Bud Paxson

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Lowell W. "Bud" Paxson is an American media executive.

A native of Florida, Paxson began his career as the owner of a small AM radio station in Tampa, Florida^{[verification needed]}. There, in 1977, an advertiser had plenty of product to sell -- avocado-green-colored can openers -- but ran out of funds to purchase airtime. Paxson instructed talk-show host Bob Circosta to sell the can openers live over the airwaves, and both men were stunned at the audience response. All 112 can openers were purchased within the hour.

Sensing the sales potential of live, on-air product selling, Paxson and financier Roy Speer co-founded a local cable television channel in 1982 that sold products directly to Florida viewers, and then launched nationwide in 1985. The channel was the Home Shopping Network, and Paxson's former radio man Bob Circosta was tapped as the network's first-ever host. HSN soon became a billion dollar juggernaut and began the home shopping / electronic retailing industry. In 1996, the two sold HSN to Hollywood executive Barry Diller.

Paxson then formed Paxson Communications and bought radio stations, TV stations, and billboards, primarily in Florida. Eventually, he sold those and put the money into PAX TV, a new network of family-friendly TV shows seen as the alternative to the more "adult" programs of the major networks.^[1] The channel also reflected Paxson's background as an evangelical Christian (since 1985), which he spoke of openly. PAX TV began on August 31, 1998.

During the time between the sale of HSN and the founding of PAX TV, Paxson moved his headquarters from Tampa to West Palm Beach.

However, the network never received anywhere near the ratings or advertising revenue of the other networks. In addition, PAX TV lost a few affiliates; for example, the stations in Dayton, Ohio and Green Bay, Wisconsin defected to The WB, and the affiliated in Fresno, California, joined Spanish language Telefutura.

On June 28, 2005, PAX TV became i, "Independent Television." In November of that year, NBC Universal, which owned 22 percent of i, began a nine-month period during which it could buy the rest of the network. Possibly sensing that NBCU would do so, and beset with the burden of lawsuits over the operation of i, Paxson resigned from the company he founded.

In addition, Paxson Communications became ion Media Networks, and NBCU executive R. Brandon Burgess became the chief executive officer.

[edit] References

A Man. A Plan. A Can Opener. ClickZ Network
"Can You Believe This Price?" Time Magazine
It started with 112 can openers St. Petersburg Times

^ Media and Publishing. (2007). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved March 5, 2007, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online: http://search.eb.com/eb/article-92259