43-421: Scripps Networks, LLC , formerly known as Katz Broadcasting , is an American specialized digital multicasting network media company and a division of the E. W. Scripps Company . The company owns (as of 2024) eight broadcast television networks , nine FAST streaming networks and a streaming service that each carry programming with specified formats targeted at individual demographics. Originally, Katz sold
86-557: A 32% stake in Paxson. On December 4, 2001, it was announced that Paxson had filed with the FCC an arbitration to block NBC's acquisition of Telemundo . In September 2002, it was announced that Paxson's arbitration against NBC was denied. On November 13, NBC requested a redemption of its investment in Paxson of $ 549.2 million. In August 2004, NBC Universal filed a lawsuit against Paxson. On November 7, 2005, to settle several lawsuits between
129-471: A Court TV brand extension. Following Scripps' acquisition of Ion Media in 2021, the Katz-owned networks were moved over to the subchannels of Ion -owned stations beginning February 27, 2021. On March 2, 2021, Scripps announced that it would launch two new complementary multicast networks, Defy TV and TrueReal , in the aftermath of Scripps' acquisition of Ion Media and television transmitters across
172-633: A Katz-owned network, some will be offloaded to the Ion stations to free up limited spectrum capacity during the ATSC 3.0 transition. Several of the Ion Plus full-power stations paired with Ion Television stations were also concurrently sold off to Inyo Broadcast Holdings in order to alleviate local ownership conflicts and national cap issues related to Scripps' purchase of Ion Media under the FCC's regulatory station ownership limits. In October 2021, Scripps notified
215-636: A deal with Liberty Media to bring the QVC and HSN networks to most of its Ion Television O&O stations throughout nationwide on digital subchannels X.5 and X.6. In December 2013, the United States bankruptcy court approved a plan by creditors of Roberts Broadcasting to transfer East St. Louis -based WRBU and its sister stations, WZRB in Columbia and WAZE-LP in Evansville, Indiana , to
258-516: A family entertainment lineup of drama shows, movies, first-run shows, wildlife shows, sitcoms, and talk shows. The most expensive station acquisition was WBIS in New York City. The city government had sold this station to Dow Jones & Company and ITT in 1996 for nearly US$ 200 million. In January 1997, Dow Jones launched a business format called S+ during the day and a sports channel after 7 pm and on weekends. Dow Jones/ITT lost money on
301-487: A free over-the-air network, as well as being available on streaming platforms, starting October 1. The network would be available over-the-air on Scripps-owned Ion Television stations, along with some traditional Scripps stations without an Ion sister station and the former Ion-owned stations transferred to Inyo Broadcast Holdings, along with offering the network to other station groups. It also announced plans to relocate Newsy's national headquarters to Atlanta. In advance of
344-416: A game show titled The Reel to Reel Picture Show , sitcoms Dave's World , Here's Lucy and The Hogan Family , and some movies. The network ran weekdays from noon until 1 am. Due to low ratings and mounting financial costs, PAX TV soon reduced its hours. In 1999, they were reduced to between 3 pm and midnight, and in 2002, they were reduced again to 6 pm to midnight. In September 1999, NBC bought
387-510: A joint venture with its Fox Television Stations division, to create a larger station group in an effort to counter Sinclair Broadcast Group and their proposed purchase of Tribune Media . The proposal also included the possibility for as many as 26 stations owned by Sinclair or Tribune to be switched from Fox after existing affiliation contracts expire. It has been argued that this deal was intended to place pressure on Sinclair to abandon its acquisition, lest it potentially lose Fox affiliations to
430-465: A multi-network agreement with Nexstar Broadcasting Group and operated affiliated TV station companies that would bring all three Katz-owned networks (as well as Bounce TV) to stations owned and/or operated by Nexstar in 54 markets, jumping national coverage of both Escape and Laff to 85% and Grit's coverage to 93%. On August 1, 2017, Scripps announced the purchase of Katz and its three networks plus Bounce which Katz operates, for $ 292 million, acquiring
473-520: A multi-network agreement with the Meredith Corporation that would add all three Katz-owned networks to Meredith-owned stations in five markets, boosting Laff's national coverage to 50%, Escape's to 58%, and Grit's to 78% of all U.S. television markets. Escape and Grit switched from direct response advertising as a meter of viewers to Nielsen rating C-3 late 2015 with Laff expected to follow suit. On June 15, 2016, Katz Broadcasting signed
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#1732790911139516-494: A promotional video to the social media presences of Ion Plus and Defy TV that the latter would be wound down at the end of June as its programming moves to another unrelated network, Dare, launching on July 1, with Ion Plus returning to over-the-air availability on Defy TV's channel spaces. The A&E programming on Defy would move to an unrelated network named Dare, owned by Free TV Networks . Free TV Networks purchased Defy TV's branding from Scripps Networks and launched Dare under
