KSPX-TV (channel 29) is a television station in Sacramento, California, United States, airing programming from the Ion Television network. It is owned and operated by the Ion Media subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company, and maintains offices on Prospect Park Drive in Rancho Cordova; its transmitter is located at TransTower in Walnut Grove, California.
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| City | Sacramento, California |
| Channels | |
| Branding | Ion |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations |
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| Ownership | |
| Owner | |
| History | |
First air date | August 27, 1990 |
Former call signs |
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Former channel number(s) |
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| Independent (1990–1998) | |
Call sign meaning | Sacramento's Pax TV |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 52953 |
| ERP | 1,000 kW |
| HAAT | 444.6 m (1,459 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 38°14′50″N 121°30′7″W / 38.24722°N 121.50194°W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | iontelevision |
History
editThe station first signed on the air on August 27, 1990, as KCMY; it originally operated as the area's Home Shopping Club affiliate[2] before joining the InfoMall TV network in 1995.
In 1995, then-CBS affiliate KXTV agreed to provide some programming to KCMY in order to give it more of a competitive edge in the Sacramento market. KCMY began airing the tabloid show Geraldo at 10 p.m. as well as the KXTV-produced health magazine show Pulse.
Paxson Communications (now Ion Media) purchased the station in 1998, changing its call sign to KSPX. The station became a charter owned-and-operated station of its new Pax TV network (later i: Independent Television and now Ion) on August 31, 1998. KSPX became the second English-language station and third overall station in the Sacramento market to be owned and operated by its affiliated network.
Technical information
editSubchannels
editThe station's signal is multiplexed:
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29.1 | 720p | 16:9 | ION | Ion Television |
| 29.2 | 480i | CourtTV | Court TV | |
| 29.3 | Laff | Laff | ||
| 29.4 | Bounce | Bounce TV | ||
| 29.5 | IONPlus | Ion Plus | ||
| 29.6 | Grit | Grit | ||
| 29.7 | Jewelry | Jewelry TV | ||
| 29.8 | HSN | HSN | ||
| 29.9 | HSN2 | HSN2 |
In 2014, KSPX began simulcasting Telemundo affiliate KCSO-LD on subchannel 33.2 (which is the current seventh subchannel). The simulcast was discontinued in October 2021. CW outlet KMAX-TV (now an independent station) picked up the simulcast in April 2022, also broadcasting on subchannel 33.2.
The over-the-air operations of Scripps News folded on November 16, 2024; as a result, KSPX replaced the network on its sixth subchannel with the Western-oriented diginet Grit.
Analog-to-digital conversion
editKSPX shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 29, on June 12, 2009, as part of the federally mandated transition from analog to digital television.[4] The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 48, using virtual channel 29.
Reduced power operation
editOn August 30, 2019, the station temporarily reduced power, per special temporary authority (STA), from 1,000 kW to 4.3 kW to accommodate relocation of its transmitter site.
Power was increased to 48 kW on November 16, 2019. Another increase to 388 kW took place on April 29, 2020. The completion of the main facility and subsequent increase to 1,000 kW took place later in 2020.[when?]
References
edit- ^ "Facility Technical Data for KSPX-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ Vierria, Dan (August 31, 1998). "Pax TV Debuts as a Network for Families: New Programing Bumps Shopping Off Channel 29". The Sacramento Bee (via NewsBank).
- ^ RabbitEars TV Query for KSPX
- ^ List of Digital Full-Power Stations Archived August 29, 2013, at the Wayback Machine