However, the new ventures, designed to brace for potential cuts to federal support of public broadcasting, caused expenses to soar, and the station was unable to attract tenants to fill the rest of the  building. By late 1996, WKPC-TV had accrued $4 million in debts. Tom Dorsey, television and radio writer for The Courier-Journal, noted that "it was always too busy paying the bills to do much local programming".
In contrast to expectations, the new projects designed to safeguard the station against potential losses from reduced federal support of public broadcasting led to significant financial difficulties, and the station struggled to secure tenants for the vacant space. By late 1996, WKPC-TV had incurred $4 million in debt. Tom Dorsey, television and radio writer for The Courier-Journal, observed that "it was always too consumed by paying bills to devote much time to local programming".