Since the E.W. Scripps Company acquired ION Media, viewers across the country have lost access to beloved, unique programming. We are starting this petition because I want E.W. Scripps to realize the mistake they made when they FORCED ION Plus and Qubo off the air.

This was a rushed decision that was not well thought out. Because of this move, many markets now have two or more Court TV or Bounce TV affiliates in a single area. It is ridiculous—it would be like one company owning the ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox stations in one market!

E.W. Scripps already launched TrueReal and Defy TV. TrueReal ceased broadcasting on March 27, 2023, and Free TV Networks acquired the rights to the Defy branding from Scripps Networks on July 1, 2024. But they could have kept ION Plus and Qubo on the air by adding those channels to the subchannels of ION and Katz Broadcasting affiliates. Specifically:

• ION Plus could have served as a lifestyle-focused extension of the ION brand, much like how Court TV Mystery (now ION Mystery) extends the Court TV brand. But Good News, It Relaunched on July 1, 2024.
• Qubo should have never been taken off the air. Even though it was a shell of what it once was in its final years, it still provided quality educational content.

With Qubo gone, and following the shutdown of Smile on January 12, 2025, PBS Kids is essentially the only 24-hour children's network left for over-the-air viewers. This creates a massive gap in accessible programming for families. Furthermore, the loss of networks like Smile highlights a growing problem where religious and niche broadcasters—such as TBN, CBN, and TCT—are increasingly marginalized.

 

Our Goal:

We call on E.W. Scripps to reconsider their digital multicasting strategy. We ask them to bring back Qubo and ION Plus to the airwaves to restore variety, educational value, and common sense to our local television lineups.

 

Since the closure of the 24-hour Qubo Channel on February 28, 2021, there has been a void in free, high-quality educational television. We propose that The E.W. Scripps Company form a historic joint venture to relaunch the network.

 

The Partnership Network:
Our plan calls for Scripps to partner with the following industry leaders to ensure a diverse and sustainable content library:

• Legacy Partners: NBCUniversal, PBS, and Corus Entertainment.
• Education & Storytelling Experts: Scholastic Corporation and WildBrain.
• Innovative Content Creators: BatteryPOP, Splash Entertainment, American Public Television, and Legacy Distribution.

Programming Strategy:
The new Qubo will focus exclusively on safe, educational short-form and long-form content, including:

• PBS Kids Integration: To maintain high educational standards, Qubo will exclusively air PBS Kids promos and shorts.
• Fan-Favorite Shorts & Series: The return of Ask Me!, BatteryPOP shorts, Ruby’s Studio, Zerby Derby, and I’m An Animal.
• Community Values: The famous 'Pass It On' PSAs will return to the main Qubo Channel and also be broadcast across the entire Scripps network family—including ION, ION Plus, ION Mystery, Bounce TV, Grit, and Laff—to promote positive values to all viewers."

Restructuring ION/Scripps Assets for Qubo's Return
We propose utilizing current channel capacity to revive Qubo. Under our plan, WXPX-TV (66.1), KMCC (34.1), and KUPX-TV (16.1) will be rejoined as ION Television owned and operated stations, while the plan to disaffiliate ION Television on WNPX-TV (28.1) will be halted.

Furthermore, WFTS-TV (28.2, The Spot Tampa Bay), KTNV-TV (13.2, The Spot Vegas), KSTU (13.2, The Spot Utah), and WTVF (5.2, The Spot Nashville) will become independent stations to carry Scripps Sports games. Finally, WXPX-TV channel 66.2 will carry Bounce TV, KMCC channel 34.2 will carry Laff, and KUPX-TV channel 16.4 and WNPX-TV channel 28.2 will both carry ION Mystery, leaving prime subchannels open for Qubo.

 

Our Vision for the Future: The Independence of ION Media

To ensure the long-term success and specialized focus required to restore beloved brands like Qubo, my next plan is for The E.W. Scripps Company to spin off ION, ION Plus, ION Mystery, and Qubo into a new independent company.

