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KTVK ABC History

T

tj1212

Guest
KTVK's website indicates that Channel 3 was an ABC affiliate for 40 years and also was one of the strongest affiliate's for ABC. The web site also indicates that ABC pulled the affiliation in 1995. Can anyone explain why this occured?
 
> KTVK's website indicates that Channel 3 was an ABC affiliate
> for 40 years and also was one of the strongest affiliate's
> for ABC. The web site also indicates that ABC pulled the
> affiliation in 1995. Can anyone explain why this occured?
>
During the era in the mid 1990's, when FOX's acquisition of the NFL contract caused them to purchase stations around the country, triggering affiliate switches, Channel 15 lost its affiliation with FOX when the network bought Channel 10. Scripps/Howard, which own Channel 15, was being wooed by NBC to switch its Cleveland station affiliation from ABC. Scripps/Howard told ABC they would stay with them in Cleveland if the network came to their Phoenix station.

As fast as you could say Jodi Applegate, ABC left 3, and went to 15. 3 became independent, and has done well since. 15 has struggled to deliver numbers, especially in news, where a revolving door with anchors has not given the audience a chance to connect with anyone.

Ask ABC, and they probably would admit privately that they would have liked to stay, but look at the bright side. If 3 stays with ABC, no Good Morning Arizona. If 15 in independent, Sonoran Living starts at 7:00.
 
So channel 10 was independent?

> > KTVK's website indicates that Channel 3 was an ABC
> affiliate
> > for 40 years and also was one of the strongest affiliate's
>
> > for ABC. The web site also indicates that ABC pulled the
> > affiliation in 1995. Can anyone explain why this occured?
> >
> During the era in the mid 1990's, when FOX's acquisition of
> the NFL contract caused them to purchase stations around the
> country, triggering affiliate switches, Channel 15 lost its
> affiliation with FOX when the network bought Channel 10.
> Scripps/Howard, which own Channel 15, was being wooed by NBC
> to switch its Cleveland station affiliation from ABC.
> Scripps/Howard told ABC they would stay with them in
> Cleveland if the network came to their Phoenix station.
>
> As fast as you could say Jodi Applegate, ABC left 3, and
> went to 15. 3 became independent, and has done well since.
> 15 has struggled to deliver numbers, especially in news,
> where a revolving door with anchors has not given the
> audience a chance to connect with anyone.
>
> Ask ABC, and they probably would admit privately that they
> would have liked to stay, but look at the bright side. If 3
> stays with ABC, no Good Morning Arizona. If 15 in
> independent, Sonoran Living starts at 7:00.
>
 
> So channel 10 was independent?
>
Channel 10 (then KOOL-TV) was a CBS affiliate from 1955 (when it picked up CBS from KPHO TV5)..it was part owned by Gene Autry (and showed a lot of his movies on Saturday aftns) until 1980, when it was sold to Gulf Broadcasting and became KTSP (TempeScottsdalePhoenix) then went through a bunch of various owners until 1994-5 when the calls changed to KSAZ (The Spirit Of Arizona) and New World bought the station. In 1995, FOX bought New World and switched all of NW's stations to Fox (including channel 10). CBS switched over to KPHO (who was the original CBS affiliate from 1949-when it went on the air-to 1955)
 
> > So channel 10 was independent?
> >
> Channel 10 (then KOOL-TV) was a CBS affiliate from 1955
> (when it picked up CBS from KPHO TV5)..it was part owned by
> Gene Autry (and showed a lot of his movies on Saturday
> aftns) until 1980, when it was sold to Gulf Broadcasting and
> became KTSP (TempeScottsdalePhoenix) then went through a

I had understood that the calls KTSP really had nothing to do with TempeScottsdalePhoenix; that was just a story concocted to make the call letter change more palatable. When they bought KOOL-TV, Gulf Broadcasting also owned WTSP in Tampa-St. Petersburg, which they had bought in 1978. The calls were changed to KTSP to match WTSP. IIRC, that was according to KSAZ themselves, but I'm not 100% sure of the source.
 
> > So channel 10 was independent?
> >
> Channel 10 (then KOOL-TV) was a CBS affiliate from 1955
> (when it picked up CBS from KPHO TV5)..it was part owned by
> Gene Autry (and showed a lot of his movies on Saturday
> aftns) until 1980, when it was sold to Gulf Broadcasting and
> became KTSP (TempeScottsdalePhoenix) then went through a
> bunch of various owners until 1994-5 when the calls changed
> to KSAZ (The Spirit Of Arizona) and New World bought the
> station. In 1995, FOX bought New World and switched all of
> NW's stations to Fox (including channel 10). CBS switched
> over to KPHO (who was the original CBS affiliate from
> 1949-when it went on the air-to 1955)

Fox bought into New World in the spring of '94, about 3 months after New World purchased Channel 10 and changed the call letters to KSAZ-TV. Fox purchased the remaining shares of New World in 1996, offically making Channel 10 a Fox O&O.

Before 1955, KOOL-TV was a limited-schedule ABC affiliate. When KTVK went on the air they took ABC from KOOL and KOOL took CBS away from KPHO. That left Channel 5 with the crumbling remains of the soon-to-be-dead Dumont network. Dumont would be gone, except for some sports that lasted into 1956, a few months later.

Supposedly, CBS was unhappy with Meredith in those days and that was the "official" reason they moved. But rumors have always circulated that KOOL co-owner Gene Autry, who had shows on CBS radio and TV at the time, wanted his show on his station. This rumor is probably closer to the truth since CBS Radio switched from KOY to KOOL a couple of years earlier.

Channel 10 was an independent for about 3 1/2 months between the CBS return to Channel 5 in September '94 and the arrival of Fox that December. They showed a lot of movies, Streets of San Francisco reruns and expanded their local news like KTVK did.

After Fox moved, Channel 15 was an indie for about a month before ABC arrived in January '95, but they'd been carrying Good Morning America since August and World News Tonight since about November. Channel 3 let them go early to make way for expanded local news.
 
> As fast as you could say Jodi Applegate

And don't forget Heidi Fogelsong, Cater Lee, Jim Howl on weather and Jerry Foster in the helicopter.
 
> During the era in the mid 1990's, when FOX's acquisition of
> the NFL contract caused them to purchase stations around the
> country, triggering affiliate switches, Channel 15 lost its
> affiliation with FOX when the network bought Channel 10.
> Scripps/Howard, which own Channel 15, was being wooed by NBC
> to switch its Cleveland station affiliation from ABC.
> Scripps/Howard told ABC they would stay with them in
> Cleveland if the network came to their Phoenix station.

IIRC, they were being wooed by CBS for their Detroit and Cleveland stations, not NBC. NBC in Cleveland, WKYC-TV, was still an O&O then I believe (it's now owned by Gannett).

Scripps then blackmailed ABC, saying that they'd take Detroit & Cleveland to CBS if they didn't get ABC for Phoenix and Tampa. This was when ABC was still owned by Cap Cities. Somehow I doubt that Scripps would get away with blackmailing Disney. This shoved CBS to UHF in Cleveland and Detroit. The same thing happened in Milwaukee & Atlanta, but Scripps wasn't involved in those cities' swaps.

> As fast as you could say Jodi Applegate, ABC left 3, and
> went to 15. 3 became independent, and has done well since.
> 15 has struggled to deliver numbers, especially in news,
> where a revolving door with anchors has not given the
> audience a chance to connect with anyone.

And that's really too bad, because KNXV has been improving over the last couple of years, while KTVK is becoming a bit of a laughingstock. They're a shadow of their former selves, even though they have some excellent people working there.

> Ask ABC, and they probably would admit privately that they
> would have liked to stay, but look at the bright side. If 3
> stays with ABC, no Good Morning Arizona. If 15 in
> independent, Sonoran Living starts at 7:00.

GMAZ would likely run from 4:30 to 7 if KTVK still had ABC. KNXV would probably have become the WB affiliate instead of KASW (which wasn't on the air yet - KTVK ran WB shows on weekends at first).
 
> And don't forget Heidi Fogelsong, Cater Lee, Jim Howl on weather and Jerry Foster in the helicopter.

I'd be willing to bet that KTVK would love to forget Jim Howl on weather and Jerry Foster in the helicopter.
 
> Channel 10 was an independent for about 3 1/2 months between
> the CBS return to Channel 5 in September '94 and the arrival
> of Fox that December. They showed a lot of movies, Streets
> of San Francisco reruns and expanded their local news like
> KTVK did.

Then GM Ron Bergamo (now at AZ-TV) had some big ideas during (and a while after) the time Channel 10 was in transition to FOX. The 9 PM show, Arizona Prime, was supposed to be a localized version of NBC's Dateline. Heidi Fogelsong's return to Phoenix TV a year after giving birth to twins was supposed to boost 10's fortune in the morning, but less than a year later, the original Arizona Morning made the transition to a three-hour hard news block (10 relaunched Arizona Morning in '97 and it's been the number two morning show in Phoenix ever since - ahead of the network offerings). Pat McMahon simulcasted his KTAR radio show an hour each day at 9 in the morning - something that Bergamo would try again at AZ-TV, but this time with McMahon doing a live TV talk show (which still airs live every morning) and a simulcast of David Leibowitz at KTAR (which only lasted a little over a year in 2002 and 2003). It took two years (and two general managers later) for Channel 10 to regain its momentum after becoming FOX. However, Bergamo managed to successfully launch Tucson's WB affiliate, and relaunch Prescott's KUSK into AZ-TV with amazing results for such a small station.
 
> Fox bought into New World in the spring of '94, about 3
> months after New World purchased Channel 10 and changed the
> call letters to KSAZ-TV. Fox purchased the remaining shares
> of New World in 1996, offically making Channel 10 a Fox O&O.

One minor clarification: KTSP became KSAZ-TV on February 12, 1994, the day of the opening ceremonies for the '94 Winter Olympics. Great American still owned the station and had yet to sell it to New World. Despite being controlled by billionaire Carl Lindner, Great American had some financial problems (actually, the broadcast television industry as a whole was struggling in the early '90s) which led to the company selling off most of its stations to New World.
 
> > And don't forget Heidi Fogelsong, Cater Lee, Jim Howl on
> weather and Jerry Foster in the helicopter.
>
> I'd be willing to bet that KTVK would love to forget Jim
> Howl on weather and Jerry Foster in the helicopter.
>

Jerry Foster worked at channel? I always remembered him at channel 12 where he also did the weather. (He always told viewers that if the forecast was lousy to remember he was only a helicopter pilot.) He started out at KOOL radio, though. Correct?<P ID="signature">______________
Mike
MOR Memories - Class from the Past
http://www.mormemories.com
































</P>
 
Whew! I'm trying to follow all this and thank you for everyone's input. The only missing link that I can locate is what affiliation did Channel 5 have after 1955 to 1995? ABC Channel 3 - Channel 8 PBS - Channel 10 CBS - NBC Channel 12 Channel 15 (on the air?)

> > So channel 10 was independent?
> > >
> > Channel 10 (then KOOL-TV) was a CBS affiliate from 1955
> > (when it picked up CBS from KPHO TV5)..it was part owned
> by
> > Gene Autry (and showed a lot of his movies on Saturday
> > aftns) until 1980, when it was sold to Gulf Broadcasting
> and
> > became KTSP (TempeScottsdalePhoenix) then went through a
> > bunch of various owners until 1994-5 when the calls
> changed
> > to KSAZ (The Spirit Of Arizona) and New World bought the
> > station. In 1995, FOX bought New World and switched all of
>
> > NW's stations to Fox (including channel 10). CBS switched
> > over to KPHO (who was the original CBS affiliate from
> > 1949-when it went on the air-to 1955)
>
> Fox bought into New World in the spring of '94, about 3
> months after New World purchased Channel 10 and changed the
> call letters to KSAZ-TV. Fox purchased the remaining shares
> of New World in 1996, offically making Channel 10 a Fox O&O.
>
>
> Before 1955, KOOL-TV was a limited-schedule ABC affiliate.
> When KTVK went on the air they took ABC from KOOL and KOOL
> took CBS away from KPHO. That left Channel 5 with the
> crumbling remains of the soon-to-be-dead Dumont network.
> Dumont would be gone, except for some sports that lasted
> into 1956, a few months later.
>
> Supposedly, CBS was unhappy with Meredith in those days and
> that was the "official" reason they moved. But rumors have
> always circulated that KOOL co-owner Gene Autry, who had
> shows on CBS radio and TV at the time, wanted his show on
> his station. This rumor is probably closer to the truth
> since CBS Radio switched from KOY to KOOL a couple of years
> earlier.
>
> Channel 10 was an independent for about 3 1/2 months between
> the CBS return to Channel 5 in September '94 and the arrival
> of Fox that December. They showed a lot of movies, Streets
> of San Francisco reruns and expanded their local news like
> KTVK did.
>
> After Fox moved, Channel 15 was an indie for about a month
> before ABC arrived in January '95, but they'd been carrying
> Good Morning America since August and World News Tonight
> since about November. Channel 3 let them go early to make
> way for expanded local news.
>
 
> Whew! I'm trying to follow all this and thank you for
> everyone's input. The only missing link that I can locate is
> what affiliation did Channel 5 have after 1955 to 1995? ABC
> Channel 3 - Channel 8 PBS - Channel 10 CBS - NBC Channel 12
> Channel 15 (on the air?)

Channel 5 was basically the local indy station in that time period, they probably showed what was left of Dumont programming at the end of Dumont's existence then old tv shows (it was the home of Andy Griffith), old movies, and the (in)famous Wallace & Ladmo show. They were also part of "Operation Prime Time"-which showed first run programming.

Chs. 15 and 45 came on the air at the same time (1978-79)...Ch 15 was the local station for ON-TV, which was a pay channel that operated overnight...15 ran reruns during the day, then at 7pm (after Monty Python) ONTV started and a scrambled picture showed (unless you were a subsciber). When ONTV went kaput in the 80s', 15 became a basic indy station (they were the local channel for Elvira!) until Fox began in the late 80s. Ch 45 was an indy until UPN went on the air (Ch 45's then-owner - United Television - was part owner of UPN)

Ch 21 has an interesting history. It was the first Spanish-language station when it went on the air in the 60s (I remember when they showed bullfights!)
In the 70s they became a struggling independent until the late 70s when Trinity Broadcasting (Jan & Paul Crouch) bought the station.
 
The Phoenix TV history is so interesting. So through all of this, Channel 12 was left untouched. 12 started with NBC and continues NBC. And how do they continue their relationship still with the Arizona Republic? I thought the FCC cut those lines back in the 70's.

And also what role, if any, did Barry Goldwater play in Phoenix TV development?


> > Whew! I'm trying to follow all this and thank you for
> > everyone's input. The only missing link that I can locate
> is
> > what affiliation did Channel 5 have after 1955 to 1995?
> ABC
> > Channel 3 - Channel 8 PBS - Channel 10 CBS - NBC Channel
> 12
> > Channel 15 (on the air?)
>
> Channel 5 was basically the local indy station in that time
> period, they probably showed what was left of Dumont
> programming at the end of Dumont's existence then old tv
> shows (it was the home of Andy Griffith), old movies, and
> the (in)famous Wallace & Ladmo show. They were also part of
> "Operation Prime Time"-which showed first run programming.
>
> Chs. 15 and 45 came on the air at the same time
> (1978-79)...Ch 15 was the local station for ON-TV, which was
> a pay channel that operated overnight...15 ran reruns during
> the day, then at 7pm (after Monty Python) ONTV started and a
> scrambled picture showed (unless you were a subsciber). When
> ONTV went kaput in the 80s', 15 became a basic indy station
> (they were the local channel for Elvira!) until Fox began in
> the late 80s. Ch 45 was an indy until UPN went on the air
> (Ch 45's then-owner - United Television - was part owner of
> UPN)
>
> Ch 21 has an interesting history. It was the first
> Spanish-language station when it went on the air in the 60s
> (I remember when they showed bullfights!)
> In the 70s they became a struggling independent until the
> late 70s when Trinity Broadcasting (Jan & Paul Crouch)
> bought the station.
>
 
Re: Channels 5, 15, 21

> Channel 5 was basically the local indy station in that time
> period, they probably showed what was left of Dumont
> programming at the end of Dumont's existence then old tv
> shows (it was the home of Andy Griffith), old movies, and
> the (in)famous Wallace & Ladmo show. They were also part of
> "Operation Prime Time"-which showed first run programming.

What was "infamous" about Wallace & Ladmo? Statements like that are blasphemous around these parts, podnah! :-D

> Chs. 15 and 45 came on the air at the same time
> (1978-79)...Ch 15 was the local station for ON-TV, which was
> a pay channel that operated overnight...15 ran reruns during
> the day, then at 7pm (after Monty Python) ONTV started and a
> scrambled picture showed (unless you were a subsciber).

Or you had a home-built decoder. Even a properly-detuned VCR (the ones with the thumwheel tuners that were common then) could get the picture.

> When ONTV went kaput in the 80s', 15 became a basic indy station
> (they were the local channel for Elvira!) until Fox began in
> the late 80s. Ch 45 was an indy until UPN went on the air
> (Ch 45's then-owner - United Television - was part owner of UPN)

Didn't Fox first approach Channel 5 but were turned down? I remember hearing something about that.

