City Channel an -air CP Licensee! Applice !W sales of recent times as indications that the Open in Illinois: Danville (68); Decatur (23 -); Dekalb (331; Elgin (66 +); Freeport (65 -1: UHF market is finally maturing. Gaylord Galesburg (63); Joliet (14 -); Kankakee (54 -1; LaSalle (35); Peoria (59 +'); Quincy (16 +. Broadcasting Co. paid $10.5 million for 27 +'); Springfield (49 -, 65 +); Streator (64 +1; Urbana (27 -); Vandalia (21'). WUAB(TV) Lorain, Ohio (Cleveland) and Scripps- Howard Broadcasting paid $7.5 million for KBMA -TV Kansas City. Bloomington 30 wriu Indiana University - "1 really sense quite a turn -around in Elkhart 28+ Wsdv WsJv TV Inc. UHF," he said. "The values that sophisti- cated buyers are willing to pay for these Evansville 14- WFIE -TV WFIE Inc. stations indicate that. In 1970, similar pro- 25- WEHT Gilmore Broadcasting Corp. perties might have brought approximately 44- Channel 44 Inc. $200,000 each. Part of it is the very strong Fort Wayne 15+ WANE -TV Indiana Broadcasting Corp. success that UHF group owners have 33- WKJG -TV Thirty -Three Inc. shown. 55 WFFT -TV Ontario Corp. "Until recently, most UHF stations were operated by smaller, less- experienced Gary 56+ GWNX-TV Inc. broadcasters. As the group owners fill up their quotas, they 20- WFYI Metropolitan Indiana TV Association have brought UHF sta- 40 WHMB-TV Lesea Broadcasting Corp. tions and put all of their resources and 59-a Channel 59 of Indiana Inc. knowledge into them -the Tafts, the Indianapolis TV Corp. Fields, the Metromedias." United TV Corp. of Indiana UHF stations still do not go for the Indianapolis 59 Inc. prices that VHF's do, Mr. Sitrick added. Lafayette 18 WLFI-TV RJN Broadcasting Inc. "There is a shortage of VHF's. You get to where the groups particularly can't trade Muncie 49 wIPß7 Ball State University up any more, and they buy U's. But don't think they would buy U's if they Richmond 43+ Cincinnati Christian Communications didn't think they would show a profit. And Roanoke 21+ WPTA WPTA -TV InC. I think prices will continue to rise." Another top broker, Howard E. Stark of St. John 50' WCAE Lake Central School Corp. New York, agrees with Mr. Sitrick's assessment: "Anybody who owns two 16 WNDU-TV Telecasting South Bend Corp. VHF stations would like to own three; any- 22 WSBT-TV WSBT Inc. 34-' WNIT-TV Michiana Public Broadcasting body who owns three would like to own 46 WHME-TV Lester Sumrall Evangelistic Association five, and anybody who owns five would like to own two good UHF stations." Terre Haute 38 WBAK-TV K %EL Broadcasting Co. UHF stations now "have recognized value because they have turned the cor- Vincennes 22-' WVUT ner," Mr. Stark continued. But the stations Open in Indiana: Anderson (67 +); Bloomington (63 +); Fort Wayne (39 -1; Hammond have turned the corner, he feels, not (62 +1; Indianapolis (691; Kokomo (29 -1; Lafayette (24); Madison (60 +1; Marion (23); through any new -found intrinsic strengths Muncie (61 -1; Terre Haute (26 -). but rather on the coattails of all of televi- Iowa sion's profit surge. "1976 was the boom year in television. That was the year that Council Bluffs 32' KBIN State Educational Radio & Television Board UHF had a turn -around because of an the Dubuque 40- KDUB-TV Lloyd Hearing Aid Co. overflow of money in market. The amount of revenue going into broadcast- Fort Dodge 21' KTIN State Educational Radio & Television Board ing allowed UHF to come into its own." 50+ KVFD-TV Northwest Television Co.

Mason City 24+ KYIN State Educational Radio & Television Board Programing turnaround Red Oak 36* KHIN State Educational Radio & Television Board

Sioux City 14 KMEG Medallion Broadcasters Inc. As advertising revenues increase, 27- KSIN State Educational Radio & Television Board UHF's find themselves competing Waterloo 32-' KRIN State Educational Radio & Television Board in the high end of the market Open In Iowa: Ames (23 -, 34 +1; Burlington (57 -1; Carroll (18 -1: Cedar Rapids (28 +); for syndicated shows while staking Centerville (31 -1; Davenport (18 +, 30 -, 36 +1; Decorah (14 +1; Des Moines (17 +. out claims on news and sports 43 -', 63 -, 69); Dubuque (16 -, 29 -1: Estherville (49 +): Fort Madison (38 +1; High Point (14 -1: Iowa City (20 -); Keokuk (44 +1; Keosauqua (54 +); Lansing (41 +1; Mount Independent UHF station schedules have Ayr (25 Ottumwa 33 -1; (15 +, -1; Rock Rapids (25 + *); Sibley (331; Spirit Lake (381: long been among the least innovative in Waterloo (22 -1. television. Their traditional standard fare Kansas has largely been made up of Leave It to Beaverr, I Loue Lucy, Perry Mason and the Hays 14 Smokey Hills Public TV Corp. like -long- running syndicated programs that, in some instances, have been on Topeka 27 Kral Highwood Service Inc. television for just about as long as there Open in Kansas: Chanute (30 +1: Columbus (34 +1; Dodge City (21 -1; Emporia (25 +1: has been television. By and large, UHF Hutchinson (36 +); Manhatten (211; Oakley (15 -1: Parsons (391; Phillipsburg (22 -1: stations have failed to distinguish them- Pratt (32 +1; Salina (18 +, 34 -, 44); Sedan (28'); Topeka (43, 49): Wichita (15 +', 24 -, 33. 42 *). selves in the programing realm. There is evidence to suggest, however, that at some Kentucky stations, at least, that situation is chang- ing. Asn land 25-' WKAS Kentucky State Board of Education 61+ ?ri -State Family Television Inc. (Huntington) Concurrent with the rise in advertising revenues and the increasing size of the Bowling Green 53 WKGB Kentucky State Board of Education UHF audience, some stations have man-

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