Act III Broadcasting
Encyclopedia
Act III Broadcasting was a company that owned several television stations that started as independents, and later became Fox
affiliates. The stations were located in medium-sized markets, and the company existed from the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s, eventually to be sold to Abry in 1994. Legendary TV producer Norman Lear
had owned a stake in Act III.
, Bud Yorkin
, and Norman Lear
purchased WNJU
Channel 47 in Linden, New Jersey
, which serves the New York City
area from Screen Gems
. That station offered religious English speaking programming in the mornings and Spanish programming weekday afternoons and evenings. On weekend afternoons, the station offered a variety of ethnic brokered programming. Under their ownership, the station phased out the ethnic shows in favor of more Spanish entertainment programming.
This ownership formed a separate company called Act III Broadcasting in 1982, when WVAH-TV
, channel 23 in Charleston, West Virginia
; signed on as the first independent station in the state. Prior to that, Huntington
-Charleston was the largest market without an independent station. WVAH's sign-on was possible because the West Virginia legislature forced the state educational broadcasting authority to withdraw its application for the channel, which had tied up its assignment for over a decade.
Act III then signed on channel 45 in Dayton, Ohio
in the fall of 1984 as WRGT-TV
. Before WRGT came, WTJC, a religious-based independent station that had been on the air for a few years had some entertainment programs, the only real source of non-network programming in Dayton. Act III bought most of these shows for WRGT. This made WRGT virtually the only general-entertainment independent station in Dayton.
While WNJU 47 in New York City was co-owned with the other two stations, it was not considered a full Act III station. In 1984, WNJU formed an alliance with Weigel Broadcasting
's WCIU 26 in Chicago
and locally owned KSTS
in San Jose
to acquire Spanish programming to air on all three stations under a network called Net Span. Blair Broadcasting, which newly acquired WCSV
in Miami and KVEA
in Los Angeles
and converted these into full-time Spanish independent outlets, joined the alliance in 1985. WNJU and KSTS would be sold in 1986 to Blair Broadcasting, which in turn sold four of these stations to a newly formed company called Telemundo
later that year. Net Span would be renamed Telemundo
which is now owned by NBC
/Universal
. WCIU would be in that alliance for another year but retained by Wiegel Broadcasting. Telemundo would eventually acquire Univision
affiliate WSNS 44 in Chicago causing Univision to affiliate part-time with WCIU once again until they could buy WGBO in early 1996.
The next year, with funds from the sale of WNJU, WTAT-TV
in Charleston
, South Carolina
signed on with a similar format to WVAH and WRGT. In 1986, when Fox launched, Act III signed an affiliation deal with the network.
The next year, Act III acquired Fox affiliate WNRW (now WXLV-TV
) in the Piedmont Triad
from the TVX Broadcast Group
, whom which Fox had signed an affiliation deal as well. However, there was a catch to this deal: if TVX sold one of its under performing stations, Fox could disaffiliate from that station. This was not the case in the Piedmont Triad, because WNRW's rival station WGGT (now WMYV
) was in bankruptcy, but it still ran a low budget schedule. This is where Act III began the practice of acquiring stations in medium markets.
That same year, Act III acquired WVRN in Richmond
from Sundbrink Broadcasting, which had also filed for bankruptcy. Both this station and Gillett-owned Fox affiliate WRLH-TV
struggled in the ratings.
In 1988, Act III bought Fox affiliate WNYB
channel 49 in Buffalo, New York
. Later that year Act III decided that Richmond was not large enough to support two independent stations. It offered to buy WRLH's programming and move it over to WVRN. However, Gillett wanted to sell WRLH outright. Act III agreed to the deal, moved WVRN's programming to WRLH, and took channel 63 off the air. Act III then went on a buying spree, acquiring WZTV
in Nashville
, and WUHF
channel 31 in Rochester, New York
.
In 1989, Act III petitioned the FCC to allow its flagship station, WVAH, to move to channel 11, the last VHF frequency left in the Huntington-Charleston market. WVAH's signal on channel 23 was not strong enough to reach the entire market—a 61-county behemoth occupying rugged terrain in three states. The FCC granted the request, and WVAH moved to channel 11 later in 1989.
