Permitting and construction As early as the mid-1960s, several groups analyzed applying for one of Topeka's two unused
UHF channels, 43 and 49. Topeka Television, Inc., had applied for channel 43 and sold a stake to Starr Broadcasting, but its application was denied by a
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) hearing examiner on financial grounds in October 1967. The
Kansas State Network had submitted and withdrawn earlier that year an application for channel 49. In 1976,
KQTV of
St. Joseph, Missouri, an
ABC affiliate, filed to start a semi-satellite on channel 43 in Topeka. This application was opposed by Topeka's second station,
KTSB (channel 27), who felt that Topeka was too large under FCC policy for this kind of partial-service station. The FCC moved to dismiss the application in May 1978 on the grounds that the channel 43 facility and KQTV had impermissible signal overlap. Capcom, a limited partnership containing about 20 investors mostly from Kansas including
Gale Sayers, applied in late 1979 to the FCC for channel 49. The lead investor was Gerald Paul Smeyak, whose interest had been piqued by a prior application for channel 43 and by the ability of Topeka to support a third commercial station. On May 14, 1980, a second application for channel 49 was filed at the FCC by Mid America Broadcasting of Topeka, a consortium of five Kansas investors including former state senator
Cale Hudson and his brother Larry, a cable system owner. On November 13, 1981, Capcom formally withdrew, and the FCC issued Mid America Broadcasting a
construction permit. The investors made substantial progress toward constructing the station in late 1982, including obtaining
industrial revenue bonds from the city of Topeka, receiving approval for their tower site in
Shawnee County, and leasing a building at 1st and Monroe streets. KLDH-TV began broadcasting June 20, 1983, as an affiliate of ABC. Select ABC programs had been split between
CBS affiliate
WIBW-TV (channel 13) and
NBC affiliate KTSB, but WIBW had not aired any ABC sporting events since January 1982 in deference to increasing offerings from its primary network. Channel 49's launch marked the first time that many non-cable households in the region had access to the full network lineup. The station had 55 staff members and debuted with 6 and 10 p.m. local newscasts. General manager Jim Thompson hoped that, with three local outlets, viewing of Topeka stations in outer counties in the region would increase, potentially adding households to the Topeka market.
Bankruptcy and tower collapse Months after going on the air, a dispute among shareholders in Mid America Broadcasting of Kansas erupted. In state court in
Chanute, the four minority stockholders—including Cale Hudson—sued Larry D. Hudson and the secretary-treasurer in the firm in an effort to prevent them from issuing more stock and thus diluting their interests. Because of the dispute tying up the company's liquidity, on November 18, 1983—less than five months after starting—the company filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. While this matter was pending, a second setback befell KLDH. On March 19, 1984, Topeka was hit with what was described as one of its worst ice storms in recent years; a later ranking by the
National Weather Service in
Wichita placed it fourth-worst all time behind three events in the 2000s. The station's mast collapsed under the weight of of ice, buckling within the lower stretch. The station did not return to the air until April 15, when it was able to put out a reduced-power signal from a temporary tower. By then, the damage had been done. KLDH laid off half its staff, including the entire news team. Most of the news employees took new jobs at stations from
Fairbanks, Alaska, to
Fort Wayne, Indiana. The loss of the tower and of revenue from broadcasting commercials was a financial blow to KLDH. By early April, Mid America Broadcasting had only $8,000 in cash reserves and had to receive approval for access to cash from the bankruptcy judge. After warnings that a liquidation may be necessary, in May, a trustee was appointed to oversee the struggling station's affairs. David Segal, a retired broadcast executive, was authorized by the bankruptcy court to take offers for KLDH and received at least five bids. Some bidders shied away from the station because of its issues.
Chronicle Broadcasting, owner of
KAKE-TV—the ABC affiliate in
Wichita—did due diligence and passed. Ron Loewen, KAKE's general manager, believed the $6 million valuation being sought was too high given KLDH's indebtedness and competitive standing. It had to fight for viewers and advertisers against the dominant WIBW-TV and the Kansas City stations (Kansas City ABC affiliate
KMBC-TV was on Topeka cable as late as 2013). Additionally, Topeka was a slower-growth area, and KLDH had few assets eligible to be
written off. The sole bidder to present an offer was none other than Larry D. Hudson, who conditioned a purchase on dismissal of the various lawsuits against the station. The bankruptcy court approved the sale to Hudson in November 1984, at the same time that construction on the replacement tower was completed. Its losses during the time it was in bankruptcy averaged $130,000 a month and totaled $1.5 million for 1984. Hudson took control of the station in February 1985. ==KTKA: Brechner ownership==