559-692: A trio of private equity companies (Black Diamond Capital Management, Avenue Capital Group, & Trilogy Capital) purchased a 62.5% controlling stake in Ion Media Networks from the Ion Media Liquidating Trust (the legal entity selling the stake) through their partnership, Media Holdco L.P. (43.7% owned by Black Diamond via its BD Ion Media GP Holdings subsidiary; 15.8% by Trilogy via its Trilogy Ion, LLC subsidiary; & 40.5% by Avenue via its Avenue Ion Holdings LP subsidiary). The remaining 37.5% of Ion Media Networks remained with
602-741: A trust with Ion Media Networks (a creditor in Roberts' chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, which it filed for in 2011) as its beneficiary, with Roberts' attorney subsequently stating that Ion Media Networks would purchase the three stations. The deal is complete on February 10, 2014, and both WZRB and WRBU became Ion stations. Also in December 2013, Black Diamond purchased Avenue & Trilogy's stakes in Media Holdco, placing Black Diamond as Media Holdco's sole shareholder. As of November 2014, Media Holdco's majority equity stake in Ion Media Networks
645-460: Is a subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company that operates the linear broadcast networks Ion Television and Ion Plus . Prior to its acquisition by Scripps, the company owned and operated over 71 television stations in most major American markets (through its television stations group, Ion Media Television), and also operated Qubo and Ion Shop. After being operated as a private company since it entered and emerged from bankruptcy in 2009, it
688-403: Is at 85%, leaving the company's senior investors from previous rounds of financing with a minority stake of 15%. On April 20, 2017, Ion Media Networks, through its website, announced a name change to "Ion Media" (with the company still legally operating as "Ion Media Networks"). On August 2, 2017, it was reported that 21st Century Fox was proposing that Ion Media contribute its stations into
731-738: The Federal Communications Commission that it had closed the local facilities of the Ion Media stations (with those in duopoly markets having their operations consolidated with the existing Scripps commercial station), and consolidated the regulatory 'studios' for all of the stations at Scripps Center in Cincinnati . The FCC had repealed the Main Studio Rule in 2019 requiring a facility for each station in their local market, and for all intents and purposes,
774-486: The "Ion" brand now more established regarding procedural dramas in general, including Ion Mystery's overall programming, whereas Court TV is more associated with its news division. On March 10, 2023, Scripps announced that TrueReal would shut down on March 27 of that month, merging its programming with that of Defy TV. After its closure, Scripps will lease the open spectrum on its owned and operated stations to Jewelry Television . On June 17, 2024, Scripps quietly posted
817-464: The Ion network under bankruptcy for the second time, saying it had reached an agreement with holders of 60% of its first lien secured debt that would extinguish all of its $ 2.7 billion in legacy debt and preferred stock and recapitalize the company with a $ 150 million new funding commitment. It emerged from bankruptcy in December, under the ownership of its bondholders & secured lenders/first lien holders, wiping out Citadel's ownership. In late 2009,
860-485: The United States. The channels are part of Scripps's strategy to increase penetration among cord cutters that do not have traditional pay TV packages. Both services launched on July 1 with 92 percent national coverage, mostly on Ion transmitters but also on subchannels of some Scripps local TV stations and by agreement with other station groups. On April 6, 2021, Scripps announced that it would expand Newsy into
903-902: The buyer, revealed in an October 2020 FCC filing to be Inyo Broadcast Holdings , has promised to maintain the stations' Ion Television affiliations after the purchase. However, the number of stations to be sold increased according to a Public Applications Report from the FCC on October 16, 2020, and although unconfirmed, it is possible that Scripps could still operates at least some of these stations. Whether or not that pans out remains to be seen. As of October 17, 2020, 27 stations are likely up for sale; however, three of those stations in Philadelphia , San Francisco and Minneapolis are predicated and contingent upon whether Scripps can complete its sale of New York City's WPIX to Mission Broadcasting (to be operated by Nexstar Media Group ) in time before these transactions are finalized. If WPIX
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#1732790911139946-411: The company and NBC Universal, Lowell Paxson granted NBCU an 18-month transferable option to purchase his shares of the company in an agreement which, if activated, would also trigger a sale of the rest of the company. If Mr. Paxson's shares of the company weren't sold in the option window, the company was obligated to buy them back from Mr. Paxson. Concurrent with this deal, Mr. Paxson left the company, and
