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WKBS-TV (Philadelphia)
Encyclopedia
WKBS-TV was an independent
television station licensed to Burlington, New Jersey
, which served the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
area from 1965 to 1983. WKBS-TV had studio facilities located in South Philadelphia
, and transmitter at the Roxborough tower farm
in Philadelphia.
. It was the second independent station in the Philadelphia market, having signed on almost six months after WIBF-TV (channel 29, later WTAF-TV and now WTXF-TV
) and two weeks before WPHL-TV
(channel 17). The studios were located at 3201 South 26th Street in South Philadelphia
near a set of oil refineries. The station struggled at first, in part because it signed on only a year after the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) required television manufacturers to include UHF tuning capability. However, WKBS was on stronger financial footing than WPHL and WIBF, and quickly established itself as the leading independent in Philadelphia. It retained the top spot for almost a decade.
WKBS' schedule was typical of most independent stations of the time, with a mix of off-network programs, children's programs, movies, and local-interest shows, including a dance show hosted by local radio personality Hy Lit
, which also aired on at least three of Kaiser's other stations: WKBD-TV in Detroit, WKBG-TV
in Boston
and WKBF-TV
in Cleveland. In addition, WKBS aired shows produced by other Kaiser stations, such as The Lou Gordon Program from WKBD. (In a controversial episode, Philadelphia's mayor Frank Rizzo
walked out of an interview with Lou http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDXrQaHS9hc). In the mid-1970s, WKBS also aired ABC
shows that WPVI-TV
preempted in favor of local programming, and during the 1976-77 season, it aired NBC
shows preempted by KYW-TV
.
In 1972, Kaiser sold a minority interest in its operations to Field Communications
, which owned WFLD-TV in Chicago
. Five years later, in 1977, Kaiser left the television business and sold its share of the stations, including WKBS-TV, to Field. For most of the next few years, WKBS waged a spirited battle with WTAF for first place among the city's independents. However, by the early 1980s, WTAF was the entrenched top independent in Philadelphia.
, who started his television career with WKBS in 1968 before moving to WRC-TV
in Washington, D.C.
, in 1969.
In the 1970s, WKBS-TV attempted to do a 10 p.m. newscast. Some say that this newscast was better than what WTAF/WTXF and WPHL would air years later. However, the experiment failed because the Philadelphia market was not ready for a primetime newscast. From the late 1970s until the station went dark, channel 48 would air news updates anchored by Pat Farnack. Starting in 1982, the station had a local inserted newscast with CNN Headline News
at 10 p.m. on weekdays. Marty Jacobs also hosted a public affairs show.
, Tribune Broadcasting
, Meredith
, donating the station to a local college and selling programming to another station, as well as selling the station and programming to a group of channel 48 employees . Another offer, which was seriously considered, would have resulted in WKBS being sold to the Providence Journal Company, the then-owner of WPHL-TV. The two stations' schedules would have been merged under the channel 48 license, call letters and channel location, while the channel 17 license would have been sold to a religious broadcaster. However, the Journal's offer was still far below the Field brothers' asking price. Furthermore, the Field brothers also had the option of liquidating the assets and closing down the station for a huge tax write-off.
, WKBS-TV signed-off for the final time. The sign-off sequence, usually a film of The Star-Spangled Banner
, was instead replaced by a video of the employees saying farewell accompanied by Simon and Garfunkel
's "The Sound of Silence
".
The sequence began with an editorial by the station's final general manager, Vincent F. Baressi: http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/USTVSignoffs/
. It had a decent lineup of programs, but never matched what had been offered on WKBS. It was also hampered by an inadequate signal.
Then, in the middle of 1985, former subscription television outlet WWSG-TV (channel 57
) became a full-service independent and changed its calls to WGBS-TV. It briefly waged a ratings battle with WRBV, but this was over before it even started due to WRBV's weak signal. Within a few months, WGBS established itself as the third independent in Philadelphia. Despite financial problems within the station's ownership, WGBS gave channel 29 a serious challenge for the top spot among Philadelphia's indies.
