 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television |
| Founded | 1957 |
| Founder | Henry J. Kaiser |
| Defunct | 1977 |
| Fate | sold to Field Communications |
| Headquarters |
|
Key people | |
| Parent | Kaiser Industries |
| Divisions | Kaiser Broadcasting Company |
The Kaiser Broadcasting Corp. was an American broadcast media company that owned and operated television and radio stations in the United States from 1957 to 1977. [1]
Kaiser's involvement in broadcasting began in 1957 when the Henry J. Kaiser Company Ltd., a multi-industrial conglomerate led by the eponymous industrialist, signed on KHVH and independent KHVH-TV (channel 13) in Honolulu, Hawaii, within two months of each other. [2] [3] Both stations were located in the Hawaiian Village Hotel, which Kaiser also owned and from which the call sign was derived. [4] Kaiser purchased KULA-TV (channel 4) on May 8, 1958, [5] changed its calls to KHVH-TV on July 16, 1958, [6] and returned the original KHVH-TV license to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Kaiser also acquired San Francisco station KBAY-FM in 1960, renaming it KFOG-FM and implementing a beautiful music format. [7]
Later in the 1960s, Kaiser explored new opportunities to expand its broadcast holdings on the U.S. mainland: construction permits were secured for multiple ultra high frequency (UHF) stations, all in large markets, and KHVH-TV was sold off to help fund this expansion. [7] The first two of these stations signed on during 1965: WKBD-TV in Detroit went on the air in January, [8] followed nine months later by WKBS-TV in Burlington, New Jersey, a suburb of Philadelphia. [9] WKBD-TV's debut was auspicious as the station's schedule consisted entirely of live sports play-by-play, a first in American broadcasting. [10] [11]
KMTW-TV took to the air in the Los Angeles market on June 29, 1966. [12] Later renamed KBSC-TV, [13] this station proved to a weak point in the chain after failing to attain a local Phonevision franchise and became uncompetitive against the market's established seven other independent stations both on VHF and UHF. [14] Also in June 1966, Kaiser purchased the broadcast assets of Harvey Radio Laboratories, including WXHR AM/FM/TV. [15] The television station had been off the air since 1956 [16] but the license remained active and was purchased by Harvey Radio in 1959. [17] The Boston Globe then purchased a 50 percent stake in the Boston stations, [18] creating a 50–50 joint venture that took advantage of a loophole in a proposed FCC rule limiting one ownership group to no more than three television stations in the top 50 markets. [19] The television station was reactivated as WKBG-TV on December 21, 1966. [20]
Kaiser started up two more stations, KBHK-TV in San Francisco and WKBF-TV in Cleveland, at the start of 1968. The company had intended to have both stations sign on at the same time on January 2, 1968, and arranged for executives to be present at both facilities for the occasion, [21] but repeated construction delays at the transmitter site due to inclement weather prevented WKBF-TV from signing on until January 19. [22] Like WKBG-TV, WKBF-TV was jointly owned by Kaiser and Superior Broadcasting Company (which attained the station's construction permit [23] ) for its first four years of operation, [24] [25] but was formally recognized as "a Kaiser station" [26] equally taking advantage of the FCC's aforementioned "top 50 market" ownership limit. [19] The Globe reduced its ownership stake in the Boston stations to 10 percent, also in 1968. [27]
In September 1967, the Kaiser Broadcasting Corporation announced plans for live television network operations by 1970. [28] Excluding KBSC-TV, all stations in the Kaiser chain placed a significant emphasis on local programming, with some of the more popular programs syndicated to other Kaiser stations. These included shows hosted by Joe Dolan in San Francisco, Alan Douglas in Cleveland, [29] Hy Lit in Philadelphia [30] and Lou Gordon in Detroit. [31] Gordon's WKBD-TV show proved to be the most successful, with all the Kaiser stations eventually carrying the program. [32] This internal networking practice continued into the mid-1970s when "The Ghoul", a WKBF-TV horror host portrayed by Ron Sweed, [33] was syndicated to WKBD-TV, [34] WKBG-TV, [35] KBHK-TV [36] and later WFLD-TV (the latter after Kaiser purchased majority control). [37] [38]
