Metromedia
Company type | Public |
---|---|
Industry | Media |
Predecessor | Allen B. DuMont Laboratories DuMont Broadcasting Corporation Metropolitan Broadcasting Corporation |
Founded | 1931 | as Allen B. DuMont Labs
Defunct | 1997 | (as a media company)
Fate | Sold off. Corporate name continues as owner of MetroMedia Technologies.[1] |
Successor | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (content library) Fox Television Stations (broadcast stations) |
Headquarters | New York City, New York, U.S. |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | John W. Kluge, founder/chairman/CEO
Stuart Subotnick, Current President/CEO William Ishida, President/CEO Metromedia Technologies, Inc. |
Products | Television, radio, entertainment, advertising |
Services | Advertising, media display |
Subsidiaries | Orion Pictures The Samuel Goldwyn Company Motion Picture Corporation of America Metropolitan Broadcasting Corporation |
Metromedia (also often MetroMedia) was an American media company that owned
History
Origins
The company arose from the ashes of the
By 1955, DuMont realized it could not compete against the other three networks and decided to wind down its operations. Soon after DuMont formally shut down network service in 1956, the parent firm
In 1957, DuMont Broadcasting purchased two New York area radio stations, WNEW (now
Expansion
Metropolitan Broadcasting's first acquisitions included
In separate 1963 deals the company expanded into
Metromedia entered the
In 1976, similar to the more successful
In 1982, Metromedia made its biggest broadcasting purchase when it acquired WCVB-TV in Boston for $220 million, which at the time was the largest amount ever spent on a single television station property.[29] Two years later, John Kluge bought out Metromedia's shareholders and took the company private.[30]
Also around this time, Metromedia attempted to bring to the air a national newscast for independent stations (much as the rival Tribune Company had created Independent Network News in 1980), planned for launch in the fall of 1983. Unlike INN, the program was planned to be offered as a hybrid, hour-long local/national newscast, fed to affiliates by satellite as a headlines block and three other segments, which could be aired by local stations in whatever order the stations deemed alongside locally produced news content. Also as part of this plan, Metromedia established full news departments for KRIV in Houston and what was then KRLD-TV in Dallas (another news department was planned for WFLD in Chicago, but that department ultimately didn't launch until 1987, after the Murdoch buyout). Metromedia attempted to hire Charles Kuralt away from CBS News to serve as anchor. Kuralt chose to stay to with CBS; John Hart was also considered as an anchor, but ultimately the planned newscast never came to fruition.[31][32][33][34]
In 1985, it made an attempt to revive the comedy Oh, Madeline as The Madeline Kahn Show for first-run syndication, but the deal never came to fruition.[35]
1985-86 divestitures
On May 4, 1985, Kluge announced the sale of Metromedia's television stations, and Metromedia Producers Corp., to
Kluge also sold Metromedia's outdoor advertising firm, the Harlem Globetrotters, and the Ice Capades in 1985, its cellular phone and yellow pages divisions to the Southwestern Bell Corporation (now known as the second incarnation of AT&T, due to SBC's acquisition of AT&T Corporation in 2005) and spun off the radio stations into a separate company (which took on the Metropolitan Broadcasting name)[39][40][41][42][citation needed] before they were sold to various other owners by the early 1990s.[43]
Legal battles
In retaliation for a lawsuit brought by Paul Winchell, who sought the rights to his children's television program Winchell-Mahoney Time, which was produced at KTTV in Los Angeles during the mid-1960s, it is believed that KTTV management destroyed the program's video tapes. In 1989 Winchell was awarded nearly $18 million as compensation for Metromedia's capricious behavior.[44][45]
In 1983,
Ownership of film studios
On May 22, 1986, Metromedia acquired a 6.5% stake in Orion Pictures Corporation; a movie and television studio.[50] By December, the stake in Orion's ownership was increased to 9.3% to 12.6% and on April 12, 1988, to 44.1%[51] On May 20, 1988, Metromedia acquired Sumner Redstone's share for $78 million, holding a majority stake in Orion Pictures worth nearly 67%. In 1995, Kluge merged Orion, MCEG Sterling Entertainment (producer of the Look Who's Talking series), the holding company Actava, and Metromedia into a new Metromedia International Group.[52] In November 1995, Metromedia announced that it would acquire Motion Picture Corporation of America (MPCA) for $32 million, followed by The Samuel Goldwyn Company for $115 million in February 1996.[53][54] On April 11, 1997, Metromedia sold Orion/Goldwyn and MPCA to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) for $573 million and was closed on July 10 of the same year.[55][56] In 1998, MPCA broke apart from MGM becoming independent again.
