE
channel 11 where the station broadcasts KARE's evening newscasts tape-delayed
by half an hour, and also transmits KARE's morning show again in the afternoon. This agreement ended in July 2005, when Paxson chose to end such agreements for all his stations.
In 2009, the FCC authorized the station to move to a tower in Shoreview. This will improve reception in the Twin Cities, but degrade reception in the Saint Cloud area.
Digital television
Digital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
channel 40) is a television station based in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
and owned and operated by ION Media Networks
ION Media Networks
ION Media Networks is an American television broadcasting company that owns and operates over 60 television stations in most major American markets. It is now a privately owned company.-History:...
(the former Paxson Communications). The station is an affiliate of the Ion Television network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
. The station is licensed to St. Cloud, Minnesota
St. Cloud, Minnesota
St. Cloud is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the largest population center in the state's central region. The population was 65,842 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Stearns County...
. The KPXM Tower
KPXM Tower
The KPXM Tower is the tallest structure in Minnesota, a guyed aerial mast rising 1505 feet . It transmits the signal for KPXM channel 41 , which is an ION Television network affiliate licensed to serve St. Cloud, Minnesota. Radio station KLCI in Elk River, Minnesota also transmits from the KPXM...
near the city of Big Lake
Big Lake, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,063 people, 2,117 households, and 1,570 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,688.4 people per square mile . There were 2,206 housing units at an average density of 614.3 per square mile...
(halfway between St. Cloud and the heart of the Twin Cities is the tallest structure in the state, standing 1505 feet tall—nearly twice as high as the skyscrapers of downtown Minneapolis.
Aside from evening shows from Ion Television, most content broadcast on the channel consists of infomercial
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...
s.
History
The station originally signed on the air in 1982 as KXLI ("XLI" is 41 in Roman numeralsRoman numerals
The numeral system of ancient Rome, or Roman numerals, uses combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet to signify values. The numbers 1 to 10 can be expressed in Roman numerals as:...
). The station identified themselves as K-41 and showed syndicated fare and cartoons. In 1988, the identity was changed to TV Heaven 41, airing reruns of classic shows in themed nights (westerns would air on one night, detective/mystery shows on another). KXLI was also simulcast on KXLT-TV
KXLT-TV
KXLT-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for Southeastern Minnesota and Northeastern Iowa. Licensed to Rochester, Minnesota, it broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 46 from a transmitter in Frankford Township, Minnesota. The station can also be seen on Mediacom and...
channel 47 in Rochester
Rochester, Minnesota
Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on both banks of the Zumbro River, The city has a population of 106,769 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it Minnesota's third-largest city and the largest outside of the...
, and by the late 1980s, Minnesota North Stars
Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, and the team's colors for most of its history were green, yellow, gold and white...
hockey broadcasts would also air on the stations.
In the late 1980s, KXLI attempted to create the Minnesota Independent Network (MIN) along with Twin Cities station KTMA (now WUCW
WUCW
WUCW is an affiliate of The CW serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul area of Minnesota. The station is currently owned and operated by the Sinclair Broadcast Group....
) and a broadcasting group in Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County. In 2010, its population was 105,549, and it had an estimated metropolitan population of 208,777...
. After a significant amount of planning and initial work, the plan fell through. A financial crisis led KXLI and KXLT to go off the air at the end of 1988 (KTMA also teetered financially for a time). KXLI and KXLT resurfaced in 1990 with religious and infomercial programming, which continued through their purchase by Lowell "Bud" Paxson in the mid-1990s.
From 1991 to about 1995 KXLI/KXLT aired programming from the Home Shopping Network. On Sunday morning and evenings there were religious programming airing. Saturday afternoons during this time consisted of local and national hunting programs. Programming originated from the transmitter building during this time in Big Lake, MN.
Once it was decided to bring back the moniker of TV Heaven, money was spent on a new building near the tower. TV Heaven was brought back with programs from the 50's, 60', 70's, 80's and some new shows during the 90's. They also had agreements to air programming from an upstart conservative network NET (National Empowerment Television
National Empowerment Television
National Empowerment Television , also known as America's Voice, was a cable TV network designed to rapidly mobilize conservative followers for grassroots lobbying. It was created by Paul Weyrich, a key strategist for the paleoconservative movement...
) run by Paul Weyrich
Paul Weyrich
Paul M. Weyrich was an American conservativepolitical activist and commentator, most notable as a figurehead of the New Right. He co-founded the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank and the Free Congress Foundation, another conservative think tank...
. They would later nickname themselves the Political News Network. Late evenings were taken up by many different shopping networks.
In 1998, Paxson broke the KXLI/KXLT simulcast by selling the latter station (which became a Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
affiliate for the Rochester market). Paxson also changed KXLI's call letters to KPXM, and the station would join the Pax TV network (now ION Television) later in 1998. Upgrades to the equipment were made to make them more current then the 1970s La Kart tape switching equipment.
KPXM originally had a marketing agreement with KARE
KARE
KARE, digital channel 11, is an NBC-affiliated television station licensed to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul area of Minnesota and portions of western Wisconsin. It also operates KARE WX NOW, formerly known as NBC Weather Plus on its second digital subchannel...
channel 11 where the station broadcasts KARE's evening newscasts tape-delayed
Broadcast delay
In radio and television, broadcast delay refers to the practice of intentionally delaying broadcast of live material. A short delay is often used to prevent profanity, bloopers, violence, or other undesirable material from making it to air, including more mundane problems such as technical...
by half an hour, and also transmits KARE's morning show again in the afternoon. This agreement ended in July 2005, when Paxson chose to end such agreements for all his stations.
In 2009, the FCC authorized the station to move to a tower in Shoreview. This will improve reception in the Twin Cities, but degrade reception in the Saint Cloud area.
