Milton Grant

Last updated

Milton Grant
Milt Grant predicts triumphant march into Miami TV.png
Grant, c. 1980s
Born(1923-05-13)May 13, 1923
New York City, U.S.
DiedApril 28, 2007(2007-04-28) (aged 83)
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
Occupations
  • Disc jockey
  • television station owner
Notable work The Milt Grant Show (1956–1961)

Milton Grant (May 13, 1923 – April 28, 2007) was an American disc jockey and owner of television stations. Born in New York City, it was in Washington, D.C., where he made his mark as a disc jockey at radio stations WINX and WOL. Beginning in the early 1950s, he began appearing on Washington television station WTTG. From 1956 to 1961, he hosted the six-time-a-week The Milt Grant Show on WTTG; it was Washington's primary teen dance show on TV and made him a Washington icon of the period. When WTTG abruptly canceled the show in 1961, Grant continued to host programs on a "Teen Network" of four regional radio stations.

Contents

In the 1960s, Grant shifted from being an on-air personality to a behind-the-scenes figure. He organized the Capital Broadcasting Company, which built Washington independent WDCA. Grant owned the station until 1969 and continued as its general manager until January 1980, when he resigned to pursue applying for and building his own station in the city. That never occurred, but Grant aligned with Sidney Shlenker and other investors to launch two independent stations in Texas in the early 1980s: KTXA in Fort Worth and KTXH in Houston. These stations were where Grant perfected his launch strategy for new stations to come on "full-grown", freely spending on syndicated programming and promotion. They were sold to Gulf Broadcasting in 1984.

Grant then started a second station group, Grant Broadcasting System (GBS), which built WBFS-TV in Miami, launched WGBS-TV in Philadelphia, and relaunched WGBO-TV in Chicago. Grant used the same strategy in these markets, and while particularly the Miami and Philadelphia outlets saw success, the prices paid for syndicated shows and a flat advertising market left the company overextended. In December 1986, GBS filed for bankruptcy protection; Grant lost control of the stations, which were transferred to a group of GBS bondholders operating as Combined Broadcasting.

In 1990, Grant returned to broadcast station ownership with the purchase of bankrupt WZDX, a Fox affiliate serving Huntsville, Alabama. The new company—known variously as Grant Communications or Grant Broadcasting System II—later acquired stations in Virginia, New York, Iowa, and Wisconsin, broadcasting Fox, The CW, and MyNetworkTV. After Grant's death in 2007, his family sold the stations to Nexstar Broadcasting Group and affiliated companies in 2014.

Early life

Grant was born on May 13, 1923, in New York City—a fact that was not well known during his life, as Grant was notoriously reticent to divulge it. [1] He told Washington business publication Regardie's in an August 1988 cover story, "We're all so caught up in this age thing". [2] [3] After growing up in Plainfield, New Jersey, and studying economics and English [2] at New York University and Columbia University, he first came to Washington after reportedly being recruited to the Office of Strategic Services during World War II, later telling stories of spying for the U.S. in north Africa and Italy. [1] [4]

After the war, Grant returned to Columbia to finish his degree. He spent time in Scranton, Pennsylvania, at WARM, where he served as a color commentator on sportscasts. [5] He returned to Washington in 1947 as a summer replacement at WTOP, [6] then joined the staff of WINX as a disc jockey in 1950. [7] By 1953, he had moved to WOL, where he hosted The Milt Grant Record Show. [8]

The Milt Grant Show

Grant began appearing on television on March 7, 1954, when Washington station WTTG began airing a Sunday program known as Marion Showcase, which featured a movie, talent show, and dancing. [9] In July 1956, Grant started a new program on the station: Milt Grant's Record Hop, which debuted on July 22, 1956, as a simulcast on WOL and WTTG. [10] The program was supported by local police and civic organizations with the hope to be a "constructive approach" against juvenile delinquency. [11] That October, WTTG extended a contract offer to Grant, which he accepted effective October 1; he then left WOL to become a full-time television broadcaster. [12]

Live from a ballroom at the Raleigh Hotel, [1] The Milt Grant Show became the city's highest-rated local program by 1958. [13] High-profile stars of the day, such as Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Frankie Avalon, Nat King Cole, Bobby Darin, Ike & Tina Turner, Harry Belafonte, Bob Hope, Connie Francis, and Fabian were guests on the show during its run. [2] [14] [1] In addition to hosting the show, Grant was also the producer and sold advertising for such brands as Pepsi, Motorola, and Briggs ice cream; the kids on the program often knew the sponsors well. [1] [2] Grant got half of all advertising revenues in the first contract, a share that diminished as revenues increased; at one point, his contract was renegotiated because he earned more than John Kluge, the CEO of WTTG parent Metropolitan Broadcasting. [2] The dancers—among them future reporter Carl Bernstein [2] —were mostly White; Black dancers were only allowed on Tuesdays, [15] and they were not allowed to dance with White partners. [16]

