Before the
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 
Washington, D.C. 20554
FCC 96-100
In re Applications of
ROY M. SPEER
(Transferor)
and
SILVER MANAGEMENT COMPANY
(Transferee)
For Transfer of Control of
SKIL Broadcasting Partnership, 
Licensee of WEHS-TV, Aurora, IL
SKDA Broadcasting Partnership, 
Licensee of KHSX-TV, Irving, TX
SKHO Broadcasting Partnership, 
Licensee of KHSH-TV, Alvin, TX
SKMD Broadcasting Partnership, 
Licensee of WHSW-TV, Baltimore, MD
SKNJ Broadcasting Partnership, 
Licensee of WHSE-TV, Newark, NJ, 
WHSI-TV, Smithtown, NY, and 
W60AI, New York, NY
SKOH Broadcasting Partnership, 
Licensee of WQHS-TV, Cleveland, OH
SKLA Broadcasting Partnership, 
Licensee of KHSC-TV, Ontario, CA
SKVI Broadcasting Partnership, 
Licensee of WHSP-TV, Vineland, NJ
SKFL Broadcasting Partnership, 
Licensee of WYHS-TV, Hollywood, FL
) File Nos: BTCCT-950913KG 
BTCCT-950913KE 
BTCCT-950913KF 
BTCCT-950913KH
BTCCT-950913KJ
BTCCT-950913KK
BTCTTL-950913KQ
BTCCT-950913KL 
BTCCT-950913KM 
BTCCT-950913KN 
BTCCT-950913KO
14684
SKTA Broadcasting Partnership, 
Licensee of WBHS-TV, Tampa. FL
North Central LPTV, Inc.. 
Licensee of W13BN. Columbus. OH. 
K21OD. St. Louis. MO 
K26CR. Kansas City. MO 
W33AY, Springfield. IL 
W39BH. Champaign. IL 
W64BM. Toledo. OH 
K35CY. Minneapolis, MN 
K41DD. Des Moines, IA
South Central LPTV, Inc., 
Licensee of K15DD, Witchita, KS 
K14IE, New Orleans, LA 
K67FD, Shreveport, LA 
K39CW, Tulsa, OK
Southeast LPTV, Inc.,
Licensee of W24BF, St. Petersburg, FL
W24AL, Atlanta, GA
W56CM, Knoxville, TN
W36AJ, Jacksonville, FL
W58CD, Raleigh, NC
W52BF, Mobile, AL
W34BI, Birmingham, AL
W31BB, Pensacola, FL
Northeast LPTV, Inc.,
Licensee of W17BH, Huntington, WV
W56CP, Roanoke, VA
W56CS, Portsmouth, VA
West LPTV, Inc.,
Licensee of K21CX, Tucson, AZ
K14IF, Spokane, WA
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ORDER
BTCCT-950913KP
BTCTTL- 
BTCTTL 
BTCTTL 
BTCTTL 
BTCTTL 
BTCTTL 
BTCTTL 
BTCTTL
950913KR 
950913KS 
950913KT 
950913KU 
950913KV 
950913KW 
950913KX 
950913KY
BTCTTL-950913KZ 
BTCTTL-950913LA 
BTCTTL-950913LB 
BTCTTL-950913LC
BTCTTL- 
BTCTTL- 
BTCTTL BTCTTL- 
BTCTTL BTCTTL- 
BTCTTL 
BTCTTL-
950913LD
950913LE
950913LF
 950913LG
950913LH
950913LI
950913U
950913LK
BTCTTL-950913LL 
BTCTTL-950913LM 
BTCTTL-950913LN
BTCTTL-950913LO 
BTCTTL-950913LP
Adopted: March 11, 1996 
By the Commission:
Released: March 11, 1996
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1. The Commission is today releasing a Memorandum Opinion and Order, FCC 96-89. in 
the above-captioned proceedings, granting consent to the transfer of control of Silver King 
Communications. Inc. (Silver King), from Roy M. Speer to Silver Management Company 
(Silver Management). On our own motion, for the reasons stated below, we hereby stay the 
effectiveness of that Order pending further Commission action.
2. On March 6, 1996, the same day that the Commission adopted its Order granting 
consent to the transfer of control of Silver King, Urban Broadcasting Corporation (Urban) 
filed an informal objection to the Silver King applications raising serious allegations which, if 
substantiated, might adversely affect Silver King's qualifications to remain a licensee. Urban 
is the licensee of WTMW(TV), Channel 14, Arlington, Virginia, whose controlling 
shareholder of record is Theodore White. Silver King holds a substantial non-voting equity 
interest in Urban, provides the vast majority of Urban's programming pursuant to a network 
affiliation agreement, and is a substantial creditor of Urban. In its objection, which was 
signed by White, Urban alleges that:
[cjontrary to the passive, non-voting interest in Urban that Silver King has 
represented to the Commission, Silver King has in fact knowingly and willfully 
violated the Commission's rules by expending millions of dollars to construct and 
operate WTMW(TV) by bypassing Urban's majority and sole voting shareholder, 
Theodore White, often times without even consulting Urban after the fact for 
decisions made by Silver King in constructing the station's facilities. . . . Silver King 
retained engineers, purchased broadcast equipment and incurred substantial financial 
obligations to construct the station, all without obtaining the prior approval of 
Urban. ...
