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CBS affiliation moving to Tribune's WTTV


The Frog

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http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/78359/cbs-moving-indianapolis-affiliation-to-wttv

 

 

CBS is getting a new home in Indianapolis next year.

 

As part of a new agreement renewing CBS affiliations with Tribune Broadcasting, the companies announced today that Tribune’s current CW affiliate, WTTV, will take over the CBS affiliation from LIN Media’s WISH on Jan. 1, 2015.

 

 

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WOW, now they might become a powerhouse! What will LIN/Media General do, try to snare an affiliation from another station or be resigned to the fact they are an independent?

 

They might end up with The CW, if WTTV doesn't move it to their subchannel.

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Wow, I don't think anyone saw this coming. Sad news for WISH which I thought was a decent CBS affiliate. But at least Tribune has been working hard at establishing a stronger presence in Indy.

 

Plus now Tribune gets the bonus of airing every Colts game (unless it's on MNF or SNF).

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Taking away the CBS affiliation from a heritage station with a decent news operation and throwing it on a rimshot? And taking it from one group with a lot of CBS affiliates, and giving it to another group primarily with a bunch of Fox and CW affiliates? I don't believe it. There has to be something more going on here, like maybe WISH's crappy signal or a dispute over retrans fees.

 

This does not sound like a very smart move to me or is it that nobody cares anymore and the object is to grab as much money as you can before the network TV model is no longer viable?

 

I wonder if this means that WTHR eventually loses NBC, since Dispatch doesn't have the leverage that the big chains have? While WTHR is a great station, they don't have the ability to use their leverage with 20 other stations in terms of negotiating affiliation agreements.

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They also have WTTK to cover the north side of the market well though, so it is double coverage...do they overlap though? Since Bloomington and Kokomo (actually south of there towards Indy) are not terribly far apart.

 

CW might just move to 4.2 and 29.2?

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Just thought of something new. Could the reason for this move be that CBS doesn't want one company owning so many of its affiliates? They have to be pissed off at LIN or Media General for this to happen unless Tribune has leverage by virtue of operating so many CW stations.

 

Tribune Media-owned CBS affiliates:

WREG Memphis;

WHNT Huntsville, Ala;

KFSM Fort Smith, Ark.;

WTVR Richmond, Va.

WTKR Norfolk, Va.,

 

LIN Media CBS affiliates:

 

KRQE Albuquerque

WIAT Birmingham, Ala.

WIVB Buffalo, N.Y.

WANE Ft. Wayne, Ind.

WLFI Lafayette, Ind.

KIMT Mason City, Iowa

KOIN Portland, Ore.

WPRI Providence, R.I.

WTHI Terre Haute, Ind.

WKBN Youngstown, Ohio

 

Media General CBS Affiliates:

WKRG-CBS, Mobile, AL/Pensacola, FL

WRBL-CBS, Columbus, GA/Opelika, AL

KLFY-CBS, Lafayette

WLNS-CBS, Lansing

WHLT-CBS, Hattiesburg/Laurel

WJTV-CBS, Jackson

WNCT-CBS, Greenville/New Bern/Washington

WYCW-CW, Asheville

WBTW-CBS, Myrtle Beach/Florence

WSPA-CBS, Greenville/Spartanburg

KELO-CBS, Sioux Falls/Mitchell

KCLO-CBS, Rapid City

WJHL-CBS, Tri-Cities, TN-VA

 

 

 

 

 

They also have WTTK to cover the north side of the market well though, so it is double coverage...do they overlap though? Since Bloomington and Kokomo (actually south of there towards Indy) are not terribly far apart.

 

CW might just move to 4.2 and 29.2?

 

Yeah, but you guys should know it doesn't work that way. Rimshots have trouble penetrating the center of their markets. You have to have a signal right along with the other signals or you get beat up in the ratings

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Just thought of something new. Could the reason for this move be that CBS doesn't want one company owning so many of its affiliates? They have to be pissed off at LIN or Media General for this to happen unless Tribune has leverage by virtue of operating so many CW stations.

