Editing Ion Television (section)

===PAX (1998–2005)===
[[File:PAX logo.svg|thumb|The network's original logo as Pax TV (a.k.a. Pax, stylized as "PAX"), used from August 31, 1998, to June 30, 2005. An initial version (as well as a prototype logo used prior to launch) featured a [[dove]] above the "X."<ref>{{cite web|title=Source: Northpine.com (screen shot image)|url=http://www.northpine.com/broadcast/captures/ia/kfpx.html|website=Northpine.com}}</ref>]]
The network was launched by [[Bud Paxson]], co-founder of the [[Home Shopping Network]] and chairman of parent company Paxson Communications (the forerunner to Ion Media).<ref name=wpost>{{cite news|title=Lowell W. Paxson, Home Shopping Network co-founder and TV mogul, dies at 79|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/lowell-w-paxson-home-shopping-network-co-founder-and-tv-mogul-dies-at-79/2015/01/17/f65fc726-9dd3-11e4-96cc-e858eba91ced_story.html|last=Schudel|first=Matt|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=January 18, 2015|access-date=January 19, 2015}}</ref> It was originally to be called ''Pax Net'', but was renamed '''Pax TV''' (often referred to as simply "Pax"; stylized as "PAX") – a dual reference to its founder and corporate parent, and the [[Latin]] word for "[[wikt:peace|peace]]" – shortly before its launch. Paxson, who felt that television programs aired by other broadcast networks were too raunchy and not family-friendly enough, had decided to create a network that he perceived as an alternative. Since the new network would focus on programming tailored to family audiences, PAX maintained a considerably more conservative programming content policy than the major commercial television networks, restricting [[profanity]], violence and sexual content; accordingly, many of the network's acquired programs were edited to remove sexual and overt violent content, while profane language was [[ducking|muted]]. According to various news reports, Pax was eventually recognized as the seventh national TV network after The WB & UPN (both collectively recognized as the fifth major TV network after Fox, with The WB being the fifth, & UPN the sixth, national TV networks, respectively), though Pax never gained major TV network status during its existence.

Most of the network's initial affiliates were Paxson Communications-owned affiliate stations of the '''Infomall TV Network''' (inTV), a network launched by Paxson in 1995 that relied mainly on [[infomercial]]s and other [[brokered programming]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Paxson's IN TV: move over UPN, WB (Lowell Paxson predicts that his Infomall TV Network will out perform United Paramount Network and WB Network)|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-16217997.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105130932/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-16217997.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 5, 2012|periodical=[[Broadcasting & Cable]]|date=January 23, 1995|url-access= }}</ref> During the late spring and summer of 1998, a half-hour preview special hosted by former ''[[The Waltons|Waltons]]'' star [[Richard Thomas (actor)|Richard Thomas]], featuring interviews with Lowell Paxson about PAX's development and initial programming, aired on inTV stations slated to become charter outlets of the new network.

PAX launched on August 31, 1998,<ref>{{cite news|title=Pax TV to offer family programming|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4458284.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105132226/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4458284.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 5, 2012|newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|date=August 16, 1998|url-access= }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=On Monday, the Genesis of PAX TV|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1998/08/29/on-monday-the-genesis-of-pax-tv/82f16635-7d46-497a-8356-ebd9a725aaf3/|author=Lisa de Moraes|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=August 29, 1998 }}</ref> with the network's initial schedule being much larger in scope than it would be in later years. At launch, Pax aired general entertainment programming on weekdays from 11:00&nbsp;a.m. to 11:00&nbsp;p.m. and weekends from 3:00&nbsp;p.m. to 10:00&nbsp;pm. Central Time. Through an agreement with then-[[Disney]] owned animation studio [[DIC Productions L.P.]], its schedule also included a children's program block called "Cloud Nine" on Saturdays from 5:00&nbsp;a.m. to 10:00&nbsp;a.m. and Sundays from 6:00&nbsp;a.m. to 8:00&nbsp;am. Central.<ref name="Pax SFGate">{{cite news|title=PAX Going For Piece Of TV Pie|url=http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/PAX-Going-For-Piece-Of-TV-Pie-2994282.php|first=John|last=Carman|newspaper=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]|date=August 28, 1998|access-date=November 3, 2014}}</ref><ref name=awm>Issue 3.2. {{cite news|title=DIC Pacts With PAX|url=http://www.awn.com/mag/issue3.2/3.2pages/3.2television.html|periodical=Animation World Magazine|date=May 1998|access-date=March 1, 2014}}</ref> In addition, the network aired religious programming through time-lease agreements with [[The Worship Network]] (which aired its overnight programming on PAX seven nights a week) and Praise TV (featuring [[Contemporary Christian music]] and other faith-based programs aimed at teenagers and young adults, which aired on Friday and Saturday late-nights from 11:00&nbsp;p.m. to 2:00&nbsp;am. Central until 2000). The remainder of the schedule was filled by paid programming.

