WPTV and WSM to become ABC affiliation in the 80s

[DucNguyen0131]

November 6, 1986

The LDS Church agreed to sell its broadcasting unit Bonneville International, consisting of several radio and television stations to Times-Mirror Broadcasting for $1.7 billion.

The FCC said the church was violated to own a commercial television station.

It is also reported that Tribune would purchase WBNX-TV in Cleveland from the Winston Broadcasting Network for $1.2 billion, and became a commercial station.

The FCC also ruled out that the church did not own a station. Bonneville's TV properties include KTVK in Phoenix, KIRO-TV in Seattle and its flagship station KSL-TV in Salt Lake City, both three of them were CBS affiliates.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

November 10, 1986

Malrite Communications Group, who owns TV properties in Rochester, Jacksonville, West Palm Beach and Cleveland announced the $775 million purchase of KNCN-AM in San Francisco from General Electric Broadcasting.

Meanwhile, KNBR-TV is getting a new look, branding it as "News 4 S.F.", modeled on the title modeling of KNBC's "News 4 L.A.", along with a new music package "Chroma Cues" by Music Oasis (IOTL this was used on WJZ-TV in Baltimore since 1987). So this means two stations could use "Chroma Cues".

It is reported that KNBR-TV is posting higher viewers.

So the old graphics and "Image V" is out and "Chroma Cues" is in. In a similar manner when WETG was granted as WTIC, General Electric applied for a similar waiver in 1986 by the FCC using the KNBR-FM-TV calls.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

November 14, 1986

It is reported that Hearst Corporation, owners of the ABC television network, as well as Ohio's TV property WDTN in Dayton would acquire WNWO-TV in Toledo. Hearst filed a FCC waiver request to keep both WNWO and WXYZ.

Toledo reached a Grade B to the Detroit television market.

It is expected that they would gave the Toledo market the second owned-and-operated television station.

Toledo is the smallest television market by size. One of NBC's largest station groups is Cosmos Broadcasting, owners of WTOL-TV in Toledo.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

November 17, 1986

The old channel 6 transmitter for WFOX is dropped, and WFOX had to sign on with a new transmitter that more than doubled its coverage area in order to earn a clear signal to much of Fort Lauderdale, and the Broward County for the first time.

WFOX was formerly WCIX, which was operated from 1967 to 1986, and it was a Miami station.

Miami had competing independents in form of WDZL-TV. channel 39 and WBFS, channel 33.

Six years earlier WVIT had to sign on with a new transmitter in order to reach New Haven for the first time.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

November 19, 1986

WKBS (channel 48) in Philadelphia is underwent change, rebranding it as WGNP (for WGN Philadelphia), reflecting the structure of how the Tribune stations went. It is considered that Christian Television Network would purchase WPHL-TV (channel 17).

It is expected that WPHL would became a religious-heavy station.

In exchange, Fox was in final talks for a waiver action to retain both WNYW in New York and WTAF-TV in Philadelphia.

Malrite Communications Group also was in talks to acquire smaller broadcast group TVX Broadcast Group, and merged the entities there, combining the four stations with TVX's large station group.

 

[stratonapba]

On a Related Story in Late November of 1986

Tribune Owned Stations picked up a National Version of Dancin' On Air hosted by Mike Rossi and Christy Springfield has just begin in January of 1986, However It had high ratings and It is renewed for three more seasons in 1989 however KNTV in San Francisco, CA aired it as a lead in to the 5 O'Clock Newscast anchored by Doug Moore and Maggi Scura.

ITTL Note: The National Version of Dancin' On Air butterflied USA Network's Pickup of Dancin' On Air as Dance Party USA in which it ran from 1986-1992 however Andy Gury's run as host has been butterflied ITTL so he stays at radio.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

Amazing!

 

[DucNguyen0131]

November 24, 1986

Nintendo of America, Inc. announced that the Nintendo Disk System was up for pre-order, that was scheduled for the Christmas of 1986. Cartridge versions of disk games were however butterflied away.