In addition, Grant ventured into the record business. He founded Punch Records in December 1958, [17] and he was one of the few DJs not to be mentioned in connection with the late-1950s payola scandals in the U.S. [18] Prior to founding Punch, Grant had already made a connection with music. At one of Grant's record hops, Link Wray improvised a song that impressed the audience so much that Grant paid for it to be recorded at a Washington studio. Grant got songwriting credit for "Rumble"; Wray told NPR's Fresh Air in 2005, "Milt Grant smelt a dollar". [19] [4] Punch also released the regional hit "The Bug" by Jerry Dallman and the Knightcaps—also with a songwriting credit from Grant, though he only bought into the song [2] —which was later featured in the soundtrack to the 1988 film Hairspray . [20]

WTTG opted to cancel The Milt Grant Show after its April 15, 1961, edition. The move disappointed Grant, baffled media experts, and led high schoolers to picket The Washington Post , hoping to draw attention to their cause. [18] [21] [22] With his cancellation from television, Grant began airing two weekend afternoon shows aired over Washington stations WPGC, WAVA, WINX, and WEEL, forming the "teen network". Shows originated live from such local haunts as recreation halls and amusement parks. [23] However, he expressed continued fondness for the time he spent hosting The Milt Grant Show. In 1990, when he returned to Washington for a National Archives screening of the only surviving footage of the program, he told the assembled crowd, "It was a very important time of my life. We were part of the great new beginning of television and there was just so much energy. It made me fall in love with television and all its powers." [14] Grant would later note the importance of his disc jockey years in his career as a television station owner: "I learned about the audiences and how to influence them so they respond to what you ask them to do." [24]

WDCA-TV

I went around the country studying UHF, and no one had really made it work yet. But I was just so strongly committed to building my own television station that I thought that if I could just get it on the air I would know how to program it and promote it so it would work.

Grant, on moving into TV station ownership with WDCA-TV [2]

A company headed by Grant, Capital Broadcasting Company, applied in November 1962 to build ultra high frequency (UHF) channel 20 in Washington. The permit was awarded the next year, [25] and WDCA-TV began broadcasting on April 20, 1966, emphasizing sports programming. [26] With his pivot from talent to management, Grant stopped going by "Milt" and instead preferred "Milton". [27] Grant sold the station to Superior Tube Company, a Pennsylvania-based manufacturer of metal tubing products, in 1969, but he remained station president and general manager. [28] [29] In a 1986 interview, Grant would admit that he "went to school" managing WDCA-TV, which—as a UHF station competing in a four-VHF market—was at a disadvantage. He told Broadcasting magazine, "No one had ever heard of UHF." [24]

During Grant's management tenure at channel 20, the station cemented itself as the second independent in Washington, behind WTTG, with a counterprogramming approach to program scheduling. [2] Local programs ranged from monkey races during afternoon cartoons [30] to late-night horror movies [31] and coverage of the Washington Bullets basketball and Washington Capitals hockey teams. [32] [33]

Grant–Shlenker partnership

Superior Tube sold WDCA-TV to Taft Broadcasting for $15.5 million in 1979. [34] [35] [36] Shortly after, Grant left channel 20 and applied for Washington's then-vacant channel 14. [37] [38] One reason he left was because his work habits—a late start and finish—clashed with the corporate culture of Taft. [2]

While that application was adjudicated, Grant joined a consortium led by Sidney Shlenker that was building two new independent stations in Texas. On January 4, 1981, KTXA began broadcasting to the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. [39] It aired a mix of subscription television programs from ON TV and conventionally available independent shows. November 1982 brought KTXH in Houston, which was a full-time commercial independent. [40]

Inside a year, he took a station that didn't exist before and made millions of dollars for his people. You could say he's a programming genius.

Ann Hodges, television columnist for the Houston Chronicle , on Grant's work at KTXH [41]

At the Texas stations, Grant iterated on a strategy that would initially be successful. KTXA had been the second of three new stations in six months in the Dallas–Fort Worth market, all of them hybrid commercial/subscription stations. In contrast to the other two hybrid startups that "merely appeared", Ed Bark of The Dallas Morning News wrote that KTXA had "burst into living rooms like a world-champion encyclopedia salesman", with nearly ubiquitous billboards, high-profile programming, and an emphasis on weekend movies. [42] Grant declared the first month of KTXH—similarly fueled by high-profile programming and a plan to spend $250,000 on advertising in just two months—a success, fulfilling his goal of signing on a "full-grown TV station". [43] KTXH also benefited from its other owners, which included Shlenker—owner of the Houston Rockets basketball team—and the Houston Sports Association, owner of the Houston Astros. Both teams were broadcast on the new station. [40] [44]

The pairing of KTXA and KTXH had proven to be successful and highly lucrative. Grant's aggressive programming and promotions strategy, plus a favorable climate for independent stations nationally, made the two stations highly profitable and attracted major bidders. Outlet Communications, the broadcasting division of The Outlet Company of Rhode Island, was one of several parties negotiating to buy KTXA and KTXH. However, negotiations fell through, and Grant instead sold the pair to the Gulf Broadcast Group for $158 million in May 1984. [45] The sale was held up for several months at the FCC, which conditioned the purchase on Gulf divesting FM stations in both cities. [46] The sale price was considered unprecedented given the short period of operation of the stations. [47]

