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KTLE was a television station on channel 6 in Pocatello, Idaho, United States. It operated from July 3, 1959, to January 23, 1961, as an NBC affiliate and as an independent station for brief stints in August 1962; from November 1963 to February 1964; and February 1969 to about May 1971. KTLE was owned by KBLI, Inc. and maintained studios at 928 North Main Street in Pocatello.

The station's history was dominated by NBC's decision, finalized in November 1960, to move its affiliation from KTLE to KIFI-TV, a new station being set up in Idaho Falls. KIFI had a better signal.

History

On March 19, 1958, KBLI, Inc. applied with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for a construction permit to build channel 6 in Pocatello. KBLI, Inc. was majority-owned by Granite District Radio Broadcasting Company, the owner of KBLI in Blackfoot and KNAK in Salt Lake City.[1] This was not the first attempt at channel 6, as another group had filed for it in 1956.[2] The construction permit was granted in October 1958.[3]

KTLE made its on-air debut on July 3, 1959, with special coverage of the arrival of a wagon train in Pocatello.[4] Even when it went on the air, the station faced difficulty broadcasting network programming in its early days due to interference from electrical systems.[5] The station was an affiliate of NBC and offered viewers nightly news and sports coverage.[6]

NBC announced on November 7, 1960, that it had signed an agreement to affiliate exclusively with a new Idaho Falls–based station, KIFI-TV (channel 8), which was under construction at the time.[7] At the same time, KTLE was informed of its impending loss of NBC affiliation.[8] It was claimed that KIFI offered a better, full-power signal to Eastern Idaho.[9] NBC also alleged that Idaho Falls was an easier sell than Pocatello to network sponsors, which KTLE executive director L. John Miner noted that Pocatello had not been a city with a station until channel 6 signed on, compared to Idaho Falls, which already had KID-TV (channel 3).[10] As KIFI prepared to launch, it pressured many of KTLE's engineers to leave channel 6 and join the new channel 8, raising the prospect that the station might have to leave the air before KIFI was ready;[11] national advertisers also began canceling their contracts with channel 6 after the disaffiliation was announced.[12] KTLE attempted to obtain ABC affiliation in a final effort to keep the station viable,[11] but ABC was already affiliated with KID-TV.[8]

KIFI-TV began broadcasting on January 23, 1961.[13] That same day was also KTLE's last: it left the air "to conserve the assets" of the company, per manager Gloria Dillard. Features of the last day included a roundtable discussion of KBLI, Inc. officers discussing the station's closure and an editorial explaining the closure.[12]

After the closure, KBLI, Inc. sued KIFI-TV, KID-TV, and NBC in Utah federal court on antitrust grounds. The lawsuit was settled in November 1961; KBLI, Inc., received $50,000, a special moratorium on more to $42,000 it owed to RCA, and limited NBC affiliation for KTLE when it resumed telecasting.[14] Three stockholders sued KBLI, Inc., alleging a series of misrepresentations in the offering of stock in the firm as well as "mismanage[ment of] the affairs of [KTLE] in a careless and negligent manner" that caused the affiliation loss.[15] During this time, Idaho State College expressed interest in reserving the channel 6 facility for educational television.[16]

KTLE finally made its return to the air on August 15, 1962, on what Dillard called an "emergency" basis to save the license. The station's operation at this phase was limited, consisting entirely of filmed material with no network affiliation and no commercials. Though the station was eligible to receive some NBC programming as a result of the settlement, its ability to air those programs depended on national advertising.[17][18] The station soon left the air again. A second return attempt was mounted in November 1963, utilizing educational film programming from Idaho State College and the University of Utah.[19] Around February 9, 1964, trouble developed at KTLE's tower, and the station opted to remain off the air until a sale or liquidation, with Dillard citing a lack of interest from local advertisers that preferred to advertise on KID-TV or KIFI.[20]

In May 1968, KBLI, Inc., stockholders offered Snake River Valley Television, Inc., an option to acquire KTLE's assets.[21] Meanwhile, in September 1968, the Eastern Idaho Television Corporation of Salt Lake City applied for the channel.[22] Three months later, in an unusual move, the FCC set the KTLE renewal application for comparative hearing against the one from Eastern Idaho Television Corporation, which at the same time sought channel 6 at Nampa.[23] With the hearing in progress, KTLE again returned to the air in a limited capacity on February 13, 1969. As before, the station had no network affiliation and was limited to a broadcast day of about four hours, with some local programming and films on a non-commercial basis.[24] During the hearing, Johnson testified that ABC had agreed to affiliate with the winner of the Pocatello channel 6 battle.[25] KTLE was on the air as late as May 1971[26] but closed when Snake River Valley opted not to purchase the assets.[27]