It did not stop there, as in 1990, Act III made several deals which made its stations the only general entertainment stations in their markets. In Nashville, WXMT (originally WCAY, now WUXP-TV
), then the Fox affiliate, had been sold by TVX to Michael Thompson in 1988. Fox, was considering executing its policy of pulling the affiliation from WXMT and moving it to WZTV. In January 1990, Act III cut a deal in which WZTV would take all of WXMT's shows, leaving WXMT with only religious and home shopping shows. However, Thompson backed out of the deal last minute. Then Fox announced it was indeed moving its affiliation to WZTV as of February. At the end of January, MT Communications and Act III made a revised deal which allowed WXMT to keep barter cartoons and several low budget syndicated shows, giving WZTV all the cash programming, which included the better and more expensive shows, along with Fox programming. WXMT's daily schedule now looked like this: home shopping for 15 hours, religion 3 hours, cartoons 3 hours, and low budget shows 3 hours. While WXMT was not eliminated from the draw, it was left with a much weaker schedule. In June, Act III bought WUTV
channel 29 in Buffalo from Citadel Broadcasting and sold WNYB
to Tri-State Christian Television
. WNYB's programming and Fox affiliation then moved to WUTV, whereas WNYB became an all-religious station. A year before, WVAH was permitted to move to channel 11.
Act III's next task was to ensure they had a monopoly in the Piedmont Triad: in 1991 it bought WGGT's programming and merged it onto WNRW's schedule. WGGT's owners then cut a deal with Act III allowing it to simulcast WNRW, creating a strong combined signal with over 60% overlap known as the "Piedmont Superstation." For all intents and purposes, Act III's stations were now the only general-entertainment stations in their markets, except for Nashville.
In the 1990s, a new concept developed: the local marketing agreement
, or LMA for short. Under an LMA, one station would buy all or most of another station's broadcast day and take over its operations, but the other station would technically remain under separate ownership. The senior partner in the LMA would then program the other station with shows that it didn't have time to air. Act III, however, was not interested in this concept.
This became a moot point in 1994, as Act III Broadcasting would be sold to Abry, which had LMA's in some of their markets. The Sinclair Broadcast Group
then bought Abry later that year; Sinclair of course had started the LMA concept back in 1991.
Here is what would happen in the former Act III markets over the years:
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
affiliates. The stations were located in medium-sized markets, and the company existed from the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s, eventually to be sold to Abry in 1994. Legendary TV producer Norman Lear
Norman Lear
Norman Milton Lear is an American television writer and producer who produced such 1970s sitcoms as All in the Family, Sanford and Son, One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons, Good Times and Maude...
had owned a stake in Act III.
History
Actually the company sort of formed as WNJU Incorporated in 1979 when Jerry PerenchioJerry Perenchio
Andrew Jerrold "Jerry" Perenchio was the former chairman and CEO of Univision, the largest Spanish-language company in the United States.-Early life:...
, Bud Yorkin
Bud Yorkin
Bud Yorkin is an American film and television producer, director, writer and actor.Yorkin was born Alan David Yorkin in Washington, Pennsylvania. He earned a degree in engineering from Carnegie Tech, now Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsbugh, Pennsylvania...
, and Norman Lear
Norman Lear
Norman Milton Lear is an American television writer and producer who produced such 1970s sitcoms as All in the Family, Sanford and Son, One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons, Good Times and Maude...
purchased WNJU
WNJU
WNJU, channel 47, is the flagship station of the Spanish-language Telemundo television network, licensed to Linden, New Jersey and serving the Tri-State area television market. WNJU is owned by NBCUniversal, and is one-half of a duopoly with NBC network flagship WNBC-TV...
Channel 47 in Linden, New Jersey
Linden, New Jersey
- Local government :, the Mayor of Linden is . The former longtime Mayor of Linden is 82-year-old John T. Gregorio, who served as mayor of Linden for 30, nonconsecutive years and was repeatedly tagged with scandal during his mayoral career, including one felony conviction, later pardoned, which...
, which serves the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
area from Screen Gems
Screen Gems
Screen Gems is an American movie production company and subsidiary company of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group that has served several different purposes for its parent companies over the decades since its incorporation....
