WBNX-TV

WBNX-TV
CityAkron, Ohio
Channels
BrandingWBNX TV 55
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
WJW
History
FoundedJanuary 30, 1984
First air date
December 1, 1985 (1985-12-01)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 55 (UHF, 1985–2009)
  • Digital: 30 (UHF, 2007–2019)
  • Independent (1985–1997)
  • Fox Kids (1994–2002)
  • The WB (1997–2006)
  • The CW (2006–2018)
Call sign meaning
"Winston Broadcasting Network"
Technical information
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID72958
ERP505 kW
HAAT357.4 m (1,173 ft)
Transmitter coordinates41°23′2″N 81°41′43″W / 41.38389°N 81.69528°W / 41.38389; -81.69528
Links
Public license information
Websitewww.wbnx.com

WBNX-TV (channel 55) is an independent television station licensed to Akron, Ohio, United States, serving the Cleveland market. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside Fox affiliate WJW (channel 8). The two stations share studios on Dick Goddard Way northeast of downtown Cleveland; WBNX-TV's transmitter is located in suburban Parma, Ohio.

Interest for the channel 55 frequency in Akron dated back to 1968, when televangelist Rex Humbard obtained a permit which he sought to operate as "WCOT-TV", an extension of his Cathedral of Tomorrow ministry. Despite lofty plans which included a proposed concrete tower intended to house his station's studios and transmitter mast, the tower was not finished, his station was never built and the permit was deleted. Another bidding process for a channel 55 license began in 1980 and was awarded to Akron-Rhema Television, but after Akron-Rhema ran out of money during construction, Ernest Angley agreed to operate the station using Humbard's former television studios Angley previous acquired. Signing on as WBNX on December 1, 1985, Angley purchased the station outright in early 1987 under the "Winston Broadcasting Network" name, a for-profit arm of his own ministry. WBNX originally featured a mixture of classic sitcoms, movies and Angley's religious programs, then picked up Fox Kids in 1994, The WB in 1997, and The CW in 2006. The CW disaffiliated from WBNX in 2018 amidst various financial issues and personal allegations made against Angley, who died in 2021. Sold to Nexstar in early 2025 and merged into WJW, WBNX will reclaim the CW affiliation in September.