Channel 64 soon ran into financial trouble. In April 1986, the station almost went off air after United Cable, which had retained a 10 percent stake after the 1984 sale to Channel 64 Joint Venture, sued the other partners, who refused to accept funding provided by the company to keep the station going. In a proceeding that saw the appointment of general manager Stephen A. Kent as receiver, it was revealed that the station owed more than $175,000 to program suppliers and had less than $5,000 in the bank. A Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing soon followed; the lengthy battle, marked by conflicts between United and the other partners, as well as cable penetration in the market, hurt the station, which had to exit several programming contracts. Talks with several potential buyers, including the Home Shopping Network, continued; Gerald J. Robinson, owner of the Cincinnati Gardens arena, made an offer, but it was ultimately United Cable that won out, immediately reselling the station to a consortium that included itself and two other investors.