Channel 41, Inc. ownership
Three days later, a group of Kalamazoo and Battle Creek businessmen under the name Channel 41, Inc., announced that it would file for a construction permit of its own to build the station.[17] While Morris began the process to dissolve the BCU-TV partnership, Searer had left to become executive vice president of the new Channel 41, Inc., having moved to sever ties as a result of the decision to sell to West Michigan Telecasters.[18]
The FCC canceled the WWWU-TV construction permit and West Michigan Telecasters's attempt to buy it on September 8, 1969. It then accepted the application of Channel 41, Inc., for filing and gave BCU-TV and other parties 60 days to file. Ten days later, West Michigan Telecasters abandoned its attempt to pursue channel 41 in favor of seeking a relocation of its transmitter to the south.[19] Channel 41, Inc., was the sole applicant for the permit,[20] but the firm's plans continued to depend on whether ABC would grant an affiliation—and, thusly, whether WZZM could move its tower south from Grant to Hudsonville, some 35 mi closer to Battle Creek, thereby eliminating the need for another ABC affiliate in southern West Michigan.[21] The FCC denied the tower move in May 1970 to prevent an "adverse impact on UHF development", another victory for backers of the Battle Creek station.[22] Channel 41, Inc., received its construction permit on July 31, 1970.[23] From a list of call sign choices, which the station solicited from viewers,[24][25] the station selected WUHQ-TV, containing a "U" for UHF and "HQ" for headquarters.[26] At that time, the federal government was turning over surplus land in the Fort Custer Military Reservation to the city of Battle Creek,[27] and the city leased the headquarters building to Channel 41, Inc., with an option to buy;[28] the station made $400,000 in improvements to install its studios and offices in the structure.[29] Meanwhile, negotiations with ABC were not concluded until February 1971 because a to-be-built UHF station in Jackson also sought to be an affiliate.[30]
WUHQ-TV began broadcasting on the afternoon of July 24, 1971; in addition to network programs—obtained through a feed from WZZM-TV—and syndicated shows, there were also several planned local programs, including local news coverage. The station's dependence on WZZM-TV instead of direct network service meant that some ABC programs were not seen on channel 41 because they were not seen in Grand Rapids, but it was far cheaper than the monthly cost of a line from AT&T.[31] WUHQ-TV was placed on channel 4 on the Battle Creek cable system, which dropped WZZM-TV from its lineup at that time; the Grand Rapids station was later restored in 1975,[32] then discontinued in 1986 along with two out-of-market network affiliates.[33]
Local newscasts
As WUHQ-TV, channel 41 had an on-again, off-again local news lineup. At launch, the station announced 5:30 and 11 p.m. newscasts to be anchored by radio newsman Roger Thurgaland. However, citing technical mishaps and a news department management felt was not prepared, the station switched to airing 5-minute news capsules in the late afternoon and prime time hours; it also added the ABC Evening News to its lineup as both ABC affiliates in the region began to air the program.[34] A 6:30 p.m. evening newscast was later established, but it was scrapped in January 1975 because the owners felt it was too costly and could not adequately compete with the many news programs available on stations broadcast by the local cable system.[35] In 1980, the station brought back a longform evening local newscast in the form of the 15-minute 41 Early Report at 5:45 p.m.[36] This was replaced with a newscast at 6 p.m. in 1982, which was in turn canceled in 1983 to focus efforts on the noon newscast and because of poor ratings against its primary competitor, Kalamazoo-based CBS affiliate WKZO-TV.[37]
