The Naples Daily News from Naples, Florida • 17

I 1 WBBH will manage Naples TV station By CLAY CONE Staff Business Writer most noticeable changes probably would come sometime this fall Pontius also hinted that Naples news bureau could be moved from' its present offices in the Barnett Center on US 41 North to offices In" the Parkway Financial Center on Goodlet- te-Frank Road The staff of WNPL-TV will shrink and then be merged into the staff of WBBH-TV he said WNPL-TV is now the second television station operated by Waterman Broad- casting Corp The company also operates a TV station that it owns in Charlottes ville Va It also owns and operates a radio'1' station in San Antonio Texas The parent company is owned by Fort Myers resident Bernard Waterman up to 49 percent of WNPL-TV That will keep it from violating federal rules against owning two stations in one market The deal takes effect immediately and does not require approval from the Federal Communications Commission Steve Pontius WBBH-TV general manager and vice president said Wednesday that the agreement assures the future of Southwest only independent television station and gives WBBH-TV an opportunity to further serve the local market WBBH-TV presently operates as an NBC affiliate WNPL-TV was not in bankruptcy but did face serious financial difficulties said Richard Shanahan an investor in Southwest Florida Telecommunications chief executive officer of the parent company Earlier this summer Darling himself had a home in the Royal Harbor subdivision of Naples foreclosed upon by Barnett Bank of Naples for nonpayment on a mortgage Earlier this month the Bank of Naples seized all the furniture and some cameras and video cassette recorders from the offices of WNPL-TV The action was a result of a judgment against the station seeking repayment of $73972 Pontius said programming may change on WNPL-TV But he could not provide any specifics noting that company officials only began going through programming contracts and files Wednesday Pontius did note that the Shanahan said the station was for sale for some time and negotiations were taking place with several interested buyers At least one other area television station WFTX-TV Channel 36 expressed interest in signing a leased management agreement with WNPL-TV but no deal was made Shanahan said WNPL-TV is a full-power independent broadcast station that went on the air in the fall of 1990 It was founded by businessman William Darling Sr The change in management comes on the heels of an especially rocky period for the troubled station which has been the target of several lawsuits In late May Darling resigned as station general manager but stayed on as I I council members Kim Anderson Ronald Pennington and Alan Korest listen as Joe Herms poses a question Wednesday members of the Naples Area Board of Realtors The council approved the size of the sample sign shown in the foreground Real estate signs to shrink City OKs new rule limiting size color on signs The parent of WBBH-TV Channel 20 in Fort Myers has signed an agreement to take over most of the day-to-day operations of WNPL-TV Channel 46 in Naples Under the five-year leased management agreement signed late Tuesday WBBH-TV will assume responsibility for programming sales and other activities of the local independent station Ownership of broadcast license will remain with its present owners Southwest Florida Telecommunications Inc The deal enables Waterman Broadcasting Corp parent of WBBH-TV to own BUSINESS BRIEFS Downing-Fiye Realty announces office merger Downing-Frye Realty Inc has announced plans to merge two offices in Naples The south office at 261 Ninth Street will close on Sept 13 merge with the north office at 3411 US 41 As such the north office will be expanded by approximately 1000 square feet determined that having all our operations under one roof would be a much more efficient way to run our business and have found that more associates prefer to be in the North Naples said David Frye president Downing-Frye Realty opened in 1963 and currently is staffed by more than 130 associates Garrett appointed structural engineer Tom Garrett PE has joined the staff of the Fort Myers office of Jenkins Charland Inc as a structural engineer Ministrelli receives employee honor Naples Manor Care Nursing and Rehabilitation Center has presented its employee of the year award to Daniella Ministrelli She is the Coral Suite representative and has been with Manor Care for more than five years Naples CPA firm gets minority designation Nancy Reynolds of Reynolds Carr in Naples has announced that the certified public accounting firm has been awarded minority business enterprise status by the state of Florida which allows the firm to become active bidders throughout the state for governmental services Reynolds also has become active in assisting other women-owned businesses in preparing the required filings for their companies to obtain minority status in the state of Florida and local municipalities EDC names new By Daily News staff The Economic Development Council (EDC) of Collier County Inc announced this week that it has elected four new directors to its 15-member board Named to serve three-year terms were Michael Kennedy division president and general manager of Waste Management of Collier County William Longshore major accounts manager for Florida Power Light Laurence Mullins president and chief executive officer of Vineyards Development Corp and William partner in the Naples law office of Cummings Lockwood Kennedy has been a resident of Collier County since 1991 when he trans- Mullins erred from Waste Management of Pasco County He has been with the company since 1986 when he retired from the US Air Force City to By Staff signs homes Council the Those used now black colored than which to 15 Naples Shores 0 to go to feds By CLAY CONE Staff Business Writer i An Illinois judge overseeing the Chapter 11 bankruptcy of Naples -Shores Country Club in southeast-' ern Collier County has cleared the way for the transfer of the residential property to the federal government That means the government may now turn around and offer the property for sale to potential velopers who could construct new" homes on the land Naples Shores is a partially developed community located just off US 41 a few miles east of State Road 951 The 338-acre development features an 18-hole golf course with 254 improved residential tots and 79 unimproved lots About 100 lots have so far' been sold with a dozen homes fully constructed But construction on the residential portion of the project has been stalled since late 1989 when county inspectors detected several deficiencies in the in- frastructure and froze all future building permits Foreclosure action was later filed against the project by Horizon Federal Savings and Loan Association which held a mortgage on the project The thrift later has seized by the government which assumed the mortgage The project's developer Pine Coast Enterprises Ltd filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November 1990 citing financial problems with its residential development and land sales The case is being heard in the US Bankruptcy