KPXG-TV
KPXG-TV is an Ion Television station licensed to Salem, Oregon, serving the Portland television market.
Last updated August 31, 2026
AI crawler reads
1requests
1companies- Anthropic1
- Profile
- 1
- Controversies
- 0
- JSON · MD
- 0
- First read
- Nov 4, 2026
- Latest read
- Nov 4, 2026
From this site's server log
Overview
KPXG-TV is a television station licensed to Salem, Oregon, and serving viewers in the Portland, Oregon, television market. The station broadcasts Ion Television programming and operates on channel 22, with its transmission facilities located in Portland’s Sylvan-Highlands area. Although its license city is Salem, the station’s business and technical identity has long been closely connected with Portland: its offices have been located on Southwest Naito Parkway in downtown Portland, and its programming history has included services aimed at both the Willamette Valley and the wider metropolitan market. The station began broadcasting in 1981 under the call sign KECH. Its creation followed the Federal Communications Commission’s reclassification of Salem’s channel 22 assignment from noncommercial to commercial use. Greater Willamette Vision, led by investors Arnold Brustin and Chris Desmond, received authorization to build the station and invested approximately $4 million in its launch. KECH operated as an independent station, supplemented by a subscription-television venture affiliated with the ON TV service. The station entered a difficult competitive environment: another independent outlet serving the Portland area had secured a stronger collection of syndicated programs and films before KECH went on the air. The station’s commercial performance was weak, and its associated subscription operation accumulated substantial losses and entered bankruptcy proceedings in 1983. After ending ON TV service in 1984, the station continued as a conventional independent outlet. Emerald City Broadcasting acquired it in 1985 and introduced a local news program, The Valley News, in 1986. The effort attracted limited viewership, and the station changed its call sign to KWVT later that year. In 1987, it shifted almost entirely to Home Shopping Network programming. The station was briefly owned by HSN’s broadcast division, Silver King Broadcasting, and was then sold to Blackstar Communications, becoming KBSP-TV while retaining its home-shopping orientation. Paxson Communications Corporation acquired KBSP-TV in 1998 as part of the construction of the Pax television network, which launched on August 31 of that year. Before the network launch, the station temporarily aired infomercials. Pax later became i: Independent Television in 2005 and Ion Television in 2007, following the corporate rebranding of Paxson Communications as Ion Media Networks. From 2001 through 2005, NBC affiliate KGW managed aspects of the station’s operations under a national Pax-NBC relationship and supplied newscast programming, including a live 10 p.m. newscast for part of that period. Ion Media was acquired by The E. W. Scripps Company in a transaction announced in 2020 and completed in 2021. KPXG-TV consequently became part of Scripps’ television-station portfolio while continuing to carry Ion Television. The station also formerly used a low-power translator, KPXG-LD, to improve coverage in parts of Portland; that translator was donated in 2014 to Word of God Fellowship, the organization behind Daystar Television Network. Today, KPXG-TV’s principal role is as a Portland-area Ion Television affiliate, distributing the network’s nationally scheduled entertainment, drama, movie, and other syndicated programming rather than operating as a broad local-news station.
History
KPXG-TV traces its history to the creation of a commercial television assignment on Salem’s channel 22. In April 1979, the FCC approved a change that made the assignment available for commercial use after the former Salem commercial station KVDO-TV was acquired by Oregon’s public broadcaster and prepared for relocation to Bend. Greater Willamette Vision filed for the channel in 1980. Its principals included Arnold Brustin and Chris Desmond, who had previously been associated with CBS. The FCC granted the application on January 23, 1981, and the group pursued authorization for subscription television as well as conventional advertising-supported broadcasting. The station launched on November 21, 1981, as KECH. It was the second independent station serving the Portland area, but it faced a difficult programming environment. A competing station in Vancouver, Washington, had secured a large inventory of syndicated shows and movies before KECH began operation. KECH therefore had difficulty establishing a compelling schedule. Its owners also created Willamette STV, a related but separately operated subscription service. The service licensed Oak Communications’ ON TV system and began operations in 1982. It reached about 12,000 subscribers by June of that year, making it the smallest ON TV operation, while the owners also pursued other subscription and microwave-distribution interests. The subscription business deteriorated rapidly. In 1983, programming was shifted from ON TV to SelecTV after Brustin and Desmond became involved in managing subscription operations connected with a San Francisco station. Willamette STV reported major losses, faced creditor claims, and filed for bankruptcy protection during the summer. Greater Willamette Vision followed into bankruptcy in November after lawsuits were brought against the company. The station itself was placed on the market, while the affiliated subscription service struggled to maintain relationships with sports and programming suppliers. KECH discontinued ON TV on August 19, 1984. A proposed successor service, Cascade Entertainment Network, did not become a durable replacement, and Rogers ultimately reacquired the associated microwave distribution operation. Emerald City Broadcasting, controlled by Robert Finkelstein, acquired KECH-TV in 1985 by assuming millions of dollars in debt. Local programming was attempted through The Valley News, a Willamette Valley-focused news program launched in February 1986. The newscast attracted limited response, partly because audience measurement covered the much larger Portland market. The station changed its call sign to KWVT late in 1986. In early 1987, the owner announced the cancellation of The Valley News and sought a buyer. The buyer was Home Shopping Network. KWVT removed almost all entertainment programming on March 31, 1987, and began carrying HSN, giving the network its first broadcast outlet in Oregon. Silver King Broadcasting, HSN’s station division, completed the purchase for approximately $5 million, and the call sign became KHSP. HSN soon sold the station to Blackstar Communications as part of a broader affiliation and investment arrangement. Under Blackstar, the station became KBSP-TV but continued to rely primarily on home-shopping programming and community-oriented material. Paxson Communications Corporation purchased KBSP-TV from Blackstar in 1998 for a transaction value reported in contemporary accounts at approximately $30 million, while related agreements addressed HSN affiliation obligations and other stations. Paxson prepared the facility for the launch of Pax, its national network. The station moved to infomercials before Pax began service on August 31, 1998, and later adopted the network’s successive identities, first Pax, then i: Independent Television in 2005, and Ion Television in 2007. Between 2001 and 2005, KGW managed station operations under the Pax-NBC relationship. KGW also supplied newscasts for broadcast on the station, including a live 10 p.m. program from January 2003 until October 2005. KPXG-TV shut down its analog transmission on December 3, 2008. Its digital signal, which had operated temporarily on VHF channel 4, moved to UHF channel 22. A low-power translator, KPXG-LD, was used to improve coverage in portions of Portland but was donated to Word of God Fellowship in 2014. Ion Media was acquired by Scripps in a transaction announced in 2020 and completed in 2021. KPXG-TV remains an Ion Television station serving the Portland-area market, with its transmitter in Portland and its license based in Salem.
