Fox switching in Ft. Wayne and Springfield, MO

[PTBoardOp94]

I believe the Terre Haute change happened as a package deal with Evansville.  I seem to remember WTVW and WBAK being co-owned prior to Nexstar. 

At the time of the great affiliation swaps, WBAK (now WFXW) was owned by Bakaheil Communications.  WTVW was actually sold in '95, and it was the new owners who pulled the ABC to FOX trigger.  I forget who owned WTVW before Nexstar, but it was not Bakaheil. Its easy to remember the name of the old WBAK because of the call sign.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

In the Springfield, MO market, Dish Network carries KSPR 33.2/K15CZ, which is a CW affiliate...the main channel is ABC and controlled by KYTV (NBC).

In the Quincy, IL/Hannibal, MO market, Dish Network carries KHQA 7.2, which is an ABC affiliate. Also in that market, Dish carries WGEM 10.3 (Fox). However, they don't carry WGEM 10.2, which is CW Plus (The fact that it's CW Plus could have something do do with that). KHQA 7.1 and WGEM 10.1 are CBS and NBC, respectively.

I can't speak for DirecTV, but it seems Dish Network does carry subchannels in some markets if they are affiliates of major networks.

Correct. In the case of Springfield and Quincy/Hannibal, the deals to carry those subchannels are part of the compensation package the owners receive in order to carry their main signals. That's what's likely to happen in Ft. Wayne, too.

And also in the case of Quincy/Hannibal--that market never had an OTA Fox affiliate of its own until the digital era, although the origin of Fox-10.3 from WGEM dates as early as 1993 with the station's creation of a cable-only Fox affiliate, "CGEM" (for its first several years it was only available in Quincy). The rest of the market either had to do without Fox or attempt to pick up alternate affiliates (either OTA or on cable) in the Quad Cities (KLJB-18), Peoria/Bloomington (WYZZ-43), Springfield (IL) (WRSP-55), Ottumwa (KYOU-15), and St. Louis (first KDNL-30 then KTVI-2 starting in 1995).

And except for a secondary affiliation with both Quincy stations throughout their history (notably WGEM picking up ABC broadcasts of daytime "Family Feud" and airing "All My Children" at 3PM until as recently as the late '90s) and the short-lived, ill-fated attempt by KTVO-3 Kirksville/Ottumwa to enter the Quincy market with their 2000-ft. tower (which fell in June 1988), it took the digital era for Quincy to also obtain a full-time ABC affiliate of their own (via KHQA-7.2). As with Fox it was either go without or try to receive KTVO or other ABC stations from Columbia (KMIZ-17), Quad Cities (WQAD-8), Peoria (WHOI-19), Springfield/Decatur (WAND-17 until Labor Day 2005, WICS-20 hereafter), and St. Louis (KTVI-2 until 1995, KDNL-30 hereafter).

 

[fybush]

The issue here isn't that FW is too small to support a Fox affiliate; it's that the Fox affiliate in question doesn't want to meet the network's terms.

You're not wrong, but it kind of brings up a question. Does every market really NEED all the affiliates. Look at South Bend and Terre Haute, in Indiana. Full power TV stations dropped ABC to pick up FOX.

Though both markets had some overlapped with strong ABC stations from Indy and Chicago, it does seem kind of necessary to ask. Like in the days in the early 70s and before when not all markets had all three networks on a full time basis

Hmmm?

Let me flip that question on its head: if the technology exists to provide "all the affiliates" in a smaller market in a way that makes economic sense, why wouldn't the networks and local station groups take advantage of it?

In Fort Wayne, the Granite cluster already has most of the infrastructure it needs to add Fox programming to the existing 33.2 subchannel. If they can make a buck or two offering Fox alongside ABC, NBC, CW and My - and if Fox can make a buck or two off reverse compensation payments from Granite - why wouldn't they make a deal?

It wouldn't have been easy to do in the days before DTV subchannels and digital master-control hubs, but in an era when a single "station" can easily offer three or more program streams, it's going to be much more unusual to see a small market without a full complement of affiliates. If WTHI or WTWO/WFXW could make a deal with ABC, it's a pretty good bet there'd be an ABC subchannel in Terre Haute (and probably will be someday); ditto for situations like NBC in Watertown NY and CBS in Utica NY.

 

[SteveRichards]

By the way, are you the same Steve Richards I used to work with at Zimmer and used to compete against at the Lake of the Ozarks?

Yes, I am.

And also in the case of Quincy/Hannibal--that market never had an OTA Fox affiliate of its own until the digital era, although the origin of Fox-10.3 from WGEM dates as early as 1993 with the station's creation of a cable-only Fox affiliate, "CGEM" (for its first several years it was only available in Quincy).

