How the 1994-96 realignment worked differently if WCAU became a Fox station instead of NBC?

[DucNguyen0131]

Welcome to an alternate history on how the 1994-1996 broadcast television realignment worked differently, and today we're going to cover the first two days, with contributions from others.

In 1994, spurred by an affiliation agreement between ABC and Scripps-Howard Broadcasting that saw ABC lose its affiliation from WJZ-TV in Baltimore to NBC affiliate WMAR-TV in Baltimore, CBS struck a deal on its own with Westinghouse, covering all 5 TV stations on July 14, 1994.

Fox and NBC were considered for WCAU, but NBC won out. How the realignment worked differently if WCAU became a Fox station? But let's start this thing out with this day in an alternate history.

July 20, 1994

Outlet Communications, a Providence-media company who owns WCMH in Columbus and WJAR in Providence, NBC affiliates and WYED-TV, independent affiliation in the Triangle (Raleigh/Durham/Fayetville) and Goldsboro announced negotiations with South Jersey Radio, the Brunson grant, and Combined Broadcasting to purchase three stations to serve the Philadelphia market: WMGM-TV in Wildwood/Atlantic City, WGTW-TV in Millville, and WGBS-TV in Philadelphia, for a combined total of $10 billion. It is excepted that if Outlet proceeded, then WGTW and WGBS would became satellite stations of WMGM-TV, a NBC affiliate.

Meanwhile, CBS announced negotiations to trade WCAU-TV to Fox Television Stations, in trade for KDAF-TV in Dallas/Fort Worth, WATL in Atlanta (two of the outlets that was soon losing Fox to CBS outlets KDFW-TV in Dallas/Fort Worth and WAGA-TV in Atlanta) and KSTU-TV in Salt Lake City. As part of the agreement, Fox and CBS agreed to swap the transmitter facilities in Chicago, both for channel 32 and channel 2. If Fox and CBS agreed, then Fox will launch WFLD-TV on VHF Channel 2, and CBS would launch WBBM-TV on UHF Channel 32.

Fox meanwhile, negotiated to trade 70% of WCAU-TV to New World Communications in trade for minority stakes in KDFW-TV, WJBK-TV, WITI-TV and WAGA-TV. Fox shortly notified that WTXF-TV would lose its Fox affiliation to United Paramount Network.

CBS would trade its controlling interest in the stations KDAF-TV, WATL-TV (ITTL, IOTL both KDAF and WATL this became WB stations), KSTU and WBBM to Group W in return for a minority interest in KYW-TV. Westinghouse owns 55% and CBS owned 45% of the stations.

(This is the POD, IOTL these never happened and WCAU became a NBC affiliate)

 

[DucNguyen0131]

July 23, 1994

New World Communications announced its negotiations to trade WSBK-TV, independent station running on channel 38 in Boston, to St. Louis broadcaster River City Broadcasting, in exchange for WTTV-TV, a VHF independent station running on channel 4 in Indianapolis.

Shortly afterwards, New World agreed to make WTTV-TV a Fox affiliate. Fox would notify that WXIN-TV would lose its connection. Renaissance agreed to make WXIN-TV an independent station.

New World announced plans to convert WTTV-TV from a general independent in order to be news intensive. New World announced its plans to build a news department for WTTV, in order to produce just much as news as major networks. WTTV notified to New World Communications that they will drop most of its syndicated programming, including cartoons and sitcoms, in order to make it news-intensive.

WTTV notified that they will terminate its news share agreement with WRTV, in order for New World to build up ground for the newly-relaunched newscasts. WTTV announced its hiring of a news director. New World announced plans to promote the new Fox affiliate WTTV, which was converted from a general entertainment independent, to the news affiliate, and decided that New World would build a new studio facility and transmission tower in Indianapolis for WTTV. The previous WTTV newscast begin in 1979, only to be dismantled by its former owner Capitol Broadcasting in 1990, before it was sold to River City. Once the trade is done, WTTV would relaunch its news operation.

Through its new ownership by New World Communications, WTTV announced that they would acquire the local rights to Sweet Valley High. Through its new Fox affiliation, it is said that WTTV, like the New World stations did not want to carry Fox Kids and chose to remain on WXIN-TV.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

July 27, 1994

Cox Broadcasting, the broadcasting unit of Cox Enterprises, announced its plans to trade KTVU-TV, a Fox station operating on channel 2 in Oakland, to New World Communications, in return for ABC affiliates WGHP-TV in Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem and WBRC-TV in Birmingham (which is about to lose two of its stations to Fox) and NBC affiliate KNSD-TV in San Diego.

