History New World Pictures

1 history

1.1 new world pictures (1970–1987)
1.2 new world entertainment (1987–1992)
1.3 new world communications (1992–1997)

1.3.1 affiliation agreement , merger fox

history
new world pictures (1970–1987)

the company founded on july 8, 1970, new world pictures, ltd.; co-founded b-movie director roger corman , brother gene, following departure american international pictures (aip). @ time, new world last remaining national low-budget film distributor, , 1 of successful independent companies in nation. corman hoped continue aip s formula @ new world, making low-budget films new talent , distributing them internationally. however, started out ten domestic offices, , 1 each in canada , united kingdom; films distributed regionally other companies.

new world made exploitation films such student nurses , other small-scale productions. corman helped launch filmmaking careers of jonathan demme (caged heat, crazy mama), jonathan kaplan (white line fever), ron howard (grand theft auto), paul bartel (death race 2000) , joe dante (piranha), of whom made of films interns company. new world released foreign films acclaimed directors such ingmar bergman (cries , whispers, autumn sonata), federico fellini (amarcord) , akira kurosawa (dersu uzala). distribution of such films conceived corman in effort disassociate new world exhibitor of exploitation films.

in 1983, corman sold new world larry kupin, harry e. sloan , larry a. thompson $16.5 million; 3 new owners decided take company public. corman retained film library, while new world acquired home video rights releases. in 1984, robert rehme--who formerly served chief executive officer of avco embassy pictures , universal pictures , had worked new world vice president of sales in 1970s--returned company new ceo. later year thompson left company form own firm. in 1983, macandrews acquired technicolor inc.

in 1984, company created 3 new divisions: new world international, handle distribution of new world s productions outside united states; new world television, production unit focusing on television programs (the first television programs produced unit soap opera santa barbara , made-for-tv movie playing fire); , new world video, handle home video distribution of films produced new world pictures. in may 1986, new world acquired post-production facility lions gate studios $4.4 million. november company acquired marvel entertainment group (meg), corporate parent of marvel comics. 1987, company sold shares in taft broadcasting $17.8 million.

new world entertainment (1987–1992)

in 1987, new world acquired independent film studio highgate pictures , learning corporation of america. time new world pictures changed name new world entertainment better reflect range of subsidiaries besides film studio, including purchase of marvel comics. year new world purchased 2 toy companies, kenner products , mattel, both planned acquisitions never materialized (although hasbro acquire kenner in 1991). in fall of 1987, new world became third in list of prime time series producers network after lorimar-telepictures , mca. in 1988, michael mann, executive producer of hour-long syndicated program crime story, filed lawsuit against new world.

around time, new world faced major financial slump , company began restructuring itself. facing insolvency, management appealed new world s principal lender, ge capital, comprehensive debt restructuring, have wiped out company s equity , left ge holding 90% ownership stake. ge demurred, preferring insolvency workout, , tried force company file chapter 11 bankruptcy. equity firm, sloan , kupin, instead pursued aggressive program of divestitures , sales, yielded substantial profit management while leaving debt holders struggling. began sale of marvel entertainment group andrews group (run financier ronald perelman) in 1989; marvel productions excluded sale. in ironic twist, perelman acquired new world entertainment, 4 star television becoming unit of company, later year. bulk of film , home video holdings sold in january 1990 trans-atlantic pictures, newly formed production company founded consortium of former new world executives. highgate pictures , learning corporation of america shut down in 1990. on october 7, 1991, new world sold of network assets sony pictures entertainment. television programs produced new world such santa barbara , wonder years remain in production company until cancellations in 1993; new world not return producing programs major broadcast television networks until 1995.

in december of year, new world formed 2 new divisions, new world family filmworks , new world action animation, increase production growing family market $20 million; marvel productions president rick ungar appointed head 2 divisions. following marvel entertainment group s acquisition of toybiz in 1993, company s ceo avi arad named president , ceo of both new world family filmworks , marvel films, new unit formed joint venture between marvel , new world (which included animation studio, marvel films animation); marvel productions renamed new world animation in 1993.

