A St. Louis Ghost Television Station
KACY, Channel 14, Festus, MO
Applicants for Channel 14
Even before lifting the “freeze,” applications for new television stations were being filed by the dozens. The first application for the allocation of channel 14 in Festus, Missouri came from Ozark Television Corp. Ozark in its early November 1952 application proposed a television station with an effective radiated power of 170kw and would broadcast from a 644 foot tower to be construction on a hill which would take the height to 875 feet over average terrain. The estimated construction cost of the station would be $279,694, with a first-year operating cost of $206,316. The expected revenue was set at $218,400.
The principal owners of Ozark Television Corp included its president, John T. McKenna, with 36% ownership. McKenna was a tax consultant and CPA whose business was located in Clayton, Missouri. The vice president and secretary was Carl G. McIntire, who would own 46% of Ozark Television. McIntire was a television film producer and was part-owner of GMB Productions of St. Louis. George Menos would own 9%, and his interests were listed as a sole proprietor from 1945 to 1952 of the Mississippi Valley School of Aeronautics of St. Louis. Another 9% would be owned by Raymond W. Karst, general counsel for the Economic Stabilization Agency in Washington, D.C..
KACY mascot "KACY"
KACY mascot "KACY"
KACY mascot "KACY"
KACY mascot "KACY"
It's unknown who came up with the "Kacy" character for the mascot of KACY-TV. It was a cute idea, though.
(Doug Quick Collection-unknown source)
A couple of weeks later, Donze Broadcasting Co. filed the second application in early December 1952. In seeking channel 14, the company was already the owner of KJCF Radio in Festus. They proposed that their facility would broadcast at an effective radiated power of 3.28 kW from a 221-foot tower from a studio location one mile north of Festus on a county road at the site of KJCF Radio. The station would purchase a General Electric transmitter and antenna.
The construction costs were stated at $79,440, a small sum even for those days. It's assumed the TV station would be part of the existing radio station, which would include a minimum of changes to the building housing the radio station. The operating costs were set at $72,000 with an expected revenue of $84,000. The company comprised Donald M. Donze, the owner and general manager of KJCF, who owned 50% of the proposed television station. The other owner was Elmer L. Donze, who would own the other 50% of the television station.
Elmer Donze was listed as commercial manager, president, and treasurer of KSGM Radio in St. Genevieve, Missouri. It's unknown whether the relationship between the two was father-son, brother, or cousins. Both Donzes had other interests, including a third interest in the Hilltop Club(night club) and a third ownership in the Hilltop Drug Sundries store, both located in Perryville, Missouri.
Elmer Donze and his Donze Enterprises Inc., which owned and operated KSGM Radio in St. Genevieve, Missouri, would apply for channel 59 for Centralia, Illinois, in early February 1953. He was similarly frugal in his assessment of the building of his television station as well. His filing for channel 59 set his construction costs at $84,565, with first-year operating costs of $108,000 and first-year revenue of $120,000.
..and the Winner of Channel 14 is..
Ozark Television Corporation was permitted to operate a television station on channel 14 using the call letters KACY, from Festus, Missouri, in early January of 1953. A few other details regarding the future station were announced when granting the permit. The main mailing address of the company was listed as 702 Louderman Building in St. Louis, located at 317 North 11th Street. The studio and transmitter would be located about 3.5 miles west of Kimmswick, Missouri, about 20 miles southwest of St. Louis. General Electric would manufacture both the transmitter and the antenna.
The granting of channel 14 to Ozark on December 31, 1953, was the second granting of a UHF station for the St. Louis market. Signal Hill WTVI, Channel 54, was granted on November 20, 1952. Broadcast House, Inc. was granted channel 36 on January 15, 1953; the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (KFUO) was granted channel 30 on February 5, 1953; and WIL Radio was granted channel 42 on February 12, 1953.
This was the home of KACY-TV. This rather unattractive building contained the radio station and the TV station, and it was on a hill 3.5 miles west of Kimmswick, Missouri, about 20 miles southwest of St. Louis.
(photo from Ron Franciois collection)
KACY On-Air Target Date
There didn't seem to be much news from the KACY camp during the construction phase after the permit was granted on December 31, 1952. KACY engineers Don Francois and Leo Tevlin took many incredible color pictures of the facility's construction and final result. Some of those pictures (in black and white) are included in the KACY photo set. The color photos are included in a gallery on this page.
In mid-July, Broadcasting-Telecasting magazine included an article stating that the on-air date was sometime during the summer of 1953. In September, KACY's expected sign-on date was set as October 20, 1953. Viewers would have to wait even a little longer for sign-in around Thanksgiving 1953.
