Ion Buys Pittsburgh's WQEX

[DToTheJ]

WQEX, the red-headed stepbrother of Pittsburgh public broadcasting behemoth WQED which is currently simulcasting the ShopNBC network, has been acquired by Ion Media for $3 million:
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/459634-Ion_to_Buy_WQEX.php

I hope the Steel City's ready for recycled movies, recycled TV shows, and infomercials, infomercials, infomercials!

 

[FreddyE1977]

I hope the Steel City's ready for recycled movies, recycled TV shows, and infomercials, infomercials, infomercials!

You've just described the program lineup of WPMY 22 (MyTV) and WPCW (CW 19) to a "t".

 

[dave73]

How many non-commercial licensed stations are there in the Pittsburgh market? If WQEX is non-commercial, then Ion Media would have to get the FCC to convert this station's license to commercial before they could acquire it, & run their national feed of Ion Television, Ion Life, & Qubo. 2 or 3 non-commercial licensed stations are probably sufficient for that market. As for who wants to buy the station, I'd rather see someone else buy it. But that someone else could put a spanish language network on that station instead.

 

[MarcB]

Previously they were airing the America's Store Network, which was the Home Shopping Network's 2nd Network. They ran Amercia's Store on WQEX until HSN discontinued the service. Amercia's Store was previously Home Shopping Spree. It was the second time HSN discontinued one of their channels. The first being HSN2 , previously known as Home Shopping Club. Home Shopping Club aired on Channel 18 WHCT (now WUVN) and later Channel 20 WTXX (now WCCT-TV) in Connecticut, along with Silver King Television's Channel 67 WHSI in Smithtown, Long island and its simulcast partner Channel 68 WHSE in Newark, NJ. I don't know which network - HSN or HSN2 was airing on the other Silver King owned stations. I do know that when they discontinued HSN2, Channel 67/68 switched to HSN's main channel, but others running HSN2 switched to Home Shopping Spree. I think Channel 20 was one of the ones that switched to Spree, before Channel 20 became a main-stream channel again becoming the area's UPN (and later WB, now CW) affiliate.

HSN isn't the only shopping channel that discontinued other services. QVC did too. QVC had the Fashion Channel. They eventually rebranded as "On Q" and on the weekends became Q2. Q2 was supposed to target a younger demographic than QVC. Q2 eventually took over On Q. Q2 originated out of NYC where as their main channel QVC originated out of West Chester, PA. Q2 was a 24/7 network, but was on tape 12AM-8AM. Q2 eventually just started showing the Best of QVC products. And was later discontinued. Their spot on the satellite transponder became E!'s sister network Style.

 

[MarcB]

How many non-commercial licensed stations are there in the Pittsburgh market? If WQEX is non-commercial, then Ion Media would have to get the FCC to convert this station's license to commercial before they could acquire it, & run their national feed of Ion Television, Ion Life, & Qubo. 2 or 3 non-commercial licensed stations are probably sufficient for that market. As for who wants to buy the station, I'd rather see someone else buy it. But that someone else could put a spanish language network on that station instead.

WQEX was originally a secondary service of WQED. Channel 40 which was a non-commercial religious station on a commercial channel wanted to buy WQEX and sell Channel 40 to PAX. There was a question as to whether or not a religious channel should be allowed non-commercial educational status. The deal fell through. WQEX was designated a Commercial Station and was leased to America's Store and later ShopNBC. Having WQEX designated a commercial station would make it easier for WQED to sell it. Same thing with Channel 45 in Albany. It was a secondary PBS station and they redesignated it Commercial so the PBS station could sell it and it became WB. In Buffalo too. Channel 17 the PBS station was on a commercial channel. Their secondary Service on Channel 23 was a non commercial channel. They swapped that and sold Channel 23. It became UPN.

 

[DToTheJ]

I wonder if NBC ever considered buying another station in one of the markets that they already own a station just to farm out their "ShopNBC" channel. That would make for one odd duopoly.

 

[JeeperOne]

But that someone else could put a spanish language network on that station instead.

You're assuming that Pittsburgh even has a big enough Latin audience to support a Latin station to begin with. If the city's Latin population isn't all that great, NO LATIN BROADCASTER IN THEIR RIGHT MIND is going to even bother with setting up a station.

Not even Comcast/NBC (Who owns Telemundo) would bother IMO.

Cheers

 

[JeeperOne]

I wonder if NBC ever considered buying another station in one of the markets that they already own a station just to farm out their "ShopNBC" channel. That would make for one odd duopoly.

One problem. NBC DOES NOT own WPXI 11 (The local affiliate in Pittsburgh). Not sure who does (I'm tempted to say Hearst-Argyle does but am not sure on that) but I do know that NBC doesn't.

Cheers

 

[Sammi Brie]

I wonder if NBC ever considered buying another station in one of the markets that they already own a station just to farm out their "ShopNBC" channel. That would make for one odd duopoly.

One problem. NBC DOES NOT own WPXI 11 (The local affiliate in Pittsburgh). Not sure who does (I'm tempted to say Hearst-Argyle does but am not sure on that) but I do know that NBC doesn't.

Cheers

Cox. Hearst owns WTAE-4 (ABC).

 

[MarcB]

I wonder if NBC ever considered buying another station in one of the markets that they already own a station just to farm out their "ShopNBC" channel. That would make for one odd duopoly.

In Boston they own two rim-shooters. Channel 46 which is ShopNBC and Channel 60 which is Telemundo. They let WTMU-LP (at one time channel 32) run Channel 60.

 

[Markxxx]

I looked up WQEX at the FCC and you guys were right, it is commerical

Does cable import Ion in from another market in Pittsburgh?

 

[tripinva]

I wonder if NBC ever considered buying another station in one of the markets that they already own a station just to farm out their "ShopNBC" channel. That would make for one odd duopoly.

One problem. NBC DOES NOT own WPXI 11 (The local affiliate in Pittsburgh). Not sure who does (I'm tempted to say Hearst-Argyle does but am not sure on that) but I do know that NBC doesn't.

Cheers

He said "in one of the markets that they already own a station." Not Pittsburgh specifically.

- Trip

 

[only1moore]

Does cable import Ion in from another market in Pittsburgh?

Actually, Comcast has ION's national feed on their Pittsburgh cable lineup.

 

[DToTheJ]

I wonder if NBC ever considered buying another station in one of the markets that they already own a station just to farm out their "ShopNBC" channel...

He said "in one of the markets that they already own a station." Not Pittsburgh specifically.

And as MarcB points out, in Boston, NBC owns a "rimshot" station on Channel 46 which runs ShopNBC, though not a full city-grade signal for a true duopoly (think WNYW/WWOR in New York or KCBS/KCAL in Los Angeles).

 

[FreddyE1977]

I looked up WQEX at the FCC and you guys were right, it is commerical

Does cable import Ion in from another market in Pittsburgh?

And DirecTV brings in both their national feed and their west coast feed (same on 3 hr. delay).
Oddly the west coast is listed with my local stations, but the main one is in the menu with TBS, TNT, etc.
I suppose with a local affiliate they will both be blacked out.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

I seem to recall that DirecTV actually dumped the local ION/PAX affiliates at some point, in favor of a mirrored version of the national feed (East or West).

The current Local Channels list for Cleveland shows ION at 23, but doesn't call it WVPX. I believe the change happened shortly after WVPX lost its only major local programming, the Akron-based "PAX 23 News" produced by WKYC/3 in Cleveland. (The change wasn't related - the end of the newscast happened because WKYC owner Gannett dropped its LMA with Pax.)