Beginning in 1968, Kaiser committed to launching news services throughout the chain, many of which boasted late-evening newscasts an hour earlier than network affiliates. [39] Kaiser invested approximately $6 million (equivalent to $47.1 million in 2023) into these news departments, with emphasis given to WKBF-TV, WKBS-TV and WKBD-TV; [40] WKBG-TV's news operation was the last to launch on December 1, 1969, [41] while KBHK-TV's attempt at a 10 p.m. newscast failed earlier in the year. [42] The high costs incurred, in addition to a weak economic picture nationally and a marketplace reluctant to embrace UHF, led Kaiser to suspend news operations throughout the entire chain on November 12, 1970. [40] Out of the five stations with a news department, only WKBD-TV turned a profit but still had ratings much lower than had been expected. [43] WKBG-TV's picture was especially dire, having lost nearly $11 million over the course of four years. [44] The unilateral move to cull local newscasts was met with doubts and concerns in the industry over the profitability of UHF stations given Kaiser's reputation as a well-equipped broadcaster. [40]
On May 26, 1972, Kaiser sold a 22.5 percent minority stake in their broadcasting holdings to Chicago-based Field Communications (excluded from this were KBSC-TV and the radio stations) while Kaiser acquired a 77.5 percent majority stake in WFLD-TV, Field's Chicago station. [45] Completed in May 1973, the Kaiser/Field partnership was named Kaiser Broadcasting Co. (Kaiser Co.) and included KBHK-TV, WFLD-TV, WKBD-TV, WKBS-TV, WKBF-TV and majority control of WKBG-TV. [46] The Boston Globe sold its stake in WKBG-TV to Kaiser in 1974, [47] with the station renamed WLVI. [48] After a prior attempt to spin off KBSC-TV to a prospective subscription television operator failed, [49] [50] Kaiser sold off the station to a joint venture between Oak Industries and Jerry Perenchio in December 1975, [51] becoming the genesis of the ON TV pay television service. [52]
Faced with mounting financial losses in Cleveland, Kaiser ceased all operations at WKBF-TV on April 25, 1975, selling off the majority of assets to United Artists Broadcasting, owner of WUAB. [53] In turn, Kaiser purchased a 36 percent equity stake in WUAB, [54] which it held until United Artists sold off that station in 1977. [55] WKBF-TV management and Kaiser executives conceded that, due to WUAB signing on within months of WKBF-TV, the station never turned a profit and could not find consistent viewership or advertiser support in the Cleveland market. [53] [56]
In January 1977, Kaiser sold its stake in the station group to Field for a combined $42.625 million (equivalent to $214 million in 2023). [57] This sale was part of a larger disposition of Kaiser Industries in which 90 percent of the conglomerate's assets were divested in 1977 alone. [1]
From 1965 onward, Kaiser Broadcasting consisted of stations of independent outlets that broadcast on the UHF band. [7] In Detroit, [11] Boston [20] and Cleveland, [26] Kaiser-owned stations were the first independents in their respective markets. At a time when viewer interest in watching UHF television was still at its infancy, the Kaiser group programmed aggressively with movies, off-network programs, and children's shows. [58]
While the initial plan of creating a "fourth network" backed by this station group [28] never came to fruition, many of these stations boasted successful local programs, several of which found varying degrees of success through syndication. WKBD-TV's early investment in sports programming enabled them to secure broadcast rights for the NBA's Detroit Pistons, the NHL's Detroit Red Wings and other area college teams. [10] Many of the Kaiser stations purchased syndication rights for Star Trek [59] before other large market stations [60] [61] : 91–92 as counterprogramming against evening news programs on the Big Three networks [62] : 138 and, in the case of WKBF-TV, were aired in the same episode order as originally broadcast on NBC. [63]
Stations are listed in alphabetical order by state and city of license. [64] [65]
| City of license / Market | Station | Channel | Years owned | Current status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corona–Los Angeles, CA | KMTW-TV/KBSC-TV** | 52 | 1966–1977 | Telemundo owned-and-operated (O&O) KVEA |
| San Francisco–Oakland–San Jose, CA | KBHK-TV** | 44 | 1968–1977 | Independent KPYX, owned by Paramount Global |
| Honolulu, HI | KHVH-TV** | 13 | 1957–1958 | Defunct, ceased operations in 1958 [a] |
| KHVH-TV | 4 | 1958–1965 | ABC affiliate KITV, owned by Allen Media Broadcasting | |
| Chicago, IL | WFLD-TV | 32 | 1972–1977 | Fox owned-and-operated (O&O) |
