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Breaking: Cox/Fox swap stations, KTVU to become Fox O&O


caliwxdude

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Can't say I'm completely surprised at KTVU finally becoming an O&O and WHBQ being divested, but WFXT as well? Wow. Interesting move for sure.

 

Quick note to add--Fox gets KICU as well. By the way, they currently have no true independents. Pretty obvious what their plan is with that station.

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WFXT; holy moly. Never thought Fox would actually give up another top 10 station for KTVU. And with the inclusion of KICU, I suppose KRON will be a pure independent once again.

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Looks like KRON will really become an independent station. This is going to be fun.

 

There's going to be some real change coming to KTVU, which while it has a long, long tradition of news is going to be quite a bit different once Fox puts its stamp on the station. More interesting is that Fox decided to sell in Boston (you knew they wanted out of Memphis but Local TV LLC's ownership of WREG prevented that from happening).

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Good move by both companies. We all knew Fox was trying to unload WHBQ for the longest time while wanting to have an O&O presence in the Bay Area, but I don't think any of us thought it would be at the expense of WFXT. At least the Boston and Memphis operations will be in good hands with this deal for KTVU. :)

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First I'm shocked, then I am not. I wonder how the Fox O&O format will do for the Bay Area.

 

As for Boston, I am really pissed that we will loose half an O&O market. I know how WFXT is really rebellious against the O&O's format and all, but I wonder if the quality of news will go down the drain with Cox coming in. Especially when Rupert Murdoch can flaunt how WFXT is helluva lot more valuable than the rag newspaper called The Boston Globe.

 

Not to derail the subject, but I am betting WBZ/WSBK will be sold in the near future in the next 5 years. This is the first time I am ashamed living in the 7th DMA.

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If any station would have been swap fodder for Fox, I thought it would be WJBK. Funny how this is the second time in the station's history that Fox has given up WFXT (the first time was to the Boston Celtics in 1990)

 

I wonder if there will be any real branding changes at either station as a result; I could see Fox keeping the status quo for the most part at 'TVU.

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Not to derail the subject, but I am betting WBZ/WSBK will be sold in the near future in the next 5 years. This is the first time I am ashamed living in the 7th DMA.

 

I don't think CBS will be shedding any AFC markets anytime soon.

 

It will be interesting to see how the sale of WFXT impacts the shared services agreement (helicopter and some ground news coverage) with WBZ.

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First I'm shocked, then I am not. I wonder how the Fox O&O format will do for the Bay Area.

 

As for Boston, I am really pissed that we will loose half an O&O market. I know how WFXT is really rebellious against the O&O's format and all, but I wonder if the quality of news will go down the drain with Cox coming in. Especially when Rupert Murdoch can flaunt how WFXT is helluva lot more valuable than the rag newspaper called The Boston Globe.

 

Not to derail the subject, but I am betting WBZ/WSBK will be sold in the near future in the next 5 years. This is the first time I am ashamed living in the 7th DMA.

 

Cox runs some good local news ships. Memphis will fit well with other Southern and central markets like Tulsa, Atlanta, Charlotte and Jacksonville, while Boston adds another major market and arguably compensates for what Cox gives up in KTVU. Where I think the quality of news will actually go down is in San Francisco, since I see a Fox O&O's newscasts on a regular basis here in Phoenix. Fox will need to balance its philosophy about reinventing local news, its political philosophy about national news, and the demographic and political views of the San Francisco media market.

 

As much as KTVU/KICU was a crown jewel for Cox, Fox really coveted it. Not only is it a strong news station, it makes lots of money as the home of the 49ers (and two Raiders games a year), and Fox has been wanting into the Bay Area for 20 years or so now. (In 1994, Variety reported that a deal for Fox to purchase KRON was "imminent"!)

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I don't think CBS will be shedding any AFC markets anytime soon.

 

It will be interesting to see how the sale of WFXT impacts the shared services agreement (helicopter and some ground news coverage) with WBZ.

 

I wonder what triggered the sale. Could local management's displeasure with an O&O group constitute a reason to sell? 4 & 25 are stations that strictly believe in the ol' Boston Tea Party's motto - Don't Tread on Me (or Us!) They don't like being told what to do by the O&Os. That's why I would speculate a sale in like 5 years for 4/38.

 

I think the SSA/LNS wouldn't change. They would re-ammend their contract.

 

I'd be nervous with Cox coming in to Dedham, I smell something funny.