989-1221: The company began to purchase stations on the outer fringes of large television markets. In 1994, Paxson acquired its first television station, ABC affiliate WPBF in West Palm Beach, Florida . The company divested itself of both the radio group and major-network affiliated television stations in 1998, focusing on building its own independent TV network, "PAX TV". The company focused on acquiring UHF television stations. Some of these stations are out-of-market stations, such as WPXD in Ann Arbor, Michigan (45 miles (72 km) from Detroit), KXLI in St. Cloud, Minnesota (60 miles (97 km) from Minneapolis), WTLK in Rome, Georgia (45 miles (72 km) from Atlanta), WPXJ in Pavilion, New York (45 miles (72 km) from both Buffalo and Rochester , New York), and WAYK in Melbourne , Florida (60 miles (97 km) from Orlando ). Still in some markets
1032-620: The company bought low-rated stations that had the same type of signals as established stations with medium to high ratings. These stations included WCFC in Chicago (religious), WTGI in Wilmington, Delaware (brokered), WAKC in Akron, Ohio (Cleveland's secondary ABC affiliate), and channel 35 in Miami (Shopping), among others. In the fall of 1997, a tentative lineup was announced, and it included
1075-500: The company's senior investors from previous rounds of financing. Ion Media Networks signed carriage agreements in May 2010 with Advanced Cable Communications and Comcast Colorado Springs for Qubo and Ion Life and with Blue Ridge Cable for Qubo. By 2012, Media Holdco's stake in Ion Media Networks was at 87%, with the company's senior investors from previous rounds of financing holding 13%. Sometime in 2013, Ion Media Networks signed
1118-509: The hiring announcement of Jim Weiss (a former executive at sports marketing agency CSE) as the former's senior vice president of corporate communications in August. On January 18, 2015, Katz Broadcasting announced the launch of its third specialty network, Laff , a comedy-focused network that was tapped for an April 15 debut with ABC Owned Television Stations and Scripps serving as its core charter affiliate groups. On March 24, 2015, Katz signed
1161-561: The initial investors included some Bounce investors notably Gray Television and Al Haymon . At some point, E. W. Scripps Company also becomes an owner purchasing 5% of the company. Katz and Bounce Media share staff from the former company's launch, including Jonathan Katz (who is president and chief executive officer of Katz, while continuing as chief operating officer ) and Jeffrey Wolf (Katz's chief distribution officer and Bounce's executive vice president of network distribution). Katz and Bounce continued to share executive staff with
1204-535: The license to channel 16 (which was, and still is, occupied by WINP-TV ), with channel 40 used for educational purposes. The two agreed on a purchase price, but the Federal Communications Commission had too many questions about the deal, most relating to the type of broadcast license to be operated on each channel, and it fell through. The PAX network was launched in 1998 with family dramas such as Life Goes On , Our House , Touched by an Angel , Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman , Highway to Heaven , and Bonanza ,
1247-482: The move exclusively to over-the-air distribution, Scripps began to notify traditional cable and satellite providers, along with Internet television providers, at the end of March that it would end distribution of Newsy via those means effectively on June 30, 2021. The Newsy over-the-air network launched on October 1, 2021. On February 24, 2022, the Court TV Mystery network was rebranded as Ion Mystery , with
1290-420: The network to affiliated TV stations via ad split, but by October 2015, had moved to carriage fees in exchange for the network getting the ad inventory due to greater inventory with stations adding a third or fourth subchannel. Their networks used direct response advertising as a meter of viewers before switching to Nielsen rating C-3 . Katz Broadcasting, LLC was founded on February 3, 2014, by Jonathan Katz, who
1333-479: The networks on the former Ion Media stations will be repurposed to carry the Katz-owned networks starting March 1, with the initial slate of Ion Television O&Os adding those networks following the expiration of Scripps/Katz's existing contracts with other broadcasting companies the day prior, and other stations following suit as contracts with existing affiliates expire throughout 2021 and 2022; in markets where major network affiliates operated by Scripps already carry
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1376-552: The new name Defy on July 1. Digital subchannel Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.226 via cp1108 cp1108, Varnish XID 256415531 Upstream caches: cp1108 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 10:48:31 GMT Ion Media Ion Media, LLC (formerly known as Paxson Communications Corporation and Ion Media Networks )
1419-413: The operation, sold the station for about $ 225 million in May 1997, and shut down S+ that June in favor of Bloomberg Business News , Fox Sports Net and a block previewing new networks, IntroTV. Channel 31 was renamed WPXN with plans to be the flagship station of PAX TV in the fall of 1998. In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania , the company wanted to buy WPCB , channel 40, from Cornerstone Television , and move
