WKBF-TV (channel 61) was a television station in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, which broadcast from January 1968 to April 1975. Owned by Kaiser Broadcasting as one of an eventual group of six stations, it was the first ultra high frequency (UHF) independent station to serve northeast Ohio and the last outlet constructed by the Kaiser chain during the 1960s to begin operations. Despite airing several high-profile local programs, Kaiser's efforts to establish itself in Cleveland never took root because of the establishment of a second independent outlet, WUAB, later that same year, as well as general stagnation in the Cleveland market. In April 1975, Kaiser shut WKBF-TV down and sold its programming inventory to WUAB in exchange for a minority stake in that station.
WKBF-TV maintained studios in the Cleveland suburb of Euclid, Ohio, while the transmitter was located in nearby Parma.
Application and construction Following the end of a self-imposed 1948 freeze on issuing television station licenses by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1952, a realignment of future channel allocations took place, including the creation of ultra high frequency (UHF) allotments. In the combined Cleveland–Akron–Canton market, this resulted in multiple newly available UHF frequencies to complement the market's existing very high frequency (VHF) stations: WNBK, WEWS-TV and WXEL. Radio station WERE was the first in Cleveland to receive a construction permit for a UHF station on channel 65 on June 18, 1953, followed by WHK with a permit for a station on channel 19 that December. Neither were built, and the permits were revoked by the FCC on February 19, 1960.
United Artists Broadcasting, a subsidiary of the United Artists film studio, filed paperwork for a new channel 65 permit on March 22, 1963. (Guide to reading History Cards) Cleveland Telecasting Co., headed by WDBN owner Ted Niarhos, filed a competing application on May 3, 1963, having secured a lease to KYW AM/-TV's former transmitter facilities in Brecksville and promising a program lineup not constrained to a set schedule. Superior Broadcasting Corp. was next to file on September 17, 1963, led by Cleveland insurance executive and developer Frank V. Mavec, Leigh H. Perkins, and George Oliva, Jr. Mavec was additionally involved with Telerama Inc., an effort to have cable television franchises established in Cleveland, Akron, and other area suburbs. United Artists also applied for stations in Boston and Houston, but it had previously been subject to a civil antitrust lawsuit related to United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc., which the FCC stated would reflect on "requisite qualifications" over the studio's fitness to own a television station.
During the comparative hearing, which began in late December 1963, a three-commissioner panel requested each of the three applicants demonstrate an ability to survive against established VHF competition over the first three years, in addition to providing detailed revenue estimates; this request was also made in similar hearings for competing applications in Buffalo and Boston. The FCC later enacted this as a revision to their financial qualification policy, a move to which Superior objected. United Artists removed itself from the hearing process on March 30, 1964, by amending their application to request channel 31 in Lorain, Ohio, which—like channel 65—was unused after WEOL failed to build out a prior permit for WEOL-TV. Concurrent with United Artists's request, Cleveland Telecasting withdrew their bid. Another revision to the table of UHF allocations by the FCC on June 4, 1965, had the channel 65 allocation moved to 61 (a frequency originally proposed for Akron), while channel 31 was moved to 43. With both companies being awarded permits in the spring of 1966, Superior requested the WAFT-TV call sign by early June.
On April 19, 1967, Superior announced a partnership with Oakland, California–based Kaiser Broadcasting, which would operate the new station under a new jointly owned company. Paperwork filed the following month had Superior transferring WAFT-TV's permit to WKBF Inc. for up to $200,000 (equivalent to $ in ) with Kaiser holding an option to become the full owner. Kaiser also provided $1 million to Superior and pledged an additional $1.5 million in financing. While Kaiser Broadcasting had been established a decade earlier with KHVH-TV in Honolulu, company founder and industrialist Henry J. Kaiser divested KHVH-TV, a VHF network affiliate, in favor of multiple UHF stations in large markets that could function as independents. By 1966, the Kaiser chain consisted of WKBD-TV in Detroit, WKBG-TV in Boston, KMTW-TV in Los Angeles (later renamed KBSC-TV), and WKBS-TV in Philadelphia, with KBHK-TV in San Francisco in the planning stages. The Superior-Kaiser alliance took advantage of a loophole in FCC regulations intended to limit one company from owning more than three television stations in the top 50 markets; WKBG-TV was also a 50–50 joint venture between Kaiser and The Boston Globe.
Granting a waiver to Kaiser, the FCC approved the 50 percent purchase of WAFT-TV in September 1967, with a call sign change to WKBF-TV; the call sign stood for the joint ownership of Kaiser Broadcasting and Frank Mavec. Kaiser also announced plans to launch a network among their station group by late 1970, with programs produced by stations within the Kaiser chain as the backbone. WKBF-TV was the first full-fledged independent station in Cleveland proper but the fourth full-power UHF station in the entire market, joining Akron's WAKR-TV, Canton's WJAN-TV, and NET member station WVIZ. Studios and offices were located at a former industrial building in Euclid, while the transmitter was sited in Parma. The station's lineup included classic reruns, cartoons, first-run movies and programs hosted by Jack LaLanne, Joe Pyne and David Susskind, along with local newscasts to be launched later in 1968.
