KPXE

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = KPXE
city =
station_
station_slogan =
station_branding = ION Television
analog = 50 (UHF)
digital = 51 (UHF)
other_chs =
affiliations = ION Television
network =
founded =
airdate = October 29, 1969 (original incarnation)
December 17, 1978 (current incarnation)
location = Kansas City, Missouri
callsign_meaning = PaXson Entertainment
former_callsigns = KCIT-TV (1969-1971)
KYFC (1978-1997)
KINB (1997-1998)
former_channel_numbers =
owner = ION Media Networks, Inc.
licensee = nowrap|Paxson Kansas City License, Inc.
sister_stations =
former_affiliations = independent (1978-1998)
Pax TV (1998-2005)
i (2005-2007)| effective_radiated_power = 1170 kW (analog)
1000 kW (digital)
HAAT = 326 m (analog)
339 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 33337
coordinates = coord|39|1|19.9|N|94|30|49.7|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
homepage =

KPXE is the ION Television (formerly known as Pax TV and i) affiliate for the Kansas City television market. It is owned by ION Media Networks (formerly Paxson Communications). The station runs religious shows in the mornings, infomercials in the late afternoons, and family entertainment on weekends.

The station originally began on October 29 1969 as KCIT-TV (probably standing for Kansas City Independent Television), owned by Allied Broadcasting. It was the first independent station in the Kansas City market, and the first new commercial station in the area since short-lived DuMont Television Network affiliate KCTY (on channel 25) in the 1950s. KCIT aired several network offerings that the network affiliates in the market (KCMO-TV, KMBC-TV, and WDAF-TV) turned down. However, in some cases, the network affiliates turned down so many shows that even KCIT couldn't air them all. It also managed to produce a few local programs. One of them was "Torey and Friends," hosted by popular children's host Torey Southwick. Landing Southwick was a major coup for the station; he had been on KMBC-TV since 1960.

However, KCIT got competition at the start of the 1970-71 television season when KBMA-TV (now KSHB-TV) began broadcasting on channel 41. KBMA had wealthier owners and a stronger signal than channel 50; KCIT lost its early appeal as a result. Also, Allied Broadcasting had somehow gotten into severe financial straits. By late June, the station had bumped its sign-on time to 2:30 PM. By the end of the month, the station had finally decided to call it quits. For the last week in June and the first week of July, it was only on the air for two hours a day--the minimum to cover the license. The first version of Channel 50 pulled the plug for good on July 7 1971. KBMA became the sole independent station in Kansas City for several years afterward.

The channel 50 license remained dormant for seven years; at the time, the FCC was not willing to delete UHF licenses. The station returned to the air on December 17 1978 as KYFC-TV, a religious station named after its owner, Kansas City Youth For Christ. Its lineup remained largely religious through the 1980s, but a few "family-friendly" secular shows had been added to its schedule. The station ran newscasts from CNN Headline News at least once a day for several years, replacing the commercials with other announcements.

Pledges to support the commercial-free station declined during the 1990s. Station managers also grew concerned about the cost of converting to digital operations, something they were reluctant to pass on to their financial supporters.

In 1997, the station was sold to Paxson Communications, and began to air infomercials and Worship (Contemporary Christian) programming shortly thereafter, along with some religious shows. It also changed its call letters to KINB. In 1998, Pax TV programming was added to the lineup, and the station changed its callsign again, this time to KPXE.

External links

*TVQ|KPXE
*BIA|KPXE|TV|TV
* [http://www.wtv-zone.com/dpjohnson/kcit50/ David Johnson's history of the late, lamented KCIT-TV]