TV STATION VETOES SWAP : PUBLIC TV STATION VETOES $50-MILLION CHANNEL SWAP

A public television station has rejected a $50-million offer from another station to swap channels, saying it would take more than that to persuade it to give up its desirable spot on the dial.

KBHK-TV, an independent station at Channel 44, had offered the money to trade its UHF slot for public television station KQED-TV’s VHF position at Channel 9.

VHF, or very high frequency, covers Channels 2 through 13 and is considered more attractive than UHF--ultra high frequency--because of viewer popularity, easy access, cheaper equipment and stronger signals.

“There are sufficient reasons to hang onto our signal, unless an awful lot of money is offered,” said KQED President and General Manager Anthony Tiano. “Fifty mill, in my opinion, is not an awful lot of money in a market where Channel 4 was turning down offers--when it was briefly up for sale--of, what, $150 million to $200 million?”

KQED has a $16-million operating budget this year, which includes not only Channel 9 but its UHF station, KQEC, and its FM radio station.