Cox announces its plans to promote WGHP-TV, WBRC-TV and KNSD-TV with new studios and facilities. New World announces its plans to promote the Oakland station KTVU. Chris-Craft announced an agreement with the Fox Children's Network to move Fox Kids from KTVU to KBHK-TV in order that KTVU would be news intensive.

Cox announces a plan to block the switch to Fox for WGHP and WBRC. New World proceeded and decided that they wanted to switch WVTM-TV from NBC to Fox (ITTL, IOTL, WVTM-TV retained its NBC affiliation).

As part of New World's promotion of KTVU, the station management announced that they would acquire several syndicated programs from Saban Entertainment, including VR Troopers and Sweet Valley High, as well as the animation trio of Iron Man, Fantastic Four and Biker Mice from Mars just as the station had to drop Fox Kids. KTVU wanted to convert to a news station with Fox programming consisting of San Francisco 49ers football games from NFL and primetime programming.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

July 29, 1994

Sunbeam Television, owner of WHDH-TV in Boston, announces an affiliation agreement with the Fox Broadcasting Company, in order to switch this station in Boston to Fox effective January 2, 1995.

Outlet Communications, meanwhile talking to the Celtics that Outlet would purchase WFXT-TV in Boston, and decided that Outlet agreed to switch the station to NBC. Outlet, the new owners of WFXT, decided that they would say they would produce as much news programming as what WBZ-TV did as a NBC affiliate.

WHDH-TV excepts that the station would be news intensive, and Sunbeam's Ed Ansin, told that they would not want to carry Fox Kids, and decided to chose to move to WSBK-TV 38 in Boston, which was owned by its new owner River City Broadcasting. River City agreed to convert WSBK-TV into a UPN station, just like what they had done IOTL when Viacom bought out WSBK in December 1994 and converted into a UPN station.

WHDH-TV decided to expand its news programming, and added a mix of syndicated talk shows, and paid programming on weekend mornings, along with its syndicated children's programming. Outlet announces its plans to promote WFXT-TV and decided to build a new studio facility. The FCC agreed to gave wavier access, stating city-grade signal overlap with Providence's WJAR-TV.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

July 30, 1994

Sinclair Broadcast Group, of Hunt Valley, announces its plans to trade Milwuakee's WCGV-TV and Alabama's trimulcast WDBB/WTTO/WNAL (both of these stations were losing Fox affiliates to New World) to Meredith Broadcasting, a division of the Des Moines-based Meredith Corporation, in exchange for WOFL-TV in Orlando, Florida and KVVU-TV and Las Vegas. Meredith agreed to convert these stations to became CBS affiliates, as CBS and Meredith had good relationships in Phoenix, Flint and Kansas City.

CBS was shortly notified that due to its swap between Meredith and Sinclair, WBMG-TV, its current CBS affiliate in Birmingham would lose its affiliation, and chose to became a news-intensive independent station.

Sinclair announces its plans to promote Orlando's WOFL-TV and Las Vegas' KVVU-TV. It is stated that News Corporation would acquire 10% of Sinclair Communications, who presently owns the current Fox affiliate in Baltimore, Maryland, WBFF-TV. Meredith announces its plans to promote WCGV-TV and WDBB/WTTO/WNAL in order to launch a new studio facility, and newscasts.

At the same time, Fox announces talks to Chris-Craft Industries, owner of KTVX-TV and Bonneville International, owner of KSL-TV in order to search for a new affiliate in Salt Lake City. Chronicle Communications, owner of KRON-TV in San Francisco, won talks to buy WSMV-TV from Cock Inlet.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

August 1, 1994

Bonneville International, current owner of KSL-TV finalizes negotiations with the Fox Broadcasting Company, in order to switch its current Salt Lake affiliation KSL-TV, from CBS to Fox. This gave KSL-TV access to news-intensive programs, which would displace the CBS daytime programs. It is reported to Chris-Craft that KTVX would stay with ABC.

At the same time, River City Broadcasting announces plans to trade WSBK-TV to Paramount Stations Group in return for WKBD-TV in Detroit. River City agreed that they will became the new CBS affiliate for Detroit. River City announces plans to promote WKBD-TV, channel 50, and decided to expand its news department in precipitation of the upcoming switch. To make up for the losses, Viacom agreed to buy WGPR-TV in Detroit, WVEU-TV in Atlanta and a controlling share (88%) in WDJT-TV in Milwaukee, for a combined cost of $13 billion. At the same time, Viacom agreed to trade WLFL-TV in Raleigh/Durham/Fayetville to Renaissance Broadcasting in return for WXIN-TV.