In 1984, just months after WKBS left the air, the FCC put channel 48's license up for auction. Among those bidding on it was the late Dorothy Brunson
, an African-American radio station owner from Baltimore; and Cornerstone Television
, a Christian television network based in Pittsburgh
. After a two-year process, the auction ended with Brunson winning the license. Cornerstone had, during the interim, purchased channel 48's transmitter, moved it to Altoona
, and used it to sign on a new station in 1985 on channel 47
, ironically enough under the WKBS-TV call letters.
Brunson signed her station on as WGTW-TV
on August 15, 1992. The station carried on as an independent for more than a decade before being sold to the Trinity Broadcasting Network
in 2004. The two stations are not related; although WGTW shares the same city of license (Burlington) and the same channel allocation as the old WKBS-TV, it is not the same license. Sometime between Brunson's purchase of the license and 1988, the FCC deleted the license that WKBS operated under, thus according to FCC records, WGTW's construction permit was issued on July 14, 1988.http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=WGTW-TV
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....
television station licensed to Burlington, New Jersey
Burlington, New Jersey
Burlington is a city in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 9,920....
, which served the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
area from 1965 to 1983. WKBS-TV had studio facilities located in South Philadelphia
South Philadelphia
South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south, and the Schuylkill River to the west.-History:...
, and transmitter at the Roxborough tower farm
Roxborough, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Roxborough is a neighborhood in the Northwest Philadelphia section of the United States city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is bordered to the southwest, along the Schuylkill River, by the neighborhood of Manayunk, along the northeast by the Wissahickon Creek section of Fairmount Park, and to...
in Philadelphia.
History
WKBS-TV began operations on September 1, 1965, owned by Kaiser BroadcastingKaiser Broadcasting
Kaiser Broadcasting was the name of an entity that owned and operated broadcast television stations in the United States from 1958 to 1977.-History:...
. It was the second independent station in the Philadelphia market, having signed on almost six months after WIBF-TV (channel 29, later WTAF-TV and now WTXF-TV
WTXF-TV
WTXF-TV, virtual channel 29 , is an owned-and-operated station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
) and two weeks before WPHL-TV
WPHL-TV
WPHL-TV, channel 17, is a television station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, owned by the Tribune Company and currently affiliated with the News Corporation-owned MyNetworkTV television network. This makes it the largest non-O&O station of the network...
(channel 17). The studios were located at 3201 South 26th Street in South Philadelphia
South Philadelphia
South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south, and the Schuylkill River to the west.-History:...
near a set of oil refineries. The station struggled at first, in part because it signed on only a year after the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) required television manufacturers to include UHF tuning capability. However, WKBS was on stronger financial footing than WPHL and WIBF, and quickly established itself as the leading independent in Philadelphia. It retained the top spot for almost a decade.
WKBS' schedule was typical of most independent stations of the time, with a mix of off-network programs, children's programs, movies, and local-interest shows, including a dance show hosted by local radio personality Hy Lit
Hy Lit
Hyman Aaron "Hy" Lit was an American DJ based in the Philadelphia area from the 1950s until 2005. In his 50 year career, Hy Lit broadcast from WIBG-AM, WDAS/WDAS-FM, WKBS-TV, WIFI, WSNI/WPGR, KPOL, WKXW, among many others. His last station was WOGL, where he broadcast from 1989 until his...