From the fall or so of 1990 until I guess CGEM signed on, WGEM had a secondary affiliation with Fox, and the station aired some of Fox's more popular shows in off-hours not programmed by NBC. I remember "The Simpsons" being on Saturday at 6:30; "Beverly Hills 90210" was on at midnight Saturday (after SNL), and I think they also carried "Married...with Children," "Cops," and "America's Most Wanted," but I can't remember the times on those...probably late Sunday nights. KRCG in Jefferson City also had a secondary Fox affiliation for roughly the same period (maybe not as long), running "The Simpsons" Sunday night at 10:30, "Married...with Children" Sunday night at 11:00, and I believe they also carried "Cops" and "America's Most Wanted" in non-CBS timeslots. I can't remember if KRCG aired "90210" or not.

 

[tripinva]

If WTHI or WTWO/WFXW could make a deal with ABC, it's a pretty good bet there'd be an ABC subchannel in Terre Haute (and probably will be someday); ditto for situations like NBC in Watertown NY and CBS in Utica NY.

If Fox continues dumping Nexstar stations, I suspect we'll be seeing ABC38 in Terre Haute and CBS33 in Utica sooner rather than later.

- Trip

 

[Stitch]

I believe the Terre Haute change happened as a package deal with Evansville. I seem to remember WTVW and WBAK being co-owned prior to Nexstar.

At the time of the great affiliation swaps, WBAK (now WFXW) was owned by Bakaheil Communications. WTVW was actually sold in '95, and it was the new owners who pulled the ABC to FOX trigger. I forget who owned WTVW before Nexstar, but it was not Bakaheil. Its easy to remember the name of the old WBAK because of the call sign.

WTVW was bought by Petracom, which initiated the switch to Fox. They were later sold to Quorum Broadcasting, which was bought out by Nexstar. Ironically, WTVW was never supposed to be part of the Quorum package; it was originally to be spun off before the sale to another owner who was then going to outsource WTVW's operations to WFIE. The buyer backed out at the last minute, and Nexstar ended up with WTVW.

Also of note, before the switch to Fox, WTVW had been serving as the defacto ABC affiliate for viewers OTA (for those with good antennas) and on cable as far north as Sullivan, Indiana when WBAK
made the move to Fox some months earlier.

 

[nomadcowatbk]

By the way, are you the same Steve Richards I used to work with at Zimmer and used to compete against at the Lake of the Ozarks?

Yes, I am.

And also in the case of Quincy/Hannibal--that market never had an OTA Fox affiliate of its own until the digital era, although the origin of Fox-10.3 from WGEM dates as early as 1993 with the station's creation of a cable-only Fox affiliate, "CGEM" (for its first several years it was only available in Quincy).

From the fall or so of 1990 until I guess CGEM signed on, WGEM had a secondary affiliation with Fox, and the station aired some of Fox's more popular shows in off-hours not programmed by NBC. I remember "The Simpsons" being on Saturday at 6:30; "Beverly Hills 90210" was on at midnight Saturday (after SNL), and I think they also carried "Married...with Children," "Cops," and "America's Most Wanted," but I can't remember the times on those...probably late Sunday nights. KRCG in Jefferson City also had a secondary Fox affiliation for roughly the same period (maybe not as long), running "The Simpsons" Sunday night at 10:30, "Married...with Children" Sunday night at 11:00, and I believe they also carried "Cops" and "America's Most Wanted" in non-CBS timeslots. I can't remember if KRCG aired "90210" or not.

Did these stations use syndex rules to protect their Fox monoply by forcing the cable systems to black out a distant Fox station that a cable system imported from a nearby market?

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

By the way, are you the same Steve Richards I used to work with at Zimmer and used to compete against at the Lake of the Ozarks?

Yes, I am.

And also in the case of Quincy/Hannibal--that market never had an OTA Fox affiliate of its own until the digital era, although the origin of Fox-10.3 from WGEM dates as early as 1993 with the station's creation of a cable-only Fox affiliate, "CGEM" (for its first several years it was only available in Quincy).

From the fall or so of 1990 until I guess CGEM signed on, WGEM had a secondary affiliation with Fox, and the station aired some of Fox's more popular shows in off-hours not programmed by NBC. I remember "The Simpsons" being on Saturday at 6:30; "Beverly Hills 90210" was on at midnight Saturday (after SNL), and I think they also carried "Married...with Children," "Cops," and "America's Most Wanted," but I can't remember the times on those...probably late Sunday nights. KRCG in Jefferson City also had a secondary Fox affiliation for roughly the same period (maybe not as long), running "The Simpsons" Sunday night at 10:30, "Married...with Children" Sunday night at 11:00, and I believe they also carried "Cops" and "America's Most Wanted" in non-CBS timeslots. I can't remember if KRCG aired "90210" or not.

