Act III Broadcasting was a company that owned several television stations that started as independents, and later became Fox affiliates. The stations were located in medium-sized markets, and the company existed from the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s, eventually to be sold to Abry in 1994. Legendary TV producer Norman Lear had owned a stake in Act III. The Fox Broadcasting Company, usually referred to as just Fox (the company itself prefers the capitalized version FOX), is a television network in the United States. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... See also 1990s, the band The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive, sometimes informally including popular culture from the late 1980s and shortly after the year 2000. ... Norman Lear (born July 27, 1922) is a Jewish-American television writer and producer who produced such popular sitcoms as All in the Family, Sanford and Son, One Day at a Time, Good Times and Maude. ...

History

Act III Broadcasting began in 1982, when WVAH-TV, channel 23 in Charleston, West Virginia; signed on as the first independent station in the state. Prior to that, Huntington-Charleston was the largest market without an independent station. WVAH's sign-on was possible because the West Virginia legislature forced the state educational broadcasting authority to withdraw its application for the channel, which had tied up its assignment for over a decade. 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... WVAH-TV is the Fox network affiliate in the Huntington / Charleston, West Virginia television market. ... Official website: www. ... Huntington is a city located in the U.S. State of West Virginia along the Ohio River. ...

Act III then signed on channel 45 in Dayton, Ohio in the fall of 1984 as WRGT-TV. Before WRGT came, WTJC, a religious-based independent station that had been on the air for a few years had some entertainment programs, the only real source of non-network programming in Dayton. Act III bought most of these shows for WRGT. This made WRGT virtually the only general-entertainment independent station in Dayton. Nickname: Gem City Coordinates: Country United States State Ohio County Montgomery Founded April 1, 1796 Incorporated 1805 Mayor Rhine L. McLin Area    - City 146. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... WRGT-TV is a broadcast television station in Dayton, Ohio affiliated with the Fox network. ...

The next year, WTAT-TV in Charleston, South Carolina signed on with a similar format to WVAH and WRGT. In 1986, when Fox launched, Act III signed an affiliation deal with the network. WTAT-TV, Fox 24, is the Fox television affiliate in Charleston, South Carolina. ... Nickname: The Holy City, The Palmetto City, Chucktown, Port City, Charlie O C-Port City Motto: Aedes Mores Juraque Curat (She cares for her temples, customs, and rights) Location of Charleston in South Carolina. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston(1670-1789) Columbia(1790-present) Largest city Columbia Largest metro area Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson Area  Ranked 40th  - Total 34,726 sq mi (82,965 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 260 miles (420 km)  - % water 6  - Latitude 32°430N to 35... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The next year, Act III acquired Fox affiliate WNRW (now WXLV-TV) in the Piedmont Triad from the TVX Broadcast Group, whom which Fox had signed an affiliation deal as well. However, there was a catch to this deal: if TVX sold one of its underperforming stations, Fox could disaffiliate from that station. This was not the case in the Piedmont Triad, because WNRW's rival station WGGT (now WMYV) was in bankruptcy, but it still ran a low budget schedule. This is where Act III began the practice of aqcuiring stations in medium markets. WXLV-TV, ABC45 based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is the ABC affiliate serving the Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point designated market area. ... The Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina (locally known simply as The Triad) consists of the area surrounding the cities of Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point. ... The TVX Broadcast Group was a company that owned a group of UHF television stations during the 1980s. ... WMYV (UPN 48) is the UPN television affiliate serving the Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point, North Carolina designated market area. ...

That same year, Act III acquired WVRN in Richmond from Sundbrink Broadcasting, which had also filed for bankruptcy. Both this station and Gillett-owned Fox affiliate WRLH-TV struggled in the ratings. WVRN Channel 63 was a television station in the Richmond, Virginia television market. ... Nickname: River City, Cap City, R-V-A Motto: Sic Itur Ad Astra (Thus do we reach the stars) Location in the Commonwealth of Virginia Coordinates: Country United States State Virginia County Independent City Mayor L. Douglas Wilder (D) Area    - City 62. ... WRLH-TV, channel 35, is the Fox television affiliate serving the Richmond, Virginia television market. ...