WGPR-TV, WVEU-TV and WDJT-TV would all announce to became UPN stations. Larry Miller, struck an agreement with Fox Children's Network, to switch its Fox Kids block to KJZZ-TV.

Bonneville announced plans to assign a midseason date on the switch of KSL-TV from CBS to FOX, in order to make sure that KSTU would became the market's newest CBS affiliate for Salt Lake City. Bonneville also signed a partnership with New World Communications to bring its content to KSL-TV for a reported amount of $10 billion dollars for a 10-year agreement.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

August 7, 1994

Kelly Broadcasting, who was the owner of Seattle's Fox affiliate KCPQ-TV announces its affiliation agreement with CBS in order to switch KCPQ-TV, channel 13, a VHF station, from the Fox Broadcasting Company to CBS. This would mean Bonneville's KIRO-TV would give up CBS.

Kelly announces its plans to promote the new CBS affiliation, and decided to build a news department made for the station. A news director was scrambled to be hired, and decided that Kelly decided to launch a new studio facility made for KCPQ-TV. An executive at Kelly Broadcasting hopes that they would bring 60 Minutes, Murphy Brown and Late Show with David Letterman to the new channel 13.

Gaylord proceeded to switch the whole entire four-station group, in Dallas/Fort Worth (KTVT), Milwaukee (WVTV), Seattle/Tacoma (KSTW) and Houston (KHTV) to The WB, hoping for Gaylord to launch the network on January 11, 1995.

Bonneville also announced its plans to convert KIRO-TV, channel 7, on VHF to the Fox Broadcasting Company. KIRO-TV would expand its news operation and that channel 7 would be the new home of The Simpsons and Beverly Hills, 90210 if plans would go forward.

At the same time, Chris-Craft agreed to trade KTVX in Salt Lake City, running on channel 4, an ABC affiliate, and KMOL-TV in San Antonio, also running on channel 4, an NBC affiliate to Hubbard Broadcasting, in exchange for WTOG-TV, an independent station running on channel 44 in Tampa Bay.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

August 10, 1994

NBC proceed its plans to purchase King World Productions and wanted to be successful, costing $6 billion. As part of its plan for General Electric buying King World, the studio said that they will surrender its distribution rights to Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!, one of the strongest game shows to Columbia TriStar Television Distribution, which is a unit of Sony Pictures Entertainment. WIVB-TV goes to NBC, giving up WGRZ-TV, the current NBC affiliate, running on channel 2 in Buffalo.

Allbritton Communications, meanwhile have a desire to buy out the non-license assets of WCFT-TV and WJSU-TV, both CBS affiliates that serve the Birmingham area. Meanwhile, CBS was in talks with Gannett to switch KUSA-TV to CBS, surrendering KMGH-TV, the current CBS affiliate in Denver, which McGraw-Hill was in the process of signing a groupwide affiliation deal with ABC.

WIVB-TV will be the new home for shows such as Frasier, Seinfeld, Homicide: Life on the Street and Law & Order. It is excepted that they would finish the deal in the December of 1994. In the meantime, CBS was in negotiations with Tak Communications, in order to switch WGRZ-TV, channel 2 in Buffalo, from NBC to CBS.

WBMG-TV, which operates on channel 42, was in talks to affiliate with The WB Television Network, which is expected to launch on January 11, 1995, in order for WBMG to be news-intensive focus, and it is about to surrender its CBS affiliation.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

August 15, 1994

Because NBC and Multimedia, Inc., the Greenville, South Carolina-based company had enjoyed good relations over the stations, NBC and Multimedia decided to renew all four of its existing affiliates in St. Louis, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Knoxville, and decided to switch WMAZ-TV, a VHF station operating on channel 13 in Macon, Georgia from CBS to NBC. NBC was quickly notified that WMGT-TV, a UHF station on channel 41 would lose their affiliation, and it was possible that they would be signed with CBS.

Citing WMAZ's strength in news programming, WMAZ said they would became the new home for Frasier, Seinfeld, Law & Order and Homicide: Life on the Street in Macon. WMAZ management said they would switch from David Letterman to Jay Leno.

Cox Broadcasting and NBC had in talks to switch WBRC-TV from ABC to NBC, if the Allbritton deal went forward (ITTL, IOTL the station was switched to Fox, and Citicasters sold WBRC and WGHP directly to Fox Television Stations in 1995). Paramount started negotiations to purchase television station McKinnon Broadcasting, whose holdings include KBMT, KIII and KUSI-TV (if the sale was completed, then they would require to divest KIII, KBMT, KMOV, KSLA, WNYT, WHEC and WVIT) for the FCC's 12-station ownership limits.

