KPLR/ KDNL ST. Louis

[e-dawg]

SHould KPLR Ch. 11 be an ABC affiliate and let KDNL Ch. 30 become the new CW network, and/or should Sinclair sell their st louis station to Tribune so they can switch abc to VHF and the new CW on the UHF?

 

[SteveRichards]

Tribune-owned KPLR isn't likely to switch to ABC, since being a Trib station is about as close as you can come to being a WB/CW O&O. ABC does really need to be on a different station in St. Louis, but at the moment, it seems the network really has no better or realistic option than KDNL. I don't see ABC buying KDNL, as the market is probably a little small for ABC and it would take so much money to make KDNL even remotely competitive against KMOV and KSDK. Even if Tribune would buy KDNL and operate it as a duopoly with KPLR, I don't think they'd flip the affiliations. I believe Tribune has a 10-year deal with the CW for its CW-affiliated stations.

 

[fybush]

The whole "VHF advantage" thing is rapidly becoming a dead issue as the DTV transition moves forward. In most markets, cable/satellite penetration is now well north of 80%, and when analog signs off in less than three years, the last trace of a signal disadvantage for UHF stations will be history. After that, it's merely a question of branding and promotion, not of any real-world signal difference. To the extent that ABC would be better off on KPLR than on KDNL, it's a matter of KPLR's superior local news and marketing, not of "11" versus "30". Or, to put it another way, it's 2006 now, not 1976.

 

[Kent]

SHould KPLR Ch. 11 be an ABC affiliate and let KDNL Ch. 30 become the new CW network, and/or should Sinclair sell their st louis station to Tribune so they can switch abc to VHF and the new CW on the UHF?

Don't look for it to happen. The Cardinals are a big money maker for KPLR, and I hear the general feeling around KPLR is that they're much better off with WB/CW than with one of the big four because they constantly pre-empt network programming for the Cards (and the Blues for that matter). There aren't many big four affiliates who have two major league sports (if you can still call hockey a major league sport), and that's generally for good reason. The networks aren't keen on getting pre-empted, especially not 11 months out of the year! About the only way I could see a change like that is if, as you mentioned, Tribune also buys KDNL, which I've been told is not a top-4 station in St. Louis, and switched the affiliations. I do like the idea of Sinclair getting out of St. Louis and think Tribune is a great operator, but I don't know if we'll see it happen.

 

[JeeperOne]

Hi everyone:Isn't KPLR 11 owned by Ackerly (sp?)? I think I read on an old thread (During the days of the old board format) here indicating that it was.Or am I thinking of Sinclair being the owner?Also...Isn't KPLR 11 The WB's (Soon to be The CW's) top ranked affiliate? If so, there's no way WB/CW will let them go!Cheers Pat

 

[adam95]

KPLR is owned by Tribune. Acme sold it to them a year or two back. Whether or not Ackerley used to own the station, I don't know. Maybe one of the pros can answer this.KDNL is the Sinclair owned station.

 

[azumanga]

Whether or not Ackerley used to own the station, I don't know. Maybe one of the pros can answer this.

I don't think Ackerley ever owned KPLR -- Koplar owned the station most of its life, until its sale to Acme (not Ackerley) in 1998. A few years later, it changed hands to Tribune.

 

[dhett]

I'm no professional but...According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KPLR), KPLR was started in 1959 by Edward "Ted" Koplar (hence the call sign KPLR - KoPLaR) and was sold in the mid-1990s to Acme. Acme sold KPLR to Tribune in 2003.RecNet (http://www.recnet.com/cdbs/fmq.php?facid=35417) shows the sale of KPLR from Edward Koplar to Acme on 2/18/1998 and the sale to Tribune on 3/14/2003.