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TEGNA Broadcasting and Digital General Discussion


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Won't let them sell all those properties to one buyer - and the list of prospective buyers is strikingly smaller than it was even a few years ago (especially because, at the moment, private equity isn't interested). And we haven't heard anything lately about whether or not Tribune Media is even formally pursuing a sale of their broadcast properties.

 

Also, TEGNA knows they own ABC and CBS's largest affiliates. That is a reason to hold onto them, not sell them, unless they were in dire, dire need of financial relief, or some "activist shareholder" were pressuring them to sell.

Not to mention that by this August (for reasons already stated in the WHDH losing NBC thread), they'll also own the largest non-O&O NBC affiliate (WXIA), which effectively means they'll own the largest non-O&O affiliates of 3 of the big 4 networks. And even if they were to sell WFAA, they still have their 3 flagships, one of which is TEGNA's DC bureau.

 

Darius:

 

I don't think that can happen. The other three are duopoly partners. Gannett is not buying The television arm of Tribune, but the publishing arm.

And Gannett is a pure-play newspaper business (digital newspapers more than ever) now.
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[quote="

 

And Gannett is a pure-play newspaper business now.

 

Mine as well just drop all the newspaper branding and push all digital. Stop trying to save newspapers where papers cannot be saved. Many small hyperlocal papers are thriving...but let the OC register die...let the SF Chronicle die...

 

You want a hard copy???

Print it yourself.

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...meanwhile on the spinoff side of things, Gannett is offering $815 million to buy Tribune Publishing. This includes the assumption of $390 million in debt.

 

Even if the sale goes through, the debt load incurred by Gannett will pale in comparison to the debt TEGNA now carries.

And yet the TEGNA, with the TV and digital assets, has a better chance of being able to service it's debt.

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And yet the TEGNA, with the TV and digital assets, has a better chance of being able to service it's debt.
And ironically, Tribune Media had no debt upon splitting, but is struggling so much that they might not be able to renew the CW affiliation agreement by this summer
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And ironically, Tribune Media had no debt upon splitting, but is struggling so much that they might not be able to renew the CW affiliation agreement by this summer

If TEGNA does plan to buy Tribune Broadcasting, TV stations in Seattle, St Louis, Denver, Norfolk, and more are doomed to the FCC's duopoly rule.

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And ironically, Tribune Media had no debt upon splitting, but is struggling so much that they might not be able to renew the CW affiliation agreement by this summer

First, I wouldn't say Tribune Media is "struggling." Second, the renewal of their CW affiliation agreements is totally unrelated to their debt load. One has nothing to do with the other and why you tied those two together puzzles me.

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Which is why I mentioned that they'd have to divest at least half of Tribune's stations to 3rd parties

I'm hoping that TEGNA decides to not buy the stations that could harm the purchase, and instead keep it to Tribune for it to be acquired by either Cox or Hearst.

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I'm hoping that TEGNA decides to not buy the stations that could harm the purchase, and instead keep it to Tribune for it to be acquired by either Cox or Hearst.
Or best of all, Tribune could sell all of its stations to different groups like Newport did.

 

TEGNA is NOT buying another station group anywhere in the near future.

 

I will eat a Trump steak if they even show interest in one within the next 24 months.

As much as it seems like a reasonable claim, how exactly do you know this?
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[ATTACH=full]2788[/ATTACH]

 

Mardek.....With the recent slew of buyouts to try and help settle their long term financials, to the point that right now as it stands currently, they are under a lot of debt (close to $4.5B). For them to add Tribune to the mix would be corporate suicide. No shareholder is willing to shoulder that much debt! Tribune for all intents and purposes are the most unique group in that they do own some major affiliates but they also own stations in DMA's 1-4 and those stations alone don't come cheap! If they ended up deciding to buy them, the debt load for the new Tegna would double to a point that shareholders would find it completely unsustainable

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I'm hoping that TEGNA decides to not buy the stations that could harm the purchase, and instead keep it to Tribune for it to be acquired by either Cox or Hearst.

 

Regarding Tegna and the Tribune stations, there are several they could pick up easily as duopoly pieces without touching the cap and at a fairly low price, in Washington DC (although it breaks up a news partnership), Houston, Dallas and Portland OR (if the FCC permits such).

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Mardek.....With the recent slew of buyouts to try and help settle their long term financials, to the point that right now as it stands currently, they are under a lot of debt (close to $4.5B). For them to add Tribune to the mix would be corporate suicide. No shareholder is willing to shoulder that much debt! Tribune for all intents and purposes are the most unique group in that they do own some major affiliates but they also own stations in DMA's 1-4 and those stations alone don't come cheap! If they ended up deciding to buy them, the debt load for the new Tegna would double to a point that shareholders would find it completely unsustainable
Which explains why Gracia Matore, the CEO of TEGNA, clarified that they aren't going to make any big purchases anytime soon
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That sounds reasonable, but IF they do buy KWGN, Channel 2 would have shut down its news department in favor of newscasts produced by KCNC.
And KDVR would fully absorb KWGN's news operation.

 

Regarding Tegna and the Tribune stations, there are several they could pick up easily as duopoly pieces without touching the cap and at a fairly low price, in Washington DC (although it breaks up a news partnership), Houston, Dallas and Portland OR (if the FCC permits such).
TEGNA could also get some of their smaller stations (with them it's #40 or smaller) that don't conflict with any of their stations (but not the KFOR/KAUT duopoly).
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Regarding Tegna and the Tribune stations, there are several they could pick up easily as duopoly pieces without touching the cap and at a fairly low price, in Washington DC (although it breaks up a news partnership), Houston, Dallas and Portland OR (if the FCC permits such).

 

If WFAA were to get a sister station, I think it's more likely/realistic they'd wind up with London Broadcasting's KTXD. Tegna bought most of the rest of London's stations a few years ago.

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That sounds reasonable, but IF they do buy KWGN, Channel 2 would have shut down its news department in favor of newscasts produced by KCNC.

 

Channel 2's news department is the same operation as Channel 31's. They haven't been separate since 2008.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Origninally posted in Out and About, but I thought it was worth mentioning in the TEGNA thread that WWL, while still the overall #1 in NOLA, lost to FOX 8 at 10pm for the first time since Jimmy Carter was the president:

 

After 38 years of having every newscast ranked #1 in New Orleans, WWL has finally been dethroned. FOX 8 beat them at 10PM during May sweeps.

 

http://www.adweek.com/tvspy/new-orleans-station-suffers-first-ratings-loss-in-almost-40-years/171317

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From the Killeen Daily Herald (first posted in late January), Tegna's NBC affil KCEN in Waco has purchased a former church site in Downtown Waco. And they'll convert it into a new state-of-the-art studio.

 

They're hoping to move into their new studio by the end of this year.

 

Does their new property have a bunker?

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