. That station offered religious English speaking programming in the mornings and Spanish programming weekday afternoons and evenings. On weekend afternoons, the station offered a variety of ethnic brokered programming. Under their ownership, the station phased out the ethnic shows in favor of more Spanish entertainment programming.
This ownership formed a separate company called Act III Broadcasting in 1982, when WVAH-TV
WVAH-TV
WVAH-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for Charleston and Huntington, West Virginia which is the second-largest market in terms of area east of the Mississippi River. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 19 from a transmitter south of Scott Depot along the Putnam...
, channel 23 in Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early...
; signed on as the first independent station in the state. Prior to that, Huntington
Huntington, West Virginia
Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia, along the Ohio River. Most of the city is in Cabell County, for which it is the county seat. A small portion of the city, mainly the neighborhood of Westmoreland, is in Wayne County. Its population was 49,138 at...
-Charleston was the largest market without an independent station. WVAH's sign-on was possible because the West Virginia legislature forced the state educational broadcasting authority to withdraw its application for the channel, which had tied up its assignment for over a decade.
Act III then signed on channel 45 in Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
in the fall of 1984 as WRGT-TV
WRGT-TV
WRGT-TV, virtual channel 45, is the Fox-affiliated television station for the Miami Valley area of Ohio, which is licensed to Dayton. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 30 from a transmitter at its Broadcast Plaza studios near the New Chicago section of the city. It can...
. Before WRGT came, WTJC, a religious-based independent station that had been on the air for a few years had some entertainment programs, the only real source of non-network programming in Dayton. Act III bought most of these shows for WRGT. This made WRGT virtually the only general-entertainment independent station in Dayton.
While WNJU 47 in New York City was co-owned with the other two stations, it was not considered a full Act III station. In 1984, WNJU formed an alliance with Weigel Broadcasting
Weigel Broadcasting
Weigel Broadcasting is an American locally based television broadcasting company. The company is based in downtown Chicago, Illinois, alongside its flagship station WCIU-TV , at the apt address of 26 North Halsted Street in the Greektown neighborhood.- History :The company was founded by Chicago...
's WCIU 26 in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and locally owned KSTS
KSTS
KSTS is the NBCUniversal owned and operated Telemundo television station in the San Francisco Bay Area market. The station is located in San Jose, California and broadcasts on digital channel 49. KSTS shares facilities with NBC sister operation KNTV. The new all-digital broadcast center was opened...
in San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
to acquire Spanish programming to air on all three stations under a network called Net Span. Blair Broadcasting, which newly acquired WCSV
WCSV
WCSV is a radio station broadcasting a sports talk format. Licensed to Crossville, Tennessee, USA, the station is currently owned by Peg Broadcasting, LLC, and features programming from ESPN Radio....
in Miami and KVEA
KVEA
KVEA is a Spanish-language television station in the Los Angeles area owned and operated by NBC Universal and the West Coast flagship station of the Telemundo network. It was the first mainland U.S. station owned by Telemundo at the network's launch in the late 1980's...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and converted these into full-time Spanish independent outlets, joined the alliance in 1985. WNJU and KSTS would be sold in 1986 to Blair Broadcasting, which in turn sold four of these stations to a newly formed company called Telemundo
Telemundo
Telemundo is an American television network that broadcasts in Spanish. The network is the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world, and the second-largest Spanish-language network in the United States, behind Univision....
later that year. Net Span would be renamed Telemundo
Telemundo
Telemundo is an American television network that broadcasts in Spanish. The network is the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world, and the second-largest Spanish-language network in the United States, behind Univision....
which is now owned by NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
/Universal
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
. WCIU would be in that alliance for another year but retained by Wiegel Broadcasting. Telemundo would eventually acquire Univision
Univision
Univision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States. It has the largest audience of Spanish language television viewers according to Nielsen ratings. Randy Falco, COO, has been in charge of the company since the departure of Univision Communications president and CEO Joe Uva...
affiliate WSNS 44 in Chicago causing Univision to affiliate part-time with WCIU once again until they could buy WGBO in early 1996.