This new company will be called ION Media. To return to ION’s historic roots and establish a dedicated leadership base, its headquarters will be located in West Palm Beach, Florida.

 

Proposed Carriage Agreement & Channel Realignment

To ensure the long-term stability of Scripps Networks' programming—including the return of Qubo—we propose a comprehensive carriage agreement with Dish and DirecTV. This plan streamlines existing services to make room for the high-quality children’s content viewers miss:

 

For Dish Network Subscribers:

• ION Television (East): Will be added to Channel 216 in HD, replacing Newsmax.
• ION Television (West): Will be added to Channel 217 in SD, replacing Grit.
• Lineup Adjustments: Dish will remove Laff from its lineup to optimize bandwidth. Newsmax, Grit, and Laff will no longer be available.
• Legacy Access: ION Television will remain available on its current home, Channel 250 in SD, for consistent viewing.

For DirecTV Subscribers:

• ION Television (West): Scripps will reach an agreement to restore this feed on Channel 306 in SD.
• ION Television (East): DirecTV will maintain the current feed on Channel 305 in HD.

By restructuring these channel placements, Scripps can solidify its partnership with major satellite providers, creating a dedicated ecosystem where a revived Qubo can once again flourish for families across the country.

 

We aren't just asking for the return of a brand; we are presenting a clear roadmap for how Qubo and ION Plus can thrive in today’s media landscape. Our vision for the relaunch ensures maximum reach through a multi-platform distribution strategy:

• Over-the-Air Accessibility: Qubo would be available over-the-air on Scripps-owned Ion Television stations, along with some traditional Scripps local stations without an Ion sister station and the former Ion-owned stations transferred to Inyo Broadcast Holdings, along with offering the network to other station groups.
• Widespread Cable & Fiber Coverage: The network would return to its dedicated spots on major providers. Qubo would be available on Verizon FiOS channel 491, AT&T U-verse TV channel 328 and 3061, Comcast Xfinity, Mediacom, and Shentel on their previous local channel number. Similarly, ION Plus will also be available on Verizon FiOS channel 492, AT&T U-verse TV channel 468, Comcast Xfinity, Mediacom, and Shentel on their previous local channel number.
  
• The Future of Streaming (FAST Channels): To meet modern viewing habits, Qubo would also be available on Samsung TV Plus, The Roku Channel, Vizio WatchFree+, TCL Channel, TCLtv+, Tubi, Xumo Play, Tablo TV, Sling Freestream, LG Channels, Local Now, Plex, Hisense, Google TV, FrndlyTV, FuboTV, Freevee, and The CW app. 

By utilizing these existing channels and digital partnerships, Scripps can restore these vital educational resources to millions of households instantly.

Right now, finding Qubo content is a major challenge for families. While there is no Qubo Channel available on either Dish Network or DirecTV, the West coast feed of ION Television airs a Qubo block from 6:00 AM Eastern/5:00 AM Central to 3:00 PM Eastern/2:00 PM Central time every day.

However, this small window is not enough. Most viewers on major satellite providers are left without a dedicated home for this educational content, especially since ION Plus isn't available on Dish or DirecTV either. We are asking for a full, 24/7 return of the standalone channel so that children across the country have reliable access to quality programming regardless of their service provider or time zone.

 

We are calling on E.W. Scripps, NBCUniversal, and Telemundo to relaunch Qubo. We believe there is a massive gap in free, educational, and entertaining broadcast television for children today.

Our Vision for the Relaunch:

To ensure the channel's success and reach, we propose a strategic multi-network rollout. After the channel's relaunch, the Qubo Kids Corner block will be branded again since February 26, 2021.

To maximize accessibility for families across the country, we suggest the following broadcast schedule:

• ION Television: Every Friday morning from 7:00 AM ET / 6:00 AM CT to 10:00 AM ET / 9:00 AM CT.
• NBC: Every Saturday morning from 7:00 AM ET / 6:00 AM CT to 10:00 AM ET / 9:00 AM CT. To accommodate this, The More You Know Saturday morning block on NBC will be relocated to Sunday mornings from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM ET.
• Telemundo: Every Saturday and Sunday morning from 7:00 AM ET / 6:00 AM CT to 10:00 AM ET / 9:00 AM CT, providing vital educational content to Spanish-speaking households.

