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KUZZ-TV prepares for debutBy RICK BENTLEYTV editorThe call letters of local independent television station Channel 45 will be changed from KDOB-TV to KUZZ-TV on March 18.But that is just the beginning of a major metamorphosis for the station under new owner Buck Owens.More significant among these changes was the remote prospect of Owens obtaining a Fox network affiliation for his currently independent station.“I have met twice with the people from the Fox Network about Bakersfield getting an affiliation here,” Owens said from his offices on Friday. When I attended the NATPE (National Association of Television Programming Executives) convention last month, I sought out Preston Padden (Fox senior vice president of affiliates) about the possibilities. He said he would look at the numbers, but at this time it doesn’t look good.”A telephone call to Padden’s office in Washington, D.C., was not returned.Bakersfield is serviced via cable by the Fox affiliate in Fresno-Visalia (KMPH-TV, Channel 26) and the Fox-owned station in Los Angeles (KTTV-TV, Channel 11). Owens pointed out that local viewers who do not have cable have limited access to the network.Fox officials counter that with claims that there is a 69 percent penetration of cable in Bakersfield, meaning a majority of local residents have access to Fox.Those numbers, according to Owens, are misleading since they reflect the percentage of local residents who have the potential to get cable.The A.C. Nielsen Co. recognizes the Bakersfield market as having 164,470 households of which approximately 90,000 are serviced through various cable companies. That means only 55percent of this area’s households have access to a Fox channel.There are numerous television markets smaller than Bakersfield (currently ranked 142, according to Broadcast Yearbook) that have Fox affiliates including Lubbock, Texas (150); Albany, Ga. (151); and Jackson, Tenn. (181).Despite those numbers, Owens will be facing a tough battle. Harry Pappas — the owner of Fresno-Visalia and Omaha, Neb., Fox affiliates— has had a death grip on the Fox area of influence here for years, according to his original agreement writh the network. Pappas, who serves on the Fox Network affiliates board, worked out an agreement with Fox to have the Bakersfield market as part of his Fox affiliation when he initially signed on.Pappas was out of his office until Monday. LeBon G. Abercrombie, general manager of KMPH-TV, failed to return Californian telephone calls.In conversations concerning the possible Fox affiliation, Owens was warned by network officials not to take an adversarial” position against KMPH. But Owens said he w'as ready to assume such a stance if it will help provide the best television coverage possible from the independent.These upcoming challenges compare to the battle he fought in order to enter the television industry.It was only three months ago that Owens finally moved out from under the legal thunderstorms that dogged him from the moment he expressed an interest in buying the station frorh Please turn to KUZZ-TV / D4Owens
Newspaper Details
Bakersfield Californian
Bakersfield, California, US
Sat, Mar 02, 1991
Page 26
Full Page
Clipped by
Sammi B.
NA 15 Apr 2024
Other Publications Near Bakersfield, California
The Berkshire County Eagle
Southern Californian and Kern Weekly Courier
The Weekly Californian
Kern County Californian
Daily Californian
