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Field Communications

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Field Communications
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryBroadcast television
FoundedJanuary 4, 1966; 58 years ago (1966-01-04)
DefunctAugust 30, 1983; 41 years ago (1983-08-30)
FateDissolved, last station being shut down by Field.
HeadquartersChicago, Illinois
Area served
 United States
Key people
ProductsBroadcast television
ParentField Enterprises

Field Communications was an American broadcast media company and a wholly owned division of Field Enterprises, which owned the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Daily News. Based in Chicago, Illinois, the company had owned UHF independent television stations in the United States, with WFLD-TV in Chicago as its flagship and largest-market station.

History

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The broadcasting arm of Field Enterprises began in January 1966 with the initial sign-on of WFLD.

On May 26, 1972, Field sold a majority ownership (about 77.5 percent) of WFLD-TV to Oakland, California–based Kaiser Broadcasting; in turn, Kaiser sold a 22.5 percent minority stake in their station group to Field.[1] The Kaiser chain consisted of WKBD-TV in Detroit, WKBF-TV in Cleveland, WKBS-TV in the Philadelphia area, KBHK-TV in San Francisco, WKBG-TV in Boston (owned by Kaiser in a joint venture with the Boston Globe) and KBSC-TV in the Los Angeles area.[2] KBSC-TV, which had struggled in the Los Angeles area since it took to the air in 1966, was put up for sale,[3] but a deal could not be finalized until 1975.[4][5] The Kaiser/Field partnership was named Kaiser Broadcasting Co. (Kaiser Co.) when the deal was completed in May 1973.[2]

The Boston Globe sold its minority ownership stake in WKBG-TV back to Kaiser/Field in 1974,[6] with the station renamed WLVI.[7] WKBF-TV was shut down permanently on April 25, 1975, after years of mounting financial losses, with Kaiser/Field selling the station's non-license assets to WUAB parent United Artists Broadcasting.[8] In turn, Kaiser/Field purchased a 36 percent equity stake in WUAB,[9] which it held until United Artists sold off that station to Gaylord Broadcasting in 1977.[10]

In January 1977, Field purchased Kaiser's majority control in the entire broadcast group for a combined $42.625 million (equivalent to $214 million in 2023), while also resulted in an outright repurchase of WFLD-TV.[11] This transaction was instigated by a larger disposition of Kaiser Industries throughout 1977 in which 90 percent of the conglomerate's assets were divested.[12]

Beginning of the end

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In 1982, half-brothers Marshall Field V and Frederick W. (Ted) Field, who each controlled half of Field Enterprises, were at odds on how the company should operate which left them unable to work together.[13] As a result of the dispute, Field opted to dissolve the company and the broadcast holdings were put up for sale as a group;[14] when no prospective buyers emerged, the stations were individually put up for sale.

By the end of 1982, Field had deals in place for three of the stations: WFLD-TV to Metromedia,[15][16] WLVI-TV to Gannett,[17] and KBHK-TV to Chris-Craft Industries/United Television.[18] The search for buyers for the Detroit and Philadelphia outlets would continue well into 1983. While WKBD-TV was sold to Cox Enterprises in May 1983,[19] finding an entity to purchase WKBS-TV proved to be difficult. Faced with a deadline to complete the liquidation of Field Enterprises, and with no purchasers having been found, Field took WKBS-TV dark on August 30, 1983, and returned the station's license to the FCC.[20] Field did achieve some financial recoupment by selling most of WKBS-TV's non-license assets to WPHL-TV.[21]

Former stations

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City of license / Market Station Sold to Current status
San Francisco–Oakland–San Jose, CA KBHK-TV 44 Chris-Craft/United Television Independent KPYX, owned by Paramount Global
Chicago, IL WFLD-TV 32 Metromedia Fox owned-and-operated (O&O)
Cambridge–Boston, MA WLVI-TV 56 Gannett The CW affiliate owned by Sunbeam Television
Detroit, MI WKBD-TV 50 Cox Broadcasting The CW affiliate owned by Paramount Global
Burlington, NJ–Philadelphia, PA WKBS-TV 48 None, taken off the air Defunct, license cancelled

References

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  1. ^ "Kaiser, Field put their U's together" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 82, no. 22. May 29, 1972. p. 8. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 4, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2022 – via World Radio History.
  2. ^ a b "Kaiser-Field merger passes FCC muster" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 84, no. 20. May 14, 1973. p. 34. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 8, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2022 – via World Radio History.
  3. ^ "Ownership changes" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 84, no. 13. March 26, 1973. p. 129. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2021 – via World Radio History.
  4. ^ "Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting. September 20, 1976. p. 43. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2020 – via World Radio History.
  5. ^ Margulies, Lee (March 29, 1977). "Just the Ticket for Pay TV". Los Angeles Times. p. View 1, 7. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Globe Newspaper agrees to sell Kaiser-Globe interest". The Boston Globe. January 22, 1974. p. 27. Archived from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  7. ^ McLean, Robert A. (April 30, 1974). "Interview with transsexual a coup for Hamlin". The Boston Globe (Evening ed.). p. 47. Archived from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  8. ^ Hart, Raymond P. "Channel 61 to go off air". The Plain Dealer. Cleveland, Ohio. pp. 1A, 6A. Archived from the original on September 23, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2022 – via GenealogyBank.
  9. ^ "Kaiser to quit Cleveland, leaving UA with only U" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 88, no. 15. April 14, 1975. p. 52. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 26, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2022 – via World Radio History.
  10. ^ Hart, Raymond P. (October 10, 1978). "Channel 61 plans a return". The Plain Dealer. Cleveland, Ohio. p. 7-B. Archived from the original on September 19, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2022 – via GenealogyBank.
  11. ^ "Station sales rise with curve of air billings" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 92, no. 5. January 31, 1977. p. 23. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2021 – via World Radio History.
  12. ^ Walters, Donna K. H. (August 4, 1985). "An Empire Fades Away, but Its Legacy Lingers On : Final Chapter Is Being Written for What Once Was West's Greatest Industrial Power". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 23, 2014. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  13. ^ Kleban Mills, Barbara; Deutsch, Susan (December 12, 1983). "It Sounded Like Dallas, Not Chicago, as Two Half Brothers Broke Up the Field Family Empire". People. Vol. 20, no. 24. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  14. ^ Peterson, Bettelou (July 24, 1982). "WKBD-TV sale offer way to 'explore market'". Detroit Free Press. p. 8C. Retrieved November 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Through the roof with Metromedia" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 103, no. 9. August 30, 1982. pp. 25–26. Retrieved October 9, 2022 – via World Radio History.
  16. ^ Brinkmoeller, Tom (August 13, 1982). "Channel 19 Reported Sold By Metromedia". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. p. B-7. Archived from the original on February 3, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ McLean, Robert A. (November 16, 1982). "Gannett agrees to buy Ch. 56 for $47 million". The Boston Globe. pp. 1, 14. Archived from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  18. ^ Mann, Bill (July 26, 1983). "Sales of KDIA and KBHK hold promise for Bay Area". Oakland Tribune. p. C-6. Archived from the original on September 27, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  19. ^ Duffy, Mike (May 19, 1983). "Channel 50 is sold for $70 million". Detroit Free Press. p. 15C. Retrieved November 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ Wolf, Ron (July 16, 1983). "Channel 48 to go off air by Sept. 1". The Philadelphia Inquirer. pp. 1-A, 7-A. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  21. ^ "Field to dismantle its Philadelphia station, WKBS-TV" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 105, no. 4. July 25, 1983. p. 89. Retrieved October 10, 2022 – via World Radio History.
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