The next year, with funds from the sale of WNJU, WTAT-TV
WTAT-TV
WTAT-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for South Carolina's Lowcountry licensed to Charleston. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 24 from a transmitter in Awendaw. The station can also be seen on Comcast, Knology, and Time Warner channel 6...
in Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
signed on with a similar format to WVAH and WRGT. In 1986, when Fox launched, Act III signed an affiliation deal with the network.
The next year, Act III acquired Fox affiliate WNRW (now WXLV-TV
WXLV-TV
WXLV-TV is the ABC-affiliated television station for the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina that is licensed to Winston-Salem. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 29 from a transmitter in Randleman along I-73/U.S. 220...
) in the Piedmont Triad
Piedmont Triad
The Piedmont Triad, or Triad, is a north-central region of the U.S. state of North Carolina that consists of the area within and surrounding the three major cities of Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point. This close group or "triad" of cities lies in the Piedmont geographical region of the...
from the TVX Broadcast Group
TVX Broadcast Group
The TVX Broadcast Group was an American media company that owned a group of UHF television stations during the 1980s. Originally known as the Television Corporation, the company was headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, and was founded by a group of Norfolk-area businessmen led by Timothy McDonald...
, whom which Fox had signed an affiliation deal as well. However, there was a catch to this deal: if TVX sold one of its under performing stations, Fox could disaffiliate from that station. This was not the case in the Piedmont Triad, because WNRW's rival station WGGT (now WMYV
WMYV
WMYV is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina that is licensed to Greensboro. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 33 from a transmitter in Randleman along I-73/U.S. 220...
) was in bankruptcy, but it still ran a low budget schedule. This is where Act III began the practice of acquiring stations in medium markets.
That same year, Act III acquired WVRN in Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
from Sundbrink Broadcasting, which had also filed for bankruptcy. Both this station and Gillett-owned Fox affiliate WRLH-TV
WRLH-TV
WRLH-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for Richmond, Virginia. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 26 from a transmitter at the studios of PBS affiliates WCVE-TV/WCVW in Bon Air. The station can also be seen on Comcast and Verizon FiOS channel 11. There is a high...
struggled in the ratings.
In 1988, Act III bought Fox affiliate WNYB
WNYB
WNYB is a television station in the Buffalo, New York market that runs Christian-oriented religious programming. Owned by Tri-State Christian Television, WNYB broadcasts on digital channel 26 from a main transmitter at 9030 Center Road in Arkwright and studios at 5775 Big Tree Road in Orchard Park...
channel 49 in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
. Later that year Act III decided that Richmond was not large enough to support two independent stations. It offered to buy WRLH's programming and move it over to WVRN. However, Gillett wanted to sell WRLH outright. Act III agreed to the deal, moved WVRN's programming to WRLH, and took channel 63 off the air. Act III then went on a buying spree, acquiring WZTV
WZTV
WZTV is the Fox-affiliated television station for Nashville, Tennessee. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 15 from a transmitter on Knob Road north of downtown along I-24...
in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, and WUHF
WUHF
WUHF is the Fox-affiliated television station for Rochester, New York. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 28 from a transmitter on Pinnacle Hill on the border between Rochester and Brighton. The station can also be seen on Time Warner channel 7 and in high definition on...
channel 31 in Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
.
In 1989, Act III petitioned the FCC to allow its flagship station, WVAH, to move to channel 11, the last VHF frequency left in the Huntington-Charleston market. WVAH's signal on channel 23 was not strong enough to reach the entire market—a 61-county behemoth occupying rugged terrain in three states. The FCC granted the request, and WVAH moved to channel 11 later in 1989.
It did not stop there, as in 1990, Act III made several deals which made its stations the only general entertainment stations in their markets. In Nashville, WXMT (originally WCAY, now WUXP-TV
WUXP-TV
WUXP, channel 30 is the MyNetworkTV affiliate in Nashville, Tennessee. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, and is a sister station to Fox affiliate WZTV channel 17 and the CW affiliate WNAB channel 58. It is currently branded as My 30. Its transmitter is located in Whites Creek, Tennessee...
