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1995-1996 Affiliation Shuffle

E

e-dawg

When FOX network won the rights to broadcast the NFL NFC games, there was a domanial effect on the stations affiliates and some of the big three networks end up at on a UHF frequency. Just out of curiosity, are the new UHF affiliates able to reach #1 or be very competitive with the traditional VHF network affiliates?

I know ABC 33/40 in Birmingham AL was about to be #1 in their market, when they moved from VHF 6 (WBRC) now FOX affiliate. What about the other stations that the 3 three networks (ABC, CBS, NBC) end up with?

Phoenix, ABC move from KTVK 3 to KNXV 15 (FOX move to KSAZ 10 and CBS move to IND KPHO 5).
St. Louis ABC move from KTVI 2 to KDNL 30, but KDNL shut down their newscast 20 years ago.
Memphis ABC move from WHBQ 13 to WPTY 24 (now WATN)
New Orleans ABC move from WVUE 8 to WGNO 26.
Tampa Bay ABC move from WTSP 10 to WFTS 28 while CBS move from WTVT to WTSP and FOX from WFTS to WTVT 13.
Greensboro Winston-Salem ABC move from WGHP 8 to WXLV 45.
Atlanta CBS move from WAGA 5 to WGNX (now WANF) 46 while FOX move from WATL 36 to WAGA 5.
Cleveland CBS move from WJW 8 to WOIO 19.
Austin CBS move from KTBC 7 to KBVO (now KEYE) 42.
Detroit CBS move from WJBK 2 to WGPR (now WWJ)62 (WWJ just debut their newscast this year).
Milwaukee CBS move from WITI 6 to WDJT 58.
Kansas City NBC move from WDAF 4 to KSHB 41
Mobile NBC move from WALA 10 to WPMI 15
Green Bay NBC move from WLUK 11 to WGBA 26
 
e-dawg said:
When FOX network won the rights to broadcast the NFL NFC games, there was a domanial effect on the stations affiliates and some of the big three networks end up at on a UHF frequency. Just out of curiosity, are the new UHF affiliates able to reach #1 or be very competitive with the traditional VHF network affiliates?

I know ABC 33/40 in Birmingham AL was about to be #1 in their market, when they moved from VHF 6 (WBRC) now FOX affiliate. What about the other stations that the 3 three networks (ABC, CBS, NBC) end up with?

Phoenix, ABC move from KTVK 3 to KNXV 15 (FOX move to KSAZ 10 and CBS move to IND KPHO 5).
St. Louis ABC move from KTVI 2 to KDNL 30, but KDNL shut down their newscast 20 years ago.
Memphis ABC move from WHBQ 13 to WPTY 24 (now WATN)
New Orleans ABC move from WVUE 8 to WGNO 26.
Tampa Bay ABC move from WTSP 10 to WFTS 28 while CBS move from WTVT to WTSP and FOX from WFTS to WTVT 13.
Greensboro Winston-Salem ABC move from WGHP 8 to WXLV 45.
Atlanta CBS move from WAGA 5 to WGNX (now WANF) 46 while FOX move from WATL 36 to WAGA 5.
Cleveland CBS move from WJW 8 to WOIO 19.
Austin CBS move from KTBC 7 to KBVO (now KEYE) 42.
Detroit CBS move from WJBK 2 to WGPR (now WWJ)62 (WWJ just debut their newscast this year).
Milwaukee CBS move from WITI 6 to WDJT 58.
Kansas City NBC move from WDAF 4 to KSHB 41
Mobile NBC move from WALA 10 to WPMI 15
Green Bay NBC move from WLUK 11 to WGBA 26
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Detroit's Fox Affiliate moved from WKBD 50 to WJBK 2. Interestingly WKBD later became part of the CBS duopoly with WWJ CBS Detroit via the UPN and CW affiliations initially and is soon to be known as Detroit 50 with CBS Detroit as soon as the CW moves from WKBD to WADL.
 
e-dawg said:
When FOX network won the rights to broadcast the NFL NFC games, there was a domanial effect on the stations affiliates and some of the big three networks end up at on a UHF frequency.
Click to expand...
It was just a coincidence that the NFL switch and the affiliation swaps happened around the same time. The reason for the affiliation changes was that New World Communications, who owned most of the above-mentioned stations, was purchased by Fox -- A percentage at first, but then 100% in 1996. Scripps then gave ABC an offer they couldn't refuse, when they threatened to move their ABC affiliates in Cleveland and Detroit to CBS if they didn't get ABC in Phoenix and Tampa.
 
The original post sounds like it was copied and pasted from a post made 15 years ago lol.

