KCIT-TV (Kansas City)

On May 11, 1965, Allied Broadcasting, Inc., composed of 20 local businessmen led by James H. Ottman,[2] filed for a construction permit to build a new television station in Kansas City, to operate on channel 25.[3] The channel had been occupied by KCTY, a short-lived UHF outlet owned by the DuMont Television Network that lasted less than a year in 1953 and 1954. After Allied applied for a construction permit, however, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) revised the UHF table of allocations twice in the span of a year. By the time Allied's application had been designated for hearing against a competing bid from Midway Broadcasting, it was for channel 36;[4] when the FCC granted Allied the construction permit that April, it was for channel 50.[2] The station remained unbuilt by late 1968.[5]

KCIT-TV signed on October 29, 1969.[6] The first new station to sign on in town in a decade, channel 50 filled an immediate void.[7] Kansas City had not had a commercial independent since KCTY's demise, and by the end of the decade, it was the only major U.S. city to lack one. The station was able to clear a significant volume of network programs that the three affiliated stations in town did not, including one night of movies from each of the networks.[8] It was also the first locally owned Kansas City station since WDAF-TV was sold in 1958.[9] Local programming included a children's show hosted by Torey Southwick, formerly of KMBC-TV; a young Walt Bodine served as the station's news director.[7]

As channel 50 was constructed, so too was a second UHF commercial station for Kansas City: KBMA-TV channel 41, which signed on in 1970. Prior to channel 50's going on air, the management of KBMA made two offers to KCIT stockholders to merge the two operations, one of which would have seen channel 41 donated to the University of Missouri; both were rebuffed by the stockholders.[10] The two stations were even managed by twin brothers.[10]

With a competitor, channel 50 suffered, particularly financially, and conditions came to a head in the summer of 1971. On June 23, the station cut back its broadcast day, signing on the air at 2:30 p.m. instead of 9 a.m., and replaced its general manager; owner Ottman declared, "KCIT-TV is here to stay".[11] At the start of July, Allied sought permission to take KCIT-TV silent and immediately cut its schedule to the minimum two hours a day while it waited for its request to be processed.[12] At 4:30 p.m. on July 8, the FCC approved Allied's request, and channel 50 signed off the air; that day, Jackson County sheriff's deputies served a writ of replevin on $495,000 worth of equipment the station had bought from RCA.[13] Ottman blamed the bad economy for the station's demise.[14] Allied Broadcasting would declare bankruptcy in September.[15]