), then the Fox affiliate, had been sold by TVX to Michael Thompson in 1988. Fox, was considering executing its policy of pulling the affiliation from WXMT and moving it to WZTV. In January 1990, Act III cut a deal in which WZTV would take all of WXMT's shows, leaving WXMT with only religious and home shopping shows. However, Thompson backed out of the deal last minute. Then Fox announced it was indeed moving its affiliation to WZTV as of February. At the end of January, MT Communications and Act III made a revised deal which allowed WXMT to keep barter cartoons and several low budget syndicated shows, giving WZTV all the cash programming, which included the better and more expensive shows, along with Fox programming. WXMT's daily schedule now looked like this: home shopping for 15 hours, religion 3 hours, cartoons 3 hours, and low budget shows 3 hours. While WXMT was not eliminated from the draw, it was left with a much weaker schedule. In June, Act III bought WUTV
WUTV
WUTV, virtual channel 29, is the Fox-affiliated television station in Buffalo, New York. It broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 14. The station is owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group, in a duopoly with the area's MyNetworkTV affiliate WNYO-TV...
channel 29 in Buffalo from Citadel Broadcasting and sold WNYB
WNYB
WNYB is a television station in the Buffalo, New York market that runs Christian-oriented religious programming. Owned by Tri-State Christian Television, WNYB broadcasts on digital channel 26 from a main transmitter at 9030 Center Road in Arkwright and studios at 5775 Big Tree Road in Orchard Park...
to Tri-State Christian Television
Tri-State Christian Television
Tri-State Christian Television is a network of eight religious television stations and their repeaters, mainly in the Midwest. TCT Network provides Christian programming such as teaching, preaching, family-based movies, music, documentaries, youth and children, live broadcasts and original content...
. WNYB's programming and Fox affiliation then moved to WUTV, whereas WNYB became an all-religious station. A year before, WVAH was permitted to move to channel 11.
Act III's next task was to ensure they had a monopoly in the Piedmont Triad: in 1991 it bought WGGT's programming and merged it onto WNRW's schedule. WGGT's owners then cut a deal with Act III allowing it to simulcast WNRW, creating a strong combined signal with over 60% overlap known as the "Piedmont Superstation." For all intents and purposes, Act III's stations were now the only general-entertainment stations in their markets, except for Nashville.
In the 1990s, a new concept developed: the local marketing agreement
Local marketing agreement
In U.S. and Canadian broadcasting, a local marketing agreement is an agreement in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another licensee...
, or LMA for short. Under an LMA, one station would buy all or most of another station's broadcast day and take over its operations, but the other station would technically remain under separate ownership. The senior partner in the LMA would then program the other station with shows that it didn't have time to air. Act III, however, was not interested in this concept.
This became a moot point in 1994, as Act III Broadcasting would be sold to Abry, which had LMA's in some of their markets. The Sinclair Broadcast Group
Sinclair Broadcast Group
The Sinclair Broadcast Group is an American telecommunications company that operates the largest number of local television stations in the United States. Headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland, it owns a total of 57 stations across the country in 35 primarily small and medium markets, many of...
then bought Abry later that year; Sinclair of course had started the LMA concept back in 1991.
Here is what would happen in the former Act III markets over the years:
- Rochester: WUHF is still one of only four full power stations because of the lack of available licenses.
- Buffalo: Grant Broadcasting System IIGrant Broadcasting System IIBased in Roanoke, Virginia, Grant Broadcasting System II is an owner of various television stations in the United States....
acquired the channel 26 license in Jamestown, New YorkJamestown, New YorkJamestown is a city in Chautauqua County, New York in the United States. The population was 31,146 at the 2010 census.The City of Jamestown is adjacent to Town of Ellicott and is at the southern tip of Chautauqua Lake...
in 1995. Grant then swapped channel 26 to TCT, who would move WNYB over there, and in return, Grant got channel 49, which became WNYO-TV, a WBThe WB Television NetworkThe WB Television Network is a former television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and Tribune Broadcasting. On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros...
affiliate. WNYO was sold to Sinclair in 2001. - Dayton: WRGT was not sold to Sinclair directly, but rather to Sullivan Broadcasters (because Sinclair owned more stations than the FCC allowed at the time), although Sinclair would manage WRGT. Sinclair attempted to buy it outright in 2001 along with the other Sullivan-owned stations, but could not do so because by this time it also owned then-NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
affiliate WKEFWKEFWKEF, virtual channel 22, is the ABC-affiliated television station for the Miami Valley area of Ohio, which is licensed to Dayton. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 51 from a transmitter at their Broadcast Plaza studios near the New Chicago section of the city...
