WLKT (TV)

Last updated

WLKT
Channels
Programming
Affiliations Independent [1]
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
October 15, 1988 (1988-10-15)
Last air date
June 30, 1989 (1989-06-30)
(258 days) [2]
Call sign meaning
Lexington, Kentucky
Technical information
Facility ID 20399
ERP 2,333 kW [1]
HAAT 1,067 ft (325 m)
Transmitter coordinates 38°03′29″N84°23′51″W / 38.05806°N 84.39750°W / 38.05806; -84.39750

WLKT (channel 62) was a short-lived independent television station in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. The station was owned by Family Broadcasting Company, Inc., a subsidiary of Family Group Broadcasting. WLKT-TV's transmitter was located in Clark County in an area near Winchester. This station was not and is not in any way related to WLKT-FM, the Mainstream Top 40 radio station in Lexington.

Contents

History

The channel 62 allocation in Lexington was originally home to ABC affiliate WTVQ-TV. The station operated there from sign-on in 1968 until 1980, when it WTVQ relocated to channel 36 to address signal concerns in parts of central Kentucky. WTVQ's move left channel 62 open for assignment to a new television station. [3] By 1982, four different groups had sought a construction permit for a new station on channel 62: Kentucky Educational Television, seeking to start a second service alongside flagship WKLE (channel 46); religious nonprofit Way of the Cross Outreach, Inc. (WOC); Family Broadcasting Corporation (FBC), which owned WFTS-TV in Tampa, Florida; and Lexington Family Television, Inc. [4] Facing funding problems, KET dropped out before hearings began, [5] followed by Lexington Family Television, which settled with Way of the Cross. [6]

The initial decision of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in February 1983 favored Way of the Cross, [7] but the commission's review board then awarded the construction permit to FBC in October, finding its proposal technically superior. Way of the Cross appealed. [8] Litigation continued until June 1986, when the two groups reached a settlement in which Way of the Cross would become a part-owner of FBC's station and receive 15 hours of airtime a week for religious programming. [9]

With the coast clear for FBC to build, however, attention shifted to finding a suitable tower site. Twice, FBC was denied by the Urban County Board of Adjustment in its bid to place the tower, and a third site on land deeded to the University of Kentucky was also controversial among local residents [9] and denied. [10] WLKT finally came to air on October 15, 1988, from a tower in Clark County and studios on New Circle Road Northeast. [10] The protracted license fight had cost the station before it even started broadcasting: in 1986, Danville-licensed WDKY-TV (channel 56) had signed on the air and beaten channel 62 to being the first independent to market. [10]

The relationship with Way of the Cross did not last a month after sign-on before breaking down. The airtime agreement called for Way of the Cross to supply an hour of religious programming at 9 a.m. and midnight which would air on WLKT. On November 15, Way of the Cross sued FBC, claiming it had reneged on the airtime agreement. [11] The station secretly bid on the ABC affiliation when the network considered leaving WTVQ, but it opted to stay with its existing outlet. [12]

In June 1989, WLKT let go of three station executives, including general manager Arch Chapman, in what was described as little more than a cost-cutting move. Howard Trickey, an executive with Raymond James and Associates, which held a 49 percent interest in the station, took over as acting general manager and was charged with overseeing more cost-cutting measures. [13] However, Trickey was unable to prevent WLKT from succumbing to its financial woes. Channel 62 suspended operations at 4:30 p.m. on the afternoon of June 30, following an episode of Alvin and the Chipmunks . [14] The shutdown came after the station's bank refused to lend any more money; even before then, there had been concerns that the station wasn't getting necessary financial support. Staffers were told of the move just 20 minutes before it happened. [2] Insufficient financial backing dominated the reasons for the station's folding; RJ Telecommunications, a division of Raymond James, was already looking for buyers for WLKT and two other Family Group-owned stations. RJ and Family Group had sued former Family Group managing general partner Ian Wheeler for fraud, claiming that he inflated projected revenues for the station despite knowing that Lexington was not large enough to support what were essentially two independent stations (WDKY-TV, like most early Fox affiliates, was mostly programmed as an independent) and had the company purchase equipment from his other stations at inflated prices. [2]

On May 9, 1990, the station surrendered its license after FBC's owners were told there was little realistic chance of returning to the air. [15] Nine days later, FBC filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, owing more than $1.3 million to a group of creditors headlined by program suppliers Viacom and Lorimar-Telepictures. Lexington's three major-network affiliates–WLEX-TV, WKYT-TV and WTVQ–were also among the creditors; they had done production work for FBC. [15] The company claimed that the Way of the Cross lawsuit scared away potential buyers. [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CJON-DT</span> Independent TV station in St. Johns, Newfoundland and Labrador

CJON-DT, branded on-air as NTV, is an English-language independent television station in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, owned by Newfoundland Broadcasting Company Ltd. The station's studios are located on Logy Bay Road in St. John's, and its transmitter is located in the city's Shea Heights section.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WNUV</span> CW affiliate in Baltimore

