The Kansas City Star from Kansas City, Missouri • 110

4G Th Kinw CHy Star TV Scene July It July 24 1971 the TV Scene On General Economic Condition Blamed For the Recent Demise of KCIT-TV 10 days ago operation and wish to be rude but I don't think it will serve any purpose to talk about it anymore The station is closed the equipment is being Bill Wormington who is now working for his twin brother Bob as assistant manager of KBMA channel 41 former competition acknowledged that it was economic reasons nationally and locally had good Wormington said we had good sales but the lowered rates by other local stations kept us from raismg get the economic Whatever the reasons the demise of the station is a great loss to the community which in the beginning it promised to serve To Pick Up Programs Much of the network programing it bad carried will be picked up by KBMA-TV which is currently in negotiations with the CBS network to carry several network programs pted by KCMO-TV the local CBS af- of At By Joyce Wagner Th star's Television Editor KCIT-TV channel 50 went off the air after less than two years of and only is days after a sweeping managerial change and an attempt to streamline operations by cutting back on-air programing At the time of the executive reorganization revised program schedule which was announced June 23 James Ottman Kansas City lawyer and president and chairman the board of Allied Broadcasting Company stated these necessary changes we can that KCIT-TV is here to Ten Says after optimistic appraisal of the future it was announced that KCIT-TV was going off the ah' that time a spokesman for Allied Broadcasting stated that economic conditions in general and advertising in particular made continued operation of the station impractical to pyramiding costs in an expassive business the board could not justify putting additional funds into the spokesman concluded Six days later KCIT-TV went dark and a Jackson County deputy was on the scene to serve a writ of replevin for $495000 worth of equipment owned by RCA Move Was Not a Surprise Few people in communications media here wore surprised by demise Reports of the impending suspension had been circulated for several months It was known that Bill Wormington who was replaced as general manager in the June 23 executive shakeup had been attempting to raise financing for the station from a variety of outside investors It also was said that advertising rates were so low that even a complete sellout of allotted air-time would not bring in a profit There can be no doubt that economic conditions both nationally and locally played a large role in the final decision to conclude operations Began With High Goal In news story dated September 24 1969 Bill Wormington stated people behind the station are local shareholders and they arehot in it for immediate gain They want to (supply good broadcasting in the Were the stockholders unaware of the extent of financial funds needed to keep the station going uritij it was in the black a period estimated to be as long as five years? Or was it indeed that KCIT was merely a victim of the economic troubles? regret the said Bob Wormington general manager of KBMA because we hate to see a valuable programing source lost to Kansas City now expanding our program schedule and will begin carrying the NBC Monday Night Movie and Dinah Shore And next week begin running ads in the paper asking the public to write in and let us know which talk show they would prefer us to carry Dick Cavett or Merv Griffin both available and let the viewers decide which one they want you write about this in your column though tell your readers no phone calls just send us a postcard make a judgement the end of next week on which it will be Cavett or Viewers to Have Choice KBMA will undoubtedly the programing previously so local viewers will still have a wide choice of network as well as independent V-SERIES VACUUM MOWER id And Community Service Broadcasting of Mid-America Inc a non-profit corporation created to operate KCSD-TV channel 19 as a public television station last week made a bid to RCA to take over the KCIT-TV equipment No word has been received hy the corporation on RCA reaction to the bid In the meantime stockholders of Allied Broadcasting are stuck with a TV station from which they can derive only the amount they have invested A station must be on the air at least 3 years before the FCC will allow it to be sold at a profit $11995 $39995 $19995 COMET RIDERS 9 0 TILLERS $19995 MAPPER REEL MOWERS wcotchcr was lots of Ottman said last week in a brief and far from informative telephone conversation position is basically the same as what was said in the news release Since the equipment is still owned by RCA the only salable item Allied Broao-casting has is license to operate which can be sold to the highest bidder if any comes along Distributed By ue-Hjt MFGCO- 4813 Raytown Road 10 I 1 Public Television Highlights EVENING AT POPS-Julia Child narrates "Tubby the Tuba" and Pops performs Gershwin's "An American In Paris" 7 pm Sunday Chs 11 and 19 Mori Travis Tom Paxton and BB King sing mining tunes 9 pm Sunday Chs 11 and 19 A look it the history of Mount Sinai 8 pm Monday Chs 11 and 19 JUST Ray Nance and his band perform "Take the A Train 7:30 pm Wednesday Chs 11 and 19 FIRING 8 pm Wednesday Chs 11 and 19 NET "The Queen and the Welshman" starring Dorothy Tutln 7:30 pm Thursday Chs 11 and 19 a-- ct.