Disk games planned were Baseball, Golf, Soccer, Super Mario Bros., Tennis and Volleyball, the first five titles to come out on the Disk System.

Disk games usually require battery saving, to be included with their system.

More disk-based games, from third-party licensees were expected to come out next year, in 1987. The Nintendo Disk System was an add-on for the Nintendo Entertainment System, a localized version of the Famicom. Its launch price cost US$49.99.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

November 27, 1986

Taft Broadcasting Company in Cincinnati and Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises are announcing its plans to merge its two companies. The combined company would have consisted of 25 stations, which included newly-acquired WFTV in Orlando.

Most of the stations were ABC affiliates, and it was backed by Berkshire Hathaway.

It is confirmed that the prospect of a merger saw the merging of the two distribution companies.

A Gulf Broadcasting merger is proposed, making it a 25-station total. Taft owns five independents, four of them were affiliated with Fox.

 

[stratonapba]

December 1986

Dancin' On Air Is expected to consider having a female regular to host the show alongside Mike Rossi and Christy Springfield however it will be expected to go off in February 1987, However Heather "Princess" Day and Cindy Stark both regular dancers on the show are considered to take the job.

ITTL Note: WGNP (formerly WKBS) picked up Dancin' On Air on October 12, 1981 however Tribune took over and It expanded nationally in 1984 and was aired on the Tribune Owned Stations.

Meanwhile: Some Tribune Stations might get a New Newscast to Air after Dancin' On Air following the success of WKBS in Philadelphia and KNTV airing it before the 5PM News as WGN in Chicago, WGNY in New York, WGNE in Boston, KTLA in Los Angeles and KWGN in Denver, CO which aired the show as a Lead-In to the News despite the shows former host (Bill O'Brien) left following the 1984-1985 Season thanks to the takeover with Tribune Broadcasting.

As For ABC Daytime: They've Cancelled Double Talk which the last episode slated to air on December 19th and the show will be replaced with a Revival of Split Second.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

A coming of a game unveiled!

 

[DucNguyen0131]

December 2, 1986

The Nintendo Disk System is officially been released! Most of the third-party licensees will work on games for the Nintendo Disk System, and decided to extend the limit from five to ten games because of its highly successful Japanese work.

The five launch games on the Nintendo Disk System were Baseball, Golf, Soccer, Super Mario Bros., Tennis and Volleyball.

These were highly anticipated console conversions from cartridge to disk. It was a localized version of the Famicom Disk System, which came out months earlier in Japan.

The Disk System art is designed by Lance Barr, principal designer of the NES. The Disk System could be instered to the bottom of the NES cartridge.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

December 8, 1986

Nintendo of America, Inc. is posting its sales revenue for the Nintendo Disk System. Sales of the games would increase, stating that a disk-based console could become a popular idea for videogamers.

The launch price cost $49.99 for the Disk System.

It is expected that the Nintendo Disk System could become a Christmas gift all among viewers.

The Nintendo Disk System could become the number one and the fastest-growing disk system by the year 1987. The Winter CES had to preview the Disk System titles The Legend of Zelda and Metroid as well as Konami's CastleVania.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

December 12, 1986

WLVI, which was a charter affiliate of the Fox Broadcasting Company, whose primetime schedule started operating on April 5 of next year, will have a 5pm newscast that have to compete against the successful newscasts.

WLVI is owned-and-operated by the TVX Broadcast Group via subsidiary TVX of New England, Inc., who took over the station from Field Communications in 1983.

WLVI-TV, along with WKBD in Detroit, and WFLD in Chicago were currently Fox affiliates.

The station also has a sister station, WFDG, channel 28 in Providence/New Bedford, which also had the TVX of New England licensee subsidiary.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

December 19, 1986

The Tribune Broadcasting Company, who owns flagship WGN-TV in Chicago announced that they would bought out the construction permit for channel 25 in West Palm Beach for $1.2 billion.

This made Tribune to build a third TV station, following WPIX and WGN-TV, both in 1948.

