Application process and construction
Channel 55 at Rock Hill, South Carolina, had been used since January 1969 by a translator for the South Carolina Educational Television network.[1] This facility was superseded in 1978 by the launch of WNSC-TV (channel 30).[2]
In 1981, the York County Television Corporation, a subsidiary of the Hi-Ho Television Group, applied to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for permission to build a new commercial TV station on channel 55, which remained assigned to Rock Hill.[3] However, the group had to change its application to channel 30—challenging the renewal of WNSC-TV—because of an unusual quirk. Channel 55 was a reserved non-commercial allocation, but the non-commercial WNSC-TV had instead built on the non-reserved channel 30, which had a lower frequency and better signal reach.[4] Two other companies had also expressed interest in building a new commercial station in Rock Hill, and in December 1983, the FCC un-reserved channel 55, opening it to use by a commercial TV station.[5]
By 1985, twelve applicants had filed seeking channel 55, with the FCC placing their proposals into comparative hearing. While each proposed some amount of programming aimed at York County, South Carolina, which contains Rock Hill, observers expected the process to produce an independent station competing for the Charlotte TV market.[6] In alphabetical order by company name, the applicants were:[7]
In May 1987, FCC administrative law judge John Frysiak awarded the permit to Neisler Limited Partnership because Janice Neisler had the most control of any applicant. By this time, the field had narrowed from twelve applicants to seven; three others were either dismissed on technical or financial grounds, while Catawba lost because its general manager did not plan to move to Rock Hill; Wells had too litle control of Family 55 TV and Byrd too much; and Koontz Communications had flaws in its limited partnership structure. However, several of the losing applicants disputed Frysiak accepting the claim that Scott Neisler, Janice's husband and 49% owner of their limited partnership, would not be involved. An attorney for Family 55 TV called the idea that a husband-and-wife limited partnership could be run that way "a fantasy".[8][9] With almost all losing applicants appealing, the case went to the FCC review board, which in February 1988 rendered its decision. It selected Koontz Communications as the best of a bad crop of proposals, noting that it avoided the "questions as to bona fides ... that are unavoidably raised by the machinations of the other applicants".[10][11]
The matter came before the full commission in 1989, and the commission rendered a third ruling in three years, overturning the 1988 review board decision in favor of Koontz and awarding the permit to Family 55 TV. The ruling was foreseen as having favored Wells for her minority and female status and as a Rock Hill resident.[12] However, the commission's action did not clear the field. Wells was one of six parties with pending applications in January 1990, when George Shinn, owner of the Charlotte Hornets basketball team, announced he had bought out the interests of all six to obtain the channel 55 permit. The Hornets broadcast their games on WCCB-TV (channel 18), but Shinn and WCCB-TV owner Cy Bahakel were in litigation over the latter's stake in the team.[13] The Shinn proposal met with opposition from Bahakel and the United Church of Christ, which sent separate petitions to deny the transfers in May 1990. The Bahakel petition to deny questioned the qualifications of Shinn in his prior business dealings with the Rutledge College group of business schools and with regard to one of his associates, Spencer Stolpen, who was disbarred and had previously given false testimony. The United Church of Christ expressed disfavor with Shinn being allowed to act as a "third-party white knight". The FCC's Mass Media Bureau concurred with Bahakel and the United Church of Christ, recommending the commission deny the application.[14] In November 1990, Shinn withdrew the application because the settlement had been delayed by the petitions to deny; the move came amid reports Shinn was trying to buy another Charlotte-market TV station, WJZY
- The Beverly Hills Hotel Corporation, which owned KOCB in Oklahoma City and KITN in Minneapolis;
- Catawba Communications Inc., headed by the former general manager of KLTV in Tyler, Texas;
- DSL Broadcasting Inc. of Charlotte, North Carolina, presided by the then-president of public television station WTVI;
- Family 55 TV Inc., owned by Diane Wells, a parks and information employee for the city of Rock Hill, as well as partner Jonathan Byrd, and former TV station owner from Indiana;
- Faye Daye Corp. of Columbia, South Carolina, which had station applications pending in multiple states;
- Koontz Communications Limited Partnership, based in Charlotte, with Jim Berry, a Washington, D.C., news anchor, as one of the limited partners;
- Metrolina Media Inc. of Charlotte;
- Moore Broadcast Industries Inc. of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina;
- Susan S. Mulkey of
Early years and WB affiliation
After the Shinn deal fell apart, Koontz Communications reached a deal to merge with Family 55 TV and Neisler Limited Partnership as part of a settlement agreement. However, Koontz was unable to come up with the $175,000 necessary to buy out the other two applicants after a dispute over attorney fees.[17][18][19] Unable to finance the deal, in 1993, Koontz sold the channel 55 permit[20] to Family Fifty Five Inc., headed by Fundamentalist minister Gene Hood.[21] Several companies approached Family Fifty Five about providing programming. Jefferson-Pilot Communications, owner of Charlotte CBS affiliate WBTV, was interested in producing a 10 p.m. newscast, but the company insisted on a more intensive local marketing agreement
MyNetworkTV affiliation
In 2006, The WB and UPN merged to form The CW. WJZY was among the first stations to commit to the network in early March,[33] and shortly after, Capitol committed WWWB to MyNetworkTV,[34] set up by Fox Television Stations to serve its own ex-UPN outlets and other displaced stations.[35] Ahead of the change, WWWB changed its call sign to WMYT-TV on April 28, 2006, and began branding as "My TV12", using its common channel number on most local cable systems.[36] That same year, over-the-air broadcasts of Charlotte Bobcats basketball moved from WJZY to WMYT, with 15 telecasts a season.[37] All local television rights to the team were acquired by
