O&O Stations before 1986 (ABC, NBC, CBS)

[Markxxx]

Just wondering before the ownership cap was increased to 12 stations from 7 stations (5 of which could be VHF), I know, ABC, NBC and CBS had stations in New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.

ABC had it's two additional VHF stations in San Francisco and Detroit

NBC had it's two other VHF in Cleveland and Washington DC

CBS had VHF stations in St Louis and Philadelphia

I was just wondering about the attempts that the networks might have made to open O&O UHF stations. I think CBS had made attempts at UHF in Hartford and Milwaukee while NBC tried a UHF in Buffalo.

Did ABC try any UHF O&O

Another question I can see why NYC, LA and Chicago were O&O by all three networks, but why was there no duplication in the other cities that had network O&O VHF.

Also did the networks always have O&O in those cities? I think CBS had affiliates in Chicago and LA before buying stations in those areas

Thanks

 

[KML0224]

Good question. The Hartford instance you mentioned was in the early days of channel 18, then WHCT-TV, now WUVN-TV/DT (UNI). Channel 18 signed on before WTIC-TV channel 3 did (now WFSB-TV/DT). Naturally, CBS wanted a strong VHF affiliation, so...

Today, the only O&O in Hartford/New Haven is WVIT-TV/DT (NBC) channel 30/D 35 of New Britain. Merideth owns CBS (WFSB), LIN owns ABC and MY (WTNH and WCTX) and Tribune owns FOX and CW (WTIC and WTXX).

 

[KeithE4]

I was just wondering about the attempts that the networks might have made to open O&O UHF stations. I think CBS had made attempts at UHF in Hartford and Milwaukee while NBC tried a UHF in Buffalo.

Dumont made a UHF attempt in Kansas City on Channel 25. It came and went within three months in 1954, when the network was already dying.

Did ABC try any UHF O&O

ABC inherited Channel 30 in Fresno when they were bought out by Cap Cities. I don't believe they ever tried to start a UHF station of their own in the early '50s. They were barely making it prior to the United Paramount Theaters merger in 1953 and even afterwards had the worst affiliates outside of NY, Chicago, and LA, including lots of weak UHFs, some shared with Dumont.

Another question I can see why NYC, LA and Chicago were O&O by all three networks, but why was there no duplication in the other cities that had network O&O VHF.

I thought there was an FCC rule about that, where only one network could own a station in a given market outside of the Big 3. But Philly did have two network O&Os between 1956 and 1965 after the KYW/WNBK (now WKYC) swap with Westinghouse. NBC had WRCV-TV/3 and CBS had WCAU-TV/10. Of course, the FCC made the swap invalid in '65. NBC got Cleveland's Channel 3 back and kept it until 1989.

Also did the networks always have O&O in those cities? I think CBS had affiliates in Chicago and LA before buying stations in those areas

Chicago's CBS programming was mostly on the UPT/Balaban & Katz-owned WBKB Channel 4 but some shows were aired on WGN-TV Channel 9. WGN's affiliation ended when CBS bought Channel 4 in the aftermath of the UPT/ABC merger that sent the WBKB call letters to ABC's WENR-TV Channel 7 and forced the now-combined company to sell Channel 4.

In LA, the original CBS affiliate was KTTV Channel 11, which was jointly owned by the LA Times and CBS - technically not an O&O by FCC standards (although they had a problem with a similar relationship between Paramount and Dumont at the same time). CBS sold its interest in 1951 when it bought KTSL Channel 2 and moved its programming there. Dumont programming then moved from KTSL to KTTV.

 

[jcs]

Question: What is "O&O"? I'm lost.

???

 

[easttxtv]

It stands for 'owned & operated'...the industry uses the term for a network affiliate TV station that the same network owns and runs.

 

[bpatrick]

ABC's original five o&os (New York, Los Angeles,
Chicago, San Francisco, Detroit) were on Channel
7 for two reasons. Right after World War II, rumors
started that the federal government was going to
reserve Channels 2-6 for the military, with the result
that 7 would be the first, and most desirable, position
on the dial. Second, these were, in the late 1940s, the
five largest markets where 7 had been allocated (I think
Washington, DC, was next and its Channel 7 affiliated
with ABC).

Of course we know that 2-6 did not go to the military,
but the five ABC o&os on 7 became huge factors in their
markets, even up against stations on the lower channels.
Part of the reason may be that ABC's lack of programs
(especially in daytime, prior to 1958) led its stations to
create their own, giving them a "hometown" feel the CBS
and NBC stations didn't have (I got that from Leonard
Goldenson's autobiography). The "Eyewitness News" format,
although it started on the Westinghouse station in Philadelphia,
is possibly the ultimate example of this "we're your neighbors"
approach.