In 1988, Act III bought Fox affiliate WNYB channel 49 in Buffalo, New York. Later that year Act III decided that Richmond was not large enough to support two independent stations. It offered to buy WRLH's programming and move it over to WVRN. However, Gillett wanted to sell WRLH outright. Act III agreed to the deal, moved WVRN's programming to WRLH, and took channel 63 off the air. Act III then went on a buying spree, acquiring WZTV in Nashville, and WUHF channel 31 in Rochester, New York. 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... WNYB 26 is a Trinity Broadcasting Network affiliate owned by Tri State Christian Television. ... Nickname: City of Good Neighbors, Queen City, City of Light Location of Buffalo in New York State County Erie County Mayor Byron Brown Area    - City 136. ... The Sinclair Broadcast Group (SBG) is the operator of the largest number of local television stations in the United States, with a total of 62 stations across the country in 39 small and medium markets. ... For other cities named Nashville, see Nashville (disambiguation). ... WUHF is a broadcast television station in Rochester, New York, affiliated with the Fox network. ... Nickname: The Flour City, The Flower City, The Worlds Image Center Motto: Rochester: Made for Living Location of Rochester in New York State Country United States State New York County Monroe Mayor Robert Duffy Area    - City 37. ...

In 1989, Act III petitioned the FCC to allow its flagship station, WVAH, to move to channel 11, the last VHF frequency left in the Huntington-Charleston market. WVAH's signal on channel 23 was not strong enough to reach the entire market--a 61-county behemoth occupying rugged terrain in three states. The FCC granted the request, and WVAH moved to channel 11 later in 1989. 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

It did not stop there, as in 1990, Act III made several deals which made its stations the only general entertainment stations in their markets. In Nashville, WXMT (now WUXP-TV), then the Fox affiliate, had been sold by TVX to Michael Thompson in 1988. Fox then moved its affiliation to WZTV in November, and Act III then cut a deal in which WZTV would take all of WXMT's stronger shows, leaving WXMT with only religious and home shopping shows. However, Thompson backed out of the deal last minute, but then made a revised deal which allowed WXMT to keep barter cartoons and low budget syndicated shows, giving WZTV the better and more expensive shows. WXMT's daily schedule now looked like this: home shopping for 15 hours, religion 3 hours, cartoons 3 hours, and low budget shows 3 hours. While WXMT was not eliminated from the draw, it was left with a much weaker schedule. In June, Act III bought WUTV channel 29 in Buffalo from Citadel Broadcasting and sold WNYB to Tri-State Christian Television. WNYB's programming and Fox affiliation then moved to WUTV, whereas WNYB became an all-religious station. A year before, WVAH was permitted to move to channel 11. This article is about the year. ... WUXP-TV/DT, channel 30, is the UPN affiliate in Nashville, Tennessee. ... WUTV is a broadcast television station in Buffalo, New York, affiliated with the Fox network. ... WNYB 26 is a Trinity Broadcasting Network affiliate owned by Tri State Christian Television. ... Tri-State Christian Television (TCT) is a Christian television network and owner of television stations, primarily in the Midwest. ...

Act III's next task was to ensure they had a monopoly in the Piedmont Triad: in 1991 it bought WGGT's programming and merged it onto WNRW's schedule. WGGT's owners then cut a deal with Act III allowing it to simulcast WNRW, creating a strong combined signal with over 60% overlap known as the "Piedmont Superstation." For all intents and purposes, Act III's stations were now the only general-entertainment stations in their markets, except for Nashville.

In the 1990's, a new concept developed: the local marketing agreement, or LMA for short. Under an LMA, one station would buy all or most of another station's broadcast day and take over its operations, but the other station would technically remain under separate ownership. The senior partner in the LMA would then program the other station with shows that it didn't have time to air. Act III, however, was not interested in this concept. PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS...

This became a moot point in 1994, as Act III Broadcasting would be sold to Abry, which had LMA's in some of their markets. The Sinclair Broadcast Group then bought Abry later that year; Sinclair of course had started the LMA concept back in 1991. The Sinclair Broadcast Group (SBG) NASDAQ: SBGI is the operator of the largest number of local television stations in the United States with a total of 59 stations across the country in 38 (mostly) small and medium markets. ...