 

ION Plus will air some infomercials overnight from 3:00AM Eastern/12:00AM Central to 6:00AM Eastern/5:00AM Central!

I hope that E.W. Scripps Company right the wrongs of the closure of Qubo and bring it back. I hope this petition can be a step to getting this done and fixing this problem. 

 

Here’s the Video for the Bumpers on Qubo:

 

 

 

Interstitials (Qubo):

• Ask Me!
• Wibbly Pig shorts
• Zerby Derby shorts
• Ruby's Studio
• I'm an Animal
• BatteryPOP

All Shows (Qubo):

The following Qubo shows have their old Qubo versions:

• 3-2-1 Penguins!
• Adventures from The Book of Virtues
• The Adventures of Paddington Bear
• Animal Atlas
• Animal Exploration with Jarod Miller
• Animal Science
• Animorphs
• Anne of Green Gables
• Archie's Weird Mysteries
• Artzooka!
• Ask Me!
• Babar
• Babar and the Adventures of Badou
• BatteryPOP
• Being Ian
• Bob the Builder (Classic)
• Bob the Builder (Reboot)
• Boo!
• BraveStarr
• Bubu and the Little Owls
• The Busy World of Richard Scarry
• Chirp
• The Choo Choo Bob Show
• Class of the Titans
• Cosmic Quantum Ray
• Culture Click
• The DaVincibles
• Dear America
• Denver the Last Dinosaur
• Dex Hamilton
• Dive Olly Dive!
• Doki
• Dragon
• Eliot Kid
• Elliot Moose
• Famous 5: On the Case
• Finding Stuff Out
• Fireman Sam
• Fishtronaut
• Franklin
• Funniest Pets & People
• George & Martha
• Ghostbusters
• Giver
• Gofrette
• Grossology
• Guess with Jess
• Harry and His Dinosaurs
• He-Man
• I Spy
• I'm an Animal
• Inspector Gadget
• Jacob Two-Two
• Jakers!
• Jane and the Dragon
• Jay Jay the Jet Plane
• Jerry and the Raiders
• Joe & Jack
• Justin Time
• Kate & Mim-Mim
• Lamb Chop's Play Along
• LarryBoy
• Look Kool
• Madeline
• Maggie and the Ferocious Beast
• The Magic School Bus
• The Magic School Bus Rides Again
• Maisy
• Marvin the Tap-Dancing Horse
• Messy Goes to OKIDO
• Meteor and the Mighty Monster Trucks
• Mickey's Farm
• Mighty Machines
• Mike the Knight
• Miss BG
• Miss Spider
• Monkey See Monkey Do
• Monster Math Squad
• My Friend Rabbit
• The Mysteries of Alfred Hedgehog
• Ned's Newt
• Nutri Ventures
• Pearlie
• Pecola
• Pet Alien
• Pippi Longstocking
• Pirates, Adventures in Art
• Postman Pat
• Raggs
• Rainbow Ruby
• Rescue Heroes
• Ruby's Studio
• Rupert
• Safari Tracks
• Sally Bollywood
• Sammy's Story Shop
• Sandra the Fairy Tale Detective
• Scaredy Squirrel
• Science Max
• Secret Millionaires Club
• She-Ra
• Shelldon
• Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century
• Sidekick
• Sitting Ducks
• Spliced
• Stella and Sam
• Stickin' Around
• Super BOOMi
• Taste Buds
• Theodore Tugboat
• This Is Daniel Cook.
• Thomas Edison's Secret Lab
• Timeblazers
• Timothy Goes to School
• ToddWorld
• Turbo Dogs
• VeggieTales
• Vivi
• Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?
• Wibbly Pig
• Willa's Wild Life
• Xploration Awesome Planet
• You & Me
• Zerby Derby
• The Zimmer Twins
• Zoo Clues
• The Zula Patrol