new world communications (1992–1997)

in 1992, perelman purchased sci television george gillett, acquiring company s 7 television stations: cbs affiliates waga-tv (channel 5) in atlanta, wjbk-tv (channel 2) in detroit, wjw-tv (channel 8) in cleveland, witi-tv (channel 6) in milwaukee , wtvt (channel 13) in tampa; nbc affiliate knsd (channel 39) in san diego; , independent station wsbk-tv (channel 38) in boston. included in purchase library of storer-owned syndication firm blair entertainment, had bought in 1985. sci had undergone several corporate restructurings following 1987 purchase gillett communications kohlberg kravis roberts (which, in turn, had acquired stations former parent storer communications in 1985). earlier in decade, group--then known gci broadcast services, inc.--had restructured after defaulting on of financing agreements. eventually, renamed, sci ran severe financial problems , filed chapter 11 bankruptcy in late 1992. sci folded new world, following completion of purchase of group perelman in summer of 1993.

in 1993, new world entertainment purchased ownership stakes in syndication distribution company genesis entertainment through 4 star television , made direct purchase of infomercial production company, guthy-renker. asset expansion, company changed name new world communications.

the company expanded broadcasting holdings in january 1994 purchase of argyle television--a company partially related argyle television holdings ii, merged hearst broadcasting form hearst-argyle television in 1997--acquiring 4 stations: cbs affiliates ktbc-tv (channel 7) in austin, tx, , kdfw-tv (channel 4) in dallas; nbc affiliate wvtm-tv (channel 13) in birmingham, al; , abc affiliate ktvi (channel 2) in st. louis. in february new world acquired 4 of 6 television stations owned citicasters: abc affiliates wbrc-tv (channel 6) in birmingham , wghp-tv (channel 8) in high point, nc; nbc affiliate wdaf-tv (channel 4) in kansas city, mo; , cbs affiliate ksaz-tv (channel 10) in phoenix. citicasters retained ownership of abc affiliates wkrc-tv (channel 12) in cincinnati, oh, , wtsp (channel 10) in st. petersburg, fl; in latter case new world decided against buying wtsp, wtvt had higher viewership of 2 stations , market-wide signal coverage (wtsp s analog signal did not adequately cover southern sections of tampa-st. petersburg market, transmitter short-spaced avoid interfering signal of miami abc affiliate wplg, both stations broadcast on vhf channel 10; because of reason, abc has long maintained secondary tampa affiliate in sarasota-based wwsb).

the concurrent purchases of wbrc , wghp posed issues as, @ time, federal communications commission (fcc) allowed single company own maximum of 12 television stations nationwide (the argyle , citicasters purchases, combined 7 stations earlier acquired sci television, have given new world total of 15 stations) , in case of birmingham, new world not keep wbrc , wvtm in event, fcc forbade common ownership of 2 television stations in same market. result, following completion of citicasters station purchases in late march 1995, new world placed wbrc , wghp in blind trust , sought buyers both stations.

affiliation agreement , merger fox

the biggest deal involving new world communications aid in changing face of american broadcasting. in wake of fox s landmark $1.58-billion deal national football league (nfl) on december 17, 1993, awarded television rights national football conference (nfc) beginning league s 1994 season, network began seeking agreements various station groups affiliate vhf stations had established histories affiliates of big 3 broadcast television networks (abc, cbs , nbc) , therefore had higher value advertisers (compared predominately uhf affiliate body, vast majority of independent stations before joining network), in effort bolster network s newly acquired package of nfl game telecasts.

shortly after citicasters acquisition announcement, on may 23, 1994, new world communications , fox reached multi-year affiliation agreement in new world switch of television stations network beginning fall. deal include of stations new world in midst of acquiring argyle , citicasters, of affected stations joining fox after existing affiliation contracts then-current network partners concluded (wdaf-tv , ksaz-tv first switch on september 12, 1994, when fox televised inaugural regular-season nfl games; kdfw, ktbc , ktvi switched on july 1, 1995, while 3 of other stations remained under new world ownership switched on either december 11 or 12, 1994). in exchange, fox parent news corporation agreed purchase 20% interest in new world $500 million. new world approached fox in part due group s expanding presence in several primary , secondary markets of nfc teams (including of dallas cowboys, tampa bay buccaneers, green bay packers, detroit lions, atlanta falcons , arizona cardinals; st. louis , greensboro-winston-salem-high point respectively become nfl markets in 1995 relocation of rams los angeles , foundation of charlotte-based carolina panthers). new world, meanwhile, concerned effect network s loss of nfc rights fox have on both cbs, near bottom of network ratings @ time, , on group s cbs-affiliated stations.

