WPXA-TV

WPXA-TV, virtual channel 14 (digital channel 31), is an Ion Television owned-and-operated television station located in the metro Atlanta area. The station is licensed to Rome, with its transmitter and antenna on Bear Mountain, overlooking Lake Arrowhead near Waleska, near the Cherokee/Bartow county line several miles northwest of Atlanta. The TV studio was located in Marietta, next to Six Flags White Water along Cobb Parkway (U.S. 41). It is owned and operated by ION Media Networks.

The station's broadcast range extends into parts of Alabama and Chattanooga, Tennessee and even the southwest corner of North Carolina. However, terrain shielding not accounted for in radio propagation models prevents this from regularly occurring, due to the north Georgia mountains.

WPXA-TV can be viewed on Comcast cable channel 12.

History

The station was issued a construction permit in 1984 on Channel 14 as WZGA but never went on-air. The station went on-air February 29, 1988 as WAWA with studios on Shorter Avenue in Rome and TV tower on Mount Alto nearby. The station was owned by Sudbrink Broadcasting, West Palm Beach, FL, and had a general entertainment format of low-budget shows, public domain movies, local TV news, and pre-empted network TV programs. It also aired several CBS, ABC and NBC shows that WAGA-TV, WSB-TV and WXIA-TV turned down.