Ion TV:
Ion Television is a TV network which started broadcasting on 31st August, 1998. The network is owned by ION media Networks which was called earlier as Paxson communications. The network has more than 94 million viewers in United Stated as of 2009. The network has more than ninety four stations in US out of which some are operated and owned. But despite the availability of the channel widely, it is watched very less in English language network in US apart from MyNetworkTV.
The network has altered its name from PAX TV initially to I: Independent Television in 2005 and after that it was renamed during Jan 29, 2007 as Ion Television. The network was actually named Pax Net, then to PAX TV before the launch by Lowell Bad Paxson in 1998. Ion has showed religious programs from “The Work ship Network” during late night hours and also from Christian TV Network.
There were new shows during the initial days like “It’s a Miracle”, “The Reel to Reel Picture show” which is a famous game show and talk shows like “Great Day America” and “Woman’s day” along with older shows like “Here’s Lucy”, “Touched by an Angel”, “Highway to Heaven”, “The Hogan Family” and “Dave’s World”. Older and new episodes of “Candid Camera” were also telecasted. The network has created many genuine drams like Doc and Sue Thomas: F.B Eye.
PAX showed various game shows in which some were reruns and some were original. Some examples are On the Cover, Balderash, Family Feed, Supermarket Sweep and Stop till you Drop. Ion TV operates on sixty six hour network program schedule that was adopted during Sep 2009. It offers sixty one hours of prime time and afternoon general entertainment programs to the affiliated stations from Monday to Friday from 4.P.M to 12.A.M and during weekends from 3-11.P.M. Qubo is a famous children program which was launched for 1 hour every day from Wednesdays to Fridays from 3 to 4 p.m. The network would resume to original programming in future however the present method of Syndicated Programming is similar to international broadcasting model of Canada and Europe but not US.
Ion Media Networks obtained various programming deals in 2006 and got major network program suppliers within a week. Ion made a comprehensive programming deal with Television Distribution and Warner Bros which gave then broadcast rights to programming and movies owned by Warner. It got a similar deal also with Sony Pictures Television which gave them broadcast rights to programs and movies owned by Sony. The various programs after these deals in Ion were Designing Women, Who’s the Boss?, Growing Pains, The Wonder Years, Green Acres etc which got phased out after the network entered its present direction.