Ownership Changes for KACY
On September 23, 1953, the ownership of the television station KACY and its owner, Ozark TV Corporation, changed. The FCC granted a transfer of control from Carl G. McIntire to himself and 12 local professional and business men. The names of the 12 owners included Jack G. Garrison(15%), Philip L Sincoff(17.5%), Robert S. Kilker(2.8%), William E. Gallagher(2.8%), John E. Simon(7%) and Julian J. Sincoff(7%).
The restructuring of Ozark TV brought McIntire's company share down to 15% from 46%. It is unknown what caused the other prospective owners listed above to sell their shares or for McIntire to reduce his share. It is possible that among the 12 local professional and business men, the original owners may have still been involved, and more investors were brought in to help with additional construction costs.
Jack Garrison was appointed the company's president and KACY general manager. He was a twenty-year broadcasting veteran with experience at WJR Radio-Detroit, KMOX Radio-St. Louis. Louis. Louis. Louis. Louis, KWKH-Radio Shreveport, Louisiana, and KSD-TV-Channel 5, St. Louis. Carl McIntire was the vice president of Ozark Television and sales manager with over 15 years of experience with radio stations in Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri, and was employed at KSD-TV for seven years.
Other station personnel included Phillip Sincoff, treasurer; John Weber, production manager; Richard Dawson, national sales manager; and James Bonfils, local sales manager. From the engineering staff, Ron Francois, Leo Tevlin, and Ron's son, Don, have contributed information and pictures of KACY. The gallery of photos submitted to this website is below.
The KACY-TV studio building being constructed in early 1953. Photo from Ron Francois and Leo Tevlin.
The KACY-TV antenna's arrival to eventually top the tower. Photo from Ron Francois and Leo Tevlin.
Ron Francois behnd a camera at KACY-TV. Photo from Ron Francois and Leo Tevlin.
The KACY-TV studio building being constructed in early 1953. Photo from Ron Francois and Leo Tevlin.
This picture is of Jack Garrison and Carl G. McIntire, two of the original filers for channel 14's allocation.
(photo from Ron Franciois collection)
Attracting National and Regional Advertisers
In early January, a plan was implemented to put KACY ahead of the other St. Louis UHF television stations. KACY would host several New York City time buyers employed with the major advertising agencies at the television station. Those agencies included J. Walter Thompson, N.W. Ayer and Son, McCann-Erickson, Young and Rubicam, Russell Seeds-Chicago, Leo Burnett, Earle L. Ludgin and Company, and Foote Cone and Belding.
Ozark Television and the sales department at Paul H. Raymer hosted the buyers at the KACY studios and offices. The sales efforts seemed successful even before the promotional event in mid-January. The station listed several large national accounts already signed by Channel 14. The advertisers included Frigidaire, Republic Steel, Ford, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Falstaff Beer, Griesedieck Beer, Groves Labs, Philco Television, Shaler Corporation, Corneli Seed Company, and Monsanto.
Programming KACY without a network
It seemed evident that KACY hoped for CBS to clear several network programs on its primetime schedule. It's possible that KACY management was counting on the station eventually becoming a full-time CBS affiliate in St. Louis. It was also possible that the station would just utilize the additional network compensation before CBS would establish another VHF station as an affiliate. That revenue would keep the station afloat until the local/national ad revenue put the station in the black.
I would assume that the seemingly well-experienced Jack Garrison would know that the market would eventually get two more VHF stations. Each would be considered a future CBS, ABC, and/or DuMont affiliate.
Ozark Television also became the St. Louis outlet for the Unity Television Corporation of New York. The film company offered KACY a film package of over 80 titles. Among the film features were 20 Charlie Chan Mysteries, 20 all-star adventure movies, 20 foreign titles, and 20 Hollywood major feature films. Unity also owned the rights to 300 movies, 52 Laurel and Hardy comedies, 39 half-hour anthology programs, 125 cartoons, 40 western films, and 22 serials.
College Basketball on KACY
In early December of 1953, KACY announced coverage of the remaining twelve home games of the Washington University Bears basketball team. Griesedieck Brothers Brewing Company would sponsor it. The first game would be the Washington University-Southern Illinois University game, scheduled for December 9, 1953.
Other games would include: Purdue, Arkansas, Loyola of Chicago, Drake University, Utah State, Santa Barbara College, Indiana State Teachers College, Illinois College, and Western Michigan. Stretch Miller was the primary play-by-play announcer for the broadcasts. This was the first time an entire schedule of college basketball games was seen on a St. Louis television station.
Country Music Show, "Ozark Barn Dance," being broadcast from the KACY-TV studios. Photo from St. Louis Media History Foundation
St. Louis TV Preview magazine with details on KACY's "Cricket and Millie Show."
"The Sportsman's Club" appears to be another self produced TV show at KACY-TV.