Activities following film sale
Following the sale of the film business to MGM, Metromedia still owned Metromedia Restaurant Group (which it had renamed from S&A Restaurant Group, which was acquired from Grand Metropolitan) in 1990[57] as well as Metromedia Fiber Network. The latter went bankrupt a few years later and became AboveNet, while the former went bankrupt in 2008.
Typeface
Beginning in 1967, Metromedia's television stations began utilizing a sans-serif typeface for their on-air logo. The typeface was a proprietary one called Metromedia Television Alphabet,[18] which was as distinctive as the typeface employed by Group W unit of Westinghouse Electric for its TV and radio stations beginning in 1963. Metromedia Television Alphabet was used for the channel numbers of its television stations until 1977, when another typeface modeled slightly after the Futura family was introduced.[citation needed]
Former Metromedia stations
Stations are listed alphabetically by state and city of license.
Two boldface asterisks appearing following a station's call letters (**) indicate a station that was built and signed-on by Metromedia or its predecessor companies. This list does not include WDTV (now
Television stations
City of license / Market | Station | Channel | Years owned | Current status |
---|---|---|---|---|
Los Angeles, CA | KTTV | 11 | 1963–1986 | Fox owned-and-operated (O&O) |
San Francisco–Oakland–San Jose, CA | KNEW-TV | 32 | 1968–1970 | Non-commercial independent KMTP-TV ,owned by Minority Television Project |
Stockton–Sacramento–Modesto, CA | KOVR | 13 | 1959–1964 | CBS owned-and-operated (O&O) |
Washington, D.C. | WTTG ** | 5 | 1956–1986 | Fox owned-and-operated (O&O) |
Chicago, IL | WFLD-TV | 32 | 1983–1986 | Fox owned-and-operated (O&O) |
Decatur–Springfield–Champaign–Urbana, IL | WTVP | 17 | 1960–1965 | NBC affiliate WAND, owned by Block Communications |
Peoria–Bloomington, IL | WTVH-TV | 19 | 1959–1965 | TBD owned-and-operated (O&O), WHOI |
Newport, KY–Cincinnati, OH | WXIX-TV | 19 | 1972–1983 | Fox affiliate owned by Gray Television |
Boston, MA | WCVB-TV | 5 | 1982–1986 | ABC affiliate owned by Hearst Television |
Minneapolis–St. Paul, MN | WTCN-TV | 11 | 1972–1983 | NBC affiliate Tegna
|
Kansas City, MO | KMBC-TV | 9 | 1961–1982[a] | ABC affiliate owned by Hearst Television |
New York City, NY | WABD/ WNEW-TV ** |
5 | 1956–1986 | Fox owned-and-operated (O&O) WNYW |
Dallas–Fort Worth, TX | KRLD-TV | 33 | 1983–1986 | The CW affiliate KDAF, owned by Nexstar Media Group |
Houston, TX | KRIV-TV | 26 | 1978–1986 | Fox owned-and-operated (O&O) |
Radio stations
AM Station | FM Station |
---|
City of license / Market | Station | Years owned | Current ownership |
---|---|---|---|
Los Angeles, CA | KLAC 570 | 1963–1984 | iHeartMedia |
KLAC-FM 102.7 | 1963–1965 | KIIS-FM, iHeartMedia | |
KLAC-FM/KMET 94.7 | 1965–1986 | KTWV, Audacy, Inc. | |
San Francisco–Oakland, CA | KNEW 910 | 1966–1980 | KKSF , iHeartMedia
|
KSAN-FM 94.9 | 1966–1981 | KYLD, iHeartMedia | |
Denver–Boulder, CO | KHOW 630 | 1981–1985 | iHeartMedia |
Washington, D.C. | WASH-FM 97.1
|
1968–1986 | iHeartMedia |
Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater, FL | WWBA-FM 107.3 | 1981–1986 | WXGL, Cox Media Group |
Chicago, IL | WDHF/WMET-FM 95.5 | 1972–1983 | WCHI-FM, iHeartMedia |
Baltimore, MD
|
WCBM 680 | 1963–1986 | WCBM Maryland Inc. |
WCBM-FM 106.5 | 1963–1968 | WWMX, Audacy, Inc. | |
