CircleSeven 1944 Posted April 24, 2018 Share Posted April 24, 2018 "Nine of the smaller-market stations will be acquired by Standard Media, backed by hedge fund Standard General. Broadcasting veteran Deb McDermott has been recruited to serve as president-CEO of Standard Media." http://variety.com/2018/tv/news/sinclair-tribune-media-station-sales-merger-1202785468/amp/ Deborah was the president of Young Broadcasting (I think post-bankruptcy) and she stayed on through two future mergers (MG-Young & MG-LIN) until the completion of the Nexstar deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megatron81 179 Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 Once the DOJ approves the deal is when the handshake deal with Sinclair & Fox makes the deal with New World stations they sold off a decade ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrtraveler01 737 Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 St. Louis station story http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/kplr-among-stations-being-sold-to-clear-sinclair-s-takeover/article_b9a5e295-53a8-5d45-94de-3091fbb46191.amp.html Cleveland station story https://articles.cleveland.com/tv-blog/index.ssf/2018/04/channel_8_will_not_be_sold_to_sinclair_broadcast_group.amp Meredith is definitely taking some ideas from their duopoly in Phoenix. Ironically, this deal is going to give KTVI some competition again in the non-traditional slots. Guess we should expect "St. Louis' Family" soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 ABC be clever about this and switch to KPLR, While you Still can. This is your last chance if any! I wouldn't be too sure of that. Tribune has merged the news departments of KTVI and KPLR. Who is to say a sale of KPLR to Meredith means the news team of KPLR goes with it? It's like the WRDW-WAGT-WJBF merger fallout all over again. KTVI and KPLR may be separate news ops, but KPLR employees could be KTVI employees in a KPLR shell. If that's the case, KDNL stands to sit pretty in the end and will likely get the KPLR news team and a decent shot at a local news presence for the first time ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColtFromGulfcoast 695 Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 It's like the WRDW-WAGT-WJBF merger fallout all over again. Not to get too off-topic but what ended up happening in the end concerning the staff members of WAGT? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 Not to get too off-topic but what ended up happening in the end concerning the staff members of WAGT? Most behind-the-scenes people lost their jobs. The on-camera anchors minus Paige Tucker were migrated into WJBF, one meteorologist was retained, all the reporters were basically reporting for WJBF until the end of their contracts and then let go. The sales team from WAGT moved to WRDW and were then merged into WRDW's staff. WAGT was sold in the spectrum auction, and WAGT moved from full power to a low-powered WBEK-CD on channel 16 (now WAGT-CD). WAGT under Gray is an after-thought and is run on the cheap, WRDW basically ruined it. It ended up working out though for the old WAGT staffers. Most of the reporters went on to better markets and better stations. Paige Tucker, the weeknight anchor, is mostly a stay-at-home mom now and does some freelance promotions work with WRDW. The morning weather forecaster at WAGT went on to become the morning weather forecaster at WFXG, the FOX station, which banked on the WAGT merger by picking up a few behind-the-scenes people and decided to launch a local morning newscast (though the 10pm still originates from Savannah) to fill the void with WAGT gone. I think the former Chief Meteorologist at WAGT, Chris Still, is selling real estate now. He left a cushy job at WBTW to become the Chief at WAGT, I bet he wishes he stayed in Myrtle Beach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColtFromGulfcoast 695 Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 Most behind-the-scenes people lost their jobs. The on-camera anchors minus Paige Tucker were migrated into WJBF, one meteorologist was retained, all the reporters were basically reporting for WJBF until the end of their contracts and then let go. The sales team from WAGT moved to WRDW and were then merged into WRDW's staff. WAGT was sold in the spectrum auction, and WAGT moved from full power to a low-powered WBEK-CD on channel 16 (now WAGT-CD). WAGT under Gray is an after-thought and is run on the cheap, WRDW basically ruined it. It ended up working out though for the old WAGT staffers. Most of the reporters went on to better markets and better stations. Paige Tucker, the weeknight anchor, is mostly a stay-at-home mom now and does some freelance promotions work with WRDW. The morning weather forecaster at WAGT went on to become the morning weather forecaster at WFXG, the