In any case I would say as we approach the 30th anniversary of the Fox/New World deal I would definitely say long term even though CBS collapsed at the time it happened they ended up being the real winner on a national level of it all between the resurrection of their primetime line-up and for their acquisition of the AFC just as the conference began experiencing a renaissance itself.
 
KSHB in Kansas City already had a small news operation, with plans to expand it, when news of the New World deal and the affiliation switch hit. The "Fox 41" newscast actually was kind of innovative, bending some of the presentational conventions of traditional local broadcast news -- which, on the other three affiliates was very traditional at the time, especially on KCTV. (That would change a few years later with the arrival of a very controversial ND at KCTV.) But that ended as KSHB quickly re-geared to become an NBC affiliate and expanded its news department rapidly, featuring an aggressive investigative unit. By the time that happened, I had left Kansas City, and so didn't witness how audiences eventually shifted. I don't think there was much effect at first, particularly because WDAF-TV simply expanded its hours of output but otherwise retained the same format and presentation that it had before the affliation switch. I believe it took some time for the KSHB newscast to have an impact in the market.

NBC had little choice when the affiliation switch was announced: KSMO-TV channel 62 did not appear interested, and the "YFC" in KFYC-TV channel 50 stood for "Youth for Christ". KSHB was the only credible possibility, and everyone knew it.
 
Dallas/Fort Worth was indeed impacted by the 1994-1995 Affiliation shuffle as the following stations changed affiliation:

KDFW 4: from CBS to Fox, rebranded to News 4 Texas/Fox 4 Texas when switch to Fox happened after New World bought it, dropped the Texas from the name in 1997 when Fox bought out KDFW.

KTVT 11: went from Independent to CBS as CBS & Gaylord at the time reach a agreement to flip KTVT into CBS and not KXAS or WFAA, this would later lead to CBS acquiring it years later and rebranded it to CBS 11.

KDAF 33: Fox to WB, KDAF was originally a Fox O&O and then sold Renaissance Broadcasting right when they reached a agreement to have Fox leave 33 for 4 with New World, after Renaissance bought it they got bought out by Tribune in 1996, The WB was meant to go to KTVT, but the Gaylord CBS and the KDFW/New World & Fox deal meant KDAF would get WB in July 1st, 1995, as preexisting contracts ended on June 30, 1995, and thus this.

KXTX 39: from Independent to The WB and Back, in January 1995, but due to KTVT (the original choice for The WB in Dallas) going to CBS instead and KDFW taking KDAF's Fox Afflation on July 1st, thus freeing up KDAF from carrying Fox and KDFW from carrying CBS to make the switch happen, KXTX temporary became a WB afflatie as a way to let Dallas-Fort Worth TV viewers see The WB on Day 1 of the network, however when July 1st happened, KXTX reverted back to being just a indy, however i think during this time, KXTX retained it's "Texas 39" branding

Meanwhile, KXAS retained NBC, WFAA retained ABC, KTXA became a UPN O&O in January 1995, KDFI remained a Independent station, KUVN remained the Univision station, KERA remained a PBS member as well as KDTN, KFWD remained Telemundo (until 2002) and then KHSX 49 was affiliated with HSN back then, KDTX was TBN back then and KMPX was Daystar, and KPXD 68 didn't exist in 1994-1995 as it was launched in 1996 as KINZ.
 
WSBT did air Bears games when Fox got the NFC package in fall 94 South Bend even know they were CBS WSBT did air some Fox primetime in late hours that is what I got from wiki, I don't remember them airing Fox in the late night I did get WSBT & WNDU on cable I didn't have Cablevision at the time. In West Michigan there was no switching everyone kept where they were WXMI Fox17 has been with Fox since the early days of Fox was the only indie TV station from 82 to 87.
 
Megatron said:
WSBT did air Bears games when Fox got the NFC package in fall 94 South Bend even know they were CBS
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ABC affiliate KQTV, Ch. 2 in St. Joseph, MO, also carried the Fox NFC package around 1994-95.

I think that Fox made this agreement with KQTV, in early 1994, before Fox had signed a affiliation agreement with New World Communications which, at the time, owned WDAF-TV, Ch. 4 in nearby Kansas City, MO.
 
For San Francisco during the time of the 1995-1996 shuffle KPIX-TV became a CBS O&O due to the Westinghouse deal. This was when KYW, WBZ and WJZ all had to convert to CBS Affiliates at that time.

Sacramento this was when KXTV Changed affiliations from CBS to ABC and KOVR had to switch from ABC to CBS at that time.