Detroit, MI | WOMC 104.3 | 1972–1986 | Audacy, Inc. |
Kansas City, MO | KMBC 980 | 1961–1967[a] | KMBZ, Audacy, Inc. |
KMBC-FM/KMBR 99.7 ** | 1962–1967 | KZPT, Audacy, Inc. | |
New York City, NY | WNEW 1130 | 1957–1986 | WBBR, Bloomberg L.P. |
WNEW-FM 102.7 ** | 1958–1986 | Audacy, Inc. | |
Cleveland, OH | WHK 1420 | 1958–1972[b] | Salem Media Group |
WHK-FM/WMMS 100.7 | 1958–1972[b] | iHeartMedia | |
Philadelphia, PA | WIP 610 | 1959–1986 | WTEL, Beasley Broadcast Group |
WIP-FM/WMMR 93.3 | 1959–1986 | Beasley Broadcast Group | |
Dallas–Fort Worth, TX | KRLD 1080 | 1978–1986[c] | Audacy, Inc. |
Seattle–Tacoma, WA | KJR 950 | 1980–1984 | iHeartMedia |
- ^ a b The acquisition of KMBC-AM-TV also included KMOS-TV in Sedalia, Missouri, and KFRM radio in Concordia, Kansas. Both stations were subsequently spun off by Metropolitan Broadcasting to other firms.[58]
- ^ construction permit for channel 19 in Cleveland along with its purchase of WHK radio in 1958 but that station, intended to be called WHK-TV, never signed on. The channel 19 allocation was later occupied by WOIO.
- ^ The acquisition of KRLD also included the Texas State Network.
Television syndication
This is a list of television programs that were produced and/or syndicated by Metromedia Producers Corporation (MPC):
- Allen Ludden's Gallery (1969)
- The Ann Sothern Show (1958–1961)
- B.A.D. Cats[N 1]
- Charlie's Angels[N 2]
- Chopper One[N 2]
- Ralph Edwards Productions)
- Crusader Rabbit (1950–1952, 1956–1959)[N 3]
- Dusty's Trail (1973–1974) (co-produced with Redwood Productions and Writer First Productions)
- Dynasty (distributor, 1985–1986)[N 1]
- Expedition Danger
- Family[N 2]
- Firehouse (1974) (co-produced with Stonehenge Productions)
- Groovie Goolies and Friends[N 4]
- Sunbow Productions)[N 5]
- Hart to Hart[N 2]
- Here We Go Again (1973)
- Hit Man (co-produced with Jay WolpertProductions)
- Jane Goodall and the World of Animal Behavior
- Jeopardy! (original version - distributor, 1974)[N 1]
- Kids Are People Too (1978–1982)
- Little Gloria... Happy at Last (1982; mini-series)
- Mayberry RFD (distributor)[N 6]
- The Merv Griffin Show (distributor/co-producer, 1972–1983)[N 7]
- Movin' On (distributor)[N 8]
- My Favorite Martian (distributor)[N 8]
- National Geographic Specials (1964–1971)
- The New Avengers (U.S. distributor)[N 9]
- The New Howdy Doody Show (1976–1977)
- Primus (1971–1972) (co-produced with Ivan Tors Films)
- Queen for a Day (1969–1970)
- S.W.A.T.[N 2]
- Small Wonder (production company, 1985–1986)[N 3]
- Soul Train (syndicated by Tribune Entertainment then Trifecta Entertainment & Media; rights now owned by Paramount Media Networks)
- Star Search (production company, 1983–1986)[N 1]
- Starsky & Hutch[N 2]
- Strange Paradise
- Strike Force[N 1]
- The Super (1972)
- Super Pay Cards (1981–1982; distributor)
- Susie (1953–1957)
- T. J. Hooker[N 2]
- That Girl (distributor)[N 10]
- Thicke of the Night (distributor)[N 6]
- Too Close for Comfort (1980–1987) (co-produced with D.L. Taffner Productions)
- Ralph Edwards Productions)
- The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau
- Untamed World (co-produced with the CTV Television Network)
- Vauldeville
- Vega$ (1978–1981) (distributor)[N 1]
- Wild Times (1980; mini-series)
- Winchell-Mahoney Time (1965–1968)[N 11]
- Wonderama (1955–1977, 1980–1983)
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f Rights now owned by CBS Media Ventures.
