WOPX
Encyclopedia
WOPX-TV is a television
station based in Orlando, Florida
, USA
. An affiliate of the Ion Television network, it transmits its digital signal on UHF channel 48, from a transmitter located near Holopaw
. The station signed on the air in 1986.
and did not reach Daytona Beach
at all. As a result they did not buy strong programming and continued to have very low ratings.
When WMOD went to a continuous home shopping service, WAYK picked up cartoons
which were offered at low cost on a barter basis. In 1988, Beach TV Partners signed on WAYQ at channel 26, giving them a signal in Daytona Beach. The stations would simulcast.
In 1992, the stations were both sold to Robert Rich, who added more paid programming to the channels. WAYK became WIRB, and WAYQ became WNTO. WIRB continued as a low budget independent station but also aired some NBC
programs that were not cleared by WESH
most notably Leeza
(before it went into syndication) and California Dreams
. WIRB would air Florida Marlins
baseball, Florida Panthers
hockey, and Tampa Bay Lightning
hockey to Central Florida from around 1993-1996. In 1996 Christian Television Network
would buy WIRB (Paxson Communications, now ION Media Networks
, took a LMA
on the station at the same time) while Florida Media Broadcasters would buy WNTO (which would be later sold to Entravision and became WVEN
). WIRB then ran religious shows in the morning, infomercial
s in the afternoon and evening, and Christian praise and worship music on overnights in addition to the NBC programs not cleared by WESH. In January 1998, Paxson bought the station from CTN and renamed it WOPX and continued with the same format until August 31, 1998.
On August 31, 1998 WOPX took the Pax TV affiliate on along with other stations owned by Paxson. Pax TV introduced family entertainment like drama
s, movies
, reality shows
aimed at the family, game shows, and other programming.
Originally, Pax TV ran from noon to midnight, but has since reduced its schedule several times. It now runs from 6 pm to 11 pm, and there are no original programs on the network, which has been renamed ION. WOPX still fills the rest of its schedule with infomercials and religious shows. WOPX of recent has also carried Tampa Bay Rays Baseball and Tampa Bay Lightning hockey from ION's Tampa affiliate and produced by Fox Sports.
On September 4, 2004, WOPX showed the NASCAR Nationwide Series (then Busch) from Fontana due to local NBC
(who at that time broadcasted NBS races) affiliate WESH
's coverage of Hurricane Francis.
Until the summer of 2005, WOPX had a JSA with WESH
, which, during that time, WOPX aired a rebroadcast of WESH
's 6 p.m. newscast at 7 p.m.. In July 2005, Paxson dissolved all relationships with other stations, mostly NBC stations -- at that time, WESH's news repeats on WOPX ended.
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
station based in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. An affiliate of the Ion Television network, it transmits its digital signal on UHF channel 48, from a transmitter located near Holopaw
Holopaw, Florida
Holopaw, Florida is a small unincorporated community in Osceola County, Florida, United States. It is located at the eastern end of the multiplex of highways US 192 and US 441. It has a population of fewer than 5,000 people and is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical...
. The station signed on the air in 1986.
Station History
Initially the station had a general entertainment format as WAYK, running cartoons as well as barter syndicated first run shows, low budget movies, and whatever sitcoms were offered on a barter basis. They were owned by Beach TV Partners. Their signal out of Melbourne barely reached OrlandoOrlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
and did not reach Daytona Beach
Daytona Beach, Florida
Daytona Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, USA. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city has a population of 64,211. Daytona Beach is a principal city of the Deltona – Daytona Beach – Ormond Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which the census bureau estimated had...
at all. As a result they did not buy strong programming and continued to have very low ratings.
When WMOD went to a continuous home shopping service, WAYK picked up cartoons
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
which were offered at low cost on a barter basis. In 1988, Beach TV Partners signed on WAYQ at channel 26, giving them a signal in Daytona Beach. The stations would simulcast.
