WPXU-TV (channel 35) in Jacksonville, North Carolina, operates as a full-time satellite of WEPX-TV. WPXU covers areas of southeastern North Carolina that receive a marginal to non-existent over-the-air signal from WEPX, although there is significant overlap between the two stations' contours otherwise, including in Jacksonville proper. WPXU is a straight simulcast of WEPX; on-air references to WPXU are limited to Federal Communications Commission (FCC)-mandated hourly station identifications during programming. Aside from the transmitter, WPXU does not maintain any physical presence locally in Jacksonville.
WEPX and WPXU were affiliates of MyNetworkTV from September 5, 2006, until September 27, 2009, when MyNetworkTV's affiliation switched over to WITN-TV, prior to this, the stations were solely affiliates of Ion (then known as i: Independent Television and originally known as Pax TV).
Because it was granted an original construction permit after the FCC finalized the DTV allotment plan on April 21, 1997,[5] WEPX-TV did not initially receive a companion channel for a digital television station. WEPX was later assigned channel 51, and the digital signal signed on February 5, 2008. WEPX has filed a letter with the FCC requesting to move from channel 51 to channel 26. This was part of a larger move for the FCC to get TV stations off channel 51 to prevent interference with cell phone devices.[citation needed]
(*) – indicates station is in one of North Carolina's primary TV markets (**) – indicates station is in an out-of-state TV market, but reaches a small portion of North Carolina