WNUV is a television station in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, affiliated with The CW. It is owned by Cunningham Broadcasting, which maintains a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of Fox/MyNetworkTV affiliate WBFF, for the provision of programming and certain services. However, Sinclair effectively owns WNUV, as the majority of Cunningham's stock is owned by the family of deceased group founder Julian Smith. Sinclair also operates WUTB under a separate shared services agreement (SSA) with Deerfield Media. The stations share studios on 41st Street off the Jones Falls Expressway on Television Hill in the Woodberry neighborhood of north Baltimore; WBFF and WNUV are also broadcast from the same tower on the hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WUXP-TV</span> MyNetworkTV affiliate in Nashville, Tennessee

WUXP-TV is a television station in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside dual Fox/CW affiliate WZTV ; it is also sister to Dabl affiliate WNAB, which Sinclair operates under an outsourcing agreement with Tennessee Broadcasting. The stations share studios on Mainstream Drive along the Cumberland River, while WUXP-TV's transmitter is located along I-24 in Whites Creek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCSH</span> NBC affiliate in Portland, Maine

WCSH is a television station in Portland, Maine, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Tegna Inc. The station's studios are located on Congress Square in Downtown Portland, and its transmitter is located on Winn Mountain in Sebago. Together with WLBZ in Bangor, which simulcasts most of WCSH's local newscasts, it is known as News Center Maine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPLG</span> ABC affiliate in Miami, Florida

WPLG is a television station in Miami, Florida, United States, affiliated with ABC. The station is owned by Berkshire Hathaway as its sole broadcast property. WPLG's studios are located on West Hallandale Beach Boulevard in Pembroke Park, and its transmitter is located in Miami Gardens, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Cross Austereo</span> Australian media company

Southern Cross Media Group Limited, doing business as Southern Cross Austereo, is an Australian media company which operates broadcast radio and television stations. It is the largest radio broadcaster in Australia, operating 86 radio stations, and has a reach into every state and territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kentucky Educational Television</span> PBS member network serving Kentucky

Kentucky Educational Television (KET) is a state network of PBS member television stations serving the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky. It is operated by the Kentucky Authority for Educational Television, an agency of the Kentucky state government, which provides more than half of its annual funding. KET is the dominant public broadcaster in the commonwealth, with transmitters covering the vast majority of the state as well as parts of adjacent states; the only other PBS member in Kentucky is WKYU-TV in Bowling Green. KET is the largest PBS state network in the United States; the broadcast signals of its sixteen stations cover almost all of the state, as well as parts of Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. The network's offices, network center and primary studio facilities are located at the O. Leonard Press Telecommunications Center on Cooper Drive in Lexington; KET also has production centers in Louisville and at the Kentucky State Capitol Annex in Frankfort.

WNOL-TV is a television station in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, airing programming from The CW. It is owned and operated by network majority owner Nexstar Media Group alongside ABC affiliate WGNO. Both stations share studios at The Galleria in Metairie, while WNOL-TV's transmitter is located in Chalmette, Louisiana.

WLAX, licensed to La Crosse, Wisconsin, United States, and WEUX, licensed to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, are television stations affiliated with the Fox network and serving the La Crosse–Eau Claire market. The stations are owned by Nexstar Media Group. WLAX maintains studios at Interchange Place in La Crosse and a transmitter in La Crescent, Minnesota, while WEUX has offices on WIS 93 in Eau Claire and a transmitter southeast of Colfax.

WIPX-TV is a television station licensed to Bloomington, Indiana, United States, serving the Indianapolis area as an affiliate of Ion Television. It is owned by Inyo Broadcast Holdings alongside Bounce TV affiliate WCLJ-TV. WIPX-TV and WCLJ-TV share offices on Production Drive in southwestern Indianapolis; through a channel sharing agreement, the two stations transmit using WIPX-TV's spectrum from an antenna on SR 252 in Trafalgar, Indiana.

WYCW is a television station licensed to Asheville, North Carolina, United States, serving as the CW outlet for Western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina. It is owned and operated by network majority owner Nexstar Media Group alongside Spartanburg, South Carolina–licensed CBS affiliate WSPA-TV. WYCW and WSPA-TV share studios on International Drive in Spartanburg; through a channel sharing agreement, the two stations transmit using WSPA-TV's spectrum from an antenna on Hogback Mountain in northeastern Greenville County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLEX-TV</span> NBC affiliate in Lexington, Kentucky

WLEX-TV is a television station in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by the E. W. Scripps Company. The station's studios are located on Russell Cave Road in Lexington, and its transmitter is located six miles (10 km) east of downtown Lexington near Hamburg Pavilion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTVQ-DT</span> ABC/MyNetworkTV affiliate in Lexington, Kentucky

WTVQ-DT is a television station in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with ABC and MyNetworkTV. Owned by Morris Multimedia, the station maintains studios and transmitter facilities on the outer loop of Man o' War Boulevard in the Brighton section of Fayette County, across Winchester Road from the studios of unrelated station WKYT-TV.