 

Tribune Media-owned CBS affiliates:

WREG Memphis;

WHNT Huntsville, Ala;

KFSM Fort Smith, Ark.;

WTVR Richmond, Va.

WTKR Norfolk, Va.,

 

LIN Media CBS affiliates:

 

KRQE Albuquerque

WIAT Birmingham, Ala.

WIVB Buffalo, N.Y.

WANE Ft. Wayne, Ind.

WLFI Lafayette, Ind.

KIMT Mason City, Iowa

KOIN Portland, Ore.

WPRI Providence, R.I.

WTHI Terre Haute, Ind.

WKBN Youngstown, Ohio

 

Media General CBS Affiliates:

WKRG-CBS, Mobile, AL/Pensacola, FL

WRBL-CBS, Columbus, GA/Opelika, AL

KLFY-CBS, Lafayette

WLNS-CBS, Lansing

WHLT-CBS, Hattiesburg/Laurel

WJTV-CBS, Jackson

WNCT-CBS, Greenville/New Bern/Washington

WYCW-CW, Asheville

WBTW-CBS, Myrtle Beach/Florence

WSPA-CBS, Greenville/Spartanburg

KELO-CBS, Sioux Falls/Mitchell

KCLO-CBS, Rapid City

WJHL-CBS, Tri-Cities, TN-VA

I somewhat doubt that, since CBS has large numbers of affiliates with several other companies such as Gray, Gannett, Nexstar and Sinclair. But if something is up with CBS and LIN or Media General, then there could be more stations moving around...who knows. Honestly I think Tribune just gave them a platinum deal.
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From Variety:

 

"Deal was driven by CBS’ push for reverse retransmission consent compensation from its affiliate stations. The Eye’s current Indianapolis affil, Lin Media’s WISH-TV, had been in negotiations with CBS to renew, but was said to be balking at CBS’ reverse-comp terms."

 

http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/cbs-switches-indianapolis-affiliation-in-tribune-pact-bumping-cw-to-digital-channel-1201279881/

 

I wonder if this also means that the MG/LIN merger gets renegotiated?

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Just thought of something new. Could the reason for this move be that CBS doesn't want one company owning so many of its affiliates? They have to be pissed off at LIN or Media General for this to happen unless Tribune has leverage by virtue of operating so many CW stations.

 

Tribune Media-owned CBS affiliates:

WREG Memphis;

WHNT Huntsville, Ala;

KFSM Fort Smith, Ark.;

WTVR Richmond, Va.

WTKR Norfolk, Va.,

 

LIN Media CBS affiliates:

 

KRQE Albuquerque

WIAT Birmingham, Ala.

WIVB Buffalo, N.Y.

WANE Ft. Wayne, Ind.

WLFI Lafayette, Ind.

KIMT Mason City, Iowa

KOIN Portland, Ore.

WPRI Providence, R.I.

WTHI Terre Haute, Ind.

WKBN Youngstown, Ohio

 

Media General CBS Affiliates:

WKRG-CBS, Mobile, AL/Pensacola, FL

WRBL-CBS, Columbus, GA/Opelika, AL

KLFY-CBS, Lafayette

WLNS-CBS, Lansing

WHLT-CBS, Hattiesburg/Laurel

WJTV-CBS, Jackson

WNCT-CBS, Greenville/New Bern/Washington

WYCW-CW, Asheville

WBTW-CBS, Myrtle Beach/Florence

WSPA-CBS, Greenville/Spartanburg

KELO-CBS, Sioux Falls/Mitchell

KCLO-CBS, Rapid City

WJHL-CBS, Tri-Cities, TN-VA

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah, but you guys should know it doesn't work that way. Rimshots have trouble penetrating the center of their markets. You have to have a signal right along with the other signals or you get beat up in the ratings

WTTK moved its transmitter from Windfall (Tipton County) to northern Indianapolis (at WXIN's site) with the digital transition.

