2 Belo stations make WB switch
Honolulu, Spokane affils to drop UPN in 2001
In the meantime, KFVE in Honolulu and KSKN in Spokane will become secondary WB affiliates running the WB's series out of pattern. The primary WB affiliations that follow extend for seven years beyond 2001.
Sources say several members of UPN's operating committee flew to Dallas trying to convince Belo to remain with UPN, but the station group said that for strategic business reasons it needs to switch to WB.
Belo appears to be responding to signals that the FCC will force station groups to divest themselves of stations operated under local marketing agreements (LMAs), possibly within 12 months.
Belo already owns stations in Spokane and Honolulu, and if the FCC forces Belo to sell the LMAs, the group may be surmising that it will be able to sell the stations for more money if they are WB rather than UPN affiliates.
The WB previously had no affiliates in Honolulu (market 69) and Spokane (market 73), which represent 0.76% of the country combined. Belo is keeping its UPN affiliate is Tucson, Ariz., where the WB already has an affiliate.
A UPN spokesman said the netlet has a strong ongoing relationship with Belo and is confident it will replace the Belo stations in those markets.
The station defections come amid other affiliate-related headaches over myriad issues that are sure to be aired at the weblet's regularly skedded affiliate board meeting on Dec. 8. Affils have been complaining about the network's primetime performance in general and aspects of UPN's promotional strategy in particular.
The grumbling escalated into an exchange of testy communiques last month between weblet CEO Dean Valentine and UPN affiliate board chief Mark Conrad of WJXY Charlotte, N.C., although sources say the rancor has since cooled.
(Cynthia Littleton contributed to this report.)
