Weigel Broadcasting, a small group with an independent station in the third largest TV market (Chicago), is moving into the second largest (Los Angeles) with the purchase of KAZA for $9 million, according to an FCC filing.
“Nothing firm yet,” Weigel’s Neal Sabin said in an email when asked about plans for KAZA. “We have four networks [MeTV, Decades, H&I, Movies!]. All are cleared in the market at this time, so there are options we can explore once we own the station.”
This summer, Weigel has also purchased, pending FCC approval, KNLC St. Louis from New Life Evangelistic Center for $3.75 million and KCSG Salt Lake City from West American Finance Corp. for $1.1 million.
In addition to independent WCIU and companion low powers in Chicago, Weigel owns CBS affiliate WDJT and two LPTVs in Milwaukee, a low-power ABC-CW duopoly in South Bend, Ind., and an independent LPTV in Rockford, Ill.
Weigel sold its fourth Milwaukee outlet, independent WMLW, in the incentive auction, but will keep the station alive on a subchannel of low-power WBME there.
KAZA is licensed to Avalon, Calif., but broadcasts from Mount Wilson with most of the other Los Angeles stations.
Weigel is owned by Norman Shapiro and Fred Bishop.
The owner of KAZA is Dennis Davis of Malibu, Calif. He has no other broadcast interests.
KAZA is not going off the air. Venture Technologies will host the station on its low-power KHTV Los Angeles under a sharing agreement and handle programming and sales under a local marketing agreement.
Good riddance to KNLC, an effective waste of bandwidth in an area like St. Louis which is starving for a well-run independent station (or if any of the Big Three wants to shake up the ‘run like they’re all still in 1985’ attitude permeating the market, a much better option to take their affiliation).
KNLC’s technical quality was totally inferior, even on cable and sattelite. Wiegel will need to invest to bring into the 2017s.
No one will watch so so what!!!! Might as well bought a smoke shop on Venice beach!!!
Read the Wikipedia article on KNLC. Very interesting.
KNLC used to be available OTA but I hardly watched. Now that meTV has switched to KNLC, I can’t receive. I should be able to. The transmitter is 24 miles from my house and I have a directional 60mile top of the line roof mounted antenna and I get nothing. Whats gives after Weigel bought them?
I spent a lot of time to locate something like this