Country Music Show, "Ozark Barn Dance," being broadcast from the KACY-TV studios. Photo from St. Louis Media History Foundation
Jack Garrison surrounded by management team at sales presentation event. Photo from Broadcasting/Telecasting
Story of the KACY sales event in January of 1954. Photo from Broadcasting/Telecasting
Ron Francois at KACY-TV, 1953.
Jack Garrison surrounded by management team at sales presentation event. Photo from Broadcasting/Telecasting
Ad from November 22, 1953 in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
From November 1953, ad from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
KACY-TV Promotional Ads from Broadcasting/Telecasting on January 10, 1954.
Ad from November 22, 1953 in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
KACY Failures Begin
By March 1954, KACY was not receiving the CBS network compensation anticipated by the management and ownership. The loss of network compensation was causing revenue shortfalls not anticipated by the station.
With the loss of the CBS revenue stream, Ozark Television filed a lawsuit against WTVI and CBS, asking for $844,282 in actual damages and $2,532,848 in treble damages under Federal antitrust laws. The action was filed on March 6, 1954, in St. Louis Federal Court. KACY charged that CBS and WTVI were involved in a conspiracy to prevent KACY from receiving CBS programs not cleared by KSD-TV.
Ozark Television had anticipated a $100,000 profit since going on the air in November, but had lost $244,282 in the first few months. The company claimed that as a result of the loss of CBS revenue, KACY's worth fell dramatically. The suit stated that the facility, which was originally worth $650,000, is now only worth $150,000 due to the conspiracy and business losses.
Ozark Television claimed KACY was in a much better position to pick up cleared CBS programming because the station was not a network affiliate, contractually free from other network commitments, and could guarantee time slots for CBS programs not carried by KSD-TV.
In late March 1954, a merger took place among applicants for channel 4 in St. Louis. KXOK and Missouri Valley TV Company.
Both competing companies would withdraw their applications, leaving KWK as the surviving applicant. KWK included options for the other two applicants to become stockholders in the newly merged company. If those options were assumed, KWK would be owned by the St. Louis Globe-Democrat(23%), Robert T. Convey and Associates(23%), KXOK Inc.(23%), KSTP Inc.(23%), and 3% by various St. Louis business interests, which, with that of KSTP, make up Missouri Valley TV.
At the same time, Elzey M. Roberts Jr., the president and minority stockholder of KXOK Inc., would divest his holdings with that company, which would become a part owner of KWK. After he sold his holdings in KWK, he purchased KXOK Radio with C. L. Thomas is the present general manager of KXOK Radio(5k, 630kc).
The timing of this action of KWK and the obvious granting of channel 4 to KWK was quite possibly the last straw for KACY. St. Louis would gain its second VHF station, and KACY would never see one dime from CBS now or in the future. KWK would become a CBS affiliate at least for a while. CBS was still trying to win the grant for channel 11. If CBS were to get channel 11, it would automatically become the CBS affiliate. Either way, KACY was the loser.
KACY goes dark
On Friday afternoon, April 2, 1954, KACY, Channel 14, ceased operation. The company filed a letter written by Robert S. Kilker, secretary of Ozark Television, to the FCC asking to remain dark pending “corporate reorganization.” The letter included the fact that the station had lost, “in excess of $250,000 in five months of operation.” The suspension was listed as “a lack of affiliation with CBS-TV.” The company would hold on to the construction permit for Channel 14 for 120 days before turning it back into the FCC.
KACY began broadcasting programming on November 25, 1953, and ended broadcasting on April 2, 1954, a life of just five months. In the late 1960s, channel 14 was allocated to Jacksonville, Illinois. That station also experienced a short life as WJJY-TV.
KACY Players
By chance, while researching material for another of the stations featured in this book, I came across a familiar name from the roster at KACY. Carl McIntire, one of the major players of this short-lived station, evidently had a future at KWK-TV. In an edition of TV Guide from 1955, he was listed as the weathercaster of a weekend newscast of KWK. Before his connection with KACY, he was also a weathercaster at KSD-TV in the late 40s into the very early 50s.
Ozark Broadcasting ended up suing CBS and WTVI because it felt that they teamed up to restrict KACY's income opportunities by preventing it from picking up pre-empted CBS programming from WTVI. The story also said KACY's studio was at 4010 Lindell Blvd in St. Louis. Actually, that was the station's business office; the studios were located some 20 miles away near Kimmswick, MO.
(from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
This was the home of KACY-TV. Here is what the former TV station looked like in 2013. It was on a hill 3.5 miles west of Kimmswick, Missouri, about 20 miles southwest of St. Louis.
(Google Earth)
Sources:
Broadcasting/Telecasting Magazine
Broadcasting Yearbook
Ron and Don Francois
Leo Tevlin
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Newspapers.com
Susan Soric
St. Louis Media History Foundation
Pinterest Contributors
"Pictures on the Prairie: The First Ten Years of Mid-Illinois Television" by Doug Quick