Initial programming on PAX consisted of first-run shows (such as the true story profile series ''[[It's a Miracle (TV series)|It's a Miracle]]'', game show ''[[The Reel to Reel Picture Show]]'', and talk shows ''Woman's Day'' and ''Great Day America''), along with reruns of older programming (including ''[[Highway to Heaven]]'', ''[[Here's Lucy]]'', ''[[The Hogan Family]]'', ''[[Dave's World]]'', ''[[Touched by an Angel]]'', and new episodes and older reruns of ''[[Candid Camera]]'', the latter of which moved to the network following the revival series' cancellation by [[CBS]] earlier in 1998). The network also produced some original drama series such as ''[[Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye]]'', ''[[Doc (2001 TV series)|Doc]]'', ''[[Mysterious Ways (TV series)|Mysterious Ways]]'' (which originated on [[NBC]]), ''[[Hope Island (TV series)|Hope Island]]'' and ''[[Twice in a Lifetime (TV series)|Twice in a Lifetime]]'' through its programming division, Paxson Entertainment. PAX also aired many game shows including first-run revivals of established games that originated on cable networks such as ''[[Supermarket Sweep]]'' and ''[[Shop 'til You Drop]]'', along with some original game shows such as ''On the Cover'', ''[[Balderdash (game show)|Balderdash]]'', ''Dirty Rotten Cheater'', a 2002 revival of ''[[Beat the Clock]]'', ''[[Hollywood Showdown]]'' (in conjunction with [[Game Show Network]], which also aired the show) and reruns of ''[[Born Lucky (TV series)|Born Lucky]]''. The network would later carry reruns of the syndicated revival of ''[[Family Feud]]'' (consisting of episodes from [[Louie Anderson]], [[Richard Karn]] and [[John O'Hurley]]'s tenures as host, airing on a one-year delay from their original syndication broadcast) and, due to its alliance with NBC, ''[[Weakest Link (American game show)|The Weakest Link]]'' (both from the [[Anne Robinson]]-hosted network run and the [[George Gray (TV host)|George Gray]]-hosted syndicated version) as well as the 2000 revival of ''[[Twenty-One (game show)|Twenty-One]]''.

In September 1999, National Broadcasting Company, Inc. purchased a 32% share of Paxson Communications for $415&nbsp;million in convertible stock, with an option to expand its interest to 49% by February 2002, pending changes in ownership regulations set by the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) that would allow it to acquire additional television stations.<ref>{{cite news|title=The Media Business: NBC Completes Acquisition Of 32% Stake in Paxson|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/17/business/the-media-business-nbc-completes-acquisition-of-32-stake-in-paxson.html|first=Bill|last=Carter|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=September 17, 1999|access-date=October 15, 2012}}</ref> NBC later sold its share in the network back to Paxson in November 2003.<ref>{{cite news|title=The Media Business: Advertising; NBC Moves to Break Up Relationship with Paxson|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/14/business/the-media-business-advertising-nbc-moves-to-break-up-relationship-with-paxson.html|first=Bill|last=Carter|newspaper=The New York Times|date=November 14, 2003|access-date=October 15, 2012}}</ref>

In lieu of a national news program, in 2000, Paxson Communications signed an agreement with [[Jackson, Mississippi]]-based [[WeatherVision]] – which mainly produces weather forecast inserts for television stations in certain markets that do not operate an in-house news department or maintain a news share agreement with another local station – to produce ''Tomorrow's Weather Tonight'', a five-minute national forecast segment that aired Monday through Friday nights at the conclusion of PAX's entertainment schedule. Starting in 2000, many PAX stations also entered into news share agreements with a local major network affiliate (mostly involving NBC-affiliated stations, though some involved an affiliate of [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], CBS, or [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]) to air [[tape-delayed]] broadcasts of evening, and in some markets, morning newscasts from the partner station; in a few cases, the agreement partner produced live newscasts for the PAX station (as examples of the latter, NBC affiliate [[WTHR]] in [[Indianapolis]] produced a prime time newscast for PAX O&O [[WIPX-TV]] from February to June 2005, after CBS affiliate [[WISH-TV]] (now a [[The CW|CW]] affiliate) took over production of the newscast that WTHR had been producing for [[UPN]] affiliate [[WNDY-TV]] (now a [[MyNetworkTV]] affiliate) since 1996; [[Cleveland]] NBC affiliate [[WKYC-TV]] produced evening newscasts for [[WVPX-TV]] that focused primarily on that O&O's city of license, nearby [[Akron]]). In some cities, a major network affiliate also provided some engineering and other back office services for the PAX station.

In an effort to increase revenue due to low viewership and other financial issues, PAX gradually increased the amount of paid programming content on its schedule throughout the early 2000s, at the expense of its general entertainment programming. Infomercials and other types of brokered programs ultimately became the dominant form of programming during the network's broadcast day; by January 2005, the time that PAX had allocated to entertainment programs had been reduced to six hours on weekdays (from 5:00&nbsp;p.m. to 11:00&nbsp;pm) and five hours on weekends (from 5:00&nbsp;p.m. to 10:00&nbsp;pm. Central Time). Original programming was also affected by the network's programming changes; PAX was originally offering five or six new series each season. However, in 2003, the number of new series that aired on PAX dwindled to just two: ''[[Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye]]'', which was cancelled in 2005, and ''Doc'', which was cancelled in 2004 after PAX's international backer, Canadian broadcast network [[CTV Television Network|CTV]], pulled out of producing the shows. The network seemingly recovered a year later when seven series made it to PAX's 2004–05 schedule.