, which also aired on at least three of Kaiser's other stations: WKBD-TV in Detroit, WKBG-TV
WLVI-TV
WLVI, digital channel 41, is a television station licensed to Cambridge, Massachusetts which serves as the CW affiliate for the Boston, Massachusetts television market. WLVI is owned by Sunbeam Television, and is a sister station to WHDH, Boston's NBC affiliate. The two stations share studios at...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and WKBF-TV
WKBF-TV
WKBF-TV channel 61 was an Independent television station serving the Cleveland, Ohio market owned by a joint venture between Kaiser Broadcasting and Field Communications...
in Cleveland. In addition, WKBS aired shows produced by other Kaiser stations, such as The Lou Gordon Program from WKBD. (In a controversial episode, Philadelphia's mayor Frank Rizzo
Frank Rizzo
Francis Lazarro "Frank" Rizzo, Sr. was an American police officer and politician. He served two terms as mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from January 1972 to January 1980; he was Police Commissioner for four years prior to that.-Police Commissioner:Rizzo joined the Philadelphia Police...
walked out of an interview with Lou http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDXrQaHS9hc). In the mid-1970s, WKBS also aired 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...
shows that WPVI-TV
WPVI-TV
WPVI-TV, channel 6, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. WPVI has its studios located on the border between Philadelphia and Bala Cynwyd, and its transmitter is located in the...
preempted in favor of local programming, and during the 1976-77 season, it aired 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...
shows preempted by KYW-TV
KYW-TV
KYW-TV, virtual channel 3, is an owned and operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. KYW-TV shares a studio facility with its sister station, CW flagship WPSG just north of Center City Philadelphia...
.
In 1972, Kaiser sold a minority interest in its operations to Field Communications
Field Communications
Field Communications was a division of Field Enterprises, which owned the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Daily News. The company owned independent television stations in the United States, with WFLD-TV in Chicago as its largest-market station....
, which owned WFLD-TV 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...
. Five years later, in 1977, Kaiser left the television business and sold its share of the stations, including WKBS-TV, to Field. For most of the next few years, WKBS waged a spirited battle with WTAF for first place among the city's independents. However, by the early 1980s, WTAF was the entrenched top independent in Philadelphia.
News operation
WKBS-TV operated a small news department during its early years, producing a newscast at the morning sign-on time, and providing news updated during the course of the broadcast day. Among channel 48's first on-air reporters was Jim VanceJim Vance
Jim Vance is an American television news anchor. Vance originally studied to be a teacher and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education from Cheyney University in Cheyney, Pa.-Biography:...
, who started his television career with WKBS in 1968 before moving to WRC-TV
WRC-TV
WRC-TV, channel 4, is an owned and operated television station of the NBC television network, located in the American capital city of Washington, D.C...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, in 1969.
In the 1970s, WKBS-TV attempted to do a 10 p.m. newscast. Some say that this newscast was better than what WTAF/WTXF and WPHL would air years later. However, the experiment failed because the Philadelphia market was not ready for a primetime newscast. From the late 1970s until the station went dark, channel 48 would air news updates anchored by Pat Farnack. Starting in 1982, the station had a local inserted newscast with CNN Headline News
CNN Headline News
HLN, formerly known as CNN Headline News and CNN2, is a cable television news channel based in the United States and a spinoff of the cable news television channel, CNN. Initially airing tightly-formatted 30-minute newscasts around the clock, since 2005, the channel has increasingly aired long-form...
at 10 p.m. on weekdays. Marty Jacobs also hosted a public affairs show.
Troubles with Field
In 1982, a nasty dispute over the operation of Field Communications erupted between brothers Marshall Field V and Frederick W. Field, resulting in the liquidation of their company, including their broadcasting interests. By June 1983 three of Field's stations had already been sold, leaving Field with WKBD and WKBS. Field's asking prices for both stations were very high, considering their profitability, strong ratings for WKBD, and the value of WKBD's and to a lesser extent WKBS's programming rights. At WKBS, Field mulled over several offers, including ones by the Hearst CorporationHearst Corporation
The Hearst Corporation is an American media conglomerate based in the Hearst Tower, Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. Founded by William Randolph Hearst as an owner of newspapers, the company's holdings now include a wide variety of media...
, Tribune Broadcasting
Tribune Broadcasting
The Tribune Broadcasting Company is a group of radio and television stations located throughout the United States which are owned and operated by the Tribune Company, a media conglomerate based in Chicago, Illinois and named for the flagship Chicago Tribune newspaper.- History :Tribune Broadcasting...