FOX station, which banked on the WAGT merger by picking up a few behind-the-scenes people and decided to launch a local morning newscast (though the 10pm still originates from Savannah) to fill the void with WAGT gone. I think the former Chief Meteorologist at WAGT is selling real estate now. This would be a perfect opportunity for Raycom to move WFXG's news department entirely to Augusta, bringing out some of those people from retirement. Same with KRBK using some of the former KSPR people. As for STL, I feel like they may end up following KPLR to Meredith as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 This would be a perfect opportunity for Raycom to move WFXG's news department entirely to Augusta, bringing out some of those people from retirement. Same with KRBK using some of the former KSPR people. As for STL, I feel like they may end up following KPLR to Meredith as well. I believe (what I've heard through industry circles) that WFXG is working on bringing the full operation to Augusta as we speak, but there have been setbacks and turnover in the Augusta newsroom. Morning anchor Destiny Chance just took a reporter job at the FOX O&O in Austin and Jake Rakoci I guess was at the end of his contract and left the station. They have two new anchors now in the morning, Stephanie Lopez from WTVD in Raleigh, and CE Huffman who last worked in Jackson, Mississippi. They also have a fairly-new reporter staff of three and just lost their traffic anchor Kelsey Walker to WKCF CW 18 in Orlando (where I guess she's doing promotions). It says something when your reporter who has been there the longest has been there only about a year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CircleSeven 1944 Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 Not to get too off-topic but what ended up happening in the end concerning the staff members of WAGT? Weather Anchor Jay Jefferies is now the morning weather anchor at WFXG Fox 54. Not sure where the others went to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 Meteorologist Jay Jefferies is now the morning weather anchor at WFXG Fox 54. Not sure where the others went to. He's not a legitimate meteorologist, they just call him that but he isn't certified nor has he completed the necessary college courses. As for the others, please refer to earlier post. Most behind-the-scenes people lost their jobs. The on-camera anchors minus Paige Tucker were migrated into WJBF, one meteorologist was retained, all the reporters were basically reporting for WJBF until the end of their contracts and then let go. The sales team from WAGT moved to WRDW and were then merged into WRDW's staff. WAGT was sold in the spectrum auction, and WAGT moved from full power to a low-powered WBEK-CD on channel 16 (now WAGT-CD). WAGT under Gray is an after-thought and is run on the cheap, WRDW basically ruined it. It ended up working out though for the old WAGT staffers. Most of the reporters went on to better markets and better stations. Paige Tucker, the weeknight anchor, is mostly a stay-at-home mom now and does some freelance promotions work with WRDW. The morning weather forecaster at WAGT went on to become the morning weather forecaster at WFXG, the FOX station, which banked on the WAGT merger by picking up a few behind-the-scenes people and decided to launch a local morning newscast (though the 10pm still originates from Savannah) to fill the void with WAGT gone. I think the former Chief Meteorologist at WAGT, Chris Still, is selling real estate now. He left a cushy job at WBTW to become the Chief at WAGT, I bet he wishes he stayed in Myrtle Beach. Getting back on topic, I'm a firm believer that Sinclair won't give up on the KPLR news team without a fight. Meredith could easily drop the KPLR newscasts and do an in-house newscast for them. I guarantee the KPLR team stays with Sinclair and ends up on KDNL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CircleSeven 1944 Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 He's not a legitimate meteorologist, they just call him that but he isn't certified nor has he completed the necessary college courses. Thanks for that clarification. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty Muck 4157 Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 I wouldn't be too sure of that. Tribune has merged the news departments of KTVI and KPLR. Who is to say a sale of KPLR to Meredith means the news team of KPLR goes with it? It's like the WRDW-WAGT-WJBF merger fallout all over again. KTVI and KPLR may be separate news ops, but KPLR employees could be KTVI employees in a KPLR shell. If that's the case, KDNL stands to sit pretty in the end and will likely get the KPLR news team and a decent shot at a local news presence for the first time ever. And it’s not like KPLR will be at a loss for news, Meredith can simply plug in KMOV’s news team into much of those dayparts. The evening newscasts on KPLR only need to be moved to conventional time slots on KDNL and will compete against KTVI’s late news, and that will be a studio issue to be addressed at some point (don’t both news departments share the same news studio?). Remember too, that KMOV has additional program inventory for their MyTV sub which can be moved onto KPLR if needed. So, oddly enough, this is a win-win for all STL parties. Sinclair can finally do something worthwhile with KDNL, and KMOV has room to grow with their news department and will have a strong duop partner. Because KWGN’s news department has become just like KPLR’s - a mere extension of KDVR’s - it might be out of the realm of possibility to see KDVR’s buyer** enter into a long-term agreement with Sinclair to operate the news department and other aspects of KWGN, in effect, the same arrangement taken when LocalTV bought KDVR and aligned deeply with Tribune and KWGN. **for all intents and purposes, Fox. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breaking News 802 Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 From http://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2018/4/25/sinclair-to-sell-stationsbut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrtraveler01 737 Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 From http://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2018/4/25/sinclair-to-sell-stationsbut So outside of Meredith and TBA, the rest seem to be joke buyers (ie: sidecars). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalItalian2 163 Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 So outside of Meredith and TBA, the rest seem to be joke buyers (ie: sidecars). Standard Media is not a joke buyer or sidecar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalItalian2 163 Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 58% reach when you discount the UHF discounts http://www.tvnewscheck.com/mobile/index/article/id/113074 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoFloTVClassics 905 Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 Any word on WPIX? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atlnews2 557 Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 Any word on WPIX? Sinclair will own it directly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samantha 2876 Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 Any word on WPIX? It will be owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group directly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 And it’s not like KPLR will be at a loss for news, Meredith can simply plug in KMOV’s news team into much of those dayparts. The evening newscasts on KPLR only need to be moved to conventional time slots on KDNL and will compete against KTVI’s late news, and that will be a studio issue to be addressed at some point (don’t both news departments share the same news studio?). Remember too, that KMOV has additional program inventory for their MyTV sub which can be moved onto KPLR if needed. So, oddly enough, this is a win-win for all STL parties. Sinclair can finally do something worthwhile with KDNL, and KMOV has room to grow with their news department and will have a strong duop partner. Because KWGN’s news department has become just like KPLR’s - a mere extension of KDVR’s - it might be out of the realm of possibility to see KDVR’s buyer** enter into a long-term agreement with Sinclair to operate the news department and other aspects of KWGN, in effect, the same arrangement taken when LocalTV bought KDVR and aligned deeply with Tribune and KWGN. **for all intents and purposes, Fox. Doesn't Sinclair still own KDNL's studio building and newsroom? That might be your answer to space issues. Of course the last time any of it was used was late 2001 so you're talking a new set and probably some extensive renovation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eat News 4738 Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 The Brockmiester is on a roll...he's on fire. Go Topes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NEOMatrix 1295 Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 My question about KWGN is if Sinclair plans on ponying up for a new building since the old studios in Greenwood Village was turned into a church. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TVNewsLover 727 Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 I wouldn't be too sure of that. Tribune has merged the news departments of KTVI and KPLR. Who is to say a sale of KPLR to Meredith means the news team of KPLR goes with it? It's like the WRDW-WAGT-WJBF merger fallout all over again. KTVI and KPLR may be separate news ops, but KPLR employees could be KTVI employees in a KPLR shell. If that's the case, KDNL stands to sit pretty in the end and will likely get the KPLR news team and a decent shot at a local news presence for the first time ever. Why would KDNL need KPLR’s team? Could they not just use KTVI’s on both stations once the duopoly is formed? Also any chance ABC and FOX flip affiliations under Sinclair ownership? Makes sense to have the stronger network on the stronger station. The one news team could work because the ABC affiliate could do news 4:30-7am, 11-11:30am, 4-5:30pm, 6-6:30pm, and 10-10:35pm, while the Fox affiliate could do 7-10am, 12-1pm, 5:30-6pm, 6:30-7pm, and 9-10pm. Although I am kind of surprised Sinclair didn’t send KDNL over to Meredith along with CW affiliation (which they could have swapped with KPLR) and kept KTVI and KPLR with the FOX and ABC affiliations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 The Brockmiester is on a roll...he's on fire. Go Topes! But let's be real again for a second, think about it. Sinclair has owned KDNL for years without a news department, hasn't tried to invest any money in formulating their own efforts. I don't consider the news share with KSDK or The Allman Report to be an effort. So you have sat on these facilities for decades, made no effort to start a news department, made no effort to make the station competitive. Now, due to a technicality by acquiring Tribune, you're forced to sell off one of three stations. Sinclair could have easily sold off KDNL and been done with it once and for all, but instead they choose to sell off KPLR to Meredith who owns KMOV. So now you're sitting in a unique situation. KTVI FOX 2 has two news teams spread out over two stations. Both teams, however, operate out of KTVI studios which theoretically makes the KPLR employees employed by KTVI. No, Sinclair knew that they were doing. Selling KPLR to Meredith would give them the programming, the transmitter facility, and the station's advertising. Selling KPLR to Meredith would not include tangible assets shared between KTVI and KPLR. So in essence you're seeing KDNL, who had been just barely getting by all this time, given an opportunity to launch a news department with KPLR staffers and finally be able to be a competitive station. Who are the losers in this deal? Meredith and KPLR who will likely just create KMOV newscasts for KPLR anyways. The other loser on this is KTVI, who up until this point was the primary station of the two and under a resurgent KDNL could eventually become the secondary station in the partnership. Sinclair not giving up KDNL means Sinclair had this planned out all along to finally give the station a viable news product. What better way to help the longtime viewers of KPLR get over the loss of their team when KMOV takes over their news than having the old team reemerge on ABC 30? It's ingenious. Why would KDNL need KPLR’s team? Could they not just use KTVI’s on both stations once the duopoly is formed? Also any chance ABC and FOX flip affiliations under Sinclair ownership? Makes sense to have the stronger network on the stronger station. The one news team could work because the ABC affiliate could do news 4:30-7am, 11-11:30am, 4-5:30pm, 6-6:30pm, and 10-10:35pm, while the Fox affiliate could do 7-10am, 12-1pm, 5:30-6pm, 6:30-7pm, and 9-10pm. Although I am kind of surprised Sinclair didn’t send KDNL over to Meredith along with CW affiliation (which they could have swapped with KPLR) and kept KTVI and KPLR with the FOX and ABC affiliations. You answered your own question. KPLR and KTVI have two strong news teams under one roof, two separated news products. KPLR is the news team KDNL hasn't had all these years. It's highly unlikely they will go through the effort to make this as painful as they can. Sinclair already owns the KDNL facilities, they need those to separate the news departments of KTVI and KPLR. Besides, by giving Meredith KDNL and the CW affiliation, that comes with a lot more legal stuff and a lot more hoops to jump through for an already impatient Sinclair who wants this deal done yesterday. Call it speculation, call it what you will. There's no way that Sinclair would have kept KDNL if they didn't know what they were doing. They now have a news product in St. Louis for their must-runs with KTVI, but they have a second station to also carry their must-runs in KDNL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eat News 4738 Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 My question about KWGN is if Sinclair plans on ponying up for a new building since the old studios in Greenwood Village was turned into a church. Nawwww.. They can just pony up for one of these fine steel buildings and drop it in some old airport industrial park. Maybe even good old U.S.Steel...made by Good old U.S. Steelers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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