- 2021
Scripps ownership begins
[1]Scripps completed its acquisition of Ion Media, becoming the station’s ultimate owner.
- 2014
Translator donated
[1]KPXG-LD was donated to Word of God Fellowship, associated with Daystar Television Network.
- 2008
Digital transition completed
[1]KPXG-TV ended analog broadcasting and moved its digital transmission to UHF channel 22.
- 2007
Ion Television branding begins
[1]The national network was renamed Ion Television.
- 2005
Pax becomes i: Independent Television
[1]The national network adopted the i: brand and the KGW management period ended.
- 1998
Paxson acquires station and launches Pax
[1]Paxson Communications acquired KBSP-TV and made it part of the Pax network launch.
- 1987
Station adopts home-shopping format
[1]The station began carrying HSN programming for most of its schedule and became KHSP.
- 1986
Local news experiment begins
[1]The Valley News launched, and the station later changed its call sign to KWVT.
- 1985
Emerald City Broadcasting acquires station
[1]Emerald City Broadcasting took control while assuming debt associated with Greater Willamette Vision.
- 1984
ON TV service ends
[1]KECH discontinued the ON TV service on August 19.
Products and positioning
A network-affiliated over-the-air television station providing Ion Television’s nationally scheduled programming to the Portland and Salem market, with a history that also includes independent television, subscription television, home shopping, and limited local news.
Broadcast television station · 1981
KPXG-TV over-the-air service
The station’s primary offering is a digital over-the-air television signal licensed to Salem and transmitted from Portland. It serves the Portland metropolitan area and surrounding parts of Oregon, distributing Ion Television’s scheduled programming and locally sold commercial inventory.
Network television programming · 1998
Ion Television programming
KPXG-TV’s current schedule is built around Ion Television, a national network known for regularly scheduled entertainment programming, including acquired series, made-for-television movies, and related syndicated content. The station functions primarily as the local broadcast outlet for that network.
Local news · 1986
The Valley News
The Valley News was a locally produced news service focused on the Willamette Valley. It represented an attempt to differentiate the station from other Portland-area independents, but audience response was limited and the program was discontinued in 1987.
Home shopping television · 1987
HSN broadcast service
From 1987, the station carried Home Shopping Network programming for most of its broadcast schedule. This period followed the station’s unsuccessful independent format and preceded its acquisition by Paxson Communications.
Brand decisions
2021
Integration into Scripps television groupM&ABackground
The E. W. Scripps Company announced an agreement to acquire Ion Media and completed the transaction the following year.
Action taken
Scripps acquired Ion Media, including KPXG-TV.
Aftermath
KPXG-TV continued broadcasting Ion Television as part of Scripps’ station portfolio.
2008
Conversion from analog to digital transmissionGeneration changeBackground
The station participated in the United States transition to digital television.
Action taken
KPXG-TV shut down its analog UHF signal and relocated its digital operation to UHF channel 22.
Aftermath
The station continued as a digital Ion Television outlet serving the Portland market.
1998
Acquisition for Pax network expansionM&ABackground
Paxson Communications was assembling stations for the launch of its national Pax television network.
Action taken
Paxson acquired KBSP-TV from Blackstar Communications and prepared the facility for Pax programming.
Aftermath
The station became part of the Pax launch and eventually adopted the Ion Television identity.
1987
Shift to a home-shopping formatStrategyBackground
The station’s independent schedule and local news effort had struggled to build an audience in the competitive Portland market.
Action taken
The station removed nearly all entertainment programming and adopted Home Shopping Network programming for most of its schedule.
Aftermath
The move led to ownership by HSN’s broadcast division and then Blackstar Communications before the station was acquired for the Pax network.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/kpxg-tv · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled