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NEW REPORT SAYS FOX TELEVISION GROUP LOOKING INTO PURCHASING KIRO TV

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discjockeyjohn64

Variety is reporting that FOX Television Group is looking to expand its station ownership in cities that have NFC Football teams. It says that they are looking at KIRO TV 7 as a possible acquisition.
This would be very interesting, as KIRO has switched affiliations before, but this would allow for a large expansion of their local news (up to 10 hrs per day) if this were to occur. FOX owned and operated stations usually carry 10-12 hours a day of local news. Don't know if they would necessarily stick with the same people as news anchors, but I guess this would leave KCPQ Q13 as the new CBS affiliate, or possibly KSTW would morph back into CBS since CBS Corporation owns the station, leaving Q13 with the CW or My Network TV for prime time TV. Lots of different possibilities.
 
Saw this on the mediabistro site, but they didn't specifically identify KIRO as the acquisition target. It'd probably be less of a hassle if Fox made Tribune an offer they can't refuse.
 
Heck no. The KSTW CBS switch was very confusing for viewers during '95-'97. They like it how it is. I hope this is a rumor that never happens, imo. And I don't know what would happen if KCPQ was actually CBS. Would KIRO become "Q-7?" :D

-crainbebo
 
crainbebo said:
Heck no. The KSTW CBS switch was very confusing for viewers during '95-'97. They like it how it is. I hope this is a rumor that never happens, imo. And I don't know what would happen if KCPQ was actually CBS. Would KIRO become "Q-7?" :D

-crainbebo
Click to expand...

This is just part of the story. They're namely looking at KCPQ which is owned by Tribune and they've been trying to acquire Tribune for it's newspaper and TV holdings. But there's been a controversy over that. So they're probably looking at KIRO as a second option if the Tribune deal falls through.

There's also the distant but plausible possibility of buying KSTW from CBS. It's not a huge performer, so the price should be very good compared to KIRO.

I think the call letters are staying on Ch. 13 regardless.

However IF KCPQ loses Fox and KSTW gets CBS, it would be a DISASTER for KCPQ. KCPQ's local news operation will radically shrink or even cease to exist.
 
Bongwater said:
... and they've been trying to acquire Tribune for it's [sic] newspaper and TV holdings.
Click to expand...

News Corporation split into two companies in June. The newspapers and other publishing are in a company called "News Corporation" and the broadcasting and movies are in a company called "21st Century Fox." News Corporation would not want TV holdings and 21st Century Fox would not want newspapers.
 
Fox wants KCPQ, simply stated. The KIRO addition is just a ploy. Tribune would sell to Fox if the price is right.
 
Bongwater said:
However IF KCPQ loses Fox and KSTW gets CBS, it would be a DISASTER for KCPQ. KCPQ's local news operation will radically shrink or even cease to exist.
Click to expand...

I don't think so. Affiliations aside, Q13 is much like another Tribune outlet - namely KTLA. If The CW ends up moving in, I expect news to remain with minimal damage. If Fox takes over, say farewell to the familiar logo and nickname.

"Fox 13" just doesn't sound right after all these years, does it?
 
Joe_Capitano said:
Bongwater said:
However IF KCPQ loses Fox and KSTW gets CBS, it would be a DISASTER for KCPQ. KCPQ's local news operation will radically shrink or even cease to exist.
Click to expand...

I don't think so. Affiliations aside, Q13 is much like another Tribune outlet - namely KTLA. If The CW ends up moving in, I expect news to remain with minimal damage. If Fox takes over, say farewell to the familiar logo and nickname.

"Fox 13" just doesn't sound right after all these years, does it?
Click to expand...

Sounds right at WHBQ and KSTU - not in Seattle. Yes, KCPQ would fail if it went CW, My or indie. If that happens, I'd expect infomercials and Byron Allen filler most of the day. And David Rose, Bill Wixey, etc would be out of a job.

The KSTW flip was weird - more sitcom reruns than most CBS stations, paid programming at times during the day, low budget talk shows ("Day and Date" etc) and a weird news time during the last year. They had news at 11am, 4pm and 11pm during late 1996, preempting Y&R to 3PM. The regular 5 and 6:30 newstimes were sitcom reruns instead. CBS on 7, Fox on 13 is what it's been for a long time, and Seattle viewers would be confused just like they were in 1995 with UPN on 7.

-crainbebo
 
The difference between now and 1995 if KSTW becomes the CBS affiliate is that CBS owns the station today, whereas Gaylord owned it in 1995. The CBS move to KSTW in Seattle/Tacoma in 1995 was actually collateral damage from Fox taking over the CBS affiliate in Dallas/Fort Worth back then -- CBS needed a new affiliate in DFW, and KTVT/11 was their preferred choice (the alternatives were week UHF stations). Gaylord pretty much told CBS that if they wanted to affiliate with KTVT, they would also have to take KSTW. But Gaylord sold both stations, and once CBS bought KTVT, they put the resources into making it a competitive network affiliate. So if CBS were to land on KSTW today, I think CBS would invest the resources to make it competitive.

That said, I also think that the KIRO rumor may be more than a rumor -- because that Variety article notes that Fox is also interested in getting into San Francisco, where Fox is on KTVU. Both KTVU and KIRO are owned by Cox Broadcasting, which suggests the opportunity for Fox to gain some leverage in getting what they want.

Needless to say, if Fox lands on channel 7, it won't become Q-7, because the KCPQ calls and "Q-13" identity predate the Fox network -- the call letters goes back to channel 13's days as a public TV station, and the "Q-13" identity to it's relaunch as a commercial independent in 1980.
 
The 1995 switch wasn't confusing to me, as a Seattle native who was living in the Dallas-Ft Worth area in the 90's. In DFW, I watched 11 News 11 on 11. When I visited Seattle, it was 11 News 11 at 11. :D Just had to remember that the news is on an hour earlier in DFW.

11 News in Seattle even had two former DFW newscasters: Dale Schornack (anchor) and Neal Barton (Weather). It was kind of a "Twilight Zone" experience. Plus, 11 News in DFW got a lot of publicity on my favorite show at the time, Walker, Texas Ranger.
 
Frankly, my head is spinning from all these changes and speculation. I think it is fair to say the Seattle TV landscape may be completely different a year from today. Seattle's stability time is apparently up. KOMO to Sinclair, KING to Gannett, KIRO and KCPQ being courted by Fox. Wow. And remember, with each change, especially the latter, this effects those losing affilitation and those who may gain. High stake poker going on here, going to get very interesting.
 
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