Did these stations use syndex rules to protect their Fox monoply by forcing the cable systems to black out a distant Fox station that a cable system imported from a nearby market?

In the case of WGEM and CGEM, with the exception of Quincy city proper itself, no. Other cable systems within the market commonly picked up alternate Fox stations from surrounding markets or picked up the old "FoxNet" feed. Macomb in McDonough County (home of Western Illinois University) received Fox programming (and IIRC still does on cable) from KLJB-18 Quad Cities, while some smaller cable systems in that county may have also or instead offered WRSP-55 Springfield, IL. Likewise, in other parts of the Quincy market's Illinois side, WRSP for years was the only Fox station offered in Rushville (Schuyler County) and Mt. Sterling (Brown County), and was also formerly carried on cable in Pittsfield (Pike County) alongside KTVI-2 St. Louis. I remember seeing one time that Carthage (Hancock County) had Fox programming from KYOU-15 Ottumwa, IA, and possibly KLJB, but unsure on the latter (although for years the Big 3 network affiliates from the Quad Cities were also on Carthage's cable system, including WHBF-4 for CBS and KWQC-6 for NBC--even though they're 30 miles from Quincy).

Although I'm doubtful it happened, I have sometimes wondered if in either the pre-Fox and early Fox days (after its 1982 increase in signal and call letter changes) if there were some cable systems in extreme eastern Missouri (Louisiana, MO and Bowling Green--and maybe even Hannibal) that at least attempted to pick up WRSP-55 in Springfield (at least back when it was a good regional indy). I've wondered that as WRSP's cable penetration has historically entered farther into western Illinois (the forementioned Rushville, Pittsfield, Mt. Sterling, etc.) than WICS-20 (even after the latter's switch to ABC on Labor Day 2005--which near the end of the analog era was able to fill some of the ABC void in the eastern parts of the Quincy market).

 

[mgsports]

KRCG has no Digital Sub Channel and doesn't not show any of Fox's Shows.

 

[Kent]

KRCG has no Digital Sub Channel and doesn't not show any of Fox's Shows.

I think what he was saying was that, years ago (prior to KMIZ getting Fox 11, later Fox 38 and now Fox 22), KRCG ran Fox programming in the late night hours. I can't verify that as I've only lived in Mid-MO for about 10 years, and KMIZ has always had either an LPTV or a class A TV airing Fox. I do remember, however, that Joplin's KODE had a secondary affiliation with Fox prior to the signon of KFJX 14. Outside of sports programming, which KODE would air live and, thus, bump ABC programming, they ran Fox primetime programming in the middle of the night. I believe it was either midnight to 2 AM or 1 AM to 3 AM. I can remember some of their promos for Fox programming, "Set your VCR for 1 AM [or some overnight time frame] for Space, Above and Beyond!"

As for LPTV's and subchannels forcing cable to blackout distant network affiliates, I know it does happen in some markets. Again, this is usually done as part of the compensation for carrying the main signal.

 

[nomadcowatbk]

KRCG has no Digital Sub Channel and doesn't not show any of Fox's Shows.

I think what he was saying was that, years ago (prior to KMIZ getting Fox 11, later Fox 38 and now Fox 22), KRCG ran Fox programming in the late night hours. I can't verify that as I've only lived in Mid-MO for about 10 years, and KMIZ has always had either an LPTV or a class A TV airing Fox. I do remember, however, that Joplin's KODE had a secondary affiliation with Fox prior to the signon of KFJX 14. Outside of sports programming, which KODE would air live and, thus, bump ABC programming, they ran Fox primetime programming in the middle of the night. I believe it was either midnight to 2 AM or 1 AM to 3 AM. I can remember some of their promos for Fox programming, "Set your VCR for 1 AM [or some overnight time frame] for Space, Above and Beyond!"

As for LPTV's and subchannels forcing cable to blackout distant network affiliates, I know it does happen in some markets. Again, this is usually done as part of the compensation for carrying the main signal.

What I was asking did the secondary Fox affiliates (or WB/UPN/CW) force the cable systems to black out an imported primary Fox affiliate (or WB/UPN/CW) from a distant make to protect their monoply on Fox?

 

[SteveRichards]

I doubt there was much of a syndex issue back when KRCG, WGEM, and KODE had their secondary Fox affiliations in the early '90s. At the time, the Fox affiliates in the regions were KDNL-St. Louis, KSHB-Kansas City, KDEB (now KSFX) Springfield (MO), KYOU-Ottumwa, and WRSP-Springfield (IL).