the stations became fox affiliates had acquire or produce additional programming fill broadcast days, fox programmed fewer hours of network content (prime time programming 2 hours on monday through saturdays , 3 hours on sundays, monday through saturday children s block fox kids, , hour of late night programming on saturdays) 3 established major network competitors; on top of that, of new world stations (with ktvi later becoming lone exception) declined carry fox kids block, peculiarity @ time when abc, nbc , cbs affiliates still pre-empting portions of network s children s program lineups. time vacated news programs, daytime shows , children s programs each station s former network filled additional syndicated programming and, in particular, local newscasts (with morning newscasts expanding 1 2 hours , early-evening newscasts half-hour; majority of stations--except ktbc, initially, until launched hour-long 9:00 p.m. newscast in august 2000--also carried newscast in final hour of prime time). deal whole (as second affiliation agreement struck 1 month after new world deal through purchase of 4 burnham broadcasting stations sf broadcasting, joint venture savoy pictures) caused domino effect resulted in various individual , group affiliation deals involving 4 networks (primarily, cbs , abc) affecting television stations in 30 media markets, including several new world did not own station.

three new world stations excluded fox affiliation deal. in boston, new world owned wsbk-tv, fox affiliated wfxt (channel 25), network later re-acquire boston celtics in july 1995 (besides that, wsbk--like wfxt--was uhf station no prior history major network station , no existing news department, unlike vast majority of sister stations). wvtm exempted in birmingham, as, in summer of 1995, new world sold wbrc wghp fox television stations, wbrc switching fox after affiliation contract abc expired on august 31, 1996 (fox s purchases of wbrc , wghp--the latter of switched network when contract abc expired on september 1, 1995--were finalized on january 17, 1996). knsd (also uhf station) did not switch fox affiliated vhf station in san diego market, tijuana, mexico-based xetv-tv (channel 6, later cw affiliate , canal 5 station targeting tijuana). both knsd , wvtm retained nbc affiliations. new world planned sell 3 stations well, in order comply fcc s twelve-station ownership limit. in november 1994, new world sold wsbk-tv paramount stations group subsidiary of viacom (which turned charter affiliate of united paramount network (upn), new network launched on january 16, 1995, in partnership viacom subsidiary paramount television).

meanwhile, transfer/assignment applications of argyle stations not filed fcc until time after new world had completed purchases of 4 citicasters stations on september 9 , october 12, 1994 (the former being consummation date wdaf , ksaz purchases, , latter wghp , wbrc purchases). new world began operating argyle stations through time brokerage agreements on january 19, 1995; acquisition of argyle stations completed on april 14, following trust transfers of wbrc , wghp.

later year brandon tartikoff, helped nbc out of ratings doldrums in 1980s in former role president of entertainment @ nbc, joined new world communications in executive position; concurrently, new world acquired tartikoff s production company moving target productions. new world acquired remaining interest in genesis entertainment, expanded upon new world s production assets television distribution (genesis subsequently renamed new world-genesis distribution following closure of purchase).

later in 1995, company signed distribution deal nbc (access hollywood, distributed nbcuniversal television distribution, program came out of agreement) in exchange renewing nbc affiliations wvtm , knsd in ten-year deals. year saw acquisitions of cannell entertainment , entertainment magazine premiere (the latter of purchased in joint venture between new world , hachette filipacchi media u.s., assumed new world s interest following merger news corporation). in may 1996, new world sold wvtm , knsd nbc television stations $425 million; 2 stations became owned-and-operated stations of nbc when deal became final on august 14.

on july 17, 1996, fox parent news corporation announced acquire remainder of new world communications $2.48 billion in stock. when merger news corporation finalized on january 22, 1997, former new world television stations transferred fox television stations subsidiary, turning former group s twelve fox affiliates owned-and-operated stations of network, joining wghp , wbrc. new world communications name has lived on since stations involved in purchase remain under fox television stations ownership, under names new world communications of (city or state) or nw communications of (city or state) , used solely in copyright tags seen during closing of each station s newscasts (except 2007 june 2009 result of fox s december 2007 sale of 8 owned-and-operated stations--including former new world stations wjw, ktvi, wdaf-tv, witi-tv, wbrc , wghp--to local tv, merge tribune broadcasting in december 2013) , since late june 2009, in fcc license filings legal licensee names these stations.