WCLQ-TV (1981–1986)
Even though WKBF-TV had largely failed, interest in channel 61 was fueled by the imminent maturity of subscription television (STV) technology. In January 1977, Cleveland Associates Co.—a consortium of Chicago firms Froelich Corporation, Balaban Television Corporation, Friedland Corporation, and Bray Corporation—filed an application for a construction permit to build channel 61 as a station that would operate on a hybrid basis. The station would air commercial, advertiser-supported programs during the day and scrambled STV programs to paying subscribers at night.[6] A construction permit was awarded by the FCC in 1978, and WCLQ-TV began broadcasting on March 3, 1981, with a special prime time airing of the movie The Deer Hunter as its marquee program on launch day.[7] Four days later, WCLQ-TV began airing STV programs from Preview, a division of Time Inc.'s American Television and Communications, after 8 p.m. on weekdays and 7 p.m. on weekends; the remaining time was occupied by a general-entertainment independent lineup.[8] The station revived a character from the old WKBF-TV—The Ghoul, portrayed by Ron Sweed—when it added a horror movie showcase on September 25, 1982.[9]
Preview's run on WCLQ-TV initially boasted a subscription base of nearly 35,000 at its peak in February 1982.[10] The service carried select Cleveland Cavaliers games starting with the 1981–82 season,[11] with executives mentioning a possible alliance with Cavaliers owner Ted Stepien's "Total Entertainment Network" as an additional programming tier.[12] Ultimately, Preview lost nearly half of their subscription base to cable television systems in the market's affluent suburbs, along with piracy from different decoder boxes[13] and a struggling area economy.[14] Preview added a secondary service—the "adult"-themed Niteview—which only attracted half of Preview's subscribers, while the service itself was largely criticized for poor marketing and customer service. In addition to Preview's struggles, WCLQ-TV faced low ratings and a lack of media exposure, with general manager Gary Brandt publicly musing about The Chronicle-Telegram in Elyria listing the station as "WQLC".[15]
When Time Inc. announced the closure of Preview in Cleveland on May 12, 1983, the service had 22,000 subscribers;[17] for its final day on August 31, that number dropped to 14,000. The shutdown announcement caught station executives off guard, as syndicated programming for the coming television season had largely been committed to months earlier.[18] WCLQ-TV filled the loss of Preview with a traditional mixture of off-network reruns, movies and Independent Network News (anchored by former Cleveland newscaster Bill Jorgensen); it also picked up CBS Late Night, which WJKW declined.[19] WCLQ-TV also began carrying various sports packages—including Big Ten Conference football and basketball, Cleveland State Vikings men's basketball, and select NBA on CBS games WJKW deferred—but dropped much of these sports packages in the summer of 1985 for schedule consistency.[20] The Ghoul was cancelled in the spring of 1984, attributed to low ratings,[21] but it was later suggested that Brandt dropped it after an on-air skit involving a
Balaban Broadcasting and the other partners in Cleveland Associates sold WCLQ-TV to Channel Communications, a subsidiary of Nashville, Tennessee–based NASCO, Inc., on May 4, 1984, for $14 million (equivalent to $ in ).[23] NASCO, which primarily handled National Football League merchandise,[24] established Channel as a diversification move, purchasing WCLQ-TV along with two small-market network affiliates—KAIT in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and KPLC in Lake Charles, Louisiana—for a combined $48.8 million.[25] Brandt resigned in late April 1985, with Channel director of operations Jack White taking over as interim general manager; rumors among staffers suggested Brandt was not asked to leave willingly.[26] In a bid to remain competitive, WCLQ-TV acquired syndication rights to Dallas, Simon & Simon and The Love Boat in expensive contracts and began using Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney) in promotional spots and billboards.
The summer of 1985 saw both WOIO and WBNX-TV sign on as independents: while WBNX-TV was owned by the ministry of televangelist Ernest Angley and positioned itself on family-oriented and religious fare,[29] WOIO was financially backed by Malrite Communications (owners of WHK and WMMS) and Metroplex Communications (later owners of WNCX and WERE).[30] WCLQ-TV's purchasing of expensive syndicated programming, in turn, increased prices for programming at both WOIO and WUAB substantially.[31] The additional competition also drove down ratings and advertising rates; WOIO general manager Dennis Thatcher noted that WCLQ was selling advertising at low prices that were "almost cable rate levels".[32] Driven into a financial crunch, WOIO's ownership group sought to sell outright to Malrite for an infusion of capital by June 1986, permissible by FCC regulations that typically barred common ownership of radio and UHF television stations except when the television station was in need of financial assistance. WCLQ-TV filed a petition to deny the sale.
The aggressive approach Channel Communications took with WCLQ-TV failed to yield a positive return on investment.[34] The May 1985 sweeps period saw WUAB with 9 percent of viewers, WOIO with 6 percent, and WCLQ-TV with 5 percent, a trend that continued into the fall and spring. In January 1986, Channel president Brian Byrnes initiated a study with Shearson Lehman Brothers on possible options for the company, involving the sale of WCLQ-TV. He conceded that NASCO's earnings in 1985 were "not as good" as 1984. Though he denied suggestions WCLQ-TV was losing over $2 million in an interview with Crain's Cleveland Business,[35] he told The Plain Dealer that the station was losing "a few million dollars" annually. General manager Jack White claimed Shearson Lehman contacted Channel on behalf of an investor, fueling the possibility of Rupert Murdoch buying WCLQ-TV for his nascent Fox Broadcasting Company. Fox, however, opted to partner with WOIO on June 4, 1986, after WUAB parent Gaylord Broadcasting declined to affiliate any of their stations with the network.[36]
The HSN years (1986–2002)
After months of rumors, Clearwater, Florida–based Silver King Broadcasting, parent company of the Home Shopping Network (HSN), purchased WCLQ-TV for $15 million (equivalent to $ in ) on August 20, 1986.[37] While technically at a profit, Channel Communications sold WCLQ-TV at a significant loss after making expensive programming purchases, with the earliest estimates of profitability for the station coming sometime in 1987. The following day, WCLQ-TV withdrew their petition contesting WOIO's sale to Malrite after failing to get support from the other television stations in the market and with the HSN sale rendering it moot.[38] Lowell "Bud" Paxson, co-founder of HSN and co-owner of Silver King, previously announced plans to create a nationwide chain of stations supported by 14 owned-and-operated outlets (twelve owned outright and two with minority interest, as per FCC regulations) and a network of full-time and part-time affiliates.[39] WCLQ-TV was the sixth station purchased by Silver King.
WCLQ-TV expanded to 24-hour broadcasting on September 8, 1986, with HSN accounting for 18 hours daily. The remaining six hours of programming—meant to fulfill advertising contracts and provide temporary cash flow
