Fox Television Stations
 |
|
| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Broadcast television |
| Predecessor |
Metromedia New World Communications United Television BHC Communications |
| Founded | April 1986 |
| Founder |
Rupert Murdoch Barry Diller |
| Headquarters | New York City, USA |
|
Area served
|
United States Canada |
|
Key people
|
Jack Abernethy, CEO |
| Owner | Fox Entertainment Group |
| Parent | 21st Century Fox |
| Divisions |
|
| Website | 21st Century Fox |
Fox Television Stations, Inc. (FTS; alternately Fox Television Stations Group, Inc.), is a group of television stations located within the United States which are owned-and-operated by the Fox Broadcasting Company, a subsidiary of the Fox Entertainment Group, part of 21st Century Fox. Until it moved to Spike in the 2013-14 season, FTS produced the first 25 seasons of Fox's program COPS (through Fox Television Stations Productions [FTSP]), and also oversees the MyNetworkTV service and a half-interest in the Movies! digital subchannel network, which is shared with Weigel Broadcasting.
FTS was formed in April 1986 after the acquisition of the Metromedia-owned independent stations by the 20th Century Fox film studio, at the time jointly owned by Australian media mogul Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, and Denver-based billionaire Marvin Davis. These stations would later become the basis of the Fox Broadcasting Company, which launched in October 1986. Not long after the Metromedia deal was made, Murdoch purchased Davis's shares and News Corporation assumed complete control of 20th Century Fox.
Initially, FTS was a semi-autonomous unit in which News Corporation owned over 99 percent of the equity but only 24 percent of the voting power; the balance was held personally by Murdoch.Federal Communications Commission regulations of that era prohibited foreign interests or non-American citizens from controlling more than 25 percent of an FCC-licensed broadcast station. Though News Corporation was still based in Australia, Murdoch had become a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1985, and the nominal transfer of a majority voting interest to Murdoch was sufficient to get around this hurdle. The quirk was removed permanently when News Corporation reincorporated in the U.S. in 2004. The Fox Broadcasting Company itself and affiliated cable channels were not affected by these regulations.
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Wikipedia