Low-Power WKRP For Sale http://cincinnati.com/blogs/tv/2011/04/27/low-power-wkrp-for-sale/ After 20 years, Elliott Block is giving up his low-power WKRP TV station, the five digital feeds on Channel 25.
“It’s time to throw in the towel,” said Block, 63, who said Wednesday he is selling the Roselawn station, license and three mobile TV trucks. “Since 1990, I have been throwing money into the station with only a couple of years showing a profit.” Block talked to brokers about selling the station at the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas two weeks ago. His comments came a day after WLWT-TV announced it will replace its 24/7 weather channel on Aug. 1 with “M*A*S*H,” “Happy Days,” “Hawaii 5-0” and other classic TV shows from the Memorable Entertainment Television (Me-TV) network. Block broadcasts similar old shows – including “Rockford Files,” “Magnum P.I.” and “The A-Team” – on Channels 25.1 and 25.3 from the Retro TV network. WKRP TV airs NBC Universal Sports (Channel 25.2), Jewelry TV (Channel 25.4) and America One (Channel 25.5). But few people can watch them because their signal strength doesn’t completely cover the three-state region, and Time Warner, Dish and DirecTV don’t carry them. Time Warner dropped the station in 2006. (Cincinnati Bell Fioptics does carry all five WKRP channels, and Northern Kentucky’s Insight cable carries one.) “We’ve got great content. Nobody knew were here,” Block said. “Nobody can get it.” When Block Broadcasting was profitable in 2006, he moved from Golf Manor into a 17,000-square foot Roselawn warehouse. He employed 20, and eventually rebranded WBQC-TV as “WKRP TV,” although he didn’t have rights to the old CBS sitcom. Block built two studios for live talk, variety, movie host and coaches’ interview shows, dreaming of reviving Cincinnati’s live TV tradition. He bought a TV production truck and two live TV trucks to cover high school and minor-league sports and community events. He could never find advertising support to do any. In January, Block canceled the “Friday Night Fu” and all local shows, cut back to four employees, and put Retro TV on the main Channel 25.1 to become “just a satellite relay station,” he said. “I grew up watching all the local live TV shows here. I thought I could do that here,” he said. “I have a studio, and I (thought I) could do anything I wanted…. But you’ve got to find someone to pay for it, and that’s the catch, because we can’t get it (programming) to the people (viewers).” he said. “We can make more money running 800 number offers without the the high maintenance of having salespeople, and that is a shame,” he said. The WKRP channels will remain on the air until Block sells the license and/or equipment. “A working station is more valuable than a dark (off the air) station,” he said. His biggest frustration was not getting full carriage on Time Warner, which carries low-power stations in other markets. The dominant Cincinnati/SW Ohio cable system carried one of his low-power channels 2001-06 on a part-time basis (6-11 p.m.). Time Warner dropped him in 2006 when WKRC-TV launched digital Channel 12.2 to carry the new CW network. Allowing Time Warner to air just five hours “was a mistake. I regret that,” he said. Greg Williams [email protected] [email protected] _______________________________________________ Medianews mailing list [email protected] http://lists.etskywarn.net/mailman/listinfo/medianews