, Meredith
Meredith
Meredith is a surname and given name of Welsh origin — see Meredith .Meredith may refer to:-People surnamed Meredith:*Billy Meredith , Welsh footballer*Bryn Meredith, Welsh rugby union player*Burgess Meredith, American actor...
, donating the station to a local college and selling programming to another station, as well as selling the station and programming to a group of channel 48 employees . Another offer, which was seriously considered, would have resulted in WKBS being sold to the Providence Journal Company, the then-owner of WPHL-TV. The two stations' schedules would have been merged under the channel 48 license, call letters and channel location, while the channel 17 license would have been sold to a religious broadcaster. However, the Journal's offer was still far below the Field brothers' asking price. Furthermore, the Field brothers also had the option of liquidating the assets and closing down the station for a huge tax write-off.
Closure
Finally, with no takers and facing a deadline to close down the company, Field announced on July 15, 1983, that it would shut down channel 48 at the end of August. All of WKBS' programming (except for shows provided by syndicator Viacom) and some production equipment were sold to WPHL-TV, while the license was returned to the FCC. On August 30, 1983, following the telecast of a college football gameKickoff Classic
The Kickoff Classic was a season-opening college football game played at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey from 1983 to 2002.-History:...
, WKBS-TV signed-off for the final time. The sign-off sequence, usually a film of The Star-Spangled Banner
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
, was instead replaced by a video of the employees saying farewell accompanied by Simon and Garfunkel
Simon and Garfunkel
Simon & Garfunkel are an American duo consisting of singer-songwriter Paul Simon and singer Art Garfunkel. They formed the group Tom & Jerry in 1957 and had their first success with the minor hit "Hey, Schoolgirl". As Simon & Garfunkel, the duo rose to fame in 1965, largely on the strength of the...
's "The Sound of Silence
The Sound of Silence
"The Sound of Silence" is the song that propelled the 1960s folk music duo Simon & Garfunkel to popularity. It was written in February 1964 by Paul Simon in the aftermath of the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy. An initial version preferred by the band was remixed and sweetened, and has become...
".
The sequence began with an editorial by the station's final general manager, Vincent F. Baressi: http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/USTVSignoffs/
- "Tonight completes the last day of the broadcasting operations of WKBS-TV, channel 48, Field Communications Burlington/Philadelphia. On July 15, Field Communications announced that it would cease operation of the station and that the license to operate channel 48 would be returned to the Federal Communications Commission.
- Channel 48 began its broadcast operations on September 1, 1965, under the ownership of Kaiser Broadcasting. Through those eighteen years of operation, we have endeavored to best serve all interests of the Delaware Valley. The commitment of all of our station's employees has been dedicated to you, our viewers. Over the years, we have presented all types of programs to the people of the Delaware Valley. Channel 48's efforts have been recognized by many broadcast professional awards, and more importantly, by our viewers. Channel 48 as an entity, and our employees as individual citizens, have been deeply involved in our community; we have been unselfish over the years by giving literally thousands of hours of personal time to make the Delaware Valley an even better place in which to live.
- We hope you enjoyed tonight's Penn StatePennsylvania State UniversityThe Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
-Nebraska football game. I am sure you can appreciate that this is a sad day for all of us at channel 48. However, we take great pride in knowing that we have been of service to you over the past eighteen years. Since the announced closing of our operation, we have received numerous letters and phone calls of support. For that, we are most appreciative. We, the people of WKBS will all go forward in our new careers, and I can assure you that we will always have the people of the Delaware Valley in our hearts. Thank you, good night, and God bless you all."
Epilogue
After channel 48 went off the air, the Philadelphia market was left with two independents. The first station to make a serious attempt to replace WKBS as the market's third indie was WRBV-TV (channel 65, now WUVP), based in Vineland, New JerseyVineland, New Jersey
Vineland is a city in Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 60,724...