It is reported that KTLA, channel 5 in Los Angeles would change its call letters to KWGH (this callsign was used when Tribune took over KHJ-TV, channel 9 until it was sold to KCET in 1985).

It is reported that West Palm Beach is part of all of South Florida.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

December 22, 1986

The United States Department of Justice has approved the deal/merger between Sega of America, Inc. and the video game division of Coleco Industries, Inc. Coleco made its foray into the game industry with Atari clones.

It is reported that once the deal is done, Sega would have to rebrand all MasterVision and Mark III consoles as The Sega Master System.

The Sega Mark III originally came out in Japan in 1985, until a joint venture between Sega and Coleco had to release theconsole in the US.

It is reported that Atari strike a deal with Hasbro to release the Control Vision, as the Atari 10400, due to be out in 1988. One of the first titles was a cassette-based horror game, Night Trap, starring Dana Plato of Diff'rent Strokes fame.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

December 25, 1986

During the proposed Cox-Taft merger, it is said that WDCA would be sold off to Chris-Craft Industries, owners of KPTV in Portland, WOR in New York City and KCOP in Los Angeles, two of the largest cities.

WDCA would become Chris-Craft's fifth TV station, after KUTP in Phoenix.

It is said that WDCA could became the nation's capital that Chris Craft is about to buy.

The Cox-Taft merger said they opted to keep WDVM in Washington, D.C., one of CBS' longtime affiliates in the nation's capital.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

December 29, 1986

The Federal Communications Commission would have obtained a merger agreement between two publisher/broadcasting interests McGraw-Hill and Knight Ridder, who owns four ABC-affiliated television stations each.

Each station would always be an ABC affiliate.

The combined company owns and operates eight of the television markets.

It is reported that WAST-TV in Albany would move to channel 12, to avoid interference with WNET-TV in New York, a PBS station, in order to obtain additional viewers in the Hudson Valley.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

January 5-8, 1987

At the Winter Consumer Electronics Show, Harmony Gold is unveiling a fourth Robotech animated series, scheduled for fall 1988, as well as a third animated project, Robotech III: The Odyssey, scheduled for the fall of 1987, following the massive success of Robotech, and Robotech II: The Sentinels, which gave them high ratings. These were donated by Carl Macek, employee of Harmony Gold (Streamline Pictures was however butterflied away), and Jerry Beck and Fred Patten, animated historians, would join Harmony Gold.

Harmony Gold also launched a videogame unit, to localize the Disk Original Group library to the Nintendo Disk System, as well as localizing Sunsoft's titles for the Nintendo Entertainment System, for a maximum five-game total. Nintendo had to expand its library to five games a year each for the NES and the Nintendo Disk System, for a total of ten games. Harmony Gold's game division will be a Nintendo license.

At the Konami booth, it was previewing CastleVania, Rush'n Attack and Double Dribble for the Nintendo Disk System, as well as Road Fighter and Track and Field for the Nintendo Entertainment System. SNK Corporation of America will also be unveiled as a new Nintendo license with the launch of Ikari Warriors, and Capcom also had Trojan and Gunsmoke, all for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Data East also had Ring King, BurgerTime and Bump'n'Jump.

Atari Games also had something on the Nintendo side. It has Nintendo conversions of Millipede, Centipede and Peter Pack Rat, as well as Babel and Metro-Cross, which are Namco titles originally for the Famicom, both were scheduled to be for release later this year. Bandai also developed the Family Fun Fitness control mat and the Athletic World game pak, as well as new controllers for the NES and Sega game systems. Sega also unveiled the Master System, a redesign of the MasterVision with more games.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

January 12, 1987

McGraw-Hill and Knight Ridder had finalized their merger, creating the largest publishing/broadcasting company, called "MHKR Holdings", which consists of eight ABC-affiliated television stations.

It is claimed to be the largest television purchase ever.

MHKR Holdings owns and operates 8 television stations, all of which were affiliated with ABC.

Some formerly affiliated with either CBS or NBC, ended up getting the ABC affiliations as we learned in the 1970s and 1980s.