As WMGT is losing its NBC affiliation, CBS and Fox would be likely candidates for being a replacement affiliate.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

August 29, 1994

Paramount Stations Group announces negotiations to purchase Weigel Broadcasting of Chicago, Illinois, which included the share in WDJT that they did not own, as well as independent television station WCIU-TV in Chicago, Illinois. As part of the deal, Paramount was required to divest KRRT, W23AT, W46AR, W65BT and W69BT to comply with FCC's ownership of station limits.

Meanwhile, Hearst Broadcasting was in negotiations to purchase religious independent WHME-TV and decided to convert to a general entertainment independent station. Because Hearst and ABC had good relations, WHME-TV was quickly signed up with the ABC television network. ABC was quickly notified that WSJV-TV would terminate its affiliation, and a deal with Fox was considered.

For Hearst's new ownership, WHME-TV was quickly scrambled to hire a news director, and decided to build a news department that was made for the South Bend-based UHF station on channel 46, not as a religious independent station, but as a secular-based ABC station.

Paramount announces its plans to promote WDJT and WCIU, and quickly won the construction permit to build a new UHF station on channel 58, under the callsign "WPSB", which is short for "Paramount in South Bend". Paramount Stations Group hopes to sign on a South Bend station to start on New Year's Day 1995, and decided to let Paramount to push forward through the FCC's 12-station limit, in order to raise down the number to 24 stations.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

September 5, 1994

The McFarland-Lewis family, who owns Phoenix's television station KTVK and its local marketing agreement KASW-TV, which the station was in the process of being an independent station announces its plan to divest its media holdings.

McFarland-Lewis announced that they would sell Arizona Television Company, who owns KTVK and its LMA KASW-TV to the Tribune Broadcasting unit of the Chicago-based Tribune Company, for $3 billion dollars, in which Tribune executives said that KTVK would convert to being a WB station when it launches.

Tribune said that they would promote both KTVK and KASW in Phoenix, that when the deal is completed, hoped to be "Phoenix's WB affiliate" (ITTL, IOTL KTVK has been a WB affiliate for nine months until KASW signed on). Tribune said they would air The WB on KTVK on Wednesdays (ITTL, IOTL KTVK only airs The WB on Saturdays from January to September 1995 when it became a true independent station).

At the same time, Tribune also announced that WGNX-TV would be proceeded to became a WB station (ITTL, IOTL this became a CBS affiliate on the December of 1994, while Atlanta's WATL goes to The WB in the January of 1995). Tribune was in hopes of upgrading the transmitters for it. Paramount Stations Group also reportedly purchased WRDC-TV, and sold off WVIT, WNYT and WHEC to Chronicle Communications, a San Francisco-based company whose flagship station is KRON-TV.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

September 23, 1994

LIN Media announced a sale to the joint venture between telephone company AT&T and broadcasting company NBC, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Electric. The telephone assets were sold to AT&T, while the broadcasting unit was sold to NBC. The broadcasting unit of LIN compromises CBS affiliates WISH-TV in Indianapolis and WANE-TV in Fort Wayne, ABC affiliate WAND-TV in Decatur and NBC affiliates KXAS-TV in Dallas/Fort Worth, KXAN-TV in Austin and WAVY-TV in Norfolk, Virginia.

If the NBC deal went forward, the current NBC affiliates WKJG-TV in Fort Wayne and WTHR-TV in Indianapolis would lose their connections. It was possible and it was close to signing an affiliation agreement with CBS.

Paramount Stations Group announced plans to sell KMOV-TV in St. Louis and KSLA-TV in Shreveport a joint venture between Granite Broadcasting (70%) and CBS (30%). If the deal was closed, KMOV-TV would restore the original KMOX-TV heritage, since CBS hold a 30% in the new Granite/CBS venture. Granite came close to negotiations by purchasing Austin Television, owners of KBVO-TV and converted it to a CBS affiliate. Hubbard Broadcasting was in negotiations to buy Hartford ABC affiliate WTNH-TV from Cock Inlet, for a cash of $950 million.

WSMV-TV was been successfully won and purchased by Chronicle Publishing Company, owners of KRON-TV (the nation's 5th largest market), WOWT and KAKE-TV from Cock Inlet, and signed an exclusive affiliation deal with NBC (this is an ITTL verdict, the IOTL verdict saw Meredith buying WSMV-TV from Cock Inlet instead)

 

[DucNguyen0131]

October 2, 1994

The transfer/trade of KTVU, Oakland's Fox affiliate from Cox Broadcasting to New World Communications has been completed, and Cox has just been purchasing WBRC-TV in Birmingham, WGHP-TV in Greensboro/Winston Salem/High Point (both ABC affiliates that were slated to lose to Fox) and KNSD-TV in San Diego (a NBC affiliate operating on channel 39) from New World Communications.