In 1992, the stations were both sold to Robert Rich, who added more paid programming to the channels. WAYK became WIRB, and WAYQ became WNTO. WIRB continued as a low budget independent station but also aired some 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...
programs that were not cleared by WESH
WESH
WESH is the NBC affiliate in Orlando, Florida. It is licensed to Daytona Beach, with studio facilities in Winter Park. It transmits its digital signal on VHF channel 11, which redirects to virtual channel 2.1, reflecting its former analog channel assignment, through PSIP. It is currently owned by...
most notably Leeza
Leeza Gibbons
Leeza Kim Gibbons is an American talk show host. Gibbons is the host of her own radio show, Hollywood Confidential, part of the United Stations radio syndication company.-Early life:...
(before it went into syndication) and California Dreams
California Dreams
California Dreams is an American teen-oriented sitcom that aired from 1992 to 1996 on Saturday mornings during NBC's TNBC programming block. It was created by writers Brett Dewey and Ronald B. Solomon and executive produced by Peter Engel, all known for their work on Saved by the...
. WIRB would air Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
baseball, Florida Panthers
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in Sunrise, Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They play their games at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise and are the...
hockey, and Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2003–04. They are often referred to as the...
hockey to Central Florida from around 1993-1996. In 1996 Christian Television Network
Christian Television Network
Christian Television Network is a non-profit broadcast television network of small owned-and-operated stations that broadcasts religious programming. It is based in Largo, Florida , and the flagship station is WCLF channel 22, which signed on the air in the Tampa Bay Florida region in 1979...
would buy WIRB (Paxson Communications, now 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:...
, took a LMA
Local 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...
on the station at the same time) while Florida Media Broadcasters would buy WNTO (which would be later sold to Entravision and became WVEN
WVEN-TV
WVEN-TV digital channel 49 is a television affiliate of Univision licensed to serve Daytona Beach, Florida, but with sufficient signal to cover Orlando and Melbourne, Florida. The station is owned by Entravision and offers a Spanish language entertainment format. WVEN takes its call letters from...
). WIRB then ran religious shows in the morning, 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 in the afternoon and evening, and Christian praise and worship music on overnights in addition to the NBC programs not cleared by WESH. In January 1998, Paxson bought the station from CTN and renamed it WOPX and continued with the same format until August 31, 1998.
On August 31, 1998 WOPX took the Pax TV affiliate on along with other stations owned by Paxson. Pax TV introduced family entertainment like drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
s, movies
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
, reality shows
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
aimed at the family, game shows, and other programming.
Originally, Pax TV ran from noon to midnight, but has since reduced its schedule several times. It now runs from 6 pm to 11 pm, and there are no original programs on the network, which has been renamed ION. WOPX still fills the rest of its schedule with infomercials and religious shows. WOPX of recent has also carried Tampa Bay Rays Baseball and Tampa Bay Lightning hockey from ION's Tampa affiliate and produced by Fox Sports.
On September 4, 2004, WOPX showed the NASCAR Nationwide Series (then Busch) from Fontana due to local 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...
(who at that time broadcasted NBS races) affiliate WESH
WESH
WESH is the NBC affiliate in Orlando, Florida. It is licensed to Daytona Beach, with studio facilities in Winter Park. It transmits its digital signal on VHF channel 11, which redirects to virtual channel 2.1, reflecting its former analog channel assignment, through PSIP. It is currently owned by...
's coverage of Hurricane Francis.
Until the summer of 2005, WOPX had a JSA with WESH
WESH
WESH is the NBC affiliate in Orlando, Florida. It is licensed to Daytona Beach, with studio facilities in Winter Park. It transmits its digital signal on VHF channel 11, which redirects to virtual channel 2.1, reflecting its former analog channel assignment, through PSIP. It is currently owned by...
, which, during that time, WOPX aired a rebroadcast of WESH
WESH
WESH is the NBC affiliate in Orlando, Florida. It is licensed to Daytona Beach, with studio facilities in Winter Park. It transmits its digital signal on VHF channel 11, which redirects to virtual channel 2.1, reflecting its former analog channel assignment, through PSIP. It is currently owned by...
's 6 p.m. newscast at 7 p.m.. In July 2005, Paxson dissolved all relationships with other stations, mostly NBC stations -- at that time, WESH's news repeats on WOPX ended.