Part 1: WPTV and WSM goes to ABC
This is an alternate history if ABC decided to affiliate with two popular market-leading stations NBC is affiliating in Nashville and West Palm Beach. Although most of the market-leading NBC stations (WSB-TV in Atlanta) were wooed by ABC, how they have worked if two of the market-leading stations switched to ABC instead?
June 6, 1980
ABC agreed to a two-station agreement with two of the market-leading stations NLT's WSM-TV in Nashville, and Scripps-Howard Broadcasting's WPTV-TV in West Palm Beach, abandoning NBC, which is dead last in the ratings. ABC wanted to upgrade two outlets in the Nashville and West Palm Beach markets
Although WNGE-TV, the previous ABC affiliate, has plans to go for an independent, or sign a group deal with General Electric Broadcasting, to convert all three of GE's television stations (WNGE-TV in Nashville, KOA-TV in Denver, WRGB-TV in the Capital District) to NBC, butterflying WRGB's move to CBS away. The General Electric-NBC relationship dates back to the 1920s, when General Electric is one of the founding members of RCA, who was owner of NBC.
WPEC-TV in West Palm Beach has talks to go to an independent station, or sign a deal with NBC.
Scripps-Howard executives say that ABC and WEWS had a working relationship, which dates back to the late 1940s, and this would mean WPTV-TV (channel 5) to became the second Scripps-Howard station to be affiliated with ABC.
(This is the POD, IOTL WPTV and WSM kept their NBC affiliations).
June 6, 1980
ABC agreed to a two-station agreement with two of the market-leading stations NLT's WSM-TV in Nashville, and Scripps-Howard Broadcasting's WPTV-TV in West Palm Beach, abandoning NBC, which is dead last in the ratings. ABC wanted to upgrade two outlets in the Nashville and West Palm Beach markets
Although WNGE-TV, the previous ABC affiliate, has plans to go for an independent, or sign a group deal with General Electric Broadcasting, to convert all three of GE's television stations (WNGE-TV in Nashville, KOA-TV in Denver, WRGB-TV in the Capital District) to NBC, butterflying WRGB's move to CBS away. The General Electric-NBC relationship dates back to the 1920s, when General Electric is one of the founding members of RCA, who was owner of NBC.
WPEC-TV in West Palm Beach has talks to go to an independent station, or sign a deal with NBC.
Scripps-Howard executives say that ABC and WEWS had a working relationship, which dates back to the late 1940s, and this would mean WPTV-TV (channel 5) to became the second Scripps-Howard station to be affiliated with ABC.
(This is the POD, IOTL WPTV and WSM kept their NBC affiliations).