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                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549


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                                    FORM 8-K

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              Current Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
                       Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (1)



       Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): January 7, 2003


                        ALLBRITTON COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)






       Delaware              Commission file number:         74-180-3105
    (State or other                 333-02302               (I.R.S. employer
     jurisdiction of                                         identification no.)
     incorporation or
     organization)


                          808 Seventeenth Street, N.W.
                                    Suite 300
                           Washington, D.C. 20006-3910
                    (Address of principal executive offices)


Registrant's telephone number, including area code: 202-789-2130


(1) Pursuant to Section 15(d) of the  Securities  and Exchange Act of 1934,  the
Company's duty to file reports is automatically  suspended as a result of having
fewer  than  300  holders  of  record  of  each  class  of its  debt  securities
outstanding  as of October 1, 2002,  but the Company  agreed  under the terms of
certain long-term debt to continue these filings.



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ITEM 5.  Other Events and Regulation FD Disclosure

     On January 7,  2003,  Allbritton  Communications  Company  (the  "Company")
accepted for payment an aggregate of $255,576,000 principal amount of its 9 3/4%
Senior  Subordinated  Debentures  due  2007  (the  "Debentures")  that  had been
tendered pursuant to the Company's previously announced tender offer and consent
solicitation for the Debentures (the "Offer").

     The Offer  included  the  solicitation  of consents to amend the  indenture
pursuant  to  which  the   Debentures   were  issued  to   eliminate  or  modify
substantially  all the  restrictive  covenants  and  certain  events of  default
contained in the indenture.  As previously  announced,  holders of a majority in
principal  amount of the  Debentures  had  consented  to the  amendments  to the
indenture.  The  Company's  acceptance  for payment of the  tendered  Debentures
caused  the  amendments  to the  indenture  described  in the  Offer  to  become
effective  as of  January  7,  2003,  and  the  indenture  as  modified  by such
amendments  is binding on holders of Debentures  who did not tender  pursuant to
the Offer.

     The Company made payment for the tendered  Debentures from the net proceeds
of its sale of $275,000,000 principal amount of 7 3/4% Senior Subordinated Notes
that were issued on December 20, 2002.

     The Company  has called for  redemption  on January 21, 2003 all  remaining
outstanding  Debentures  at a  redemption  price of $1,039 per $1,000  principal
amount of Debentures,  which is the applicable redemption price set forth in the
indenture.  This report does not  constitute  a call for  redemption,  which has
already been made in accordance with the indenture.




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                                   SIGNATURES



Pursuant  to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Exchange  Act of  1934,  the
registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned thereunto duly authorized.


                                               ALLBRITTON COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY

                                                           (Registrant)






     January 8, 2003                          /s/ Stephen P. Gibson
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             Date                           Name: Stephen P. Gibson
                                            Title: Senior Vice President
                                                   and Chief Financial Officer





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