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I wonder what triggered the sale. Could local management's displeasure with an O&O group constitute a reason to sell? 4 & 25 are stations that strictly believe in the ol' Boston Tea Party's motto - Don't Tread on Me (or Us!) They don't like being told what to do by the O&Os. That's why I would speculate a sale in like 5 years for 4/38.

 

I think the SSA/LNS wouldn't change. They would re-ammend their contract.

 

I'd be nervous with Cox coming in to Dedham, I smell something funny.

 

What does local management have to do with corporate sales? You don't honestly believe that station GMs approve mergers and acquisitions, do you?

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Cox runs some good local news ships. Memphis will fit well with other Southern and central markets like Tulsa, Atlanta, Charlotte and Jacksonville, while Boston adds another major market and arguably compensates for what Cox gives up in KTVU. Where I think the quality of news will actually go down is in San Francisco, since I see a Fox O&O's newscasts on a regular basis here in Phoenix. Fox will need to balance its philosophy about reinventing local news, its political philosophy about national news, and the demographic and political views of the San Francisco media market.

 

As much as KTVU/KICU was a crown jewel for Cox, Fox really coveted it. Not only is it a strong news station, it makes lots of money as the home of the 49ers (and two Raiders games a year), and Fox has been wanting into the Bay Area for 20 years or so now. (In 1994, Variety reported that a deal for Fox to purchase KRON was "imminent"!)

 

For the out of towner's WFXT's prime demo are people who don't live in (or even care about) the City of Boston and live in the suburbs (outside the Mass 128 beltway) and skews fiscally conservative (but socially liberal mind you) group of audience. Cox is coming from SF and if they bring their liberal/cosmopolitan style/biased reporting, they will effectively kill the 25 audience.

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Not an April Fool's joke anymore. Fox gets KTVU, Cox Media Group gets WFXT in Boston and WHBQ in Memphis.

 

Discuss.

 

Get the fuck out of here. I can't believe this!!

 

This is not good at all. This is Fifty years down the drain. And Fox giving up WFXT? The only good thing that's coming out of this iis Fox is finally giving up WHBQ.

 

They probably swapped because they know that UHF discount ruling could go in effect and some with the discount may not be grandfathered. Of course Fox wasn't over the cap, so any ruling wouldn't affect Fox, and any new deal, they would've had to divest anyway.

 

And you can say goodbye to that iconic "Circle Lazer 2" logo, while we're at it. I always loved KTVU because of its uniqueness, the one that differentiate themselves from the other Fox affiliates. Now Fox is really going to "Fox"-ify this legacy & heritage station.

 

Nevertheless, this is a sad day for New England and the Bay Area.

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I wonder what triggered the sale. Could local management's displeasure with an O&O group constitute a reason to sell? 4 & 25 are stations that strictly believe in the ol' Boston Tea Party's motto - Don't Tread on Me (or Us!) They don't like being told what to do by the O&Os. That's why I would speculate a sale in like 5 years for 4/38.

 

I think the SSA/LNS wouldn't change. They would re-ammend their contract.

 

I'd be nervous with Cox coming in to Dedham, I smell something funny.

 

I think the real reason Boston was sold was because of national reach figures. Fox's national reach percentage is close to the cap, and San Francisco is the next largest media market after Boston. Boston was thrown in because Fox didn't want to be in Memphis, Boston doesn't provide as much football-related revenue being an AFC market, and an O&O in San Francisco is something that Fox has desired since it acquired football. I don't think Fox would have given away Boston if it didn't have a very good reason to do so.

 

If you're wondering why Fox did not sell KTBC, which is another kinda-small market, Cox owns the Austin American-Statesman.

 

If Fox royally screws KTVU, this could be an impetus for KRON to begin really making its news operation over and getting inroads on its competitor.

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What does local management have to do with corporate sales? You don't honestly believe that station GMs approve mergers and acquisitions, do you?

 

Obviously it's not their say, but if you got enough rebellious people running the show at WFXT in this case, it could be an MO to sell?

 

I don't work in the business, and come from an outsider, and from the outside looking in it appears that WFXT was acting against the O&O management. Notice their set has been the same since 2003, and they hate the O&O theme, because all they play are the worst cuts. They are the WBZ of the Fox group.

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I think the real reason Boston was sold was because of national reach figures. Fox's national reach percentage is close to the cap, and San Francisco is the next largest media market after Boston. Boston was thrown in because Fox didn't want to be in Memphis, Boston doesn't provide as much football-related revenue being an AFC market, and an O&O in San Francisco is something that Fox has desired since it acquired football.