With the transfer, the station has officially dropped Fox Kids, and it was moved to KBHK-TV (channel 44). New World came up and designed to brand KTVU as "The New Fox 2", which decided to expand its news programming, in order to challenge rivals KRON, KPIX and KGO-TV in San Francisco, and came up with a new logo for the station, to replace the old "Circle Laser 2" logo used under Cox ownership.

New World Communications had a brand-new image for KTVU to replace the old Cox feel.

Accompanying KTVU's new image for the recent New World ownership is 615 Music's news theme "Newswire", which that the station had just picked up the package, and its accompanying slogan "Where the News Come First". New World rebranded the KTVU package in order to get the "new" feel. New World received a new Saturday morning lineup for the station, in which the station had picked up new programs like VR Troopers, Sweet Valley High, Iron Man, Fantastic Four, Biker Mice from Mars and Boogie's Diner to displace the Fox Kids Saturday morning block.

In the case of Indianapolis, in which River City recently traded WTTV-TV to New World Communications in exchange for WSBK-TV, which in turn traded by River City to Viacom in trade for WKBD-TV in Detroit, the transfer has been completed, and New World and Fox signed negotiations to get a December 11, 1994 date just in time that the news department has been in completion.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

October 13, 1994

A joint venture between NBC, Media General, Warner Bros., Westwood One, and Tele-Communications, Inc. announced negotiations to purchase Multimedia, Inc. NBC would cover its five-station group in Macon, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Cleveland and Knoxville, citing NBC's outstanding relationship with the company. If the deal proceeded, then it would join New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver, Salt Lake City, Miami and Washington, D.C. as NBC's owned-and-operated stations. Media General will receive the newspapers assets. Warner Bros. would purchase its entertainment assets, including its syndication division, and Multimedia Motion Pictures. Tele-Communications, Inc. will bought the cable outlets. Westwood One would obtain Multimedia's radio assets. Both of these cost $12 billion to do so.

Meanwhile, NBC were starting negotiations with WYED, in order to transfer the station from an independent station to a NBC affiliate on October 1, 1995. If the deal proceeded, then WRDC-TV would became a UPN affiliate. The plans described as NBC's outstanding relationship with Outlet Communications, which owned stations in Providence, Columbus and recently-acquired outlets in Philadelphia, Millville, Wildwood and Boston.

Meanwhile, Fox announced its plans to drop the weekday Fox Kids block for the 1995-96 season, in order to build a daytime lineup, taking the look on a major television affiliate, capitalizing on the success of the NFL on Fox. Many stations like recently-acquired outfits WJW, WDAF and the New World acquisition KTVU reportedly declined the block.

At the same time, Viacom was in talks to merge with Chris-Craft Industries, owner of many UPN affiliates, including New York, Los Angeles, Portland, Minneapolis, San Francisco and Phoenix, as well as its recently acquired outfit in Tampa Bay, and its ownership of the United Paramount Network. If the deal went forward, Chris-Craft went through all stations to became the aegis of Paramount Stations Group, in order to let the FCC expand its national reach limit to 50%, and doubling the recent 24-station limit to 48.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

October 24, 1994

It was announced by New World that they would make December 11, 1994 the changeover dates that WITI-TV in Milwaukee, WAGA-TV in Atlanta and WJBK-TV in Detroit would switch from CBS to Fox, and on December 12, 1994, KSAZ-TV in Phoenix, WTVT-TV in Tampa and WTTV-TV in Indianapolis, would switch, in Phoenix's and Tampa's case from CBS, and in Indianapolis' case, from a general independent station to Fox.

New World made demands that WTTV-TV had nearly finished its newly-relaunched news department, just in time to meet the December 12, 1994 deadline. WTTV-TV in Indianapolis gets a new format, in order to be news-intensive, dropping most of the cartoons and most sitcoms, in order to make its transition to its news intensive station, as well as Fox's primetime and sports schedules, filling it with first-run syndicated talk shows, reality shows, off-net dramas, off-network sitcoms, movies, paid programming, real estate programs and children's programming acquired via the syndication market. In 1990, former owner Capitol Broadcasting dismantled the news operations, before in 1991, agreed to a news share agreement with WRTV, before River City traded the station to New World Communications for its Boston station (which had in turn traded to Viacom for the Detroit station) and relaunched its news department with some improvements made to the station.