Grant Broadcasting System

After selling the Texas stations, Grant started a new company, known as the Grant Broadcasting System (GBS), and developed three new independent stations. The first to go on air was also the most successful: WBFS-TV (channel 33) in Miami, which began broadcasting in December 1984. [48] An estimated $2 million in advertising over the station's first 60 days supported the launch of the new station, [49] which secured the rights to Miami Hurricanes men's basketball. [41] By March 1986, WBFS had tied WCIX as the top independent station in South Florida. [50] However, other Miami stations, having already seen the Grant strategy at work in Dallas and Houston, also made aggressive program and advertising purchases, slightly blunting the impact of the full-grown approach. [49]

In 1985, Grant bought two additional stations which were relaunched. The first to emerge was WGBS-TV "Philly 57" in Philadelphia, which went on the air that October. It was the conversion of the former WWSG-TV, an all-subscription station with an underpowered transmission facility. [51] The station was anchored by two major sports attractions—Villanova Wildcats men's basketball and Philadelphia Flyers hockey [52] [53] —and made expensive syndicated program purchases. [54] One reason the market was able to absorb WGBS-TV was that the previous third independent in the market, WKBS-TV, had been liquidated two years prior. [52]

Toward the end of the year, Grant acquired WFBN in Joliet, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, which relaunched as WGBO-TV at the start of 1986. [55] [56] The crowded Chicago independent market greeted the relaunched "Super 66" with defensive increases in their own promotional budgets. [57] A fourth independent station launch, KGBS in Salt Lake City, Utah, was planned for 1987. [58] [59] [60]

Grant kept up the development of these stations despite his unusual work habits. He rarely came into his office before noon and was known to hold business meetings well past midnight, a practice he attributed to reducing the amount of telephone interruptions he received. Grant served as the general manager of all three GBS stations. [24]

Bankruptcy

However, Grant's tactics and particularly the upward pressure he placed on syndicated program prices would turn out to be his downfall. As the advertising market went flat while prices remained high, a problem that had already claimed several independent stations in late 1985 and early 1986, the stations became unable to pay their bills to syndicators. On December 8, 1986, GBS filed for federal bankruptcy protection in Philadelphia, seeking to avoid its creditors forcing it into involuntary bankruptcy. [61] [62] In 1986, GBS lost $35.96 million: WBFS-TV in Miami lost $6.54 million, WGBS-TV in Philadelphia lost $9.72 million, and Chicago's WGBO-TV lost $13.76 million. [63] The flat market, higher programming costs, and defensive maneuvers by competing broadcasters had prevented Grant from achieving the same success he had with the strategy in the Texas markets. [64] The Chicago station's difficulties were deeper, so much so that media analyst Paul Kagan speculated that if the stations had been differently structured, only WGBO-TV might have filed for bankruptcy. [65]

We became caught in a buzz saw of rising prices. The other stations became defensive because they saw what we accomplished in Houston and Dallas. Prices went up, and we ran into a squeeze.

Grant, on what befell GBS [64]

In March 1987, GBS was allowed to continue operating its stations until at least July 1 through cash and accounts receivables to fund operations, denying a motion by the company's creditors to assume control of the stations or force their sale. [66] However, on July 7, Grant agreed to enter into receivership and turn over control of the company and its three stations to its television program suppliers and bondholders under a reorganization plan—approved on March 30, 1988—to repay $420 million in debt from the stations' operations by 1995, at which point the stations would be sold off. [67] [68] [69] In July 1988, Combined Broadcasting, a creditor-controlled company, took over GBS and the three stations. [70]

Grant, in a May 1988 interview with Electronic Media magazine, analyzed the downfall of GBS. He told Diane Mermigas that, given the changes in market revenue and competitors' understanding of what happened with the Texas stations, "I should have been more cautious in our program buying" and cited a lack of time and backup revenue to make up for shortfalls. [71] In other interviews, he cited defensive actions by other stations in the GBS markets, escalating programming costs, and purchasing too much programming. [64] [2] After being forced out of GBS, Grant continued to own 25 percent of KLRT-TV in Little Rock, Arkansas, in which he had previously received an option to buy a minority stake as a result of a settlement for the channel, [72] and provide consulting services to the winner of channel 14 in Washington. [71] GBS and TVX Broadcast Group—with the stations Grant built in Washington, Fort Worth, and Houston in its portfolio [71] —were cited by Television Engineering editor Peter Caranicas and Variety writer John Lippman as among the highest-profile economic failures in late 1980s independent television, [73] [74] with Kagan telling The New York Times in 1988 that GBS's failure burst the independent stations bubble. [75]

Grant Communications: Rebuilding

After losing GBS, Grant expressed a desire to return to the stations marketplace, [64] and by May 1988, a new company, Grant Communications, had been set up to own broadcast stations. He sought "properties that are underdeveloped or undermanaged—primarily independents, but not necessarily UHFs—who have opportunities for good growth and profitability". [71] More than a year later, Grant partnered with Citicorp to purchase WZDX, the Fox affiliate in Huntsville, Alabama, out of bankruptcy, marking his return to station ownership. [76] [77] [78] The next year, Grant agreed to purchase a second Fox affiliate that had only recently emerged from its own bankruptcy: KLJB-TV in Davenport, Iowa. [79] A third was added in 1993 when Grant acquired WJPR–WVFT, a simulcasting Fox affiliate for Lynchburg and Roanoke, Virginia. [80]

The WLAX studios in La Crosse, Wisconsin WLAXTVStudio.jpg
The WLAX studios in La Crosse, Wisconsin