 

I guess I forgot about the football thing, and the 49ers being NFC. I'm pissed because it took Fox to build another news operation virtually from scratch, and the brass knew Boston would be a competitive market to startup a news operation. And it took till 2003 to really build up the news operations, and now they sell it.

 

least we forget the Celts and the NECN newscasts from the 90s, dark days at Fox 25 News.

grrr!

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I can't say that I'm fully shocked and surprised about this move, but wow...

 

We all know that Fox wanted to go into the Bay Area for a long time, and they got themselves a big, long-coveted prize in KTVU. It shouldn't be a big surprise of Fox wanting into the NFC markets--all there's left is Seattle among the bigger markets. I'm just more shocking it was WFXT (again) that they wanted to jettison, but like they say, you gotta give up something to gain something back.

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I think the real reason Boston was sold was because of national reach figures. Fox's national reach percentage is close to the cap, and San Francisco is the next largest media market after Boston. Boston was thrown in because Fox didn't want to be in Memphis, Boston doesn't provide as much football-related revenue being an AFC market, and an O&O in San Francisco is something that Fox has desired since it acquired football.

 

In other words, they had to give up something big (plus WHBQ) in order to get something big in return, and unfortunately, it was WFXT. They could've included WJBK in the deal, but that would mean exiting out of another NFC market after selling KTVI and WITI to LocalTV (now Tribune) several years ago.

 

It leaves one to wonder what other Fox O&O station may have to be given up in order to get KCPQ in Seattle.

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Obviously it's not their say, but if you got enough rebellious people running the show at WFXT in this case, it could be an MO to sell?

 

I don't work in the business, and come from an outsider, and from the outside looking in it appears that WFXT was acting against the O&O management. Notice their set has been the same since 2003, and they hate the O&O theme, because all they play are the worst cuts. They are the WBZ of the Fox group.

 

I can almost guarantee you that FOX trading WFXT was not a result of local management. If management was doing things against the wishes of the mothership, don't you think that the management would have been fired by now? There are certain markets where FOX can get away with the formats and there are others like Boston and now SF where that crap will not fly. I think that yes, FOX will put their own stamp on KTVU (graphics, set, etc.) but for the most part they know that what they are doing at the other O&O's will not fly there. For some reason, I think that FOX will leave KTVU alone- for the most part. Also, you should be thanking your lucky stars that they traded with COX. They're one of the better media companies that let their stations do their own things, their own way.
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In other words, they gained the 49ers while dumping a large AFC market and Memphis. That leaves Green Bay, St. Louis, Seattle and New Orleans....

 

With WLUK potentially needing a buyer, this could get interesting especially if FOX wants KCPQ as well....Tribune could be in a swapping mood!

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I can almost guarantee you that FOX trading WFXT was not a result of local management. If management was doing things against the wishes of the mothership, don't you think that the management would have been fired by now? There are certain markets where FOX can get away with the formats and there are others like Boston and now SF where that crap will not fly. I think that yes, FOX will put their own stamp on KTVU (graphics, set, etc.) but for the most part they know that what they are doing at the other O&O's will not fly there. For some reason, I think that FOX will leave KTVU alone- for the most part. Also, you should be thanking your lucky stars that they traded with COX. They're one of the better media companies that let their stations do their own things, their own way.

 

maybe there is an advantage, I've lost a lot of interest in Fox 25 especially in the mornings and the evenings are boring.

 

Would job cuts or cuts in the budget be in the works for this trade against Boston?

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In other words, they had to give up something big (plus WHBQ) in order to get something big in return, and unfortunately, it was WFXT. They could've included WJBK in the deal, but that would mean exiting out of another NFC market after selling KTVI and WITI to LocalTV (now Tribune) several years ago.

 

It leaves one to wonder what other Fox O&O station may have to be given up in order to get KCPQ in Seattle.

 

Just three weeks ago, the Chicago Tribune reported a possible trade of WPWR for KCPQ.

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Holy moly is putting it mildly. I never in a million years expected Cox to give up KTVU.

 

As for getting rid of WFXT, it's one of the three O&Os (of comparable market size) in an AFC or non-aligned market.

 

The likelihood of FOX giving up LA (non-aligned) is nonexistent while Houston (AFC) has a fairly sizable New Orleans Saints fan base (owing in large part to those who moved here during & after Katrina and as the back-up team during the years Houston didn't have one).

 

That pretty much left Boston, sweetened by Memphis, as the trade offer.

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