. In the end, it was sold to Cunningham BroadcastingCunningham BroadcastingCunningham Broadcasting Corporation is an owner of television stations in the United States. The company currently owns six stations—four affiliated with Fox Broadcasting Company , one affiliated with MyNetworkTV and one affiliated with The CW Television Network.Cunningham has very close ties to...
instead. However, Sinclair effectively owns WRGT and the other Cunningham-owned stations because the Smith family, the founders of Sinclair, controls most of Cunningham's stock. As for the religious station, it is now WBDTWBDTWBDT is the CW-affiliated television station for Ohio's Miami Valley. Licensed to Springfield, the station broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 26 from a transmitter in the Frytown section of Dayton. The station can also be seen on Time Warner Cable channel 13 and in high...
channel 26, a CW affiliate owned by ACME CommunicationsACME CommunicationsACME Communications is a United States-based television broadcasting company. The company was co-founded by current Chairman and former CEO Jamie Kellner, who previously served as a Fox Television Network executive and was founding CEO of The WB Television Network. Kellner used the name Acme as a...
and soon to be managed by LIN Media. - Huntington/Charleston: WVAH was sold to Glencairn, Ltd. in 1997 after Sinclair acquired ABC affiliate WCHS-TVWCHS-TVWCHS-TV is the ABC-affiliated television station for Charleston and Huntington, West Virginia. This area is the second-largest market in terms of area east of the Mississippi River and consists of 61 counties in Central West Virginia, Eastern Kentucky, and Southern Ohio...
. The Smith family, owners of Sinclair, though, owned most of Glencairn's (now Cunningham Broadcasting) stock, making Sinclair the de facto owner of WVAH. - Piedmont Triad: In 1995, Fox bought what was then the ABC affiliate, WGHPWGHPWGHP, channel 8, is the Fox-affiliated television station serving the Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem, North Carolina designated market area...
. ABC then went to channels 45/48. Sinclair bought WNRW outright and changed its calls to WXLV-TVWXLV-TVWXLV-TV is the ABC-affiliated television station for the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina that is licensed to Winston-Salem. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 29 from a transmitter in Randleman along I-73/U.S. 220...
. It then had Glencairn buy WGGT. Glencairn ended the simulcast and transformed WGGT into WUPN-TV, a UPNUPNUnited Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
affiliate. WNRW also changed its calls to WXLV-TV. Sinclair bought WUPN outright in 2001, and later changed its callsign to WMYVWMYVWMYV is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina that is licensed to Greensboro. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 33 from a transmitter in Randleman along I-73/U.S. 220...
, in anticipation of its My Network TV affiliation. - Nashville: Abry began LMA'ing WXMT in 1995, giving that station a UPN affiliation, and more entertainment shows as WZTV decided to focus on news and first-run syndicated shows. WXMT eventually changed calls to WUXP-TV. Sinclair bought WUXP outright in 2001.
- Charleston, SC: WTAT, like WRGT above, was not sold to Sinclair directly, but rather to Sullivan Broadcasters, although Sinclair would manage WTAT and the other Sullivan-owned stations through an outsourcing agreement. Sinclair attempted to buy it outright in 2001 along with the other Sullivan-owned stations, but could not do so because by this time it also owned then-UPN affiliate WMMPWMMPWMMP is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for the Lowcountry area of South Carolina licensed to Charleston. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 36 from a transmitter in Awendaw. The station can also be seen on Knology, Comcast, and Time Warner channel 13...
. In the end, it was sold to Cunningham instead. - Richmond: While channel 63 never returned, a religious station on channel 65 signed on in 1990. That station eventually went to general entertainment, and became a WB affiliate in 1995, switching to UPN three years later. That station is currently WUPVWUPVWUPV is the CW-affiliated television station for Richmond, Virginia that is licensed to Ashland. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 47 from a transmitter northeast of the city in King William County along the Hanover County line...