Grant made three additional acquisitions in 1996. Two were inactive stations. In Burlington, Iowa, south of Davenport, KJMH had closed after losing its Fox affiliation in 1994; it was purchased by Grant in 1995 and returned to air in March 1996 as a simulcaster of KLJB-TV. [81] [82] Grant acquired the dormant WTJA in Jamestown, New York, which had last broadcast in 1991; he then traded it and $12 million to Tri-State Christian Television to acquire channel 49 in Buffalo, which returned to the air as The WB affiliate WNYO-TV in October 1996. [83] [84] [85] [86] The third was WLAX–WEUX, the Fox affiliate for La Crosse and Eau Claire, Wisconsin. [87]

Grant parlayed his relationship with The WB, formed after the relaunch of the Buffalo station, into secondary WB affiliations for the Davenport, Roanoke–Lynchburg, and Huntsville stations in 1999, when the network ceased distributing its programming nationally via Superstation WGN. [88] [89] [90] Full secondary services with The WB programming—cable channels in Roanoke and Huntsville and a relaunched KJMH for the Quad Cities market—were rolled out in 2001. [91] [92] Meanwhile, Grant sold WNYO-TV to Sinclair Broadcast Group for $51.5 million. [93]

Death and sale of stations

Milton Grant died in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on April 28, 2007; he had reportedly been suffering from cancer, though The Post could not obtain a confirmation of his death from his privately held company. [1] He was survived by three children and four grandchildren; his son, Thomas Grant II, became the company's vice president, and corporate programming director Drew Pfeiffer was elevated to CEO. [94]

On November 6, 2013, Nexstar Broadcasting Group announced its intent to purchase the Grant stations for $87.5 million. Due to FCC ownership regulations, one of the stations—KLJB—was spun off to Marshall Broadcasting Group, with Nexstar handling much of its operations through a shared services agreement. [95] The sale was completed on December 1, 2014. [96]

Stations owned by Milton Grant

Stations are arranged alphabetically by state and by city of license.

Stations owned by Milton Grant
Ownership groupCityStateStationChannelYears
owned		Ref(s)
Capital Broadcasting Company Washington District of Columbia WDCA 201966–1969 [29]
Investors including Sidney Shlenker Fort Worth–Dallas Texas KTXA 211981–1984 [45]
Houston Texas KTXH 201982–1984 [45]
Grant Broadcasting Co. of Little Rock Little Rock Arkansas KLRT-TV [lower-alpha 1] 161983–1991 [72] [97]
Grant Broadcasting SystemMiamiFlorida WBFS-TV 331984–1988 [48] [70]
Joliet–Chicago Illinois WGBO-TV 661985–1988 [70]
Philadelphia Pennsylvania WGBS-TV 571985–1988 [70]
Grant Communications
(Grant Broadcasting System II)		 Huntsville Alabama WZDX 541990–2014 [78] [96]
Burlington Iowa KGCW 261995–2014 [82] [96]
Davenport Iowa KLJB 181991–2014 [79] [96]
Buffalo New York WNYO-TV 491996–2001 [86] [93]
Roanoke Virginia WFXR 271993–2014 [80] [96]
Lynchburg Virginia WWCW 211993–2014
La Crosse Wisconsin WLAX 251996–2014 [87] [96]
Eau Claire WisconsinWEUX [lower-alpha 2] 481996–2014
  1. ↑ Grant owned a 25 percent ownership interest in this station.
  2. ↑ Satellite of WLAX.

Related Research Articles

WFTY-DT is a television station licensed to Smithtown, New York, United States, serving Long Island and owned by TelevisaUnivision. Its main channel broadcasts the True Crime Network; it also rebroadcasts the main channels of its New York City–area Univision and UniMás stations, WXTV-DT and WFUT-DT, from its transmitter in Middle Island, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTXF-TV</span> Fox television station in Philadelphia

WTXF-TV is a television station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, serving as the market's Fox network outlet. Owned and operated by the Fox Television Stations division, the station maintains studios on Market Street in Center City and a primary transmitter on the Roxborough tower farm, with a secondary transmitter on South Mountain in Allentown.

WPSG, branded Philly 57, is an independent television station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is owned by the CBS News and Stations group alongside CBS outlet KYW-TV. The two stations share studios on Hamilton Street north of Center City Philadelphia; WPSG's transmitter is located in the city's Roxborough section.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KRIV (TV)</span> Fox TV station in Houston

KRIV is a television station in Houston, Texas, United States, serving as the market's Fox network outlet. It is owned and operated by the network's Fox Television Stations division alongside MyNetworkTV station KTXH. The two stations share studios on Southwest Freeway in Houston; KRIV's transmitter is located near Missouri City, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WDCA</span> MyNetworkTV station in Washington, D.C.

WDCA, branded Fox 5 Plus, is a television station in Washington, D.C., serving as the local outlet for the MyNetworkTV programming service. It is owned and operated by Fox Television Stations alongside Fox outlet WTTG. WDCA and WTTG share studios on Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda, Maryland, and are broadcast on the same multiplex from a tower on River Road in that city.