RabbitEars coverage map: http://www.rabbitears.info/contour.php?appid=1136039&map=Y&contour=Y&int=N&pop=N&incpop=&excpop=&lprw=N&head=Y&asrn=&extras=1334859&cir=&circen=39.4075%2C-86.1477777778

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WXIN reports that TheCW will move to the .2 slots.

That is what I thought, leaving WISH looking to snare off an affiliation (likely NBC from WTHR) or stuck as an independent. The number of news operations would not change, but would a WJXT approach for WISH work?

 

Of course, LIN Media is slated to disappear soon anyway, so who knows what Media General thought about the reverse-comp issue.

 

If LIN/MG is in trouble with CBS affiliates, it is hard to say who can move up. Tribune and LIN/MG's CBS stations have no other overlaps, let alone duopolies calling.

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Guest NewsHound

I guess we'll have to wait and see what WISH will say at noon about their future plans. Maybe, just maybe, they will truly be "24 Hour News 8".

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I guess we'll have to wait and see what WISH will say at noon about their future plans. Maybe, just maybe, they will truly be "24 Hour News 8".

How does WJXT do as an independent relative to the other news operations in the market? Indianapolis is a bigger market as well...
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Guest NewsHound

Something just really seems off about this whole thing.

 

Why would CBS just up and decide to drop an existing affiliation agreement of 58 years with WISH to give the sister station of a duopoly with FOX 59 the affiliation.

 

I don't think we're done here. Indianapolis is a big market, and maybe this is a chance for another big move to happen, because I know the duopoly between CBS and FOX probably isn't gonna happen. FOX to WISH perhaps?

 

I am willing to bargain that WISH will get the FOX affiliation, and CW will move to WXIN before its all said and done.

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Something just really seems off about this whole thing.

 

Why would CBS just up and decide to drop an existing affiliation agreement of 58 years with WISH to give the sister station of a duopoly with FOX 59 the affiliation.

 

I don't think we're done here. Indianapolis is a big market, and maybe this is a chance for another big move to happen, because I know the duopoly between CBS and FOX probably isn't gonna happen. FOX to WISH perhaps?

 

I am willing to bargain that WISH will get the FOX affiliation, and CW will move to WXIN before its all said and done.

Um... Cox operates a fox/CBS duop in Jacksonville so it's not like this hasn't happened before. There's little chance WXIN is giving up their affiliation. If they were, they would have just moved CBS to the main signal.

 

WISH most likely will remain a Indy for a while.

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Something just really seems off about this whole thing.

 

Why would CBS just up and decide to drop an existing affiliation agreement of 58 years with WISH to give the sister station of a duopoly with FOX 59 the affiliation.

 

I don't think we're done here. Indianapolis is a big market, and maybe this is a chance for another big move to happen, because I know the duopoly between CBS and FOX probably isn't gonna happen. FOX to WISH perhaps?

 

I am willing to bargain that WISH will get the FOX affiliation, and CW will move to WXIN before its all said and done.

 

This article is CBS viewpoint on losing affiliations: http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/76205/les-moonves-cbs-loves-its-affils-but

 

 

Um... Cox operates a fox/CBS duop in Jacksonville so it's not like this hasn't happened before. There's little chance WXIN is giving up their affiliation. If they were, they would have just moved CBS to the main signal.

 

WISH most likely will remain a Indy for a while.

 

In an equivalent size market is Raleigh NC, who also has an long standing CBS/FOX duopoly so there is an precedent set for having an CBS/Fox Duopoly in such an high market. Also, the Fox-WXIN agreement doesn't expire until mid 2016.

 

WISH-TV has an duopoly with WNDY, an Class A station in the same market which holds My Network TV programming, it is likely they will flip My TV to WISH to fill prime time, and be independent in other dayparts.

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