KSCH: Independent years
In 1979, the William H. Schuyler Company, owned by William H. Schuyler and his wife Kristine, filed for a construction permit to build a station on channel 58 in Stockton.[1] William Schuyler, founder of KMST in Monterey and involved in the startup of KTVU in Oakland prior to that,[2] proposed to broadcast a hybrid of conventional and subscription television programming.[3] The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted the application on November 6, 1981,[4] and the call sign KSCH-TV in early 1982.[5] After analyzing financing sources, Schuyler sold 49 percent of the station to SFN Communications, an educational publisher which had diversified into broadcasting.[6]
KSCH-TV began broadcasting on April 13, 1986.[7] It had studios in Rancho Cordova[8] and Stockton and shared the KXTV/KOVR tower in Walnut Grove.[9] It was the third independent station for the Sacramento market alongside KTXL (channel 40) and KRBK-TV (channel 31). Its programming was reliant on movies and classic TV series as well as some sports and a few cartoons. It was designed to be family-friendly with a small news staff and hourly afternoon and evening news breaks.[10] Three months after channel 58 went on air, Schuyler sold his controlling stake to SFN, which in turn sold almost all its broadcasting holdings in a management buyout, forming Pegasus Broadcasting Inc. Schuyler then left to start KSMS-TV in Monterey.[11][12]
In its early years, KSCH-TV provided a mix of local programming. Originating in Stockton was a midday agribusiness program, first titled Agribusiness Report and later Valley Farm News.[13] In 1987, channel 58 brought veteran local children's show Cap'n Mitch back to local airwaves. Mitch, real name Mitch Agruss, had been Cap'n Delta from 1961 to 1966 at KOVR and Cap'n Mitch at KLOC-TV from 1966 to 1968 and KTXL from 1968 to 1983.[14] By the end of 1987, the station had attracted 3% of the Sacramento viewing market compared to 8% for KTXL and 6% for KRBK.[15] The 1988 adoption of metered instead of diary ratings, which more accurately measured viewing, showed that KSCH-TV was more competitive than had previously been thought.[16] In early 1990, KSCH-TV began airing NBC's Saturday morning cartoon lineup after NBC's Sacramento affiliate, KCRA-TV (channel 3), opted to preempt the cartoons for local news.[17]
GE Capital acquired three of Pegasus's television stations in 1990: KSCH-TV; WJBF-TV in Augusta, Georgia; and WAPA-TV in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The deal was seen by industry sources as a way for GE to protect its equity investment in the firm,[19] which was presenting financial difficulties.[20] In 1993, GE Capital began shopping KSCH-TV for sale; in one potential proposal, both KSCH and KRBK-TV—then also facing financial difficulties and owing money to syndicators[21]—would have been sold to one buyer, who would have been able to sell off one of the stations to a noncompetitive entity.[22]
The host segments of Real Stories of the Highway Patrol, featuring California Highway Patrol commissioner Maury Hannigan, were filmed at KSCH-TV's studios and included in the nationally syndicated program. Hannigan's office was replicated in a set at the station's studios.[23]
KQCA: Kelly Broadcasting LMA
A development elsewhere in Sacramento television would alter the course of channel 58's history. From 1991 to 1993, KCRA-TV had been authorized by NBC to air an early prime time lineup from 7 to 10 p.m. and its late local news at 10 p.m. However, in August 1993, NBC ordered KCRA-TV to revert to a normal prime time lineup.[24] KCRA was still interested in producing a 10 p.m. local newscast to air on another local station. Its preference was a station without an existing newscast, which KTXL and KRBK both boasted.[25] On September 12, 1993, KSCH-TV began airing the KCRA-TV–produced Prime Time News.[26]
With its new relationship with KCRA-TV, parent Kelly Broadcasting became interested in acquiring KSCH-TV but could not do so outright under FCC rules of the time. The solution was for Kelly to run the station under a local marketing agreement (LMA). This came to pass in April 1994, when Pegasus sold the station for $8 million to Channel 58, Inc., owned by Sacramento restaurateur Wing Fat and Barbara Scurfield. Kelly acquired the station's program inventory and leased the station's airtime.[27]
Hearst ownership and switch to MyNetworkTV
Citing consolidation pressures, Kelly Broadcasting exited the business in August 1998 and sold KCRA-TV and its LMA with KQCA to Hearst-Argyle Television for $520[37] or $530 million.[38] The deal valued KQCA alone at $120 million. After Hearst closed on the purchase in January 1999,[39] it exercised its option to buy KQCA outright[40] ahead of the FCC authorizing duopolies—the outright ownership of two broadcast licenses in a market.[41]
In response to flat ratings, the morning show was dropped in 2002 and replaced with a simulcast of Armstrong & Getty, a morning radio show on talk station KSTE.[42]
