News-Press from Fort Myers, Florida • Page 48

NEWS-PRESS BUSINESS MONDAY, MARCH 9, 1987 Projectsii ON A GENIE AUTOMATIC DOOR OPENER WFTX-TV commits $1 million for tower, studio improvements CH 130 REG. $243 By SHELDON ZOLDAN News-Press Staff Writer Sal End 3-14-67 All Steel Drive Digital Code Security Chain Drive Automatic Light We Sail New Garage Doors We Repair All Door and Openere ACTION AUTOMATIC DOOR CO. 822SE 46lhLN CAPE CORAL -MON -FRI 8TOS.SAT 8TO 12 4327 ARNOLDAVE NAPLES 22 CAPECCML FT. INTERS NAPLES 549-448 939-7475 643-DOCft Rockport $500 off EXP.32187 coupon jssstLA Exp.32187 rJ FREE PARKING AT 7 REAR OF STORE 1.YAAV ENTER 0FFHEN0RY 334-1546 order," DeSalvo says. DeSalvo says the development order will be for the first phase of the development of the land, to include improvement of the land; filling of two-thirds of a five-acre borrow pit on the property; clearing the land; putting in the main roads coming off Beach Road, Arroyal Street and U.S.

41; setting up a temporary sewage-treatment plant; and hooking up all the water for the project. "We're getting ready to negotiate with a potential prospect for the hotel site right now," DeSalvo says. Marketers named for Little Hickory Bay DeSalvo also has formed a real-estate-marketing partnership with Floyd Luckey and John Wyatt The partnership just took on marketing Little Hickory Bay Phase II, a condominium on Little Hickory Bay at Bonita Beach Road in Bonita Springs in Collier County. Little Hickory Bay Associates is the developer. According to DeSalvo, pre-con-struction sales started on Feb.

9. "They told us to pre-sell 50 percent of the units, and we wiped that out in 10 days," he said. "Now we're getting ready to go with the project and have pre-completion prices coming up in about another month." DeSalvo says pre-construction prices for units on the first floor started at $73,900. It's a waterfront project, with pool, boat docks and tennis courts. Phase a 60-unit condominium, already has been built.

New development for U.S. Home In Naples, U.S. Home is unveiling its latest development Countryside. One mile east of Foxfire at the intersection of Davis and Santa Barbara boulevards, Countryside is a 300-pIus-acre development zoned for 1,000 units. According to division president Gus Hevia, Countryside is named after a U.S.

Home community in North Clearwater. Countryside is a successor to Foxfire, "which has been our most successful community." Hevia says Foxfire sold 925 homes in three years. Countryside is to have a $1.5 million clubhouse; a championship, par-72 golf course; lighted tennis courts; and more than a dozen swimming pools. "It's going to be a nice country-club community, but we think we can keep it in the affordable price range," Hevia says. Condos will start at 1 70,000.

Single-family homes off the golf course will start at $135,000, on the golf course at $160,000. The Verandahs, two-story townhouses, will sell in the $110,000 range. Hevia says Countryside condominiums will open to the public March 15. The grand opening for the single-family model will be March 22. WFTX-TV36 in Cape Coral is spending more than $1 million on improvements, including increasing the height of its transmitting tower so its signal can reach northern Sarasota County.

The tower should be completed in April, while improvements to its offices and studio on Pine Island Road won't be completed until midsummer, said Hugh Robinson, vice president and general manager for the independent station. Robinson would not say how much the improvements are to cost, except that they are in seven figures. WFTXs most important improvement is to add 444 feet to its transmission tower. When completed, the tower is to be 1,520 feet tall, extending the station's broadcast area south to Marco Island and north to northern Sarasota County. WFTX is available in Marco Island and south Collier County on cable so the increased power "is a moot point there," Robinson said.

"The big gain is in Sarasota County The station is to be off the air for short periods during early tower construction and then for almost an entire day near completion of the tower, Robinson said. Robinson expects the station's studio to be ready by midsummer. Once it's completed, WFTX plans to do some public-affairs programming, Robinson said. In addition to improving its facilities and signal, WFTX hopes to improve its prime-time schedule by adding Fox Broadcasting shows. It is to unveil Fox's shows in April and, beginning in May, is to run Fox's Sunday schedule from 7 p.m.

to 1 0 p.m. WFTX usually runs movies and situation comedies during the 7-10 p.m. time period. Fox is expected to add a slate of Saturday night shows in June or July, said Deborah Abbott, WFTX's program director. Fox is experimenting with prime-time programs, and there has been talk that it will try to become a fourth network.

Robinson expects Fox to expand its programming but said, "I don't see Fox becoming a full-fledged network." The first show Fox developed was the "Late Show" starring Joan Rivers, which WFTX carries. WFTX took Fox's prime-time programming for two reaons: It was another choice of progamming and no other local independent will be able to use it. WNPL of Naples, an independent station, is scheduled to go on the air in July. In addition to WNPL, another independent station is planned for Sarasota and Charlotte counties next year. Asked if he signed with Fox to keep the Naples independent from signing, Robinson said, "Yes and no.

We'd rather have it on our air than the competition's." WFTX expects to make at least as much money running Fox shows as it does running movies. Fox is to pay a small compensation to WFTX for airing its programs, and it is to give advertising time for the local station to sell. WFTX is not committed to running Fox programs it does not like. Robinson, however, said he expects Fox to provide high quality. WFTX, which went on the air in October 1985, faces increased competition at a time when many independent stations are having financial trouble.

Independents in Miami and Indianapolis recently filed for bankruptcy protection. A soft advertising market and increased costs for syndicated programming are hurting independents' profits. Robinson said the cost of syndicated programs probably will increase slightly in Southwest Florida. He said stations with financial problems made two mistakes. "Independents that sign on are underfinanced.

A new independent has to be prepared to lose money for three years. Many people think you'll have a cash flow in a matter of months. That's not the real world." WFTX is an exception to the rule. It won't have to wait three years to make a profit, Robinson said. TV ad revenues grow The growth in television advertising revenues in the Fort Myers-Naples market is better than the national average, but it is expected to slow slightly during the next five years.

Between 1987and 1992, revenues are expected to grow 1 5 percent a year, according to a study by Frazier, Gross Kadlec of Washington, D.C Revenues nationwide are expected to grow 12.5 percent. In the Fort Myers-Naples market, revenues are expected to grow from $24.8 million a year in 1987 to $50 milllion in 1992. Fort Myers-Naples is the 101st largest television market. Revenues had been growing at a 17-percent-a-year rate, said Janice Orman, senior financial analyst for Frazier, Gross Kadlec. Orman is predicting revenues to increase in 1988 and 1992 because of the Olympics and elections.

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