<P> In 1979, KBSC dropped all entertainment programming from its schedule and began running ONTV 20 hours a day, allocating four hours of its remaining schedule to carry religious and public affairs programs . After the FCC repealed a law in late 1982 that required television stations offering a subscription service to broadcast at least 20 hours a week of unencrypted programming, KBSC began running ONTV 24 hours a day . At its peak, the service had just over 430,000 subscribers . ONTV merged its Los Angeles operations in 1985, with SelecTV, a similar service that was carried on KWHY (channel 22, now a Spanish - language independent station). However, the merger could not forestall the technological changes that made the service obsolete: ONTV's popularity declined as cable television became more widely available in the area, with the service ceasing operations in 1985 . </P> <P> ONTV began broadcasting in Chicago in 1980; airing over WSNS - TV (channel 44), the service competed directly with Spectrum, a similar service owned by United Cable . Initially, WSNS--then operating as an independent station--continued to maintain a general entertainment programming format until 7: 00 p.m. on weekdays and on weekends until 3: 00 p.m. In the fall of 1981, WSNS extended its transmission of ONTV programming by two hours on weekdays (now starting at 5: 00 p.m.) and by three hours on weekends (to 12: 00 p.m.). </P> <P> In January 1982, WSNS began carrying ONTV for 20 hours per day . After the maximum daily requirement for an encrypted signal to be broadcast over-the - air was repealed & after the service's name change as a result of it acquiring Spectrum's subscriber list, WSNS began carrying On Subscription Television programming on a 24 - hour basis in January 1983 . On Subscription Television ceased operations in May 1985, largely due to the long - awaited entrance of cable television service into the area . Chicago was the last market where On Subscription Television ended service as a result of protracted debates by the Chicago City Council over how to divide the market for cable distribution in order to avoid a single provider monopolizing service . </P> <P> Another unique characteristic of ONTV's Chicago service was that it was the only over-the - air "subscription television" service worldwide that owned and distributed multiple pay networks within one market . In addition to being an ONTV affiliate, WSNS also distributed Sportsvision from March 1982 to December 1983 . In addition, WFBN (channel 66, now Univision owned - and - operated station WGBO - DT) carried the rebranded ON Subscription Television from late 1983 to early 1984, before the station adopted a music video format (which subsequently flipped to a general entertainment independent format). This third expansion effort was unique to Chicago due to their pennies - to - the - dollar purchase of Spectrum's subscriber base following that service's bankruptcy filing in 1983 . At that point in time, ONTV had no financial capability to expand to a third network in any other market because it was suffering, like its competitors, from the imminent threat of cable television encroaching on their service territories nationwide . </P>

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