WBNX-TV (channel 55) is a television station licensed to Akron, Ohio, United States, serving as the Cleveland market's outlet for The CW. It is owned and operated by the network's majority owner, Nexstar Media Group, alongside Fox affiliate WJW (channel 8). The two stations share studios on Dick Goddard Way northeast of downtown Cleveland; WBNX-TV's transmitter is located in suburban Parma, Ohio.

Interest for the channel 55 frequency in Akron dated back to 1968, when televangelist Rex Humbard obtained a permit which he sought to operate as "WCOT-TV", an extension of his Cathedral of Tomorrow ministry. Despite lofty plans which included a proposed concrete tower intended to house his station's studios and transmitter mast, the tower was not finished, his station was never built and the permit was deleted. Another bidding process for a channel 55 license began in 1980 and was awarded to Akron-Rhema Television, but after Akron-Rhema ran out of money during construction, Ernest Angley agreed to operate the station using Humbard's former television studios Angley previous acquired. Signing on as independent WBNX on December 1, 1985, Angley purchased the station outright in early 1987 under the "Winston Broadcasting Network" name, a for-profit arm of his own ministry. WBNX originally featured a mixture of classic sitcoms, movies and Angley's religious programs, then picked up Fox Kids in 1994, The WB in 1997, and The CW in 2006. The CW disaffiliated from WBNX in 2018 amidst various financial issues and personal allegations made against Angley, who died in 2021. Sold to WJW owner Nexstar in early 2025, WBNX reclaimed the CW affiliation and added local newscasts produced by WJW.

In March 1951, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in the middle of a self-imposed freeze on issuing television licenses while studying future ultra high frequency (UHF) channel allocations, proposed three new UHF channels for Akron, Ohio: channels 49, 55 and 61, with channel 55 designated for non-commercial educational television (ETV) usage. Channel 49 was the first to be utilized when WAKR-TV signed on in 1953, but the proposed ETV channel was tied up in an impasse between Akron University and Kent State University. The FCC reassigned the channel 55 allocation to commercial use on August 1, 1966, after granting WAKR-TV's petition to move channels from 49 to 23; in the process, the channel 49 allocation took the ETV designation.

Rex Humbard, a televangelist headquartered in Cuyahoga Falls at the Cathedral of Tomorrow complex, filed paperwork with the FCC in May 1967 to operate a station on channel 55. Humbard and his family settled in Akron full-time in 1952 and began utilizing television the following year, holding a timeslot on WAKR-TV when it launched; his ministry was originally located in a former movie theater which was sold to WAKR for TV and radio studios. Humbard was not a stranger to the application process, having previously applied for a radio station in Massillon, Ohio. The FCC awarded Humbard the permit in June 1968 and given the WCOT-TV call sign; plans for WCOT included a heavy emphasis on religious programs in prime time and live hoedown dances, along with a January 1969 sign-on. The launch was delayed until the fall of 1969, with Humbard's son, Rex Humbard Jr., now overseeing WCOT-TV.

While no tangible progress was made on the station, Humbard filed paperwork in April 1970 to adjust WCOT-TV's antenna height to 715 feet (218 m) and power output to over 1 million watts. A former Shoppers Fair building next to the Cathedral (and owned by the church) was renovated into a buffet restaurant and television studio, with an above-ground walkway constructed between it and the Cathedral. The building would also house WCOT's studios. Cuyahoga Falls City Council agreed in August 1970 to upgrade the substation servicing the Cathedral in order to accommodate WCOT-TV and any additional development. Humbard Jr. promised a September 1971 sign-on to Bill Barrett of the Cleveland Press, saying WCOT would feature "... lots of good clean entertainment, no shoddy movies".

Inspired by the design of Husky Oil's headquarters in Calgary, Alberta, Humbard filed paperwork with Northampton Township's zoning board in May 1971 to construct a 750-foot (229 m) concrete tower, including a revolving restaurant, television studio and observation deck, along with a cross-shaped transmitter mast for WCOT-TV; if completed, the structure would be the tallest in Ohio. The design was likened by Press columnist Harriett Peters to Caesars Palace and had an estimated cost of $4 million. Earlier in the year, Humbard purchased the former Mackinac College by taking out a $2 million loan. While Humbard previously associated with the Teamsters for lending purposes, including for the Shoppers Fair renovations and walkway construction, he had satisfactory credit with area banks, with one bank providing $750,000 in startup money.

Groundbreaking for the tower took place in September 1971 despite an injunction filed by an area resident. WSLR radio also sued to halt construction under concerns their broadcast signal would be adversely affected in Akron; the suit was dismissed. A delay in construction took place during WSLR's court filing, mostly for adjustments to the antenna design. Humbard's television studio, dubbed "Cathedral Teleproductions", was completed and opened to the public in November 1971, with executives comparing it favorably to NBC's Burbank studios and among the best in the country. Despite this, Northampton Township noted the tower was not connected to water or sewer lines.

Only 494 feet (151 m) of the tower was erected during a 22-day span in November 1971 that included 19 million pounds (8.6 million kilograms) of reinforced concrete, managed by the M. W. Kellogg company. Cathedral staffers at this time promised a June 1, 1972, sign-on for WCOT-TV. Construction was halted in January 1972 and never resumed. While Cleveland-based Northern Ohio Bank agreed to provide a $5 million loan for Humbard for the tower, they did so under the stipulation all financing be secured beforehand, but Humbard ordered construction to begin anyway; this forced the contractors to take out promissory notes from the Cathedral in order to be paid. Despite this, Humbard promised the tower would be finished in 90 days and WCOT-TV would sign on at the end of 1972. After a decade of cease and desist warnings by the state, Ohio Director of Commerce Dennis Shaul ordered in January 1973 a halt to all securities sales by the Cathedral, and along with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, jointly sued Humbard the following month, alleging the church was insolvent. The lawsuit forced the closure of Humbard's studio to all outside clients, with 40 people losing their jobs. The Cathedral was placed under state supervision with all assets frozen pending a plan to pay off $12.5 million in outstanding investments.