Court Northern District of Illinois according to court records On May 17 Judge Robert Ginsberg confirmed the sale of 25 acres of undeveloped land and 235 residential tots to the Resolution Trust Corp (RTC) the federal agency that sells assets of failed savings and loan associations Under the sale the RTC will apply $750000 against the $4 million mortgage on the development court records show Ginsberg also approved the sale of four tots to Boyne USA Inc for approximately $100 which has controlled the golf course at Naples Shores since last July jobs by same one that resulted in ouster said Jackson Blackstock a securities analyst with First Boston Corp Kodak which plans to replace Whitmore with an executive from outside the company probably will hire someone who will make more drastic cuts Blackstock said board felt his plan was insufficient so by inference you figure the cost-cutting is going to be Blackstock said morial and Thomasville in the Basic American Medical Inc acquisition in July 1992 The sale of Kissimmee Memorial and Willow Creek to Adventist also settles a lawsuit Adventist filet) against Columbia and Galen last month in connection with the proposed believe the sale of Kissimmee Memorial eliminates concerns the Federal Trade Commission had regarding Columbia's ownership of two hospitals in Osceola said Richard Scott chairman and chief executive officer sale of Thomasville nearly completes our divestiture plan for former Basic American I think going to be a big improvement tor the Ed Newman resident changes as well as the homeowners associations that had pushed for more changes said they view the vote as a fair compromise between different interests Although the Naples Area Board Of Realtors said Wednesday that it would still prefer having colored signs of 18-by-24 inches which is an industry standard the group said the new dimensions and colored logo with black words on a white background create a workable solution is what we had asked said Carol Loder government issues chair of NA-BOR At meeting NABOR proposed the 18-by-24 inch size city council adopted as an alternative to the 8 by 12 inch sign that the Port Royal Homeowners Association proposed Whit Ward executive vice president of the Collier Building Indus try Association agreed that the new size is acceptable REBECCA PICHLER Business Writer All and commercial sales posted outside single-family Naples will be smaller and less colorful after next year but not quite as small and colorless as some homeowner associations had proposed In a 6-1 vote Wednesday the Naples City approved an ordinance that reduces signs that real estate companies and building professionals use to 12-by-18 inches dimensions are about half the size on current For Sale signs and about one-tenth the size that general contractors can put up The ordinance which does not apply to commercial properties or multi-family dwellings also says those signs should be and white It does however allow for company logos that cover no more 20 percent of the sign The new rules limit the height from the ground three feet in most cases and puts the signs feet from the property line are to take effect Jan 1 1994 The real estate and building industry professionals who were opposed to some of the board members Associated Press think it is a good he said biggest concern was having enough space for general contractors or similar professionals to print their license and afterhour phone numbers on the signs he said The Port Royal Property Owners Association had suggested a black and white sign about the size of a legal pad in response to its frustration toward the proliferation of signs in their neighborhood After reviewing the Port Royal request for smaller signs last February the City Council directed its staff to review the possibility of a citywide change for both real estate and building signs that go up outside single-family homes Ed Newman president of the Moorings Property Owners Association which was one of several associations to back up Port push for smaller signs said the decision was fair are satisfied with the he said think going to be a big improvement for the The ordinance also states that all signs should be at least 15 feet from the edge of the pavement restricts each home to having one For Sale sign and one commercial sign and says that they be on a two-by-two inch white stake that is at least 18 inches in the ground Properties with hedges can have four-foot signs behind those hedges But analysts who follow the company said the job cuts which were announced Wednesday and amount to about 9 percent of global work force must go deeper and happen faster The reductions were announced by outgoing Kodak chairman Kay Whitmore fired earlier this month by board members dissatisfied with his efforts to reduce costs The plan outlined Wednesday Included in the $4 1-billion merger are Southwest Florida Regional Medical Coiter in Fort Myers Gulf Coast Hospital in Fort Myers Fawcett Memorial Hospital in Port Charlotte and Englewood Community Hospital in Englewood Columbia of Fort Worth and Galen announced Tuesday that Columbia sold Kissimmee Memorial Hospital in Kissimmee and Willow Creek Hospital in Arlington to a subsidiary of Adventist Health System-Sunbelt Health Care Corp Columbia also sold Thomasville Hospital in Thomasville Ala to local management and other investors Columbia took over Kissimmee Me Kodak will slash 10000 6 1 Associated Press BUFFALO NY Eastman Kodak Co plans to cut 10000 jobs by 1995 freeze research costs and take other austerity steps to help save $28 billion The leading maker of photography products became the latest big US industrial enterprise to slash staff and spending in order to improve profitability in a stow economy Merger will affect 2 Fort Myers hospitals i Longshore a 38-year resident of Naples has been with Florida Power Light for 35 years in supervisory and managerial positions Longshore has been involved with many community organizations and has been honored as such many times He is an active member of the Education Committee Mullins a 20-year resident of Florida has resided in Naples since 1986 Before relocating to Florida he spent nine years in the Chicago banking industry He is a Florida licensed real estate broker and a member of the Naples Area Board of Realtors Mullins has been involved in several local organizations and is an active member of the Education Committee a Naples resident since 1989 has been with the law firm of Cummings Lockwood since 1977 He is affiliated with the American Connecticut Florida and Collier County Bar Associations He is active in many local organizations and is chairman of the Everglades Area Task Force By NAPLES DAILY NEWS Staff and Wire Reports DALLAS Columbia Hospital Corp which owns four hospitals in Southwest Florida has sold three hospitals to settle a lawsuit and reduce potential Federal Trade Commission concerns associated with an upcoming merger Columbia ana Louisville Ky-based Galen Health Care Inc plan to merge Sept 1 The new company called Columbia Healthcare Corp then will own and operate 96 hospitals and medical facilities in 19 states and two foreign tnrtirvj' i VA MM.