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KTBY Channel 4 has weathered hard financial times a highly competitive market to become one of independent television stations in the nation.
KTBY has more than doubled its revenues since 1988 and is rivaling ABC affiliate KIMO Channel 13 as the third most watched television station in Anchorage.
Not bad for a station that went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy just four years ago to protect the station from creditors who wanted the budding business to satisfy real estate debts incurred by owner Ron Bradley.
"They've done a terrific job under difficult circumstances," said David Ferrara, FOX network's vice president for national affiliates.
Based on its share of Anchorage's prime-time viewing audience, KTBY is ranked sixth among FOX's 137 affiliates nationwide, surpassed only by Las Vegas, New York, Sacramento, Cincinnati and San Francisco.
Among the roughly 300 independent stations, including FOX affiliates, KTBY consistently ranks in the top 10 percent nationwide.
The latest Nielson ratings for the Anchorage viewing market gave KTBY an 11 percent sbare, just four points behind KIMO and its powerful network umbrella.
KTUU Channel 2 (NBC) garnered a hefty 30 percent of the latest Nielson ratings, while the third major network affiliate, KTVA Channel 11 (CBS), collected 19 percent of the local viewing audience. KAKM public television, a non-commercial station, was credited with 4 percent of the market. Only 2 percent of the viewers tuned into KYES Channel 5, Anchorage's newest independent station.
Last July KTBY, located at 1840 South Bragaw, surpassed all Anchorage television stations in ratings for the 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. time slot.
But success for KTBY and Bradley did not come without a great deal of financial toll and a large dose of perseverance.
A former land developer and property manager, the...