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Makes no sense at all. That should have been a package deal with WTXL. I don’t see it getting anywhere in the ratings against WALB and there’s little room for another news operation there.

Both WSWG and WSST (a YooToo affiliate) are rimshots that depend on cable carriage.

 

I'd be surprised if Gray doesn't retain WSWG's IP and place it on an WALB sub, with WSWG going with H&I or something similar.

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I half-expected them to turn in the license after making no real effort to find a buyer and then move CBS to WALB 10.3 or something.

 

Same here, although they wouldn't be able to get an HD signal easily on 10.3. Most likely, the price was very low - barely a million or two.

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Both WSWG and WSST (a YooToo affiliate) are rimshots that depend on cable carriage.

 

I'd be surprised if Gray doesn't retain WSWG's IP and place it on an WALB sub, with WSWG going with H&I or something similar.

Same here, although they wouldn't be able to get an HD signal easily on 10.3. Most likely, the price was very low - barely a million or two.

It's Gray. Is there an LPTV they can buy?

If this was a small transaction where they'd only getting WALB, Gray would've probably done it this way, or place it on an in-city LP (in which Gray has done in other small markets). But since they're involve in a big transaction where the DOJ has to weigh in on a deal as a whole, they probably would've told them to spin it off (even though they've have already committed in doing so).

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Uncertain if this has anything to do with the merger, but WLBT is no longer using Mississippi News Now. WDBD has a SSA with WLBT and all WDBD newscasts are produced by WLBT. The website is back to WLBT.com and the news app is branded only as WLBT.

 

I think this was done because Raycom is upgrading their website design.

 

WAFF just switched, interesting that they are upgrading all of their websites when they are being bought by Gray, who uses a different website service than Raycom...

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Both WSWG and WSST (a YooToo affiliate) are rimshots that depend on cable carriage.

 

WSST doesn't really carry any YouToo content any longer. Ever since the America One merger threw on a bunch of the former's horrid content, most of the major broadcast groups have been done with that mess of a network (WAGT-CD mercy-killed it when they got the NBC affiliation).

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I bet the CBS affiliation is included in the sale of WSWG to Marquee, because it looks like Gray wants a very smooth transaction and the DOJ might object to one station (WALB) carrying all three of ABC-NBC-CBS in the Albany market.

 

According to Wikipedia, there are two silent low power stations in Albany. If that's accurate, Marquee could buy one of them and set up a scenario with CBS using two full power rimshots and a LPTV in the city center, as Allbritton did with ABC in Birmingham.

 

A COL change might be required for WSWG, since it's licensed to Valdosta which is technically in the Tallahassee market.

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I bet the CBS affiliation is included in the sale of WSWG to Marquee, because it looks like Gray wants a very smooth transaction and the DOJ might object to one station (WALB) carrying all three of ABC-NBC-CBS in the Albany market.

 

According to Wikipedia, there are two silent low power stations in Albany. If that's accurate, Marquee could buy one of them and set up a scenario with CBS using two full power rimshots and a LPTV in the city center, as Allbritton did with ABC in Birmingham.

 

A COL change might be required for WSWG, since it's licensed to Valdosta which is technically in the Tallahassee market.

 

Not to mention, WSWG also has MNTV and The CW on its subchannels, which would give Gray everything except FOX.

 

I doubt we'll see a COL change for WSWG since Nielsen considers it part of the Albany market even though Valdosta is in the Tallahassee market.

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Scripps takes its piece of Waco, Tallahassee.

 

http://scripps.com/press-releases/1186-scripps-to-buy-abc-affiliates-in-tallahassee-florida-and-waco-texas

 

TEGNA goes for Toledo, Midland.

 

[MEDIA=twitter]1031652312488587264[/MEDIA]

 

Scripps should also consider WFLX in West Palm Beach and KNIN in Boise for purchase, and to complete their respective duopolies to their fullest.

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Welcome to Texas, Scripps!

Actually, this marks a return to Texas for Scripps, they briefly owned KENS in San Antonio in the late 90s before they traded KENS to Belo in exchange for Belo's stake in Food Network

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Scripps takes its piece of Waco, Tallahassee.

 

http://scripps.com/press-releases/1186-scripps-to-buy-abc-affiliates-in-tallahassee-florida-and-waco-texas

 

TEGNA goes for Toledo, Midland.

 

[MEDIA=twitter]1031652312488587264[/MEDIA]

 

No real surprises re: TEGNA. I figured they might have wanted Tallahassee though...and what about WTNZ? Since that station is 5th per Gray's paperwork, they can claim it and pair it with WBIR no problem...

 

How did Scripps decide on Waco? I get Tallahassee but Waco seems a bit random...

 

As for Scripps, someone had to claim KXXV as neither Nexstar nor TEGNA could. I was kind of expecting it to go to someone like Heartland, Morgan Murphy or NPG. Re: Tallahassee, could this be setting up another deal...perhaps?

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Actually, this marks a return to Texas for Scripps, they briefly owned KENS in San Antonio in the late 90s before they traded KENS to Belo in exchange for Belo's stake in Food Network

 

They never held operational control over it, though I'm not sure they wanted to keep it anyway. That trade has got to be one of the most ludicrously one-sided deals ever, and somehow they got Belo to include cash in it!

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Come 2019, C Clarity will invade NewsWest 9 and WTOL 11 News. Welcome to Tegna Texas, KWES and welcome to the Tegna family Toledo 11 (I still call it that). I wonder if Tegna has its eye on other Raycom Media stations in Texas or other Raycom Media stations in the US... To be continued.

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It now appears that Graycom has found new homes for all the stations that needed to be divested, https://seekingalpha.com/news/3384335-gray-sets-divestitures-eight-markets-raycom-deal

 

Here's the List:

Lockwood (4): WTNZ, WFXG, WPGX, WDFX, all of which are FOX stations and would result in a duopoly in Knoxville.

Scripps (2): KXXV/KRHD, WTXL

Tegna (2): WTOL, KWES

Marquee (1): WSWG, the only Gray station that'll be divested.

 

As for Lockwood, just when we believe that they're about to cash out they turn around and add to their portfolio and will gain a duopoly in Knoxville with independent WKNX.

 

A message to Sinclair, see how simple a divestiture can be when you sell to existing companies and not your BFF or car dealer.

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Come 2019, C Clarity will invade NewsWest 9 and WTOL 11 News. Welcome to Tegna Texas, KWES and welcome to the Tegna family Toledo 11 (I still call it that). I wonder if Tegna has its eye on other Raycom Media stations in Texas or other Raycom Media stations in the US... To be continued.

 

There is little else to be gained. Amarillo and Lubbock are not conflicts for Gray, and they couldn't acquire KXXV anyway.

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