KTXH, branded on-air as My20 Vision, is a television station in Houston, Texas, United States, serving as the local outlet for the MyNetworkTV programming service. It is owned and operated by Fox Television Stations alongside Fox outlet KRIV. The two stations share studios on Southwest Freeway in Houston; KTXH's transmitter is located near Missouri City, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTTG</span> Fox TV station in Washington, D.C.

WTTG is a television station in Washington, D.C., serving as the market's Fox network outlet. It is owned and operated by the network's Fox Television Stations division alongside MyNetworkTV station WDCA. WTTG and WDCA share studios on Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda, Maryland. Through a channel sharing agreement, the stations transmit using WTTG's spectrum from a tower also located in Bethesda on River Road at the site of WDCA's former studio facilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WDCW</span> CW TV station in Washington, D.C.

WDCW, branded on-air as DCW 50, is a television station in Washington, D.C., serving as the local outlet for The CW. It is owned and operated by network majority owner Nexstar Media Group alongside Hagerstown, Maryland–licensed independent station WDVM-TV ; the two stations share studios on Wisconsin Avenue in Washington's Glover Park neighborhood. Through a channel sharing agreement with Univision station WFDC-DT, WDCW transmits using WFDC's spectrum from a tower in the Tenleytown area of Washington's Northwest quadrant.

WFTV is a television station affiliated with ABC in Orlando, Florida, United States. It is owned by Cox Media Group alongside WRDQ, an independent station. The two stations share studios on East South Street in downtown Orlando; WFTV's primary transmitter is located near Bithlo, Florida.

WPXW-TV is a television station licensed to Manassas, Virginia, United States, broadcasting the Ion Television network to the Washington, D.C. area. The station is owned by the Ion Media subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company, and maintains business offices in Fairfax Station, Virginia; its transmitter is located on River Road in Bethesda, Maryland. The Ion network is also broadcast in the region from WWPX-TV in Martinsburg, West Virginia, which shares the same subchannels as WPXW-TV, and on a subchannel of Scripps-owned ABC affiliate WMAR-TV in Baltimore.

WUTB is a television station in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, airing programming from the digital multicast network TBD. It is owned by Deerfield Media, which maintains a shared services agreement (SSA) with Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of Fox/MyNetworkTV affiliate WBFF, for the provision of certain services. Sinclair also operates CW affiliate WNUV under a separate local marketing agreement (LMA) with Cunningham Broadcasting. However, Sinclair effectively owns WNUV as the majority of Cunningham's stock is owned by the family of deceased group founder Julian Smith. The stations share studios on 41st Street off the Jones Falls Expressway in the Woodberry neighborhood of north Baltimore. Through a channel sharing agreement, WUTB and WBFF transmit using the latter station's spectrum from an antenna adjacent to the studios.

WBFS-TV is a television station in Miami, Florida, United States, affiliated with The CW. It is owned by the CBS News and Stations group alongside WFOR-TV, a CBS owned-and-operated station. The two stations share studios on Northwest 18th Terrace in Doral; WBFS-TV's transmitter is located in Andover, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KLJB</span> Fox affiliate in Davenport, Iowa

KLJB is a television station licensed to Davenport, Iowa, United States, serving as the Fox affiliate for the Quad Cities area. It is owned by Mission Broadcasting, which maintains a shared services agreement (SSA) with Nexstar Media Group, owner of Rock Island, Illinois–licensed CBS affiliate WHBF-TV and Burlington, Iowa–licensed CW owned-and-operated station KGCW, for the provision of certain services. The three stations share studios in the Telco Building on 18th Street in downtown Rock Island; KLJB's transmitter is located near Orion, Illinois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KTUL</span> TV station in Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.

KTUL is a television station in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States, affiliated with ABC and owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group. The station's studios are located at Lookout Mountain in southwestern Tulsa, and its primary transmitter is located on South 321st Avenue East, adjacent to the Muskogee Turnpike, in unincorporated southeastern Tulsa County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KGCW</span> CW TV station in Burlington, Iowa

KGCW is a television station licensed to Burlington, Iowa, United States, serving as the CW network outlet for the Quad Cities area. It is owned and operated by network majority owner Nexstar Media Group alongside regional CBS affiliate WHBF-TV. Nexstar also provides certain services to Fox affiliate KLJB under a shared services agreement (SSA) with Mission Broadcasting. The three stations share studios in the Telco Building on 18th Street in downtown Rock Island, Illinois; KGCW's transmitter is located near Orion, Illinois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TVX Broadcast Group</span> American media company

TVX Broadcast Group was an American media company that owned a group of mostly UHF television stations during the 1980s and early 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WKBS-TV (Philadelphia)</span> Television station in Burlington, New Jersey (1965–1983)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paramount Stations Group</span> American television station group (1991–2001)

Paramount Stations Group, Inc. was a company that controlled a group of American broadcast television stations. The company existed from 1991 until 2001.