I do recall KSHB being available in Columbia in 1989, although I didn't live there...I just saw "Married...with Children" while in a restaurant one evening in Columbia and it was from KSHB. I don't know if KSHB was available in Jefferson City or not. I have a feeling that KSHB had been dropped from cable by the time KRCG started showing a few Fox shows in the fall of 1990.

KYOU and WRSP would been the primary Fox affiliates in WGEM's territory. I doubt that KYOU was carried on many, if any, cable systems that were technically outside the Kirksville-Ottumwa DMA, and I doubt WGEM would have seen little KYOU as much of a threat. I don't know to what extent WRSP-Springfield was carried on cable to the east of Quincy. KDNL was never available on cable in Quincy, although I think it was available for a time in Hannibal after the switch to ABC...not sure about that, or if it was available in Hannibal as a Fox affiliate prior to the summer of 1995. KTVO (ABC) in Kirksville has always carried many of the same syndicated shows as the Quincy stations, and I don't think that those shows have been blocked on cable in either market at any time. I think the "significantly viewed" status probably comes into play there.

The Springfield, Mo. stations, along with the Columbia-Jefferson City stations, have always been available on cable at the Lake of the Ozarks, as the Lake is right on the border of the two DMAs. There have never been any blackouts of network or syndicated programming there due to the location and I imagine the "significantly viewed" status of those stations.

 

[nomadcowatbk]

When KSDK (NBC) from St Louis was on cable in Columbia, it was blacked out most of the time except for the local news, replaced by infomercials. KMBC(ABC) and KCTV(CBS) are available in SD on cable in Manhattan KS (in the Topeka DMA) but blacked out most the time except for the local news from those stations

 

[mgsports]

Charter Osage Beach doesn't have MYZOU/KZOK/Universal Sports Network and some of the Digital Sub Channels that Springfield gets from Arkansas. Same goes for Sudderlink.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

I doubt there was much of a syndex issue back when KRCG, WGEM, and KODE had their secondary Fox affiliations in the early '90s. At the time, the Fox affiliates in the regions were KDNL-St. Louis, KSHB-Kansas City, KDEB (now KSFX) Springfield (MO), KYOU-Ottumwa, and WRSP-Springfield (IL).

I do recall KSHB being available in Columbia in 1989, although I didn't live there...I just saw "Married...with Children" while in a restaurant one evening in Columbia and it was from KSHB. I don't know if KSHB was available in Jefferson City or not. I have a feeling that KSHB had been dropped from cable by the time KRCG started showing a few Fox shows in the fall of 1990.

KYOU and WRSP would been the primary Fox affiliates in WGEM's territory. I doubt that KYOU was carried on many, if any, cable systems that were technically outside the Kirksville-Ottumwa DMA, and I doubt WGEM would have seen little KYOU as much of a threat. I don't know to what extent WRSP-Springfield was carried on cable to the east of Quincy. KDNL was never available on cable in Quincy, although I think it was available for a time in Hannibal after the switch to ABC...not sure about that, or if it was available in Hannibal as a Fox affiliate prior to the summer of 1995. KTVO (ABC) in Kirksville has always carried many of the same syndicated shows as the Quincy stations, and I don't think that those shows have been blocked on cable in either market at any time. I think the "significantly viewed" status probably comes into play there.

In addition to the above-mentioned alternate Fox affiliates in the Quincy market in the network's early days, there was also KLJB-18 Davenport, IA (Quad Cities) which has been traditionally carried on cable systems in Macomb (including the on-campus MATV system at WIU) and in much of McDonough County. But some of the smaller systems in that county--particularly in the town of Industry and even IIRC for a time in Good Hope--also received WRSP on cable (and I'm not sure if WRSP has ever been offered on cable in Macomb--but another Springfield station, WICS-20, might have been offered in Macomb for a time on cable). But that has changed with digital as these systems either resorted to WGEM-10.3 or went solely with KLJB.

Then there was little KJMH-26 Burlington, IA (now the QC's CW as KGCW with its tranny near Aledo, IL). I've often wondered, during its Fox days (even during the time that KLJB lost their Fox affiliation briefly from 1988-90): had the station not been on channel 26 (next door to WQEC-27 in Quincy) and for their weak signal I sometimes wonder if there could have been an effort for KJMH to raise their power and try to also target Quincy/Hannibal in addition to the southern half of the Quad Cities market (even though Burlington is in the QC DMA but has also traditionally carried the Quincy stations on cable).

 

[mgsports]

http://www.silicondust.com/hdhomerun/lineup_web/US:65020#sidebyside Camdenton

 

[TheRob]

Just an update:

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvspy/after-losing-fox-affiliation-nexstar-owned-wfft-will-go-independent-next-month_b15373