- ^ a b c d e f g Currently distributed by Sony Pictures Television.
- ^ Disney-ABC Domestic Television
- ^ Currently owned by NBCUniversal (via DreamWorks Animation).
- ^ Currently owned by Tanslin Media.
- ^ Warner Bros. Television.
- ^ Currently distributed by Reelin' In the Years Productions on behalf of The Griffin Group.
- ^ a b Currently distributed by the Peter Rodgers Organization.
- ^ Rights now owned by StudioCanal.
- Shout! Factory.
- ^ Rights now owned by Paul Winchell's family.
References
- ^ "About Us". MetroMedia Technologies. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
- ISBN 9780684190556.
- ^ "DuMont TV". Archived from the original on December 31, 2006. Retrieved December 31, 2006.
- Broadcasting - Telecasting, August 15, 1955, pg. 64. [1][permanent dead link]
- ^ "DuMont completes spin-off, separates broadcasting, labs.'" Broadcasting - Telecasting, December 5, 1955, pg. 7. [2][permanent dead link]
- ^ "DuMont pays $7.5 million for WNEW." Broadcasting, March 25, 1957, pp. 31-32. [3][permanent dead link][4][permanent dead link]
- ^ "Changing Hands." Broadcasting, November 18, 1957, pg. 96[permanent dead link]
- ^ "For the Record." Broadcasting - Telecasting, January 6, 1958, p. 108. [5][permanent dead link]
- ^ "DuMont revenue grows, name change approved." Broadcasting, May 19, 1958, pg. 84. [6][permanent dead link]
- ^ "Kluge buying Paramount's 21% of Metropolitan Broadcasting." Broadcasting, December 1, 1958, pg. 9. [7][permanent dead link]
- ^ "Name change." Broadcasting, September 8, 1958, pg. 84[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 54, no. 16. April 21, 1958. p. 58. Retrieved September 5, 2022 – via World Radio History.
- ^ Spielvogel, Carl. "Advertising: an acquisition set." The New York Times, December 20, 1959.
- ^ "3 blessings with 2 rebukes." Broadcasting, January 4, 1960, pg. 40. [8][permanent dead link]
- ^ [9][permanent dead link]"Changing hands." Broadcasting, January 18, 1960, pp. 95-96[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Metropolitan buying KMBC." Broadcasting, December 26, 1960, pp. 51-52. [10][permanent dead link][11][permanent dead link]
- ^ "It's Metromedia." Broadcasting - Telecasting, April 3, 1961, pg. 56. [12][permanent dead link]
- ^ a b Metromedia gets its TV team in uniformBroadcasting, March 25, 1968, pp. 56-57.
- ^ "KTTV to Metromedia for $10 million plus." Broadcasting, January 14, 1963, pg. 9. [13][permanent dead link]
- ^ "Metromedia adds KLAC in $4.5 million deal." Broadcasting, March 18, 1963, pp. 9-10. [14][permanent dead link][15][permanent dead link]
- ^ "Changing hands." Broadcasting, March 22, 1965, pp. 110-111: Metromedia acquires KRHM (94.7 FM) and sells KLAC-FM (102.7 FM); the FCC allows both facilities to exchange call letters. [16][permanent dead link][17][permanent dead link]
- ^ "Ice Capades Acquired By Metromedia, Inc." The New York Times, May 14, 1963.
- ^ Gent, George. "Metromedia buys Globetrotters; TV chain will add team to Ice Capades operation." The New York Times, May 24, 1967.
- ^ "Programming Briefs" (PDF). Broadcasting. June 14, 1976. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
- ^ Peter Allen discography; www.allmusic.com.
