Complex sentence: KPLR turned down an offer to affiliate with the upstart Fox network in 1986, choosing to remain an independent station instead; the Fox affiliation for the market went to KDNL, when that network launched on October 9 of that year.
Split into simpler sentences: KPLR turned down an offer to affiliate with the upstart Fox network in 1986, choosing to remain an independent station instead. The Fox affiliation for the market went to KDNL when that network launched on October 9 of that year.