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Metromedia

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For other uses, see Metromedia (disambiguation)}}}.
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Metromedia (also often MetroMedia) was a media company that owned radio and television stations in the United States from 1956 to 1986.

Contents

Overview

The company arose from the ashes of the DuMont Television Network, the world's first licensed commercial television network. By 1955, DuMont realized it could not compete against CBS, NBC and a revived ABC. It decided to shut down network operations and run its two original stations, WABD in New York City and WTTG in Washington, D.C., as independents. Soon after DuMont formally shut down network operations in 1956, it spun off WABD and WTTG to shareholders as the DuMont Broadcasting Corporation. In 1957, DuMont Broadcasting changed its name to Metropolitan Broadcasting to distance itself from the failure associated with DuMont.

In 1958, DuMont's namesake, Dr. Allen B. DuMont, sold his shares in Metropolitan Broadcasting to Washington-based investor John Kluge, giving Kluge controlling interest (75%). Kluge installed himself as the company's chairman and merged two New York radio stations that he owned, WNEW-AM 1130 and WNEW-FM 102.7, into it. He changed WABD's calls to WNEW-TV. In 1961, Kluge changed the company's name to Metromedia. Over the years, Kluge acquired nine more television stations, as well as many other radio stations. Most of his television stations were independent, though at one time or another he owned five ABC affiliates. Metromedia also owned a TV production company called Metromedia Producers Corporation (MPC), which produced and syndicated programs and TV movies. Company headquarters were co-located with WNEW-AM-FM-TV in the former DuMont Tele-Centre in Manhattan, which was renamed the Metromedia Telecenter.

In the early 1980s, Kluge was forced to sell off his vast media empire after the FCC told him he was gaining too much influence. In 1986, Kluge sold Metromedia's most valuable assets--the television stations and MPC--to Rupert Murdoch for $3.5 billion; the radio stations were sold to various other owners. Most of the former Metromedia stations formed the nucleus of the Fox Broadcasting Company, while MPC was folded into 20th Century Fox Television. On this basis, television historian Clarke Ingram claims that Fox is a direct descendant, if not a revival, of DuMont. Indeed, the former WNEW-TV, now Fox flagship WNYW, is still headquartered in the former Metromedia Telecenter, now known as Fox Broadcasting Center. He continued to own several radio stations until the early 1990s.

The Metromedia name has lived on in other projects by Kluge, though the ventures have been largely unrelated to television. When Kluge bought into Major League Soccer in 1995, the club he operated was named MetroStars after his company.

Former Metromedia stations

Television stations

Current DMA# Market Station Years Owned Current Affiliation
1. New York City WABD/WNEW-TV 5
(now WNYW) 		1956-86 Fox owned-and-operated (O&O)
2. Los Angeles KTTV 11 1963-86 Fox owned-and-operated (O&O)
3. Chicago WFLD-TV 32 1983-86 Fox owned-and-operated (O&O)
5. Boston WCVB-TV 5 1982-86 ABC affiliate owned by Hearst-Argyle
6. San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose KNEW-TV 32
(now KMTP) 		1968-70 non-commercial independent
owned by Minority Television Project
7. Dallas - Fort Worth KRLD-TV 33
(now KDAF) 		1983-86 WB affiliate owned by Tribune Company
(to become CW in Sept. 2006)
8. Washington, D.C. WTTG 5 1956-86 Fox owned-and-operated (O&O)
10. Houston KRIV-TV 26 1978-86 Fox owned-and-operated (O&O)
15. Minneapolis-St. Paul WTCN-TV 11
(now KARE) 		1972-83 NBC affiliate owned by Gannett Company
19. Stockton - Sacramento, CA KOVR 13 1959-64 CBS owned-and-operated (O&O)
31. Kansas City, Missouri KMBC-TV 9 1961-82 ABC affiliate owned by Hearst-Argyle
34. Newport, KY - Cincinnati WXIX-TV 19 1972-83 Fox affiliate owned by Raycom Media
117. Peoria, Illinois WTVH-TV 19
(now WHOI) 		1959-65 ABC affiliate owned by Barrington Broadcasting

Radio stations

(a partial listing)
Current DMA# Market Station Current Format
1. New York City WNEW-FM-102.7 owned by CBS Radio
WNEW-1130
(now WBBR) 		owned by Bloomberg Radio
2. Los Angeles KMET-94.7
(now KTWV) 		owned by CBS Radio
KLAC-570 owned by Clear Channel Communications
4. San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose KNEW-910 owned by Clear Channel Communications
5. Dallas - Fort Worth KRLD-1080 owned by CBS Radio
6. Philadelphia WMMR-93.3 owned by Greater Media
WIP-610 owned by CBS Radio
8. Washington, D.C. WASH-97.1 owned by Clear Channel Communications
20. Tampa-St. Petersburg WWBA-FM-107.3
(now WXGL) 		owned by Cox Enterprises
WWBA-680
(now WRMD) 		owned by ZGS Communications
24. Baltimore WCBM-680 owned by WCBM Maryland Inc.
25. Cleveland WMMS-100.7 owned by Clear Channel Communications
WHK-1420 owned by Salem Communications

TV series produced and/or distributed by MPC

External links

 

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