WKNX-TV (channel 7) is an independent television station in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. It is owned by Lockwood Broadcast Group alongside Fox affiliate WTNZ (channel 43). The two stations share studios on Executive Park Drive (along I-75/I-40) in Knoxville's Green Valley section; WKNX-TV's transmitter is located on Sharp's Ridge, near the city's Oakwood section (just north of downtown Knoxville).
History
WKNX signed on the air on July 31, 2004, as WMAK. It was one of the first stations in the United States to sign on exclusively as a digital station, with no full-powered analog counterpart. The station was originally owned by South Central Communications, which also owns or operates five radio stations in the Knoxville area, and formerly owned CBS affiliate WVLT-TV (channel 8) from 1954 to 1989. As an independent station, WMAK ran syndicated programs as well as recent and classic motion pictures. On September 8, 2008, the station added programming from the Retro Television Network (RTV) on its second digital subchannel.[3] This, however, would soon compromise the network's entire schedule on its main channel.