Nexstar has officially announced this morning that it will acquire Tribune Media at a deal valued at $6.4B. Nexstar will acquire the outstanding shares of Tribune for $46.30 a share, valued at $6.4B. The $6.4B amount includes the assumption of Tribune's outstanding debt. Tribune shareholders could received an additional $0.30 a share, per month, if the deal doesn't close by August 31, 2019. The deal is subject to approval from Tribune shareholders. And aside from Nexstar spinning off divested stations to get the greenlight from regulators, Nexstar also said that it might also spin-off other assets "which it deems to be non-core".

The list is out....Who is moving, and who is going away for good.... There are some shockers, but they will likely be around on someone else's channel... http://www.tvnewscheck.com/mobile/index/article/id/103237 So far, it looks like FOX is getting out of the duopoly business for the most part, and Nexstar AND Tribune is cashing in in some unlikely places.... As for KRON....Well, you'll just have to see for yourself! Lots of TBN, religious and public broadcasters cashing in too...

It is official after almost 12 years on the Fox O&O set it is finally going to be retired. Now let's go to the video of the announcement. WJW New Set Announcement

http://www.tribunemedia.com/ktxl-fox-40-sacramento-stockton-modesto-to-debut-new-news-set-and-redesigned-studio/ KTXL/FOX 40 Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto To Debut New News Set and Redesigned Studio Sacramento, CA – September 9, 2018 – KTXL-TV (FOX40), Tribune Broadcasting’s Sacramento television station, will debut a new set during its 5:00pm newscast on Monday, September 9th. The 360°, open and modern concept is the first of its kind in the Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto Market, and signals a new chapter in FOX 40’s mission to provide quality local news coverage. “Serving our very diverse local community is very important to us, and we are thrilled to present our viewers with a completely redesigned FOX40 News set which will complement our eight hours of local news and our lifestyle show each day,” said Leigh White, FOX 40 VP/General Manager. The innovative new set uses 360° of studio space instead of the traditional 180° and was designed by Tim Saunders of Broadcast Design International. The circular news desk design is the first and only of its kind in the Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto market, and seats up to 6 people for more interactive conversations between anchors and guests. Tech specs include: two Panasonic monitor walls; 3×3 with a 16×9 Aspect Ratio measuring approximately 12’x7’. The studio also features modern LED lighting throughout the studio and a hidden Chroma Key screen to maintain a clean and bright studio look. “Our promise to our viewers is to strive for excellence. This state-of-the-art set lives up to that promise. It’s another opportunity to showcase the quality journalism we’ve always done in an innovative and creative way,” said Monika Diaz, FOX 40’s News Director. Tribune Media Company (NYSE: TRCO) is home to a diverse portfolio of television and digital properties driven by quality news, entertainment and sports programming. Tribune Media is comprised of Tribune Broadcasting’s 42 owned or operated local television stations reaching more than 50 million households, national entertainment network WGN America, whose reach is approaching 80 million households, Tribune Studios, and a variety of digital applications and websites commanding 60 million monthly unique visitors online. Tribune Media also includes Chicago’s WGN-AM and the national multicast networks Antenna TV and THIS TV. Additionally, the Company owns and manages a significant number of real estate properties across the U.S. and holds a variety of investments, including a 31% interest in Television Food Network, G.P., which operates Food Network and Cooking Channel. For more information, please visit www.tribunemedia.com. Jessica Bellucci VP, Communications Tribune Broadcasting 220 East 42nd Street 10 FL NY NY 10017 office: 212-210-2626Call: 212-210-2626 cell: 917-463-7037Call: 917-463-7037 Jbellucci@tribunemedia.com @BellucciPR

KFSM’s new building is complete and the 5NEWS crew is practicing on the new set. The new studio — located in Johnson, AR (Fayetteville) — is roughly 60 miles away from the current location in Fort Smith, AR and 5-10 minutes from the Fayetteville studio located in the Northwest Arkansas Mall in Fayetteville, AR. Erika Thomas, 5NEWS anchor, said in a Facebook post that the new look will debut in June 2019.

It appears WTTV has dropped most of the elements for an in house look. They've also dropped "Indiana's Very Own" as the slogan, and picked up "Your News Now" wttv_2019_04_23_05_00_04_track1.mp4

Oh boy..... http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bs-bz-sinclair-anti-trust-lawsuit-20180801-story.html I don't know why it was filed in Illinois, but Sinclair and Nexstar are (or were) owners whose stations carried their ads (most likely WPMI and WKRG) The other groups seem out of place, but they all own (or will soon own) stations in nearby New Orleans...

Most of the talk about the Sinclair-Tribune marriage has been on the conflicts in St. Louis and Oklahoma City, as well Sinclair's "programming", but theres one subject that's been overlooked in the merger talks, Antenna TV, Tribune's classic TV network. What would Sinclair do with that network? Would they shut and down and replace it with their long gestating Fox News rival? Not likely, but they might force stations in their markets already airing Antenna TV to give it up to one of their stations. They may also close down one of their already existing networks (TBD seems like the most expendable, since it's literally only internet videos) and use its slot on their current stations to expand Antenna TV's reach. So tell me, what would Sinclair possibly do with Antenna TV? Let me hear your answers. And Mr. Weeters, if this is more of a Speculatron post, go ahead and put it on there.

Scott from FTVLive said that Channel 5 could be (ugh!) expanding to its already extremely-long morning newscast. It's new 10am hour of its morning broadcast could debut on June 12. Should this stick, the station would air SEVEN straight hours of local news in the morning. That's just plain pitiful.