- ^ Peter Allen discography; www5d.biglobe.ne.jp.
- ^ Nadel, Gerry (May 30, 1977). "Who Owns Prime Time? The Threat of the 'Occasional' Networks". New York Magazine. New York: 34–35. Retrieved October 4, 2009.
- ^ "Monitor" (PDF). Broadcasting. December 17, 1979. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
- ^ Schwartz, Tony. "Metromedia seeks TV station." The New York Times, July 23, 1981.
- ^ Cuff, Daniel F. "Business people; Metromedia's founder begins new challenge." The New York Times, December 14, 1983.
- ^ "KURALT WOOED". UPI. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ Hodges, Ann (October 1, 1982). "Ch. 26 to carry Turner's All-Star NFL package". Houston Chronicle. p. 5:13.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ Alridge, Ron (October 13, 1982). "WFLD is planning some big news for Chicago". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ "Madeline's back" (PDF). Broadcasting. January 7, 1985. p. 194. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
- ^ Cole, Robert J.. "Murdoch to buy & TV stations; cost $2 billion." The New York Times, May 7, 1985.
- ^ "Rupert Murdoch buys Metromedia". The 10 O'Clock News. New York, NY. May 4, 1985. 00:00 minutes in. WNEW-TV. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
- ^ Clarke Ingram. "The DuMont Television Network: Channel Nine". Dumont History.
- ^ Stevenson, Richard W. "Metromedia ad business sale". The New York Times, January 21, 1986.
- ^ Fabrikant, Geraldine. "Metromedia set to sell Globetrotters, ice show." The New York Times, March 5, 1986.
- ^ "Metromedia, Katz radio groups sold in LBO's." Broadcasting, March 31, 1986, pp. 33-34. [18][permanent dead link][19][permanent dead link]
- ^ "In brief." Broadcasting, November 17, 1986, pg. 120[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Metromedia Will Sell Its Cellular Units". Los Angeles Times. July 1, 1986. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
- ^ "Victory for ventriloquist." Broadcasting, July 3, 1989, pg. 37[dead link]
- ^ "Paul Winchell Gets Last Word and $17.8 Million." "LA Times", July 3, 1986
- ^ "Newsroom issue goes to court." Broadcasting, August 1, 1983, pp. 24-25. [20][permanent dead link][21][permanent dead link]
- ^ "Craft decision leaves questions." Broadcasting, August 15, 1983, pp. 28-30. [22][permanent dead link][23][permanent dead link][24][permanent dead link]
- ^ "Craft case continues." Broadcasting, December 23, 1985, pg. 69[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Christine Craft wins two, loses big one." Broadcasting, March 10, 1986, pp. 74-75. [25][permanent dead link][26][permanent dead link]
- ^ Metromedia's Orion Stake, chicagotribune.com
- ^ Metromedia's Orion Stake, newyorktimes.com
- ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
- ^ "Metromedia to Acquire Motion Picture Corporation of America". AP. November 28, 1995. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^ "COMPANY NEWS;AT $115 MILLION, A BUYER FOR SAMUEL GOLDWYN". The New York Times. February 1, 1996. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^ Bates, James. "Metromedia to Sell Film Units to MGM for $573 million." The New York Times. April 29, 1997.
- Daily News of Los Angeles. July 10, 1997; Bates, James. "MGM Lays Off 85 in Metromedia Film, TV Units." Los Angeles Times. July 11, 1997.
- ^ Bernstein, Charles (August 14, 1989). "Conglomerate menace stalks chains". bnet. Archived from the original on March 13, 2009. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
- ^ "$9.65 million sale of KMBC." Broadcasting, July 31, 1961, pp. 45-46. [27][permanent dead link][28][permanent dead link]
https://github.com/microsoft/WindowsAppSDK/issues/3089#issue-1430110636
External links
- John Kluge at the Museum of Broadcast Communications Encyclopedia of Television
- New York Times 1986 announcement of Metromedia liquidation
- Metromedia Radio, a Web based radio station holds the WNEW tape archive and trademark rights to the Metromedia name and Soundmark rights to the WNEW and Metromedia Radio jingles