. It had a decent lineup of programs, but never matched what had been offered on WKBS. It was also hampered by an inadequate signal.
Then, in the middle of 1985, former subscription television outlet WWSG-TV (channel 57
WPSG
WPSG, channel 57, is a television station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. WPSG is owned by the CBS Corporation and is the east coast flagship station for the CW Television Network, which is owned jointly by CBS and Time Warner...
) became a full-service independent and changed its calls to WGBS-TV. It briefly waged a ratings battle with WRBV, but this was over before it even started due to WRBV's weak signal. Within a few months, WGBS established itself as the third independent in Philadelphia. Despite financial problems within the station's ownership, WGBS gave channel 29 a serious challenge for the top spot among Philadelphia's indies.
In 1984, just months after WKBS left the air, the FCC put channel 48's license up for auction. Among those bidding on it was the late Dorothy Brunson
Dorothy Brunson
Dorothy Edwards Brunson was a notable African-American broadcaster.Between 1973 and 1979, Brunson was an executive with Inner City Broadcasting Corporation, which owned five radio stations including WLIB and WBLS in New York City.After leaving Inner City Broadcasting, Brunson was the first...
, an African-American radio station owner from Baltimore; and Cornerstone Television
Cornerstone Television
The Cornerstone TeleVision Network is a non-commercial Christian broadcast and satellite television network based in Wall, Pennsylvania, United States. Its founder and CEO is Russ Bixler...
, a Christian television network based in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. After a two-year process, the auction ended with Brunson winning the license. Cornerstone had, during the interim, purchased channel 48's transmitter, moved it to Altoona
Altoona, Pennsylvania
-History:A major railroad town, Altoona was founded by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1849 as the site for a shop complex. Altoona was incorporated as a borough on February 6, 1854, and as a city under legislation approved on April 3, 1867, and February 8, 1868...
, and used it to sign on a new station in 1985 on channel 47
WKBS-TV
WKBS-TV is a Christian television station serving the Allegheny area of Pennsylvania that is licensed to Altoona. It broadcasts a digital signal on UHF channel 46...
, ironically enough under the WKBS-TV call letters.
Brunson signed her station on as WGTW-TV
WGTW-TV
WGTW-TV, digital channel 27, is a Trinity Broadcasting Network-owned and operated television station licensed to Burlington, New Jersey, and serving the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area...
on August 15, 1992. The station carried on as an independent for more than a decade before being sold to the Trinity Broadcasting Network
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...
in 2004. The two stations are not related; although WGTW shares the same city of license (Burlington) and the same channel allocation as the old WKBS-TV, it is not the same license. Sometime between Brunson's purchase of the license and 1988, the FCC deleted the license that WKBS operated under, thus according to FCC records, WGTW's construction permit was issued on July 14, 1988.http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=WGTW-TV
Notable alumni
- Hy LitHy LitHyman Aaron "Hy" Lit was an American DJ based in the Philadelphia area from the 1950s until 2005. In his 50 year career, Hy Lit broadcast from WIBG-AM, WDAS/WDAS-FM, WKBS-TV, WIFI, WSNI/WPGR, KPOL, WKXW, among many others. His last station was WOGL, where he broadcast from 1989 until his...
, legendary Philadelphia radio personality who hosted The Hy Lit Show - Stu NahanStu NahanStu Nahan was an American sportscaster best known for his television broadcasting career in Los Angeles from the 1950s through the 1990s. He is also remembered for his role as a boxing commentator in most of the Rocky films. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6549 Hollywood Blvd...
, played children's show host Captain Philadelphia and anchored sports highlight show; he later became a sports anchor at television stations in Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos 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... - Jim VanceJim VanceJim Vance is an American television news anchor. Vance originally studied to be a teacher and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education from Cheyney University in Cheyney, Pa.-Biography:...
(reporter, 1968–1969; now anchor at WRC-TV, Washington, D.C.)