> Ch 21 has an interesting history. It was the first
> Spanish-language station when it went on the air in the 60s
> (I remember when they showed bullfights!)
> In the 70s they became a struggling independent until the
> late 70s when Trinity Broadcasting (Jan & Paul Crouch)
> bought the station.

KPAZ circa 1974 came on the air at about 4 PM, IIRC. They had a couple of old B&W reruns (The Real McCoys comes to mind), then what was probably the worst, most ineptly-produced, lowest-budget, unprofessional newscast in the history of television at 5. But it was Phoenix's only 5 PM newscast at the time (3, 10, and 12 had news at 6).

The rest of the day was hack religious programs, some local but mostly syndicated (the station was owned by a local church at the time - this was pre-TBN) and some Phoenix Giants (who became the Firebirds years later) baseball games.

They moved from Tower Plaza (named for KTAR's towers that had been there since around 1940 - they built the mall around them) to their current location on E. McDowell Rd. at about that time. It didn't help. I believe they were dark for several months in 1976 before TBN bought them out.
 
> The Phoenix TV history is so interesting. So through all of
> this, Channel 12 was left untouched. 12 started with NBC and
> continues NBC. And how do they continue their relationship
> still with the Arizona Republic? I thought the FCC cut those
> lines back in the 70's.
>
In 1979 KPNX's owner, Combined Communications Corp., merged with Gannett, which also owns USA Today. Gannett then bought Central Newspapers, owners of the Arizona Republic.
 
> > > And don't forget Heidi Fogelsong, Cater Lee, Jim Howl on
>
> > weather and Jerry Foster in the helicopter.
> >
> > I'd be willing to bet that KTVK would love to forget Jim
> > Howl on weather and Jerry Foster in the helicopter.
> >
>
> Jerry Foster worked at channel? I always remembered him at
> channel 12 where he also did the weather. (He always told
> viewers that if the forecast was lousy to remember he was
> only a helicopter pilot.) He started out at KOOL radio,
> though. Correct?
>
He was at Channel 3 with Bruce Haffner as his cameraman. Bruce took up flying lessons to fulfil a childhood dream and when Jerry had legal problems with drugs, Bruce took over on a part time basis. When Jerry did not return, it was Bruce's ride full time.
 
Re: KPNX NBC History

> > The Phoenix TV history is so interesting. So through all of
> > this, Channel 12 was left untouched. 12 started with NBC and
> > continues NBC. And how do they continue their relationship
> > still with the Arizona Republic? I thought the FCC cut those
> > lines back in the 70's.

Channel 12 was founded in Mesa as KTYL-TV, owned by the Harkins Theatre group that also owned what is now KXAM 1310 at the time (the radio station was on 1490 until the mid '50s). They became KVAR in about 1955 when the company that became Combined Communications bought them, and then KTAR-TV when the FCC allowed the Mesa-allocated channel to move into new studios in Phoenix in 1959. IIRC, the building had been built several years earlier and KTAR radio was already there.

It took a change in FCC rules for the move to be allowed since Mesa and downtown Phoenix are more than 15 miles apart. I believe a station's studio had to be within 15 miles of its city of license in those days.

> In 1979 KPNX's owner, Combined Communications Corp., merged
> with Gannett, which also owns USA Today. Gannett then
> bought Central Newspapers, owners of the Arizona Republic.

Since the expanded ownership caps were shot down, Gannett might have to sell either the Repulsive or Channel 12. My bet is that the Repulsive will go.

Interestingly, The Republic & Gazette once owned KTAR radio. In fact, KTAR stands for Keep Taking the Arizona Republic. When Central Newspapers bought them in '46, they sold the radio station.
 
Re: KPNX NBC History

> Channel 12 was founded in Mesa as KTYL-TV, owned by the
> Harkins Theatre group that also owned what is now KXAM 1310
> at the time (the radio station was on 1490 until the mid
> '50s). They became KVAR in about 1955 when the company that
> became Combined Communications bought them, and then KTAR-TV
> when the FCC allowed the Mesa-allocated channel to move into
> new studios in Phoenix in 1959. IIRC, the building had been
> built several years earlier and KTAR radio was already
> there.

Actually the family that owned KTAR radio (the Louis family) bought KVAR and changed the calls to KTAR...both the TV and radio stations were NBC affiliates at that time. Karl Eller bought KTAR from the Louis family in 1968 combining it with his outdoor business to form Combined Communications (which was the first multi-media communications company)

The CCC logo, in stained glass, is still visible on the KPNX building.
 
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