The new Group W/CBS venture made some promotions to KDAF-TV, WATL-TV and KSTU-TV, in order for KDAF and WATL to launch news departments, in which the new Group W/CBS venture would be as successful as the old ventures they could. Allbritton Communications and ABC quickly signed a 10-year group affiliation deal to convert its affiliates to ABC, with Birmingham to be the first out of the deal. CBS began talks to switch KUSA-TV from ABC to CBS, in order to keep WFMY and WUSA-TV, in order to make the perfect combination, as McGraw-Hill prepares talks to sign an affiliation agreement to convert the entire-four station group to ABC.

As the Group W/CBS/Fox trade deal was in completion by the December of 1994, Group W/CBS was forced to run KDAF-TV as a Fox affiliate, as its contract with KDFW-TV did not expire until July 1, 1995 (in a similar case in 1988 when NBC forced to run WTVJ as a CBS affiliate as its contract with WSVN did not expire until January 1, 1989).

 

[DucNguyen0131]

November 7, 1994

A joint venture between the Hearst Corporation, CBS and Capital Cities/ABC announced its plans to purchase newspaper company A.H. Belo Corporation. The purchase cost $6 billion. As part of the deal, ABC would gain the three of the stations in Belo television station group, consisting of Sacramento's KXTV, Dallas' WFAA and Norfolk's WVEC-TV, while CBS will do the rest of Belo's television station group, comprising of KHOU-TV in Houston, KOTV in Tulsa and recently acquired WWL-TV in New Orleans, and Hearst will do the newspaper assets.

The new venture was a costly victory. ABC hopes that the three Belo stations would join 8 existing stations, in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, Fresno and Raleigh/Durham/Fayetville, as well as recently acquired stations in Toledo and Flint. CBS would grab three of Belo's stations, which would join existing stations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Minneapolis, Detroit and Green Bay, as well as a joint venture with Group W.

Fox announces its plans to purchase Miami-based station group Sunbeam Television, which would cost $10 billion dollars in each, for terms of purchase, the two stations in Miami and Boston, which would join existing stations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington and Houston. Fox was in negotiations to purchase WHBQ-TV in Memphis, from Communications Corporation of America. Fox held minority interests in New World Communications and SF Broadcasting, as well as a joint venture, covering Philadelphia, Dallas, Detroit, Atlanta and Milwaukee.

Bonneville International and Fox announces its plans to switch two of its stations, KIRO-TV in Seattle and KSL-TV in Salt Lake City, both of these, from CBS to Fox on December 12, 1994, under a news intensive format.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

November 17, 1994

Hearst Broadcasting, a division of the newspaper company The Hearst Corporation, was in negotiations to purchase Quincy Jones Broadcasting, who owns New Orleans' FOX affiliation WNOL-TV, which its affiliation would be displaced by ABC affiliate WVUE-TV, which cost $7 billion. The Hearst purchase joins existing television stations WBAL-TV in Baltimore, WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh, WCVB-TV in Boston, WISN-TV in Milwaukee, WDTN-TV in Dayton and KMBC-TV in Kansas City.

ABC had an outstanding relationship with Hearst Broadcasting, whose Hearst affiliates in Boston, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Dayton and Kansas City, were affiliated with the network. Concurrently, it is announced that Hearst Broadcasting, the new owners of WNOL-TV announced that they will reach a 10-year affiliation agreement with ABC, hoping for the station to be the new home for various shows like Home Improvement and Roseanne, and announced plans to build a news operation.

Hearst also has plans to promote the New Orleans station WNOL-TV, stating that it would build a new studio facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, and plans to promote a new television tower.

At the same time, Paramount Stations Group was in negotiations to purchase Combined Broadcasting, who owns WBFS-TV in Miami/Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Capital Cities/ABC was also considered negotiating for Hubbard Broadcasting. who owns 11 television stations, including their newly acquired outlets in San Antonio and Salt Lake City. Media General and NBC had plans to purchase The Providence Journal Company, which owns newspapers and television assets. If successful, Media General would cover the newspaper assets, while NBC covers the television assets.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

December 9, 1994

The ownership transfer of WCGV-TV and WTTO-TV/WDBB-TV/WNAL-TV from the Sinclair Broadcast Group to Des Moines, Iowa-based Meredith Broadcasting unit of the Meredith Corporation was completed, and Sinclair would receive two of Meredith's television stations WOFL-TV and KVVU-TV, both two of these are currently Fox affiliates.