| Cambridge–Boston, MA | WKBG-TV/WLVI-TV [b] | 56 | 1966–1977 | The CW affiliate owned by Sunbeam Television |
| Detroit, MI | WKBD-TV** | 50 | 1965–1977 | The CW affiliate owned by Paramount Global |
| Burlington, NJ–Philadelphia, PA | WKBS-TV** | 48 | 1965–1977 | Defunct, ceased operations in 1983 [c] |
| Cleveland–Akron–Canton, OH | WKBF-TV** [d] | 61 | 1968–1975 | Defunct, ceased operation in 1975 [e] |
| AM Station | FM Station |
|---|
| City of license / Market | Station | Years owned | Current status |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco–Oakland, CA | KBAY-FM/KFOG 104.5 | 1960–1974 | KNBR-FM, owned by Cumulus Media |
| Honolulu, HI | KHVH 990 | 1957–1965 | KIKI, owned by iHeartMedia |
| Cambridge–Boston, MA | WCAS 740 [b] | 1967–1976 | WJIB, owned by RCRQ Inc. |
| WXHR/WJIB 96.9 [b] | 1967–1972 | WBQT, owned by Greater Media |
KITV is a television station in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, serving the Hawaiian Islands as an affiliate of ABC. It is owned by Allen Media Group alongside multicultural independent station KIKU. The two stations share studios on South King Street in downtown Honolulu; KITV's main transmitter is located atop the Ala Moana Hotel in Honolulu. Rebroadcasters on the islands of Maui and Hawaii extend the station's signal.
WGBX-TV, branded GBH 44, is the secondary PBS member television station in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is owned by the WGBH Educational Foundation, alongside WGBH-TV, WFXZ-CD, and multiple public radio stations in Boston and on Cape Cod. WGBX-TV, WGBH-TV and the WGBH and WCRB radio stations share studios on Guest Street in northwest Boston's Brighton neighborhood; WGBX-TV's transmitter is located on Cedar Street in Needham, Massachusetts.
WWJ-TV is a television station in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is owned and operated by the CBS television network via its CBS News and Stations division, alongside WKBD-TV, an affiliate of The CW. The two outlets share studios on Eleven Mile Road in the Detroit suburb of Southfield; WWJ-TV's transmitter is located in Oak Park, Michigan.
WOIO is a television station licensed to Shaker Heights, Ohio, United States, serving the Cleveland area as an affiliate of CBS. It is owned by Gray Television alongside low-power Telemundo affiliate WTCL-LD and CW affiliate WUAB, the latter station transmitting over WOIO's full-power spectrum via a channel sharing agreement. WOIO, WUAB and WTCL-LD share studios on the ground floor of the Reserve Square building in Downtown Cleveland, with WOIO and WUAB sharing transmitter facilities in suburban Parma.
WUAB is a television station licensed to Lorain, Ohio, United States, serving the Cleveland area as an affiliate of The CW. It is owned by Gray Television alongside low-power Telemundo affiliates WTCL-LD and WOHZ-CD and CBS affiliate WOIO, the latter station whose full-power spectrum WUAB transmits over via a channel sharing agreement. Channel 43 is also an affiliate of sister property Rock Entertainment Sports Network, and as such serves as the full-power broadcast home of Cleveland Monsters hockey and Cleveland Charge basketball.
WKBD-TV, branded as CW Detroit 50, is a television station in Detroit, Michigan, United States, affiliated with The CW. It is owned by the CBS News and Stations group alongside WWJ-TV, a CBS owned-and-operated station. The two stations share studios on Eleven Mile Road in the Detroit suburb of Southfield, where WKBD-TV's transmitter is also located.
WLVI is a television station licensed to Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, serving the Boston area as an affiliate of The CW. It is owned by Sunbeam Television alongside WHDH, an independent station. WLVI and WHDH share studios at Bulfinch Place in downtown Boston; through a channel sharing agreement, the two stations transmit using WHDH's spectrum from the WHDH-TV tower in Newton, Massachusetts.
WMYD is an independent television station in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside ABC affiliate WXYZ-TV. The two stations share studios at Broadcast House on 10 Mile Road in Southfield; WMYD's transmitter is located on Eight Mile Road in Oak Park.
KPYX, branded as KPIX+, is an independent television station licensed to San Francisco, California, United States, serving the San Francisco Bay Area. It is owned by the CBS News and Stations group alongside KPIX-TV, the market's CBS owned-and-operated station. The two stations share studios at Broadway and Battery Street, just north of San Francisco's Financial District; KPYX's transmitter is located atop Sutro Tower.