In an initial decision issued August 20, 1971,[28] FCC examiner David Kraushaar dismissed the KTLE application with prejudice—the license having been surrendered for cancellation—and approved a grant of channel 6 to Eastern Idaho Television.[29] This followed a decision by KBLI the month before not to pursue the renewal of the KTLE license,[27] as well as a 1969 decision by the FCC review board to enlarge the comparative proceeding and consider character defects stemming from the FCC's non-renewal of the related KSHO-TV in Las Vegas.[28] Eastern Idaho Television opted to build entirely new facilities[27] and began broadcasting on April 26, 1974, as ABC affiliate KPVI.[30]

  1. ^ "For the Record". Broadcasting. March 24, 1958. p. 104. ProQuest 1401224288.
  2. ^ "Group Seeks Pocatello Ch. 6". Broadcasting. February 27, 1956. p. 84. ProQuest 1401213814.
  3. ^ "Pocatello, Idaho, Vhf Granted". Broadcasting. October 20, 1958. p. 73. ProQuest 1401230799.
  4. ^ "KTLE Goes On the Air". Idaho State Journal. July 3, 1959. p. 1.
  5. ^ "KTLE Delay Blamed on Power Lines". Idaho State Journal. July 7, 1959. p. 5.
  6. ^ "TV Station Opened In City During 1959". Idaho State Journal. February 29, 1960. p. C16.
  7. ^ "KIFI-TV Signs With NBC". The Post-Register. Idaho Falls, Idaho. November 7, 1960. p. 12.
  8. ^ a b "City to Support KTLE in Saving NBC Affiliation". Idaho State Journal. November 18, 1960. p. 3.
  9. ^ "KIFI History Began On Jan. 23, 1961". The Post-Register. Idaho Falls, Idaho. September 10, 1965. p. 27.
  10. ^ "KTLE Official Clarifies Statement on Pocatello". Idaho Sunday Journal. January 15, 1961. p. 2.
  11. ^ a b "KTLE Faces Operating Crisis: Pocatello TV Station May Go Off Air Soon". Idaho State Journal. January 10, 1961. p. 1.
  12. ^ a b "KTLE to Leave Air After Monday Night". Idaho Sunday Journal. January 22, 1961. p. 2.
  13. ^ "KIFI-TV to Inaugurate New Service Monday: Channel 8 Facility Offers Full Power". The Post-Register. Idaho Falls, Idaho. January 22, 1961. p. 6.
  14. ^ "$50,000 Settlement Ordered In KBLI Suit Against NBC". Idaho State Journal. Associated Press. November 29, 1961. p. 11.
  15. ^ "Stockholders Sue KBLI for Refund". Idaho State Journal. August 9, 1961. p. 2.
  16. ^ "ISC Asks TV Channel to Join State Educational Network". Idaho State Journal. July 12, 1962. p. 10.
  17. ^ "KTLE to Start Telecasting, Lacks Network". Idaho State Journal. August 14, 1962. pp. 1, 2.
  18. ^ "KTLE Returns To TV Screens". August 16, 1962. p. 4.
  19. ^ "KTLE Plans Commercial TV Resumption". Idaho State Journal. November 7, 1963. p. 7.
  20. ^ "KTLE-TV Gives Up After 4 1/2-Year Life". Idaho State Journal. February 19, 1964. p. 4.
  21. ^ "Stockholders Approve Option On KTLE Assets". Idaho State Journal. May 28, 1968. p. A-1.
  22. ^ "FCC Receives Application For Channel 6". Idaho State Journal. Associated Press. September 17, 1968. p. A-2.
  23. ^ "Pocatello channel may change hands". Broadcasting. January 6, 1969. p. 56. ProQuest 1016852709.
  24. ^ "Channel 6 Now On Air, Hearing Set for April 7". Idaho State Journal. February 13, 1969. p. A-8.
  25. ^ "KTLE-TV Owner Testifies at FCC License Hearing". Idaho State Journal. Associated Press. April 16, 1969. p. A-1.
  26. ^ "Anti-War Film To Be Shown On KTLE". Idaho State Journal. May 2, 1971. p. A-6.
  27. ^ a b c "Company to Build New Television Station in Pocatello on Channel Six". Idaho State Journal. Pocatello, Idaho. October 22, 1971. p. 1. Retrieved July 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ a b Kraushaar, David (August 20, 1971). "Memorandum Opinion and Order (32 FCC 2d 23)". FCC Reports, Second Series. p. 23.
  29. ^ "For the Record". Broadcasting. September 6, 1971. ProQuest 1016856344.
  30. ^ "New TV station, KPVI, starts Friday evening". The Post-Register. Idaho Falls, Idaho. April 25, 1974. p. A-2.
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