The Fresno Bee from Fresno, California • 68

E10 The Fresno Bee Weekend Friday October 11 1S91 Channel 26 paid off big for Hany Pappas an active participant in Fox affairs especially programming It was idea Fox president Jamie Kellner told TV critics last year to forge a consortium of independent stations that would agree to accept programming distributed via the Fax Network Although Pappas is proud of the affiliation with Fox he pre fers not to be considered a network affiliate but an independent broadcaster He said one of his principles is that diversity in the TV industiy is good believe in concentration of media control fundamentally un-American for there to be few people controlling the means of communication to the American public undemocratic and gsa? (RbuebB) GnssMal (smsoemD fiMTOilKMi) Mbtab Better call BeeLine and consult your horoscope- HOROSCOPE He devised a strategy of trying to capture viewers who weren't getting programs they wanted from the nugor networks then gradually building to a more general base with higher-quality programming In the early going Channel 26 promoted itself to potential advertisers as the perfect station for reaching sports fans (pro and college sports) country-western music aficionados (a four-hour weekly block) and Portuguese-speaking residents (a one-hour local show) It also ran religious programming two hours each weekday mid virtually non-stop Sundays Six hours of movies were on the weekday schedule in 1973 Sports movies and some religious programming are still on Channel 26 But shows that served small audience niches have been replaced by programs with broader appeal The formula became a model for other independents across the nation said Pappas and appears to be the way Fox is developing its prime-time programming service too Channel 26 became a Fox affiliate in 1988 waiting Pappas said to be certain Fox could deliver programming that would attract the target audience of peoples in their 20s and 30s wanted them to achieve a certain performance he said As soon as the Pappas stations became Fox affiliates he became 1988 trying to win permission from federal authorities for a $30 million deal involving three stations in Oklahoma City That setback discouraged Pappas from continuing to look for opportunities to grow he said However Pappas said he believe in acting hastily- Pappas said putting Channel 26 on the air may have Harry Pappas appeared risky to some broadcast industry experts but not to him By that time Pappas had spent six years studying TV broadcasting history and marketing trends He also found support for his philosophy that variety was what viewers wanted most from television think we all remember in the when we first got television and everyone in the family would gather around the one TV set and watch whatever was on" Pappas said TV networks responded by putting shows on the air for a fomify audience Pappas said and what was offered by NBC CBS and ABC tended to be about the same The big networks headquartered on the East Coast capable of being attentive to the needs of individual communities t- 3070 Aquarius 3071 Pisces 3072 Aries 3073 Taurus 3074 Cemini 3075 Cancer 3076 Leo 3077 Virgo 3078 Libra 3079 Scorpio 3080 Sagittarius 3081 Capricorn 3082 Your Birthday Today Second Annual Valley Education Conference Oct 15 Saroyan Theatre 7:15 am to 1 pm Individual reservation $25 (includes lunctirsserved Mating) Groups of 10 $250 (Includes lunchtaenrad seating) Join Valley professionals in this conference to evaluate partnerships between the business and education community Keynote speaker Albert Shanker president of the American Federation of Teachers will give a national perspective on the future of education in our country Plus expert presenters will host workshops and there will be a special showcase of programs currently underway by school and business partnerships For more information or reservations call the the Fresno County and City Chamber of Commerce at 2334651 The station that went on the air 20 years ago today now competes with 1 11 Fresno TV stations and dozens of cable channels i i By Lanny Larson The Fresno Bee 'In 1971 it was a $15 million gamble to introduce a non-network TV station to the Valley where there were already three hdalthy network affiliates in fresno and one struggling independent Today that risk has produced a foultimillion-dollar payoff for Harry Pappas and inspired others to introduce broadcasting alternatives in Communities across the nation Channel 26 the station Pappas and his brother Mike (who died in 1990) put on the air 20 years ago today now competes with 11 Fresno TV stations and dozens of cable networks and stations Both Nielsen and Arbitron placed Channel 26 second in riewership during July the most recent local rating period 1 Channel 26 an affiliate of Fox l)ad Thursday night ratingB higher than any other Fax affiliate in July The station ranked No 2 among affiliates in overall ratings for Fox programming said program director Debbie $weeney Pappas says the station is financially successful too Channel 26 was the 30 days gfter it signed on a 1973 brochure published by the station nays Pappas said it is listed on the (Ration's asset ledger with an appraised value of more than $50 piillion However he said the (tation is not for sale Millions of dollars in annual advertising revenues produced by Channel 26 have allowed Pap-bas to build stations in the Caro-Mnas (Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville) in 1984 and Omaha tfeb in 1986 The Carolines station was sold last year to TV producer Steven Cannell for more than $20 million Pappas was unsuccessful in BssLina is The Fresno Bee's new 1 24-hour news and information service Using a touch-tone phone just dial 443-2400 and the 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Beeline Partnership sponsors: The Fresno Chamber of Commerce Pacific Bell The Fresno Bee CSU Fresno State Center Community College District Fresno USD Clovis USD and the Fresno County Office of Education 9 BP1QM0 443-2400 Exptiaawn Every Sony Music Label On Sale COLUMBIA EPIC SONY CLASSICAL DEF JAM COLUMBIA JAZZ MASTERPIECES NICE PRICE BEST VALUE ESSENTIAL CLASSICS WTG RECORDS COMPOSERS GREATEST HITS EnterTo Win CONCERT TICKETS TO SEE HOT SONY ARTISTS LIVE! SEE STORE FOR mU iftijpw QQUDQBi) ftBHBflfiR) I Cooked Up A New Location All COMPOSERS GREATEST HITS Mi NICE PRICE CASSETTES COMPACT DISCS 98 NOMMMrS QREAK3T NTS A Koddanetz Card MCHS aaMBT MS HggL Carta COK Oimandy DMNR CMMCS Norton Atoum QBBHMfMS 6RMBI HRS Levant Pretax Bentein MIS John AMamtGtr IHTSQKMBr MIS MbtftDtMkBeiraMn Ornately 1 SSMUW GKMBT HRS Otmandy PMa Och VnMDrSQSMBrHnSBetndeiaWMamiMalgoto KMOVBTS GKMBT MB Ehhwnonl Betndeh Motmon fab Choir CHornrseKMBTMis Entamart Otmandy KaWanete PUIS MANY MORE! 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