WKYT-TV is a television station in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW. The station is owned by Gray Television, and maintains studios and transmitter facilities on Winchester Road near I-75 on the east side of Lexington. In addition to WKYT-TV, Gray owns WYMT-TV in Hazard, Kentucky, a separate CBS affiliate serving eastern Kentucky with its own syndicated programming inventory and local newscasts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WDKY-TV</span> Fox affiliate in Danville, Kentucky

WDKY-TV is a television station licensed to Danville, Kentucky, United States, serving the Lexington area as an affiliate of the Fox network. The station is owned by Nexstar Media Group and maintains studios on Euclid Avenue in Lexington's Chevy Chase neighborhood and a transmitter southeast of the city off Interstate 75.

WBLU-LP is a defunct low-power television station in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Owned by Equity Media Holdings, the station broadcast its signal from downtown Lexington and provided coverage that did not extend far past the developed portions of the city, although the signal could be picked up in neighboring Scott and Bourbon counties. The station was active from 1999 until 2009, when it went dark due to a wide-ranging bankruptcy involving Equity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KVEO-TV</span> NBC/CBS affiliate in Brownsville, Texas

KVEO-TV is a television station licensed to Brownsville, Texas, United States, serving the Lower Rio Grande Valley as an affiliate of NBC and CBS. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside Harlingen-licensed primary Antenna TV owned-and-operated station and secondary MyNetworkTV affiliate KGBT-TV. Both stations share studios on West Expressway in Harlingen, while KVEO-TV's transmitter is located in Santa Maria, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBUL-FM</span> Radio station in Lexington, Kentucky

WBUL-FM is one of four country music radio stations serving the Lexington, Kentucky radio market. The station broadcasts with an ERP of 100,000 watts, with a nearly 100-mile broadcasting radius. The station is heard as far south as London, as far east as Grayson, as far north as Cincinnati and as far west as Louisville. iHeartMedia, Inc. currently owns the station. WBUL-FM was the third station to begin broadcasting HD Radio in Lexington after WUKY and WKQQ.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Westrom</span> American politician (born 1952)

Susan Westrom is an American politician who served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1999 to 2022.

Family Group Broadcasting, L.P. was a Delaware-incorporated, Florida-based television and radio broadcasting company. A small company, based in and around Tampa Bay, the company operated from the early 1980s to about 1997. Throughout its history, it owned and/or operated several different radio and television stations – all of its television stations independents (initially), on the UHF dial east of the Mississippi River. Also, the company operated under the names Family Broadcasting Company, Inc., Family Group Entertainment and Family Group Ltd. III.

References

  1. 1 2 "WLKT" (PDF). Television Factbook. 1990. p. A-494. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Daykin, Tom (July 9, 1989). "WLKT's demise: The decline and fall of Channel 62". Lexington Herald-Leader. pp. E1, E5. Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  3. ↑ Reed, David (June 20, 1980). "Lexington's TV Drama Will Be Off The Screen As WTVQ Switches Channels". Lexington Herald. p. B-10. Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  4. ↑ Merritt, Harry (March 15, 1982). "FCC sets hearing on 4 applications for Channel 62". Lexington Herald. pp. A3, A4. Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  5. ↑ Brammer, Jack (June 7, 1982). "KET drops out of competition for Channel 62". Lexington Leader. p. C-4. Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  6. ↑ White, Susan (July 30, 1982). "Only two groups vie for use of Channel 62". Lexington Leader. p. C-8. Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Christian group gets TV channel". Lexington Herald-Leader. February 3, 1983. p. B1. Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  8. ↑ White, Susan (October 12, 1983). "FCC awards permit for Channel 62; losers to appeal". Lexington Herald-Leader. pp. B1, B3. Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  9. 1 2 White, Susan (June 12, 1986). "Dispute over TV station permit settled". Lexington Herald-Leader. p. B2. Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  10. 1 2 3 White, Susan (October 12, 1988). "Channel 62 to go on the air Saturday after 7-year effort". Lexington Herald-Leader. pp. A1, A12. Archived from the original on April 25, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  11. ↑ Daykin, Tom (December 1, 1989). "Religious broadcaster sues television station". pp. B1, B3. Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  12. ↑ White, Susan (January 21, 1990). "Channel 36 sweetens pot to keep ABC affiliation". Lexington Herald-Leader. Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  13. ↑ White, Susan (June 13, 1989). "Three WLKT-TV executives lose jobs". Lexington Herald-Leader. Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Off the air: Independent Channel 62 suspends operations temporarily". Lexington Herald-Leader. July 2, 1989. p. B3. Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  15. 1 2 3 Daykin, Tom (June 1, 1990). "WLKT-TV gives up broadcasting license". Lexington Herald-Leader. pp. D7, D12. Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
Preceded by Channel 62 Lexington occupant
1988–1989		Succeeded by
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.