Construction and early years
In 1981, the FCC designated three applications for channel 22 for comparative hearing, from Trinity Broadcasting of Seattle; Seattle STV; and Tavitac Corporation.[5] The Tavitac application had been made in 1977.[6] Trinity Broadcasting dropped out, and the other two applicants merged their bids into Seattle Broadcasting Corporation and won the construction permit in 1982.[7] By late 1984, work was beginning on the station, which had taken the call sign KTZZ-TV. Dean Woodring, a general manager of TV stations in Spokane and Portland, Oregon, was named to the post for KTZZ and a station under construction in Portland.[8]
KTZZ-TV began broadcasting on June 22, 1985. Broadcasting from studios at 945 Dexter Avenue North and a tower on Capitol Hill, it was Seattle's first full service UHF television station; at the time, the only such stations in the area were Christian outlet KTBW-TV (channel 20) and non-commercial KTPS-TV (channel 28), both in Tacoma.[9][10] Its programming largely consisted of classic TV shows and children's programming, in contrast to existing independents KSTW and KCPQ, which emphasized movies.[11] The station was bypassed in favor of KCPQ by the new Fox when it started later that year.[12] The lineup was bolstered in 1986 when KIRO-TV (channel 7) struck a deal with the Seattle SuperSonics basketball team; KIRO produced 30 games, of which 15 aired on KTZZ.[13]
Financially, channel 22's early history was rough. As the first major UHF station in town, many viewers thought they could not receive it even when it was available to them on cable. The station was the third-rated of Seattle's three independents in the first year after it signed on; though it came much closer to KSTW in the ratings for its children's programming, its first foray into local program production, the dance show Seattle Bandstand, lost its sponsors due to low ratings and left the air.[17] In September 1986, several employees were laid off to control costs.[18] In 1987, 40 percent of the station was sold to US-TV Network, a New York City firm run by ad sales representative Robert Dudley and financially backed by Australian broadcaster and businessman Kevin Parry.[19] Despite the infusion of cash, the station continued to pare its payroll with more firings in late 1987 and early 1988.[20] The Dudleys acquired the remainder of KTZZ in 1990 from Alden Television; it was their second television property after WXMI in Grand Rapids, Michigan.[21]
On September 23, 1991, KTZZ began airing a 10 p.m. local newscast produced by KIRO-TV. The program was originally hosted by KIRO's evening news team of Aaron Brown, Harry Wappler, and Wayne Cody and provided competition for KSTW's 10 p.m. news.[22][23] Later, KIRO anchors Gary Justice and Susan Hutchison became anchors at 10 on top of their existing assignments. This caused strife at KIRO and led to KIRO's union, AFTRA, suing the station in June 1992 for unfair labor practices; an administrative law judge sided with Justice and Hutchison, stating that the additional newscast took away from preparation for the 5 and 11 p.m. reports and that there was no full-time producer dedicated to the KTZZ broadcast, further increasing the workload of existing KIRO employees. By that time, officials at both stations were discussing ending the newscast.[24] Among all programs airing at 10 p.m. locally, the KTZZ news placed seventh.[25] In spite of this, KIRO expanded its presence on channel 22 in April 1993 when the station began simulcasting two hours of KIRO radio's morning newscast.[26] The partnership ended shortly thereafter, and on September 17, 1993, the 10 p.m. newscast for KTZZ was ended.
KTZZ gained a reputation as a home for prime-time tabloid talk shows as well as some eclectic local programming. In 1992, The Spud Goodman Show debuted on channel 22.[28] Spud Goodman formed part of a block of local shows aired between midnight and 2 a.m., including three music programs: Music Inner City, Rock Northwest, and Bohemia After Dark. All four programs were to be removed from the channel 22 schedule in September 1994,[29] but Spud Goodman lasted on the lineup into 1995.[30] During this time, KTZZ spent two years in bankruptcy reorganization. Three creditors—television program distributors MCA Television, MTM Distribution, and DLT Entertainment—forced the station into involuntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy in mid-1992. The debts were inherited by the Dudleys from the original ownership and had been accrued during the 1980s, when prices for syndicated programs were more expensive.[31]
WB affiliation
On January 11, 1995, KTZZ affiliated with the newly-formed WB Television Network, signing an agreement just a week before the new network launched.[32] The WB had initially signed KSTW in 1993 as its Seattle affiliate;[33] that station's owner, Gaylord Broadcasting, backed out of the deal a year later to affiliate with CBS, while UPN signed up KIRO, which had been the CBS affiliate.[34]
The Dudleys put their two television stations on the market in 1996, citing industry consolidation.[35] KTZZ and WXMI were sold to Emmis Communications in 1998; the two stations were then promptly dealt to Tribune Broadcasting in exchange for WQCD, an FM radio station in New York City.[36]
