Fox affiliate questions Buck Owens’ planBy RICK BENTLEYTV editorBuck Owens has been looking into the possibility of a Fox Network affiliation for KDOB-TV, Channel 45, but Harry Pappas, owner of the Fresno-Visalia Fox affiliate station KMPH-TV, doesn’t believe there is a need for such a move.In an interview in Saturday’s Californian, Owens discussed several planned changes for the local independent station he purchased last year. Besides the change of the call letters to KUZZ-TV, Owens also discussed the initial efforts to obtain a Fox affiliation.Pappas’ station, plus KTTV-TV in Los Angeles, are Fox affiliates already carried by local cable companies.“We went on the air in Bakersfield 20 years ago and we are considered a local television station there according to the rules of the FCC (Federal Communication Commission),” Pappas said during a telephone interview. “Any decision to grant an affiliation would be made by Fox, but it would seem to be a duplication of service^.” tPappas, who was unavailable for comment for theinitial story, was referring to the fact the Fox programming has been available on cable in Bakersfield for several years. He also said that the response from Bakersfield viewers has led him to believe the station’s over-the-air signal was generally strong here.“Of course, any station is going to have a few pockets where viewers can’t receive the signal,” Pappas said. “But our ratings in Bakersfield have been very good.”Pappas said the decision to add a Fox affiliation in Bakersfield was just a “practical question.”As far as his contractual agreement with Fox concerning the Bakersfield market, Pappas said he would not discuss private business matters.Concerning the report that he was a member of the Fox affiliates board, Pappas said he has never been a member of that board and “presently” is not on any boards with the Fox Network. The Fox affiliates board is made up of general managers of Fox stations elected to the board by a vote of affiliate stations.The closest representative on the affiliates board is the Sacramento Fox affiliate.
