ION Media To Move To One WTC

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The parent of three television networks originally founded by former radio station owner Bud Paxson is relocating its New York City broadcast operations to One World Trade Center in lower Manhattan.


ION Media made the announcement on Tuesday, in partnership with high-rise developer The Durst Organization and The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

ION Media’s portfolio of TV networks is comprised of the ION Television broadcast TV network and digital multicast offerings ION Life and Qubo.

All three networks expected to begin broadcasting from One WTC — the tallest building in the western hemisphere — in Q4.

A state-of-the-art omni-directional antenna for the networks’ New York O&O, WPXN-31, returns to lower Manhattan with the arrangement. WPXN lost its World Trade Center transmitter in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

“This provides the ideal high-power UHF frequency footprint for high-definition broadcasting, as well as future wireless spectrum applications,” the company said.

Brandon Burgess, ION Media’s Chairman/CEO, said, “ION emerges from the recent spectrum auction as the largest operator of full-power broadcast television spectrum in the U.S. Offering the best over-the-air wireless television signal in the most important media market in the world, from the top of One World Trade Center, achieves an important objective. We are proud to return to this premier location since our tragic departure after 9/11.”

ION Media is an independent, privately held media company launched in 2006; it was originally born in 1984 by Paxson.