1462-497: The other 95% of the company. Katz will remain based out of Atlanta, Georgia as an autonomous division of Scripps. The purchase was completed on October 2, 2017. In December 2018, Turner Broadcasting sold the rights to the brand and programming library of defunct cable network Court TV (which relaunched as TruTV in 2008) to Katz, who re-launched it as an over-the-air digital network in May 2019. On September 30, 2019, Katz Broadcasting rebranded Escape as Court TV Mystery to make it
1505-411: The purchase. The transaction, which is projected to close in the first quarter of 2021 and is subject to FCC approval, would see Ion Media and its networks combined with Scripps' Katz Broadcasting subsidiary, which already operates five specialty networks , most notably Bounce TV and Court TV . Scripps would also sell 23 of Ion Media's 71 television stations to comply with national ownership caps;
1548-534: The recapitalization of Ion. Citadel acquired the public common stock of the company, as part of the plan to take the company private. In addition, Citadel invested $ 100 million of new capital into the company to further support management's plan to revitalize the TV network. In November 2007, Ion Media Networks was taken to trial, having been sued in Federal Court by Positive Ions, Inc for trademark infringement of
1591-486: The use of the word Ion , resulting in a $ 1.7 million settlement awarded to Positive Ions, Inc. In 2008, Ion Media Networks and Comcast reached an agreement to not only continue to carry Ion Television , but also introduced two new digital networks Qubo (its block launched two years later) and Ion Life . By January 2009, Ion had another subchannel network, Urban TV, in the works with BET founder Robert L. Johnson targeted to African-Americans. In April 2009, it
1634-768: The venture. An analyst felt the proposed partnership was hampered by Ion Media's decision to assert must-carry status over its stations rather than retransmission consent , as Fox would be unable to immediately benefit financially from the partnership's scale , which would have included being able to collect carriage payments for all of the stations. The analyst added that Ion stations alone did not have enough leverage to negotiate with television providers, because of their limited local or first-run programming. On September 24, 2020, Ion Media agreed to be acquired by The E. W. Scripps Company for $ 2.65 billion, with Berkshire Hathaway making an investment in Scripps to help finance
1677-487: Was chief operating officer of Bounce TV and formerly worked at the Turner Broadcasting System . The company was announced concurrently with the announced launches of its first two networks, Escape and Grit , which were both launched that April with Univision and UniMás owned-and-operated stations run by Univision Communications as its charter station group. Besides Jonathan Katz, some of
1720-693: Was acquired by the E. W. Scripps Company and merged with its Katz Broadcasting subsidiary on January 7, 2021, creating the new Scripps Networks division to manage those assets separately from its traditional broadcast network-affiliated television stations. The company was founded in 1988 by Bud Paxson in Florida . The company purchased radio stations and a couple of television stations, eventually becoming Florida's largest radio group. The radio stations' formats included rock , contemporary hit radio , news and talk , and adult contemporary . The television stations were network affiliates of ABC and NBC . In 1993
1763-453: Was announced that Ion Media Networks was once again facing balance sheet problems. The company disclosed that it was in discussions with lenders on "a comprehensive recapitalization" of its balance sheet. That translates to an effort to restructure its considerable debt, which stands at $ 2.7 billion as of April 2009, according to The Wall Street Journal . On May 19, 2009, Ion Media Networks filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, putting
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1806-979: Was sold before these transactions, then those stations will be retained. On October 20, broadcast industry website TV News Check confirmed the pending sales in a "station roundup" report outlining the stations slated to be sold, and the number being reduced to 26 again. That number, again, is cut down to 23, after Scripps was able to complete its sale of WPIX to Mission Broadcasting on December 30, 2020. As such, Scripps would keep its Ion stations in San Francisco, Philadelphia and Minneapolis. The transaction, which closed on January 7, 2021, saw Ion Television, Ion Plus, Qubo, and Ion Shop integrated into Scripps' Katz Broadcasting subsidiary (operator of fellow multicast networks Court TV , Ion Mystery , Bounce TV , Laff and Grit ). On January 14, 2021, Scripps announced that it would discontinue Ion Plus, Qubo and Ion Shop effective February 28, 2021. The spectrum allocated to
1849-480: Was succeeded by R. Brandon Burgess in the role of President and CEO. In early 2006, the company adopted its current name. A few months later, Ion launched a children's brand along with NBC Universal (along its now-defunct subsidiary Classic Media), Scholastic and Canada's Corus to plan an afternoon block and a 24/7 channel in January. In May 2007, Ion, NBC Universal, and Citadel LLC reached an agreement for
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