After originating as a construction permit in 1987 and receiving several extensions, WLPX-TV applied for its license on September 11, 1998.[2] In the construction phase and for its first month on air, the station's calls were WKRP (the same as the fictional radio station in Cincinnati); it adopted its current call sign on October 5 of the same year. It has been a member of Ion (previously known as Pax TV and i: Independent Television) since its inception.
WLPX-TV ended regular programming on its analog signal, over UHF channel 29, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 39, using virtual channel 29.[4]
(*) – indicates station is in one of West Virginia's primary TV markets (**) – indicates station is in an out-of-state TV market, but reaches a small portion of West Virginia
(*) – indicates station is in one of Kentucky's primary TV markets (**) – indicates station is in an out-of-state TV market, but reaches a small portion of Kentucky