WTTV-TV in the meantime, had just finished its news department. WTTV had to air news programming from 5:00am-9:00am in the mornings, in the noon time slot, 5:00-7:00pm in the evenings, and 10:00-11:00pm in the overnight slots, taking the format of a major network affiliate. WTTV will plans to air "Countdown to News 4 Indianapolis", in which the channel 4 Indianapolis station had regarding the changes on the network's direction to became a Fox affiliate. Most weekday cartoons, as well as most sitcoms has been dropped, in favor of gradually focusing on becoming news-intensive, which is parallel to other New World stations that had became Fox affiliates, because WTTV-TV had just been purchased by New World two months earlier. The Saturday morning block on WTTV is left intact, with children's programming acquired via syndication and all (all other New World Fox stations elected not to carry Fox Kids at all, defecting to other and outgoing Fox stations). WTTV-TV once had a newscast in the late 1970s, but in 1990, Capitol Broadcasting dismantled the news operations, and reduced to a skeleton crew, until River City traded the station to New World that WTTV-TV saw improvements to the station and a relaunch of a news operation.

Two days later...

December 11, 1994

WJBK-TV officially becomes a Fox affiliate, and former Fox affiliate WKBD-TV officially becomes a CBS affiliate, by the virtue of the ownership of the St. Louis-based River City Broadcasting, and its UPN affiliation was committed to WGPR-TV, channel 62 in Detroit. And the news operations was expanded. River City would soon transfer KOVR-TV to CBS on March 6, 1995, this makes River City two CBS stations. Here's our logo under the new River City ownership:

Meanwhile in Milwaukee, when WITI-TV officially became a Fox affiliate, CBS transferred its Milwaukee affiliation to former Fox affiliate WCGV-TV, by the virtue of the ownership of Meredith Broadcasting, who had an outstanding relationship with CBS, and owns KPHO-TV in Phoenix, KCTV-TV in Kansas City and WNEM-TV in Flint. Here's our logo under the new Meredith ownership:

The transfer of WCAU-TV from CBS' television stations group to Fox Television Stations has been completed, and CBS would receive three Fox markets, KDAF-TV in Dallas and WATL-TV in Atlanta (both of these were losing Fox outlets to New World outlets), and KSTU-TV in Salt Lake City. CBS sold the channel 2 transmitter facility and license to Fox, in return for having the channel 32 transmitter facility and license, which then swapped channel positions. The intellectual unit of WFLD (calls, shows, Fox network and staff) was moved from channel 32 to channel 2, while the intellectual unit of WBBM-TV was moved to channel 32. CBS then traded controlling interest in KDAF-TV, WATL-TV, KSTU-TV and WBBM-TV to Westinghouse Broadcasting, in exchange for a minority interest in Philadelphia's KYW-TV. Fox then traded controlling interest in WCAU-TV and WFLD-TV to New World Communications, in trade for a minority stake in four of New World's stations KDFW-TV, WJBK-TV, WITI-TV and WAGA-TV, which both WFLD-TV and WCAU-TV were converted to news-intensive stations. Fox Kids then transferred from WFLD-TV to Paramount's WCIU-TV, being the first of the original six Fox stations following Metromedia's ownership to drop Fox Kids. Here's our WATL logo under CBS/Group W ownership:

CBS/Group W however introduced a new logo for KDAF-TV. CBS and Group W had jointly being able to run KDAF-TV as a Fox affiliate as CBS' affiliation with KDFW-TV did not run out on July 1, 1995.

Fox/New World also introduced a new logo for the WCAU-TV unit, but Fox/New World was able to run WCAU-TV as a CBS affiliate, until NBC's affiliation contract with KYW-TV expired on January 3, 1995 (ITTL, IOTL the contract expired on September 10, 1995).

As a compensation for the loss of the stations, Fox and CBS swapped channel positions for WFLD-TV and WBBM-TV, with WFLD-TV moving to VHF channel 2. Here's our new channel 2 logo for WFLD:

And here's our new logo for WBBM-TV when it moved to channel 32:

WBBM-TV saw a decline in viewership when it was moved to UHF channel 32, and WFLD-TV posted lower than expected ratings when it moved to VHF channel 2.

One day later, the story continues...

 

[DucNguyen0131]

Continued from Part 1!

December 12, 1994

WTTV-TV, a former independent station running on VHF channel 4 in Indianapolis, devoted to general entertainment, was officially switched to Fox, along with two former CBS affiliates KSAZ-TV in Phoenix and WTVT in Tampa Bay, which was also officially switched to Fox, by its virtue of ownership with New World Communications. Here's our new WTTV logo when the station became Fox:

New World decided to brand the station as "News 4 Indianapolis", in the same way NBC did before when Denver's NBC O&O KCNC-TV was branded as "News 4 Colorado". New World however relaunched newscasts for the station, showing improvements to the station, four years after Capitol Broadcasting dismantled the news operations, forcing the news share agreement with WRTV to be terminated. New World's WTTV-TV had picked up 615 Music's "Newswire" music package for the newly-relaunched newscasts (of which, KTVU, which was owned by New World two months earlier, already picked up the package).

