Wikipedia
WSVI is an Ion Television-affiliated, full-power television station licensed to Christiansted, St. Croix, and serving as the network's affiliate for the entire insular area of the United States Virgin Islands. The station transmits over channel 20, and identifies as their former analog channel, channel 8, via PSIP. The station is owned by Atlas News and Information Services.
WSVI has a satellite, WZVI channel 43, in Charlotte Amalie, as well as an analog translator, WFIG-LP channel 5. WFIG went off the air December 3, 2014 for financial reasons.
The station under ABC affiliation signed off nightly at 2:00am AST (1:00 am AST March to November), but now carries a 24-hour schedule. Also under ABC affiliation without the resources or financial means to fill network time, it carried paid programming, Caribbean Lottery drawings, some local arts and events programming, and their weeknight-only local newscasts, as U.S. Virgin Islands receives other broadcast networks and superstations from the mainland via cable and satellite, thus the need for WSVI to maintain a full broadcast schedule of syndicated programming outside of network hours for island residents and tourists was negated, since those stations usually contain that syndicated programming in their schedules. Under their Ion affiliation this is less obvious, though some local programs continue to be carried in some timeslots, pre-empting Ion programming.
The company has had multiple ownership changes. Antilles Broadcasting Corp. sold WSVI to Group III Inc. for US$4 million. In April 2011, WSVI's former owner, the Figgie Family Equity Fund, agreed to sell the station to Atlas News and Information Services of Las Vegas, Nevada, pending FCC approval.
Until December 31, 2015, WSVI was affiliated with ABC. On January 1, 2016, the station switched to Ion Television after nearly 50 years with ABC; agreements were made with Lilly Broadcasting (which already provides a CBS feed with Caribbean-specific weather to the region via a second feed of their Erie, Pennsylvania station WSEE-TV) to provide an alternate ABC affiliate to serve the region, via WENY-TV in Elmira, New York on pay television. Despite losing its affiliation with ABC, the station continues to carry the Litton's Weekend Adventure E/I block most associated with ABC affiliates, since that block is syndicated by Litton Entertainment and separate from any contract with ABC. The switch meant that no full-powered station based in the U.S. Virgin Islands has a primary affiliation with any of the "Big Four" networks.