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ION Television To Launch In HD On February 16
Initial Roll-Out Will Reach Over 46 Million Households
(West Palm Beach, Fla. - January 27, 2009) - ION Television will launch in high definition (HD) providing a fully enhanced HD simulcast of the newly rebranded "Positively Entertaining" network, beginning February 16, 2009. The announcement was made today by Joseph Koker, President, Television Station Group, ION Media Networks.
ION Television HD will initially roll out to 20 markets within ION's 55 market footprint - including top DMA's like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago - with additional roll-outs to occur throughout the year. The first phase of the ION TV HD launch will reach over 46 million households. ION Media Networks' digital TV brands, Qubo, a multilingual kids network that champions literacy and positive values, and ION Life, a digital network dedicated to active lifestyles and personal growth, will also be launched across digital platforms in high definition later in 2009.
"Ahead of the scheduled transition from analog to digital broadcasting, we at ION have made significant investments in upgrading our system as well as content. These investments will bring heightened picture quality and a robust inventory of programming to our viewers," said Koker. "The viewers we serve will now enjoy the full benefits of DTV technology. We're also excited to further extend this opportunity to our distribution partners and advertisers."
Viewers can look forward to a mix of compelling television series, theatrical and made-for television movies and specials on ION Television HD. The ION Television network features hit programs from CBS Television, NBC Universal, RHI Entertainment, Sony Pictures Television, Twentieth Television and Warner Bros., among others.
ION Television in HD will be launched from its newly designed, state-of-the-art transmission platform via expanded satellite transponder capacity. That national distribution will then be delivered over-the-air via DTV broadcast, cable, telco-TV and satellite. The network will feature native and up-converted HD programming, and will be carried on all 60 of ION Media Network's television stations around the country.
Initial roll-out markets to include:
Atlanta
Birmingham
Boston
Chicago
Dallas-Ft. Worth
Detroit
Los Angeles
Miami
Milwaukee
Minneapolis
New Orleans
New York
Norfolk
Orlando
Philadelphia
Phoenix
Portland, Or
San Francisco
Tampa
Washington D.C.
The following markets will roll out ION TV in HD later in 2009:
Albany
Buffalo
Cedar Rapids
Charleston
Cleveland
Denver
Des Moines
Grand Rapids
Greensboro
Greenville
Hartford
Honolulu
Houston
Indianapolis
Jacksonville
Kansas City
Knoxville
Lexington
Louisville
Memphis
Nashville
Oklahoma City
Providence
Raleigh
Roanoke
Sacramento
Salt Lake City
San Antonio
Seattle
Spokane
Syracuse
Tulsa
Wausau
West Palm Beach
Wilkes-Barre
About ION Media Networks
ION Media Networks, Inc. owns and operates the nation's largest broadcast television station group and ION Television, which reaches over 94 million U.S. television households via its nationwide broadcast television, cable and satellite distribution systems, and features popular TV series and movies from the award-winning libraries of RHI Entertainment, CBS Television, NBC Universal, Sony Pictures Television, Twentieth Television and Warner Bros., among others. Using its digital multicasting capability, the Company has launched several digital TV brands, including qubo, a channel for children focusing on literacy and values, and ION Life, a channel dedicated to active living and personal growth. It also has launched Open Mobile Ventures Corporation (OMVION), a business unit focused on the research and development of portable, mobile and out-of-home transmission technology using over-the-air digital television spectrum. For more information, visit www.ionmedia.com.
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