The Milt Grant Show is an American teen dance television show hosted by Milton "Milt" Grant (1923–2007). It aired on WTTG, an independent station in Washington, D.C., from 1956 until 1961. Similar in tone to Philadelphia station WFIL-TV's Bandstand, the program was not only the market's highest-rated television program throughout much of its run but preceded a lifelong career in television station management and ownership for Grant. The program was regarded as a cultural icon of late 1950s and early 1960s Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWCW</span> CW TV station in Lynchburg, Virginia

WWCW is a television station licensed to Lynchburg, Virginia, United States, serving as the CW outlet for the Roanoke–Lynchburg market. It is owned and operated by network majority owner Nexstar Media Group alongside Roanoke-licensed Fox affiliate WFXR. The two stations share studios at the Valleypointe office park on Valleypointe Parkway in northeastern Roanoke County; WWCW operates an advertising sales office on Airport Road, along Lynchburg's southwestern border with Campbell County. The station's transmitter is located on Thaxton Mountain in unincorporated central Bedford County. WFXR broadcasts WWCW's CW programming from its transmitter on Poor Mountain in Roanoke County as one of its subchannels and vice versa.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Schudel, Matt (May 3, 2007). "Milt Grant; Dance Host, TV Station Entrepreneur". The Washington Post . p. B7. ProQuest   410165169.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 McNichol, Tom (August 1988). "Great Balls of Fire". Regardie's . pp. 151+.
  3. ↑ Miller, Stephen (May 19, 2007). "Remembrances". The Wall Street Journal . ProQuest   399060666.
  4. 1 2 Miller, Stephen (May 9, 2007). "Milt Grant, 83, Legendary Sock Hop Host". The New York Sun . Archived from the original on March 4, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  5. ↑ "First Ayer Award Is Made to Radio: Football Announcing and Station Promotion Recognized" (PDF). Broadcasting. January 6, 1947. p. 19. ProQuest   963278898. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  6. ↑ Lowe, Florence S. (May 21, 1947). "Washington". Variety. p. 63. ProQuest   1285926914.
  7. ↑ "Vox Jox". The Billboard. February 18, 1950. p. 22. ProQuest   1039943002.
  8. ↑ "TV, Radio and Press In Washington Drive". The Billboard. May 16, 1953. p. 90. ProQuest   1040180599.
  9. ↑ "Sunday's TV Highlights". The Washington Post. March 7, 1954. p. 5L. ProQuest   152640311.
  10. ↑ Harrison, Bernie (July 23, 1956). "On The Air: Ready or Not, It's Polka Time". Evening Star. p. B-17. Archived from the original on March 4, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "From the Production Centres". Variety. July 18, 1956. p. 28. ProQuest   963058326.
  12. ↑ Laurent, Lawrence (September 20, 1956). "TV Will Face Issue Of Integration Sunday". The Washington Post. p. 59. ProQuest   148787641.
  13. ↑ "Bonfiles & the WTTG Story: Exits DuMont's D.C. Station in Hassle Over Program Control; McArdle Takes Over". Variety . July 9, 1958. p. 23. ProQuest   1032406736.
  14. 1 2 Romano, Lois (July 28, 1990). "Washington's '50s Flashback". The Washington Post.
  15. ↑ Kelly, John (November 23, 2021). "'Teenarama' was a dance show for D.C.'s Black teens. Now it's a musical". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 24, 2021. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  16. ↑ Gaines, Patrice (August 2, 1998). "Dance show fans bop back in time". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 27, 2017. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  17. ↑ "11 New Labels Join Parade". The Billboard. December 15, 1958. p. 9. ProQuest   1040372784/.
  18. 1 2 "D. J. Milt Grant To Lose Show On WTTG-TV". Billboard Music Week. March 27, 1961. p. 4. ProQuest   1438625736.
  19. ↑ Molenda, Michael (November 2007). "Blast from the Past: Link Wray's 'Rumble'". EQ. p. 51. ProQuest   199510916.
  20. ↑ Harrington, Richard (March 16, 1988). "Bringing back 'The Bug'". The Washington Post.
  21. ↑ Laurent, Lawrence (April 15, 1961). "Milt Grant's Dismissal Still Poses a Mystery". The Washington Post. p. B18. ProQuest   141369359.
  22. ↑ "Dropped TV Show Starts A Picket Line". The Washington Post. March 30, 1961. p. B5. ProQuest   141547941.
  23. ↑ "Milt Grant Show On Multi-Station 'Teen Net' in D.C.". Billboard Music Week. July 24, 1961. p. 4. ProQuest   1438621734.
  24. 1 2 3 "The independent phenomenon of Milt Grant: More than 30 years in the indie business have given him a reputation for success through odd hours, lots of promotion and ambitious financing" (PDF). Broadcasting. May 19, 1986. pp. 81–85. ProQuest   1014728355. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  25. ↑ "FCC History Cards for WDCA". Federal Communications Commission.
  26. ↑ "New TV Station Stresses Sports, Debuts Tonight". The Washington Post. April 20, 1966. p. D5. ProQuest   142894726.
  27. ↑ Laurent, Lawrence (March 11, 1966). "There's No Taking 'Milton' for Granted". The Washington Post. p. C6. ProQuest   142673649.
  28. ↑ "TV Station WDCA Here To Be Sold". The Washington Post. November 5, 1968. p. D6. ProQuest   143387139.
  29. 1 2 "FCC Approves WDCA-TV Sale". The Washington Post. May 9, 1969. p. D9. ProQuest   143642489.
  30. ↑ Zito, Tom (May 4, 1973). "Captain 20's Monkey Business". The Washington Post. pp. B1, B8. ProQuest   148451164.
  31. ↑ Nuttycombe, Dave (July 14, 1995). "Captain 20 Ahoy!". Washington City Paper. Archived from the original on September 30, 2018. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
  32. ↑ Attner, Paul (September 29, 1977). "McKinley, Bullet Rookie From Towson, Realizes He's Defying Longshot Odds". The Washington Post.
  33. ↑ Fachet, Robert (June 3, 1977). "TV-20 to Cover Caps". The Washington Post.
  34. ↑ "$13.5 Million for Channel 20 Offered by Taft Broadcasting". The Washington Post. April 26, 1978. p. D11. ProQuest   146861910.