Kaiser intended to have January 2, 1968, as WKBF-TV's launch date. This was the same date that KBHK-TV would sign on, and it was planned that senior Kaiser executives attend opening events in San Francisco and Cleveland on the same day. As late as December 29, WKBF ran newspaper advertisements proclaiming, "it happens this week on channel 61". While KBHK-TV signed on as scheduled, WKBF's launch would be repeatedly delayed due to inclement weather, in particular wind and extreme cold that prevented the completion of the transmitter tower and hookup to the electrical grid. A combination wind and sleet storm the weekend of January 13–14, 1968, pushed back the sign-on date by another week, as the tower was covered in ice. Channel 61 finally signed on with a test pattern on the evening of January 19, 1968, commencing regular telecasting the following day.
Local programming Kaiser committed to a substantial investment into local productions, not just at WKBF-TV, but throughout the entire chain, a practice largely appropriated from Metromedia's station group. The company invested over $36 million (equivalent to $ in ) into UHF broadcasting by 1968; a credo attributed to Henry J. Kaiser, "find a need and fill it", became the company slogan. General manager Jay Q. Berkson described this commitment as "...Kaiser (intending) to add a new dimension to local television ... TV should entertain, inform and enlighten its viewers". Kaiser's plans to network the most successful locally-produced shows from their station group distinguished their efforts from the United Network, which failed after one month of operation. Likewise, WKBF-TV carried weekly programs hosted by Hy Lit from Philadelphia and Lou Gordon from Detroit. Gordon's show, in particular, would be carried over the entire Kaiser group.
WKBF-TV's first local program began along with the station: a Saturday night panel discussion/talk show hosted by veteran radio host Alan Douglas, which was immediately picked up by KBHK-TV (and had originally been intended for that station's inaugural lineup). Titled The Alan Douglas Show, it served as an extension of his talk radio shows in both Cleveland and Pittsburgh. The program was best known for controversial topics and stances taken by Douglas meant to invoke passionate responses; a reviewer in The Plain Dealer regarded the show as "...the most stimulating discussion I have ever seen on TV". The debut episode alone elicited multiple complaints when guest Josiah Thompson discussed conspiracy theories related to the John F. Kennedy assassination. One 1969 installment, featuring a biker gang as guests, resulted in an on-air altercation with Douglas after he called them "criminals"; this continued after the program ended. In addition to KBHK-TV, the program was later syndicated to WKBS-TV and KBSC-TV but was cancelled in mid-April 1970.
Complementing an existing early-afternoon children's programming block (including the Hanna-Barbera catalogue, Astro Boy, The Three Stooges and Little Rascals, typical among the Kaiser chain) was Captain Cleveland, starring ventriloquist John Slowey and puppet sidekick "Private Clem". Captain Cleveland merited national attention when Cleveland mayor Carl Stokes began making regular appearances after rejecting prior offers by local media to host a program aimed at adults. Stokes's first appearance, talking to "Private Clem" about his mayoral duties while also responding to good-natured questions by the puppet, was so well-received that it became a regular segment, drawing comparisons to New York City mayor Fiorello La Guardia reading comic strips over the radio. In one installment, then-Vice President Hubert Humphrey appeared as a guest alongside Stokes. Berkson viewed the segment as "...(reaching) the kids before their ideas and prejudices develop". Stokes' telegenic style also found an unlikely supporter in comedian Bob Hope. Captain Cleveland aired on WKBF-TV through 1971, while John Slowey continued to make personal appearances for the station as late as 1973.
Kaiser announced the establishment of a news department for WKBF-TV in early May 1968, with the hiring of Matt Quinn from Pittsburgh's KDKA as news director, as part of a commitment Kaiser planned to execute at all their stations. WKBF-TV's news service would be centered around a nightly 10 p.m. newscast with a magazine-like format. The Ten O'Clock News debuted on August 12, 1968, anchored by former Kansas City newscaster John Herrington. Quinn expressed optimism that the Cleveland audience would be sophisticated enough to watch a late-evening newscast at an earlier hour. Prior to launching, WKBF-TV and WHK entered into a content-sharing partnership "combining" their respective news departments, with reporters from both stations, including WHK's John O'Day and Tim Taylor, exchanging stories and reports. Herrington began anchoring three news bulletins over WHK on weekday afternoons, while WHK news director Ken Hildebrand anchored WKBF-TV's weekend newscasts. Future Cleveland sportscaster Nev Chandler joined WKBF-TV in 1968 as an assignment editor after graduating from Northwestern University.
Two other veteran broadcasters soon emerged at WKBF-TV during its first year. Bill Gordon, best known for co-hosting The One O'Clock Club at WEWS-TV with Dorothy Fuldheim, joined WKBF-TV in July 1968 to host the weekly variety show Dear Bill, which—like Douglas's show—had a studio audience, unique to Cleveland television. Linn Sheldon, who found fame as children's television host "Barnaby" for 13 years at KYW-TV/WKYC-TV, became an early-afternoon movie host at WKBF-TV the following month, dropping the characterization and used his real name. Sheldon also hosted local segments for the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon, which WKBF-TV began carrying in 1969. Neither program lasted long: Gordon's program ended in April 1969, and Sheldon left that November to join WUAB, reprising the "Barnaby" persona.