ION Media Networks Launches Digital Broadcast "Triple Play" in New York City and Washington, D.C.

"Triple Play" Combines Simultaneous Digital Broadcasts of High Definition TV,
Multiple Digital Networks and Mobile DTV

Successful Prototype Demonstrations in Key Markets Illustrate Innovative
Opportunities for Digital Broadcasters
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.--(Business Wire)--
ION Media Networks today announced the launch of its Digital Broadcast "Triple
Play" in New York City and Washington, D.C. The DTV "Triple Play" includes the
broadcast of the Company`s flagship network, ION Television, in high-definition,
two additional digital networks, plus Mobile DTV.

The successful digital TV transition has enabled new transmission capabilities,
including Mobile Digital Television (Mobile DTV), a new digital format allowing
broadcasters to use subchannels to transmit TV content to mobile devices. ION is
among the first broadcasters to demonstrate the viability of all three
technologies in one broadcast stream in the nation`s largest TV market and the
nation`s capital.

ION`s focus on Washington, D.C. is part of a broader initiative in support of
the Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC), a trade group of over 800 commercial and
public television stations, working to create a showcase for Mobile DTV in the
nation`s capital to highlight the potential for expanding broadcast television
beyond the living room to all mobile devices in the digital age.

"Digital technology lets us reach more homes, enables HD quality and new digital
networks, as well as mobile reception," said Brandon Burgess, Chairman and CEO
of ION Media Networks. "Among all these benefits, Mobile DTV may prove to be the
most significant in the long run, allowing broadcasters to think beyond the
living room and bring live television and real time information to consumers
wherever they may be."

"The launch of ION's Mobile DTV signals in NYC and D.C. is a pay off from the
industry's efforts to create a unifying technology standard," said Brett
Jenkins, ION`s Vice President of Technology. "The Mobile DTV eco system has now
developed to the point that broadcasters are able to launch beta services, and
we`re beginning to think through consumer and business implementations. The work
of the Open Mobile Video Coalition and its broadcast members have made this
implementation possible, and we look forward to working with the industry to
capitalize on its potential."

ION is using technology known as ATSC-M/H, which was developed by the Advanced
Television Systems Committee specifically to enable delivery of television to
mobile and handheld devices. In New York, where the signal is transmitted from
ION`s owned and operated station, WPXN, the mobile stream is broadcast alongside
WPXN`s HD signal and ION`s two multicast channels. But it has additional
formatting that allows it to be picked up by receivers that are mobile, such as
phones or an in-vehicle screen. The signal is "in-band," meaning that it uses
the existing DTV spectrum allocated to the station.

About ION Television

ION Television (www.iontelevision.com) is a general entertainment network which
reaches over 96 million U.S. television households via its nationwide broadcast
television, cable and satellite distribution systems. Launched in 2006, ION
Television 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. Parent company, ION Media
Networks, Inc., owns and operates the nation's largest broadcast television
station group. Using its digital multicasting capability, ION Media Networks has
launched the digital TV brands 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.

About Open Mobile Video Coalition

The Open Mobile Video Coalition, a voluntary association of some 450 commercial
broadcast stations across the U.S. who have been working to accelerate the
development of Mobile DTV. Earlier this year, the OMVC announced that more than
70 stations in 28 markets across the U.S. are committed to launching the
service, with nine ION stations included in this initial roll out. Other ION
stations include WPPX in Philadelphia, WBPX in Boston, and WCPX in Chicago.

ION Television
Media Contact:
Amelie Tseng, 973-897-8868
amelie.tseng@verizon.net
or
Sayles & Winnikoff Communications
Alan Winnikoff, 212-725-5200 x111
alan@sayleswinnikoff.com
or
Carina Sayles, 212-725-5200 x210
carina@sayleswinnikoff.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009