The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts • 45

45 THE BOSTON GLOBE THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4. 11)93 Stith urges bill letting banks write insurance Tribune Broadcasting will purchase Channel 56 By Natassa Bastea CONTRIBUTING REPORTER areas where they take deposits. Stith proposed that Congress: Amend the CRA so that fair-lending ratings take into consideration business and consumer lending and home mortgage lending. Allow banks to sell insurance only if they receive an "outstanding" or "high satisfactory" CRA rating. Limit the sale of insurance to inner cities and other areas where there is limited competition or redlining by insurance companies.

should be held out as a reward for banks with good records of inner-city lending. The Community Reinvestment Network's "primary focus is to insure that the Community Reinvestment Act works in a way that results in a more just and equitable relationship between the lending community and our communities which are low- and moderate-income communities, particularly communities of color," Stith said. Designed to fight redlining, the practice of excluding certain geographic areas from bank services, the CRA requires banks to make loans in all wouldn't give up sports, we'd have to meld the two together." But, he noted, "given the landscape in the Boston market, they might be more agreeable to that, because where else are they going to go?" Indeed. If new networks keep sprouting and then branching out, independent stations might become a thing of the TV past. Carefully crafted legislation permitting banks to sell insurance in the inner cities would be a major step toward helping low- and moderate-income communities, Rev.

Charles Stith of Boston told the US Senate yesterday. Stith, president of the national Organization for a New Equality and head of the National Community Reinvestment Network, told members of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee that the right to sell insurance CHANNEL Continued from Page 43 tions is hardly surprising. With most big local stations owned by networks or-affiliated with them, the independents are the only place the fledgling networks can turn to broaden their reach. The independents, meanwhile, are. eager for alliances that will help them establish a distinct niche in their markets.

Temple, general manager ofXhannel 56, said a network affiliation should give the station the boost it needs to compete in the constantly growing TV expanse. "With the coming of the 500-channel universe, it's important for the station to have a strong Temple said. "WSBK Ch. 38 has pretty much wrapped up sports programming, and WFXT Ch. 25 is a Fox affiliate, and there are not that many things an independent station can do.

''Sure, we have the 'News at Ten' and 'Star and they're franchises, but that's not the same as having a Fox affiliation or the Bru-insj So the WB Network will give us something to build on." A selling price for Channel 56 was not disclosed, but the station has projected 1993 revenue of about $28 million. It has 110 employees. the acquisition of Channel 56; 'Tribune would become the na tion's second largest station group in ter.ms of household penetration. tisinoss in ns (Fox is the biggest). Under the cur rent federal rules, group owners are not permitted stations that cover Almost As Eiosy As more than 25 percent of the market, "We just thought this was a good market for us to be in," said Robert D.

Carr, manager of media relations afc Tribune Broadcasting, a unit of Chicago-based Tribune Co. "Boston gives us five of the top six markets." In addition to Boston, Tribune Broadcasting's big-market stations are located in New York, Los Ange les, Chicago and Philadelphia. It also has stations in Atlanta, Denver and New Orleans. It does not own a TV station in San Francisco, the fifth- ranking market. "The hallmark of Tribune Broad casting has been a local focus, a local identity, and that won't change with the network affiliation, Carr said.

"Prime-time news and movies will serve as a transition for the rollout" oftheWB Network. Tribune Co. also owns six daily newspapers, including the Chicago Tribune, six radio stations and the Chicago Cubs baseball team. c.Dan Berkery, general manager Channel 38, agreed that the net works move to acquire independents is a sign of the new landscape. "We are niched in sports, that's our network, if you will," Berkery said.

"What you have now is every one finding their niche and sticking to it." And even though he said he con siders the three sports teams a fran chise, Berkery didn't rule out the possibility that WSBK could be grabbed up by Paramount. "I don know we hook up with them or not, but we're amena ble to programs that would generate high ratings," Berkery said. "But we BU completes Gh. 68 purchase ASSOCIATED PRESS '-'Boston University has formally assumed control of WQTV (Ch. 68), the university said.

BU bought the independent UHF television station the Christian Science Church in June 1993 for an undisclosed price. Feder al approval and financial documents were not completed until this week. Thp station's call letters will be changed to WABU-TV, pending Federal Communications Commission approval, school officials said. "We intend to have a commercially viable station that will provide education and entertainment without declining into vulgarity or banality, BU president John Silber said. Robert Gordon, president of Boston University Communications said the station eventually will run local programming and syndicated shows.

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Channel 68 went on the air in' 1978 and was acquired by the Christian Science Church in 1986. It was gold because of dissent from members over the cost of the church's med operations. j'.