  35. ↑ "Taft raises bid on D.C. station 15%". The Hollywood Reporter . July 9, 1979. p. 15. ProQuest   2598133226.
  36. ↑ "FCC won't block WDCA-TV sale for quick closing" (PDF). Broadcasting. September 17, 1979. pp. 28–30. ProQuest   1014702316. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 8, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  37. ↑ "John Rose Replaces Grant as WDCA G.M.". Variety. January 30, 1980. p. 50. ProQuest   1438307159.
  38. ↑ Carmody, John (January 25, 1980). "The TV Column". The Washington Post. p. C6. ProQuest   138089795.
  39. ↑ "'Hunter' nets no opposition". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. January 5, 1981. p. 10A. Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved April 29, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
  40. 1 2 Hodges, Ann (November 7, 1982). "Welcome aboard, Channel 20". Houston Chronicle . p. TV Chronilog 6.
  41. 1 2 Jicha, Tom (December 7, 1984). "Milt Grant predicts triumphant march into Miami TV". The Miami News. p. 7A. Archived from the original on March 4, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  42. ↑ Bark, Ed (April 21, 1982). "Hustle for the muscle: Channel 21's gaudy promotions and gimmickry may help it survive". The Dallas Morning News . pp. 1C, 7C – via GenealogyBank.
  43. ↑ "Houston rocket" (PDF). Broadcasting. December 6, 1982. p. 56, 58. ProQuest   963237446. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  44. ↑ Hodges, Ann (October 14, 1982). "Ch. 20 to begin broadcasting Nov. 7 as full-time commercial station". Houston Chronicle . p. 5:5.
  45. 1 2 3 Spelich, John (May 17, 1984). "Florida group to buy KTXA: Houston station KTXH is also in $150 million deal". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Fort Worth, Texas. p. 1B. Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  46. ↑ Johnson, Pamela (December 15, 1984). "Today's digest: AMD thanks its workers". Austin American-Statesman. Austin, Texas. p. C1. Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  47. ↑ Coffey, Jerry (March 5, 1985). "TV station's buy-out logical and inevitable". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Fort Worth, Texas. p. 1B, 6B. Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  48. 1 2 Kelley, Bill (December 7, 1984). "Station starts up, thinks big". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. p. 1D, 8D . Retrieved May 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  49. 1 2 Richter, Paul (November 23, 1986). "Economic Picture Goes Dim at Many Independent Television Stations". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. IV:4, 8 . Retrieved May 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  50. ↑ Kelley, Bill (March 13, 1986). "Wrestling, R-flicks and bingo!". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. p. 1E, 4E . Retrieved May 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  51. ↑ Borowski, Neill (March 20, 1985). "Miami-based corporation buys Channel 57". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. p. 1-G, 7-G. Archived from the original on February 22, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  52. 1 2 Mulligan, Kevin (May 17, 1985). "TV Weekend: 'New' Channel 57' Glad to Have Villanova". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 120. Archived from the original on February 22, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  53. ↑ Mulligan, Kevin (August 16, 1985). "TV Weekend: Flyers Split with Channel 29, Prepare to Join 57". Philadelphia Daily News. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. p. 119. Archived from the original on February 22, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  54. ↑ Winfrey, Lee (October 25, 1985). "Channel 57 pays plenty to get off to a flying start". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. p. 1-C, 6-C. Archived from the original on February 22, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  55. ↑ "FCC approves Grant plans". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. November 2, 1985. p. II:6. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  56. ↑ Storch, Charles (January 1, 1986). "Ch. 66 Chief Wants To Program Fresh Start". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  57. ↑ Bednarski, P. J. (January 5, 1986). "Granted, new Channel 66 is ratings hungry". Chicago Sun-Times . p. Financial 3.
  58. ↑ "Plans Underway For Another TV Station". Richfield Reaper. January 7, 1987. p. 4-C. Archived from the original on March 27, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  59. ↑ "Call Letters" (PDF). Broadcasting. November 10, 1986. p. 102. ProQuest   1016898418. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  60. ↑ Jicha, Tom (November 26, 1986). "In an unusual move, Channel 33 pulls shows off the air". The Miami News. Miami, Florida. p. 8C. Archived from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  61. ↑ Steve, Daley (December 11, 1986). "Channel 66 Owner Files Chapter 11 Petitions". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on October 23, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  62. ↑ "Grant Broadcasting, owner of Channel 57, files for bankruptcy". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. December 10, 1986. p. 97. Archived from the original on February 22, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  63. ↑ Borowski, Neill (February 9, 1987). "Grant says losses top forecasts: 1986 statement filed with court". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. p. 1-F, 8-F. Archived from the original on March 27, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  64. 1 2 3 4 Gnoffo, Anthony Jr. (April 4, 1988). "Tuning back in after a bankruptcy". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. pp. 1-D, 12-D. Archived from the original on February 22, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  65. ↑ Gnoffo, Anthony Jr. (April 4, 1988). "Milton Grant's plan for Channel 57 succeeded — too much". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 12-D. Archived from the original on March 4, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  66. ↑ "Grant Broadcasting Gets Another Try at Turnaround". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. March 4, 1987. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  67. ↑ Storch, Charles (July 8, 1987). "Creditors To Take Over at Grant Broadcasting". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  68. ↑ "Grant Reorganization Would Give Control to Bondholders". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. October 14, 1987. Archived from the original on August 3, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  69. ↑ "Grant Bankruptcy Plan". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. March 31, 1988. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  70. 1 2 3 4 P. J. Bednarski (July 1, 1988). "Ch. 66 changes name, approach". Chicago Sun-Times . Knight Ridder. Archived from the original on April 17, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2015– via HighBeam Research.
  71. 1 2 3 4 Mermigas, Diane (May 9, 1988). "When the walls come down: Milt Grant talks candidly about going bankrupt". Electronic Media. Crain Communications. pp. 1, 18, 22.
  72. 1 2 "7 Applicants for UHF Station Reach Agreement". Arkansas Gazette. December 15, 1981. p. 5A. Archived from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  73. ↑ Caranicas, Peter (July 1990). "Viewpoint". Television Engineering. p. 13.
  74. ↑ Lippman, John (January 3, 1990). "Indie-station business regains stability and respectability after turbulence, bankruptcies rocked scene in mid-'80s". Variety. p. 34. ProQuest   1286122626.
  75. ↑ Fabrikant, Geraldine (January 22, 1988). "Good Signs for TV Independents". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 5, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  76. ↑ "Citicorp to buy local TV station". The Huntsville Times. August 11, 1989. p. 1B. Archived from the original on February 27, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  77. ↑ Mermigas, Diane (August 14, 1989). "TV sales spur hopes for market". Electronic Media . pp. 3, 30.
  78. 1 2 "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. January 22, 1990. p. 63. ProQuest   1014730643. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  79. 1 2 Willard, John (February 20, 1991). "Florida man buys KLJB: Station becomes part of chain". Quad-City Times. Davenport, Iowa. p. 7A. Archived from the original on March 1, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2023– via Newspapers.com. This article misidentifies the Huntsville station Grant owned.
  80. 1 2 Hatter, Melanie S. (October 7, 1993). "Fox affiliate going for a new look". Roanoke Times and World-News. p. B8. Archived from the original on February 24, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  81. ↑ "Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable . March 27, 1995. p. 56. ProQuest   1014764519. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  82. 1 2 Delaney, Steve (March 4, 1996). "Burlington lands Fox affiliate". The Hawk Eye. p. 1D.
  83. ↑ "Construction Permits—New York" (PDF). Television Factbook. 1995. p. A-1352. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  84. ↑ "Changing Hands". Broadcasting & Cable. January 22, 1996. p. 121. ProQuest   1040380077.
  85. ↑ Condren, Dave (December 23, 1995). "Florida firm seeks to purchase WNYB-TV". The Buffalo News. p. B-5. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  86. 1 2 Pergament, Alan (October 2, 1996). "A sneak peek at what new Warner Bros. Channel 49 will be carrying". The Buffalo News. p. D-7. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  87. 1 2 Stetzer, Rod (October 10, 1995). "Fox affiliates may be sold to Florida-based company". Leader-Telegram. Eau Claire, Wisconsin. p. 1B. Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 17, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  88. ↑ Leary, Sean (September 26, 1999). "KLJB comes to the rescue of the vampire slayer". The Dispatch. Moline, Illinois. p. H1, H4. Archived from the original on March 1, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  89. ↑ Berrier, Ralph Jr. (October 7, 1999). "'Buffy' to stake out the pre-dawn hours". The Roanoke Times. p. Extra 2. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  90. ↑ Smallwood, Dean (September 12, 1999). "Fox's WZDX adding popular WB shows". The Huntsville Times. p. G5.
  91. ↑ Graham, Chad (December 22, 2000). "Grant Comm. plans trio of WB affiliates". The Hollywood Reporter. p. 10. ProQuest   2467928070.
  92. ↑ Macy, Beth (January 30, 2001). "New station to begin airing Warner Brothers lineup". The Roanoke Times. p. Extra 1. Archived from the original on February 28, 2023. Retrieved February 25, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  93. 1 2 Linstedt, Sharon (August 19, 2000). "Owner of Channel 29 buys Channel 49". The Buffalo News. Buffalo, New York. p. A7, A10. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  94. ↑ Burke, David (May 1, 2007). "Owner of KLJB-TV18 dies". Quad-City Times. Davenport, Iowa. p. A9. Archived from the original on March 4, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  95. ↑ Malone, Michael (November 6, 2013). "Nexstar to Acquire Seven Grant Stations For $87.5 Million". Broadcasting & Cable . Archived from the original on November 9, 2013. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
  96. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Consummation Notice". Consolidated Database System. Federal Communications Commission. Archived from the original on January 20, 2015. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
  97. ↑ "Changing Hands". Broadcasting. April 22, 1991. p. 69. ProQuest   1014752498.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.