, a CW affiliate owned by Southeastern Media HoldingsSoutheastern Media HoldingsSoutheastern Media Holdings is a broadcasting company based in Charlotte, North Carolina. It owns television stations in several cities in the Southeastern United States.-Fox Affiliates:* WXTX-TV, Columbus, Georgia* WSFX-TV, Wilmington, North Carolina...
and managed by Raycom MediaRaycom Media- History :Although Raycom Media dates its birth to 1996, the core of the company was formed in 1992 when Atlanta native Bert Ellis formed Ellis Communications. He eventually controlled 13 television stations and two radio stations....
.
Television stations formerly owned by Act III
| Current DMA# | Market | Station | Years Owned | Affiliation Under Act III | Current Affiliation | Current Owner |
| 1. | New York City New York City New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and... |
WNJU WNJU WNJU, channel 47, is the flagship station of the Spanish-language Telemundo television network, licensed to Linden, New Jersey and serving the Tri-State area television market. WNJU is owned by NBCUniversal, and is one-half of a duopoly with NBC network flagship WNBC-TV... 47 |
1979-1986 | Independent Independent station An independent station is in the category of television terminology used to describe a television station broadcasting in the United States or Canada that is not affiliated with any television network.... (Christian Programming in English during mornings, Spanish language programming weekday afternoons and evenings, various foreign language programming weekend afternoons) Note: While owned by the people who owned Act III, this station was not considered fully owned by Act III. |
Telemundo Telemundo Telemundo is an American television network that broadcasts in Spanish. The network is the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world, and the second-largest Spanish-language network in the United States, behind Univision.... (Spanish Programming full-time) |
Telemundo Telemundo Telemundo is an American television network that broadcasts in Spanish. The network is the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world, and the second-largest Spanish-language network in the United States, behind Univision.... |
| 29. | Nashville Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home... |
WZTV WZTV WZTV is the Fox-affiliated television station for Nashville, Tennessee. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 15 from a transmitter on Knob Road north of downtown along I-24... 17 |
1988-1994 | independent (1976-90) Fox Fox Broadcasting Company Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the... (1990-) |
Fox | Sinclair Broadcast Group Sinclair Broadcast Group The Sinclair Broadcast Group is an American telecommunications company that operates the largest number of local television stations in the United States. Headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland, it owns a total of 57 stations across the country in 35 primarily small and medium markets, many of... |
| 46. | Piedmont Triad Piedmont Triad The Piedmont Triad, or Triad, is a north-central region of the U.S. state of North Carolina that consists of the area within and surrounding the three major cities of Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point. This close group or "triad" of cities lies in the Piedmont geographical region of the... |
WNRW 45 (now WXLV-TV WXLV-TV WXLV-TV is the ABC-affiliated television station for the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina that is licensed to Winston-Salem. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 29 from a transmitter in Randleman along I-73/U.S. 220... ) |
1987-1994 | Fox (1986-95) independent (1980-86) | ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948... (1995-) |
Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| 51. | Buffalo Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the... |
WNYB WNYB WNYB is a television station in the Buffalo, New York market that runs Christian-oriented religious programming. Owned by Tri-State Christian Television, WNYB broadcasts on digital channel 26 from a main transmitter at 9030 Center Road in Arkwright and studios at 5775 Big Tree Road in Orchard Park... (now WNYO-TV WNYO-TV WNYO-TV is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station in Buffalo, New York, serving the western region of New York state. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 49 from a transmitter at Ironwood Golf Course in Bennington's Cowlesville section. The station can also be seen... ) 49 |