KVEA is a television station licensed to Corona, California, United States, serving as the Los Angeles area outlet for the Spanish-language network Telemundo. It is owned and operated by NBCUniversal's Telemundo Station Group alongside KNBC. The two stations share studios at the Brokaw News Center in the northwest corner of the Universal Studios Hollywood lot off Lankershim Boulevard in Universal City; KVEA's transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson.
Field Communications was an American broadcast media company and a wholly owned division of Field Enterprises, which owned the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Daily News. Based in Chicago, Illinois, the company had owned UHF independent television stations in the United States, with WFLD-TV in Chicago as its flagship and largest-market station.
WQHS-DT is a television station in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, broadcasting the Spanish-language networks Univision and UniMás. Owned and operated by TelevisaUnivision, it is the only full-power Spanish-language television station in the state of Ohio. WQHS-DT's studios and transmitter are located on West Ridgewood Drive in suburban Parma.
WKBF-TV was a television station that broadcast on channel 61 in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, from January 1968 to April 1975. Owned and operated by Kaiser Broadcasting as one of an eventual group of six stations, it was the first ultra high frequency (UHF) independent station to serve northeast Ohio and the last outlet constructed by the Kaiser chain during the 1960s to begin operations. Despite airing several high-profile local programs, Kaiser's efforts to establish itself in Cleveland never took root because of the establishment of a second independent outlet, WUAB, later that same year, as well as general stagnation in the Cleveland market. In April 1975, Kaiser shut WKBF-TV down and sold its programming inventory to WUAB in exchange for a minority stake in that station.
WWDP is a television station licensed to Norwell, Massachusetts, United States, serving the Boston area as an affiliate of Binge TV. It is owned by WRNN-TV Associates alongside Foxborough-licensed WMFP. Through a channel sharing agreement, the two stations transmit using WWDP's spectrum from a tower off Pleasant Street in West Bridgewater. WWDP's studios are located on Bert Drive, also in West Bridgewater.
Ronald D. Sweed was an American entertainer and author, known for his late-night television horror host character "The Ghoul".
WTCL-LD is a low-power television station in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, affiliated with Telemundo. It is owned by Gray Television alongside two full-power sister stations: CBS affiliate WOIO and CW affiliate WUAB ; WTCL-LD also functions as an ultra high frequency (UHF) repeater for WOIO. The stations share studios at Reserve Square in downtown Cleveland; WTCL-LD's transmitter is located in suburban Parma. WTCL-LD's visibility is extended to the southern part of the Cleveland market via Canton–licensed WOHZ-CD, which has a transmitter located northeast of Canton.
WKBS-TV was a television station on UHF channel 48 serving the Philadelphia area, licensed to serve Burlington, New Jersey. It operated from September 1965 to August 1983 and was one of three major independent stations serving the Delaware Valley. Though licensed to Burlington, its studios and transmitter were located within Philadelphia city limits—in South Philadelphia and the Roxborough tower farm, respectively.
KCTY was a television station in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. It broadcast on ultra high frequency (UHF) channel 25 from June 6, 1953, to February 28, 1954, and was the second television station to begin broadcasting in the Kansas City area after WDAF-TV. KCTY was an affiliate of the DuMont Television Network; originally owned by the Empire Coil Company, which had pioneered UHF telecasting, DuMont purchased the station outright at the end of 1953 and operated it for two months as a study in the problems of struggling UHF stations nationwide before concluding that there was no path to economic viability. The studio for KCTY was located in the Pickwick Hotel in downtown Kansas City; the transmitter was located in a rural area that today is part of Overland Park, Kansas.
The early history of television in the United States, particularly between 1956 and 1986, was dominated by the Big Three television networks: the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), and the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). The term fourth television network was used within the industry during this era to refer to a theoretical fourth commercial broadcast (over-the-air) television network that would operate as a direct competitor to the "Big Three".
WENS was a television station broadcasting on ultra high frequency (UHF) channel 16 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, from 1953 to 1957. An ABC and CBS affiliate, it was one of two early UHF television stations in Pittsburgh, built by an ownership group that included Pittsburgh Pirates owner Thomas P. Johnson. WENS was the first station to telecast the Pirates in Pittsburgh and the third station in the market.