Also for Los Angeles Disney had to sell KCAL9 to get the ABC O&O's like KABC-TV in that deal.
 
KeithE4 said:
It was just a coincidence that the NFL switch and the affiliation swaps happened around the same time. The reason for the affiliation changes was that New World Communications, who owned most of the above-mentioned stations, was purchased by Fox -- A percentage at first, but then 100% in 1996. Scripps then gave ABC an offer they couldn't refuse, when they threatened to move their ABC affiliates in Cleveland and Detroit to CBS if they didn't get ABC in Phoenix and Tampa.
Click to expand...
It was not at all a coincidence. Fox got the rights to the NFC and then set out to move from UHF affiliates and affiliates that don't do news to VHF affiliates with established news departments as much as possible.

New World made a deal to switch its stations to Fox. 8 New World Stations came from CBS, 3 from ABC, and 1 from NBC.)
 
KeithE4 said:
Scripps then gave ABC an offer they couldn't refuse, when they threatened to move their ABC affiliates in Cleveland and Detroit to CBS if they didn't get ABC in Phoenix and Tampa.
Click to expand...

bpatrick said:
Scripps not only got ABC in Phoenix and Tampa, it moved WMAR Baltimore from NBC to ABC (leading to WJZ's becoming a CBS o&o) and WCPO Cincinnati from CBS to ABC (putting it back on its original network).
Click to expand...
And KMGH 7 (Under McGraw Hill (Which Scripps later bought) ownership) balked at affiliating with NBC because it wanted to keep airing Cheers at 10:35 PM (Something it wouldn't be allowed to do with an NBC affiliation) when it sold KCNC 4 to CBS to snatch ABC from KUSA 9 (Who took the NBC affiliation)
 
Route66Fan said:
ABC affiliate KQTV, Ch. 2 in St. Joseph, MO, also carried the Fox NFC package around 1994-95.

I think that Fox made this agreement with KQTV, in early 1994, before Fox had signed a affiliation agreement with New World Communications which, at the time, owned WDAF-TV, Ch. 4 in nearby Kansas City, MO.
Click to expand...
I think that had more to do with the fact that KSHB 41 doesn't have quite the reach into the St. Joseph, MO viewing area as WDAF 4 does because UHF signals don't propogate as far as VHF signals do

Now NBC has this problem
 
JeeperOne said:
I think that had more to do with the fact that KSHB 41 doesn't have quite the reach into the St. Joseph, MO viewing area as WDAF 4 does because UHF signals don't propogate as far as VHF signals do

Now NBC has this problem
Click to expand...
NBC is on one of the NPG LPTVs in St. Joseph, as is CBS.
 
JeeperOne said:
I think that had more to do with the fact that KSHB 41 doesn't have quite the reach into the St. Joseph, MO viewing area as WDAF 4 does because UHF signals don't propogate as far as VHF signals do

Now NBC has this problem
Click to expand...
All of KC's stations are UHF. Also, St. Joseph already has "Big Four/Little One" affiliates of its own, although all but ABC and TBN are low powered.

Kansas City
WDAF-TV 4.x (Fox): RF 34
KCTV 5.x (CBS): RF 24
KMBC-TV 9.x (ABC): RF 29
KCPT 19.x (PBS): RF 18
KCWE 29.x (CW): RF 31
KSHB-TV 41.x (NBC): RF 36
KPXE-TV 50.x (Ion): RF 30

St. Joseph
KQTV 2.x (ABC): RF 7
KTAJ-TV 16.x (TBN): RF 21
KNPG-LD 21.x (NBC/CW): RF 9
KNPN-LD 26.x (Fox): RF 15
KCJO-LD 30.x (CBS): RF 28
 
KeithE4 said:
All of KC's stations are UHF. Also, St. Joseph already has "Big Four/Little One" affiliates of its own, although all but ABC and TBN are low powered.

Kansas City
WDAF-TV 4.x (Fox): RF 34
KCTV 5.x (CBS): RF 24
KMBC-TV 9.x (ABC): RF 29
KCPT 19.x (PBS): RF 18
KCWE 29.x (CW): RF 31
KSHB-TV 41.x (NBC): RF 36
KPXE-TV 50.x (Ion): RF 30

St. Joseph
KQTV 2.x (ABC): RF 7
KTAJ-TV 16.x (TBN): RF 21
KNPG-LD 21.x (NBC/CW): RF 9
KNPN-LD 26.x (Fox): RF 15
KCJO-LD 30.x (CBS): RF 28
Click to expand...
RF wise, the KC stations are but as only the virtual channels are recognized by the viewers, only the Big 4 stations are. The others are on UHF physically AND virtually
 


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