its own studios. Within two years, Tribune Regional conversion of 70,000 square feet of soundstage space Programming combined with Tele -Communications. on the former ten -acre KTLA-TV Hollywood studio Inc. (TCI) to provide CLTV 24 hours a day to TCI's lot. Phased for completion over a two-year period, Tri- 300,000 metropolitan -Chicago cable customers. bune Studios would represent the first all -digital studio in 1993, Tribune Broadcasting combined with lot in the United States. Warner Brothers for the creation of a new prime -time As Dowdle pointed out in his profile in Channels television network, the WB, slated to begin operations magazine of August 13, 1990. Tribune Broadcasting in the fall of 1994. Tribune stations in New York. Los has been successful by capitalizing on those things un- Angeles, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Denver, and New Or- der its control: effective management, production, ac- leans were initially slotted as affiliates, and the network, quisition, and marketing. Through aggressive reaching out to 18 -49 -year -olds in prime time evening movement, confident development in multiple direc- slots, instantly covered 85 percent of American house- tions, and the strong leadership of Dowdle and Fitz - holds. As of 2000. 16 of Tribune Broadcasting's 23 sta- Simons. the company has grown and diversified. tions were network affiliates and network programs resulting in the creation of a competitive Tribune included such popular notables as Seventh Heaven. Fe- Broadcasting footprint that is influential in both the licity, Angel, Da vson's Creek and Gilmore Girls. domestic and international marketplace. On August I, 1994. in an organizational restructur- JOEL STERNBERG ing. Dowdle was promoted to executive vice president See also WB Television Network of Tribune Media Operations and Dennis J. Fitz - Simons, former Tribune television -group president, was elevated to Tribune Broadcasting executive vice Tribune Broadcast Holdings president. Reporting to Dowdle, FitzSimons would di- Television Stations rect operations of the unit's then -eight television WPIX-TV. New York stations. the Tribune News Network, Tribune Enter- KTLA-TV. Los Angeles tainment, the six station radio group, Tribune Radio WGN-TV, Chicago Networks and the recently acquired Farm Journal Inc. WPHL-TV, Philadelphia In 2000, when Dowdle retired, FitzSimons was pro- WLVi-TV, Boston moted to executive vice president of the Tribune Com- KDAF-TV, Dallas pany, retaining his Tribune Broadcasting presidency WBDC-TV, Washington and assuming responsibility for publishing. entertain- WATL-TV, Atlanta ment, and the Chicago Cubs. KHWB-TV. Houston By 2001, the Los Angeles -based Tribune Entertain- KCPO-TV, Seattle ment subsidiary was distributing nine series represent- KTWB-TV, Seattle ing approximately IS hours of first -run and WBZL-TV, Miami/Ft. Lauderdale off-network programming per week, including four of KWGN-TV, Denver the season's top -ten weekly syndicated hours: Mutant KTXL-TV, Sacramento X, Gene Roddenbetrv's Andromeda, BeastMasten; and KSWB-TV, San Diego Gene Rodde 'berry's Final Conflict. In addition, Tri- WXIN-TV, Indianapolis bune Entertainment distributed the weekly Soul WTIC-TV, Hartford/New Haven Train-at 30 seasons, the nation's longest -running mu- WTXX-TV, Waterbury CT sic and variety program. and U.S. Farms Report, the WXMI-TV, Grand Rapids longest -running series in syndication history at more WGNO-TV. New Orleans than 36 years. Tribune Entertainment continued its dis- WNOL-TV, New Orleans tribution of television movies to domestic stations, and WPMT-TV, Harrisburg -Lancaster-Lebanon -York its distribution of specials. such as Live from the Acad- WEWB-TV, Albany emy Awards, the Prism, A voids, and the Soul Train Mu- sic Awards. It was also handling barter arrangements for programs from numerous television production Cable Holdings companies including, among others, NBC Enterprises' CLTV News. Chicago Weakest Link and FremantleMedia North America's Central Florida News 13 (joint venture with Time Family Feud. Warner Communications), Orlando Maintaining an edge in state-of-the-art facilities, TV Food Network (3I percent) Tribune Entertainment announced in February 2001 WB Network (25 percent) the formation of Tribune Studios-renovation and The Golf Channel (9 percent)
2367