Meanwhile, former Fox affiliation WXIN-TV temporary became an independent station, until the station had to receive UPN on January 16, 1995. Here's our new logo for WXIN before it became UPN:

Meanwhile in Salt Lake City, CBS affiliate KSL-TV, running on VHF channel 5, and Fox affiliate KSTU-TV, running on VHF channel 13 swapped affiliations, because KSTU-TV has just been purchased by CBS/Group W. Here's our new logo for KSTU under CBS/Group W ownership:

The new KSTU logo appears to be based off KCBS-TV and KREM's new logos, which happened to debut on the same year.

Bonneville International, who owns KSL-TV (its flagship station) in Salt Lake City, and KIRO-TV (ITTL, IOTL the station was transferred to Belo and switched to UPN) was switched from CBS to Fox, on the same day the trades had ever happened. Here's our new logo for KSL-TV as a Fox affiliate:

And here's our new logo for KIRO-TV as a Fox affiliate:

Bonneville chose to substitute the "O" in the Fox logo with the circular number logos for KSL-TV (introduced in 1981) and KIRO-TV (introduced in 1993) when it became a Fox station.

Meanwhile, in Seattle, Kelly Broadcasting has officially switched KCPQ-TV, a Fox affiliate running on channel 13, to CBS, and decided to build its news department under the branding "Q13 Reports", in the manner used by KCRA-TV when it was "Channel 3 Reports" (ITTL, IOTL KCPQ didn't build its news operation until 1998). Here's our new logo for KCPQ under CBS affiliation:

And the story continues later in alternate history, when NBC's affiliations with KYW-TV and WBZ-TV, and ABC affiliate WJZ-TV run out in order to make way for CBS on the alternative world of Janaury 3, 1995.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

January 2, 1995

WCAU-TV officially ends its longtime affiliation with CBS after 47 years (ITTL, IOTL, WCAU ends its longtime affiliation with CBS on September 10, 1995 to gave way for NBC) in order to gave way for Fox, by the virtue of joint Fox/New World ownership. News programming was expanded, and the station picked up some of the family-friendly programming on Saturday mornings to displace the CBS cartoons, namely Sweet Valley High, Iron Man, Fantastic Four and Boogie's Diner. Meanwhile, KYW-TV ends its longtime affiliation with NBC after 54 years (ITTL, IOTL, KYW ends its longtime NBC affiliation on September 10, 1995 to switch to CBS), in order to switch to CBS.

The transfer of WMGM-TV, WGTW-TV and WGBS-TV from the three previous owners (South Jersey radio, the Brunson grant, and Combined Broadcasting, Inc.) to the Providence-based company Outlet Communications has been completed, in order to start out the new NBC trimulcast that covered the Philadelphia market with new callsigns stimulated by the FCC: WWAC (for Wildwood/Atlantic City), WMNJ (for Millville, New Jersey) and WOCI (for Outlet Communications, Inc., the station's owner)

Meanwhile, WTXF-TV was losing their Fox affiliation, after nine years, becoming an independent station for two weeks, before UPN was officially started. The station however kept Fox Kids programming, but the primetime schedule was replaced by movies, before officially assuming the UPN affiliation.

In Boston, WHDH-TV officially transferred its affiliation from CBS to Fox. In order for the network not airing news programming, WHDH-TV expanded its news programming. WBZ-TV meanwhile, officially transferred from NBC to CBS. And the transfer of WFXT-TV from Boston Celtics, to Outlet Communications has been completed, in order for WFXT to became a NBC station, under the new callsign assigned by the FCC: "WNEN" (for New England's News). Here's our new logo under Outlet ownership:

These new logos for the NBC Philadelphia trimulcast, along with NBC's new Boston affiliate were shared with WYED-TV, which had just became WNCN-TV under Outlet ownership, using the same design, represented by colors (red for WNCN, green for the NBC trimulcast WWAC/WMNJ/WOCI, and blue for WNEN). As WNEN continues to build its news department until its completion on September 4, 1995, New England Cable News continues to provide programming for the station. Fox Kids, however moved from WFXT-TV to WSBK-TV (channel 38, in Boston, which is about to became a UPN affiliate in two weeks). The FCC agreed to gave them a wavier for letting Outlet to keep WNEN, together with Providence's WJAR, citing city grade signal overlap.

In Baltimore, WMAR-TV was transferred from NBC to ABC, WJZ-TV was transferred from ABC to CBS and WBAL-TV was transferred from CBS to NBC (which by default, ITTL's world was the same as IOTL's).