1988-1990 | Fox (1987-90) | MyNetworkTV MyNetworkTV MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation... (now called WNYO, on channel 49) TBN Trinity Broadcasting Network The Trinity Broadcasting Network is a major American Christian television network. TBN is based in Costa Mesa, California, with auxiliary studio facilities in Irving, Texas; Hendersonville, Tennessee; Gadsden, Alabama; Decatur, Georgia; Miami, Florida; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Orlando, Florida; and New... /TCT Tri-State Christian Television Tri-State Christian Television is a network of eight religious television stations and their repeaters, mainly in the Midwest. TCT Network provides Christian programming such as teaching, preaching, family-based movies, music, documentaries, youth and children, live broadcasts and original content... (1990-96 as WNYB on channel 49, WNYB intellectual unit is now TCT TCT TCT is a three-letter abbreviation which may refer to:* Teenage Cancer Trust* Texas City Terminal Railway* The Coroner's Toolkit, computer forensic software* The Catholic Transcript, a Hartford, CT catholic paper.... on channel 26) |
Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| WUTV WUTV WUTV, virtual channel 29, is the Fox-affiliated television station in Buffalo, New York. It broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 14. The station is owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group, in a duopoly with the area's MyNetworkTV affiliate WNYO-TV... 29 |
1990-1994 | Independent (1972-1990) Fox (1990-) | Fox | Sinclair Broadcast Group | ||
| 58. | Richmond Richmond, Virginia Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area... |
WVRN 63 | 1986-1988 | independent (1983-1988) | off-air - FCC deleted license | None (defunct) |
| WRLH-TV WRLH-TV WRLH-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for Richmond, Virginia. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 26 from a transmitter at the studios of PBS affiliates WCVE-TV/WCVW in Bon Air. The station can also be seen on Comcast and Verizon FiOS channel 11. There is a high... 35 |
1988-1994 | independent (1982-1986) Fox (1986-) | Fox | Sinclair Broadcast Group | ||
| 64. | Dayton Dayton, Ohio Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census... |
WRGT-TV WRGT-TV WRGT-TV, virtual channel 45, is the Fox-affiliated television station for the Miami Valley area of Ohio, which is licensed to Dayton. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 30 from a transmitter at its Broadcast Plaza studios near the New Chicago section of the city. It can... 45 |
1985-1994 | Independent (1984-1986) Fox (1986-) | Fox | Cunningham Broadcasting Cunningham Broadcasting Cunningham Broadcasting Corporation is an owner of television stations in the United States. The company currently owns six stations—four affiliated with Fox Broadcasting Company , one affiliated with MyNetworkTV and one affiliated with The CW Television Network.Cunningham has very close ties to... (LMA Local marketing agreement In U.S. and Canadian broadcasting, a local marketing agreement is an agreement in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another licensee... with Sinclair Broadcast Group) |
| 65. | Charleston Charleston, West Virginia Charleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early... /Huntington Huntington, West Virginia Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia, along the Ohio River. Most of the city is in Cabell County, for which it is the county seat. A small portion of the city, mainly the neighborhood of Westmoreland, is in Wayne County. Its population was 49,138 at... , West Virginia West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east... |
WVAH-TV WVAH-TV WVAH-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for Charleston and Huntington, West Virginia which is the second-largest market in terms of area east of the Mississippi River. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 19 from a transmitter south of Scott Depot along the Putnam... 11 |
1982-1994 | independent (1982-1986) Fox (1986-) | Fox | Cunningham Broadcasting (LMA with Sinclair Broadcast Group) |
| 80. | Rochester Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City... |
WUHF WUHF WUHF is the Fox-affiliated television station for Rochester, New York. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 28 from a transmitter on Pinnacle Hill on the border between Rochester and Brighton. The station can also be seen on Time Warner channel 7 and in high definition on... 31 |
1989-1994 | independent (1981-1986) Fox (1986-) | Fox | Sinclair Broadcast Group (operated by Nexstar Broadcasting Nexstar Broadcasting Group Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc., is an entity of broadcast television stations headquartered in Irving, Texas. The company consists of 50 television stations across the U.S., ranging from market sizes 9 to 201 . 43 of the stations are broadcasting at full power, with the other 4 broadcasting at... via LSA) |
| 99. | Charleston Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the... , South Carolina South Carolina South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence... |
WTAT-TV WTAT-TV WTAT-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for South Carolina's Lowcountry licensed to Charleston. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 24 from a transmitter in Awendaw. The station can also be seen on Comcast, Knology, and Time Warner channel 6... 24 |
1985-1994 | independent (1985-1986) Fox (1986-) | Fox | Cunningham Broadcasting (LMA with Sinclair Broadcast Group) |