Here is what would happen in the former Act III markets over the years:

• Rochester: WUHF is still one of only four full power stations because of the lack of available licenses.
• Buffalo: Grant Broadcasting System II acquired the channel 26 license in Jamestown, New York in 1995. Grant then swapped channel 26 to TCT, who would move WNYB over there, and in return, Grant got channel 49, which became WNYO-TV, a WB affiliate. WNYO was sold to Sinclair in 2001.
• Dayton: WRGT was not sold to Sinclair directly, but rather to Sullivan Broadcasters, although Sinclair would manage WRGT. Sinclair attempted to buy it outright in 2001 along with the other Sullivan-owned stations, but could not do so because by this time it also owned then-NBC affiliate WKEF. In the end, it was sold to Cunningham Broadcasting instead. However, Sinclair effectively owns WRGT and the other Cunningham-owned stations because the Smith family, the founders of Sinclair, controls most of Cunningham's stock. As for the religious station, it is now WBDT channel 26, a WB affiliate owned by ACME Communications.
• Huntington/Charleston: WVAH was sold to Glencairn, Ltd. in 1997 after Sinclair acquired ABC affiliate WCHS-TV. The Smith family, owners of Sinclair, though, owned most of Glencairn's (now Cunningham Broadcasting) stock, making Sinclair the de facto owner of WVAH.
• Piedmont Triad: In 1995, Fox bought what was then the ABC affiliate, WGHP. ABC then went to channels 45/48. Sinclair bought WNRW outright and changed its calls to WXLV-TV. It then had Glencairn buy WGGT. Glencairn ended the simulcast and transformed WGGT into WUPN-TV, a UPN affiliate. WNRW also changed its calls to WXLV-TV. Sinclair bought WUPN outright in 2001, and later changed its callsign to WMYV, in anticipation of its My Network TV affiliation.
• Nashville: Abry began LMA'ing WXMT in 1995, giving that station a UPN affiliation, and more entertainment shows as WZTV decided to focus on news and first-run syndicated shows. WXMT eventually changed calls to WUXP-TV. Sinclair bought WUXP outright in 2001.
• Charleston, SC: Sinclair, after buying UPN affiliate WMMP channel 36 in 1998, sold WTAT to Glencairn.
• Richmond: While channel 63 never returned, a religious station on channel 65 signed on in 1990. That station eventually went to general entertainment, and became a WB affiliate in 1995, switching to UPN three years later. That station is currently WUPV.

Based in Roanoke, Virginia, Grant Broadcasting System II (a. ... Jamestown is a city located in Chautauqua County, New York in the USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 31,730. ... The WB Television Network, casually referred to as The WB, or sometimes as The Frog (referring to the networks former mascot, the animated character Michigan J. Frog), is a television network in the United States, founded as a joint venture between the Warner Bros. ... NBC (an abbreviation for National Broadcasting Company, its former corporate name) is an American television network based in New York Citys Rockefeller Center and is shown on basic cable in Canada. ... WKEF is a broadcast television station in Dayton, Ohio, affiliated with the ABC network. ... Cunningham Broadcasting Corporation is an owner of television stations in the United States. ... WBDT (Daytons WB) is the WB affiliate in the Dayton, Ohio television market. ... ACME Communications is a television broadcasting company that owns nine television stations. ... WCHS TV is the ABC affiliate for Charleston/Huntington West Virginia. ... WGHP (FOX8) is the FOX television station which serves the Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem, North Carolina DMA. It is licensed to High Point and owned and operated by the Fox Broadcasting Company. ... WXLV-TV, ABC45 based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is the ABC affiliate serving the Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point designated market area. ... UPN (which originally stood for the United Paramount Network) was a television network in over 200 markets in the United States. ... WMYV (UPN 48) is the UPN television affiliate serving the Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point, North Carolina designated market area. ... My Network TV (sometimes written MyNetworkTV, and unofficially abbreviated MNT or MNTV) is an upcoming television network in the United States, owned by News Corporation, which is scheduled to launch on September 5, 2006. ... WMMP is the MyNetworkTV television affiliate in Charleston, South Carolina. ... WUPV Channel 65 is a UPN television affiliate servicing the Richmond, Virginia television market and licensed to the nearby town of to Ashland. ...

Television stations formerly owned by Act III