Silver King has exercised an impermissible degree of influence over WTMW(TV) and 
affected Urban's financial, personnel and programming decisions. . . .
Urban asserts that within 10 days of filing its informal objection, it will supplement that 
filing with documentary evidence substantiating its claims.
3. Urban's allegations potentially raise serious issues of misrepresentation and/or lack of 
candor to the Commission by both Urban and Silver King, as well as suggest violation of 
Section 310(d) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. §310(d), which 
prohibits the transfer of control of a licensee without prior Commission approval. Such 
issues bear directly on the character, and thus the basic qualifications, of Urban and of Silver 
King. No allegations of misconduct or impropriety have been raised concerning Silver 
Management, the buyer in this transaction, or its principals. As a general rule, however, the 
Commission has required not only the buyer, but the seller as well, to be qualified before 
granting its consent to the transfer of broadcast licenses. Jefferson Radio Co. v. FCC, 340 
F.2d 781 (D.C. Cir. 1984). This policy is broadly grounded on the need to deter licensee 
misconduct. See 1400 Corp., 4 FCC 2d 715, 716 (1966), modified, 1 FCC 2d 517 (1967) 
(Licensees must "be held accountable for their stewardship and will not be permitted to evade
14686
the consequences of their misconduct or abuse of a license by selling the station. . . ."). 
Given the nature and the source of the allegations against Silver King, we find it necessary to 
defer the effectiveness of our decision granting consent to the transfer of control of Silver 
King so that we may investigate these allegations and assess their impact on our 
determination that the transferor in this proceeding is qualified.
4. We shall consider Urban's informal objection as a petition for reconsideration of the 
Silver King transfer decision which we are releasing today and which we stay by this Order. 
We will, therefore, afford the applicants in this proceeding, Roy M. Speer and Silver 
Management Company, a period not to exceed ten (10) days from the date Urban files its 
supplemental information, as described in paragraph 5, below, in which to file oppositions to 
Urban's objection; in the event Urban does not supplement its objection, the applicants 
should file any opposition they wish to submit not later than March 25, 1996. Urban will be 
afforded seven (7) days after the date of filing of any oppositions in which to reply to such 
oppositions. 47 C.F.R. §1.106(g) and (h). Jovon Broadcasting Corporation (Jovon), 
licensee of WJYS(TV), Hammond, Indiana, and a petitioner to deny the captioned Silver 
King transfer applications, remains a party to this proceeding and may file whatever initial 
comments it believes are appropriate during the opposition pleading period. Other named 
parties may reply to Jovon's comments within seven (7) days of their filing. Anthony Pharr, 
Jeffra Becknell, and the Washington Area Citizens Coalition Interested in Viewers' 
Constitutional Rights (Citizens Coalition, collectively), are parties to a separate, pending 
proceeding involving WTMW(TV) in which issues directly parallel to those raised in Urban's 
informal objection have been joined. See File No. BAPCT-890418KF. We will, therefore, 
consider all parties to that pending proceeding to be panics to this proceeding. Conversely, 
we will consider all parties to this proceeding to be parties to the pending WTMW(TV) 
proceeding. Accordingly, we will afford Citizens Coalition the same pleading opportunity as 
that afforded Jovon. Other named parties may reply to any Citizens Coalition pleading 
within seven (7) days of its filing. Finally, pursuant to Section 1.1208 of the Commission's 
rules, 47 C.F.R. §1.1208, we will consider this proceeding to be a restricted proceeding for 
purposes of our ex parte rules.
5. We believe that fairness to the parties and our own interest in the integrity of our 
processes counsel an expeditious resolution of the issues raised by Urban's belated objection. 
Accordingly, we direct Urban to file any supplemental documentary evidence or further 
comment that it wishes to submit in this matter not later than March 15, 1996, and to serve 
copies of any materials which it files on the parties named herein by hand or facsimile. 
Oppositions and replies should be similarly served.
6. Accordingly, pursuant to §1.106(n) of our Rules, 47 C.F.R. §1.106(n), the 
effectiveness of the Memorandum Opinion and Order, FCC 96-89, issued in connection with
14687
the above-captioned applications and released today. IS HEREBY STAYED, pending further 
Commission Order.
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
. Caton 
Acting Secretary
14688