mre29 1338 Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 Not to mention, anyone who keeps screaming HEARST! HEARST! HEARST! fails to realize that not only is Orlando a major conflict, but the Hearst graphics hub is based there as is some other integral corporate functions. With Hearst likely going for the top station in the market, that would be an extremely messy and costly divorce and restructure and who would want to do that? Who says Hearst would have to take WFTV? They can (and should) keep WESH, especially if it plays a major role in their station group. I hate to say it, but if Cox does decide to sell out... The likely only scenarios are Scripps or Nexstar with only one conflict a piece. A newly-formed Graycom likely wouldn't be able to afford it, and if they do there would be conflicts particularly in Charlotte. Hearst, Graham, Meredith, Tegna, and any of the O&Os are pretty much off the table and that's because of conflicts or lack of purchasing history alone. What's the difference between one conflict and three? Some extra paperwork (if that)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyrannical bastard 3442 Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 If Meredith was the buyer like they said they were, these stations would be up their alley. Atlanta would be their only conflict.... ...and their one chance to DUMP WGCL CBS 46 ATLANTA ClearNews once and for all!!!!!!!!! ...but I think Meredith will end up cashing out to someone else like Scripps or Gray....and that would be an issue in Nashville. Is WFTV as dominant as it once was? Keeping WESH around for corporate purposes if they merge with Hearst makes sense. And isn't it a tossup between WTAE and WPXI? And I'll throw out one more group before this turns into Speculatron bait.....Standard General. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dman748 1250 Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 If Meredith was the buyer like they said they were, these stations would be up their alley. Atlanta would be their only conflict.... ...and their one chance to DUMP WGCL CBS 46 ATLANTA ClearNews once and for all!!!!!!!!! ...but I think Meredith will end up cashing out to someone else like Scripps or Gray....and that would be an issue in Nashville. Is WFTV as dominant as it once was? Keeping WESH around for corporate purposes if they merge with Hearst makes sense. And isn't it a tossup between WTAE and WPXI? And I'll throw out one more group before this turns into Speculatron bait.....Standard General. I mentioned about Standard in the other thread and I could see Standard walking away with some if not, all of Cox's stations. But, it depends upon what Standard does with regards to the Tribune situation and if they end up entering Memphis with WREG, then they acquire all of Cox's stations, then either WREG or WHBQ would have to go. Also, I think Standard's best hope is if Scripps acquires Meredith with Standard likely being based in Nashville, this may be their best chance at either WTVF or WSMV becoming Standard's flagship station is by acquiring one of the stations Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weeters 1804 Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 Before this thread devolves further into baseless "Well I'd like it if..." commentary and speculation, remember that the speculation thread is here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C Block 1484 Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 Saying "I'm not surprised" is always a lazy take, but I'm not surprised. If you're not buying, then you're selling. And if you're family-owned, chances are the kids want to sell out while everything is still worth something. Same thing happened with the Albritton family in the southeast and the Chambers family up in Oregon. I'm sure there are other examples too. Now it's time for the Coxes to cash out while they still can. It's all consolidating to the point where aside from the O&Os, we'll eventually have Sinclair, Nexstar, Tegna, Hearst, Gray, and Scripps. If you work for a station that isn't one of those companies, don't be surprised to see your station change hands in the next five years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
channel2 869 Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 Saying "I'm not surprised" is always a lazy take, but I'm not surprised. If you're not buying, then you're selling. And if you're family-owned, chances are the kids want to sell out while everything is still worth something. Same thing happened with the Albritton family in the southeast and the Chambers family up in Oregon. I'm sure there are other examples too. Now it's time for the Coxes to cash out while they still can. It's all consolidating to the point where aside from the O&Os, we'll eventually have Sinclair, Nexstar, Tegna, Hearst, Gray, and Scripps. If you work for a station that isn't one of those companies, don't be surprised to see your station change hands in the next five years. I wouldn't be surprised to see at least one of those groups you named bow out or get swallowed up at some point either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TVIntheDesert 183 Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 WJXT is definitely ranked #1 in Jacksonville for news programming, but not sure where it ranks for the whole broadcast day. Not sure the order within the two network duopolies. I'd imagine WJXX's ratings rank behind WJXT and the "Action News Jax" duo. All they do is simulcast WTLV's news, and ABC has not had a particularly strong presence in Jacksonville since they were on channel 12. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amra 130 Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 Unless Disney shows an interest in getting WFTV/WRDQ in Orlando As for Hearst Television, is quite unlikely in Orlando since they own both WESH/WKCF Unless NBC buys WRDQ and moves Telemundo 31 on Channel 27. If and big if, Hearst tries to bid for WFTV, divesting WKCF and WRDQ from WESH and FTV respectively, this could be a good thing to happen to NBCU and Telemundo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSSZNews 1046 Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 Just realized - FOX has a way better out in Seattle now. They could just buy KIRO if they wanted to, get a major station upgrade, and say the Hell with the Sinclair / Trib drama and get the presence they’ve wanted in the market for years...right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrabbleship 427 Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 Unless NBC buys WRDQ and moves Telemundo 31 on Channel 27. If and big if, Hearst tries to bid for WFTV, divesting WKCF and WRDQ from WESH and FTV respectively, this could be a good thing to happen to NBCU and Telemundo. I was thinking of this last week actually. A hypothetical WESH/WRDQ duopoly under NBCU wouldn't be all that bad and you could probably toss WPXI in there between Pittsburgh being a Comcast market and the very good ratings the Steelers and Penguins get for NBC games. Assuming Fox has a right to first refusal on WFXT, this makes the aftermath of a Hearst/Cox deal not that bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmasters1 377 Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 This was totally unexpected. Why even sell or merge? Cox is a well-oiled machine. Anyway, my prediction is that Hearst will be the merger. Anybody but Sinclair! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty Muck 4157 Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 My only other belief is that maybe Berkshire Hathaway Media swoops in for the Cox properties, bringing them under the same umbrella with WPLG. The issue here would be BH Media's close relationship with Graham, and is likely just a shell since they haven't made any attempts to purchase more properties. How deeply intertwined is BH Media with Graham? Isn’t WPLG for all intents and purposes an outright stand-alone? Warren Buffet is a shrewd investor and has the wealth to show for it. I mean, he took on MediaGeneral’s newspaper division... And the previous mention of a Cox/Tribune merger is highly unlikely. Tribune execs want to sell and get out of dodge. It’s almost impossible not to think of someone coming in to buy Cox and the Tribune stations Fox doesn’t want. And there’s one person who isn’t tied to private equity who could buy both and merge the two sold entities into his Miami stand-alone, resulting in an immediate national reach with multiple ratings powerhouses in the top 10 markets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty Muck 4157 Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 Just realized - FOX has a way better out in Seattle now. They could just buy KIRO if they wanted to, get a major station upgrade, and say the Hell with the Sinclair / Trib drama and get the presence they’ve wanted in the market for years...right now. If Cox sells the group as a whole, that would rule out Fox as a buyer right from the get-go. There’s little chance they’d want WFXT and WHBQ back (Cox has invested heavily into WHBQ), and WSB-TV would be tagged for sale anyway because of WAGA. Fox smells blood and they know that KCPQ/KZJO is theirs for the taking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mre29 1338 Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 I'd think Cox would get more money if they sold them individually rather than all 14 together. On the other hand, if they're willing to leave out stations that a potential buyer can't buy and just sell them themselves afterwards, a group deal isn't a bad idea. For example, selling ten stations to Hearst but temporarily holding on to the four that Hearst can't buy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMassMediaGeek 98 Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 I wonder who would want to merge with them... *cough* *cough* Meredith *cough* *cough* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottSchell 268 Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 I doubt Sinclair will be able to buy them especially since their merger with Tribune got denied by the FCC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bammy99 25 Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 Keep in mind y'all, the WFOX/WJAX duop was grandfathered in from previous ownership. If Tegna or Graham decides to pucker up, the situation is only gonna get harier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrabbleship 427 Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 Keep in mind y'all, the WFOX/WJAX duop was grandfathered in from previous ownership. If Tegna or Graham decides to pucker up, the situation is only gonna get harier. It was only a true duop under Clear Channel. WTEV/WJAX had to be shelled once Clear Channel sold their TV division to Newport and Cox had to keep that going. There is a post I'll make in the Speculatron about this endgame could un-screw the Jacksonville market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dabnis74 52 Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 I could see CBS grabbing WHIO since it’s their strongest and the #1 CBS affiliate in the county. Even tho Dayton is a small market that station is a cash cow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty Muck 4157 Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 The chances that CBS buys WHIO, ABC buys WFTV or NBC buys WESH are next to none. It's only Fox that wants to bolster their station holdings to a significant extent, but even then, you won't be seeing Fox buying a KVRR or WFXR. If networks have to start buying up affiliates in small markets like Dayton or Orlando, then the OTA television industry is in far worse straits than we imagined. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSSZNews 1046 Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 If Cox sells the group as a whole, that would rule out Fox as a buyer right from the get-go. There’s little chance they’d want WFXT and WHBQ back (Cox has invested heavily into WHBQ), and WSB-TV would be tagged for sale anyway because of WAGA. Fox smells blood and they know that KCPQ/KZJO is theirs for the taking. I doubt, especially in this consolidated climate and the red line the FCC has now drawn for Sinclair, that Cox will be able to find a singular buyer for everything, save for maybe Standard Media if that’s still a thing after the Sinclair mess. I think in almost any other scenario it’d have to be piecemeal. I’m also not convinced FOX would pass up an opportunity to complete their Top 10 portfolio by bringing Boston back in the fold. Their future strategy is sports, and both the Pats and Sox are built for long-term postseason runs. If Cox is doing this because of scale, and time weren’t an issue, I’d hope they would wait to see what becomes of Sinclair after the hearings and pick at the scraps. Wishful thinking, though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenneth Kissel 280 Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 The chances that CBS buys WHIO, ABC buys WFTV or NBC buys WESH are next to none. It's only Fox that wants to bolster their station holdings to a significant extent, but even then, you won't be seeing Fox buying a KVRR or WFXR. If networks have to start buying up affiliates in small markets like Dayton or Orlando, then the OTA television industry is in far worse straits than we imagined. So you are also saying WPXI has no chance of becoming an NBC O&O? I think it has more chance of becoming and NBC Owned Station then going to Nexstar ,Tenga ,or Scripps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty Muck 4157 Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 So you are also saying WPXI has no chance of becoming an NBC O&O? I think it has more chance of becoming and NBC Owned Station then going to Nexstar ,Tenga ,or Scripps. Comcast has only been acquiring stations for Telemundo, outside of the multiple deals last year to get a full-market OTA signal for "NBC Boston" via WBTS and WYCN. And that's totally understandable, as Boston is a top-ten market. Really, they've stood pat with the NBC O&O division since having sold off the "Outlet Four" in 2006 and the aborted sell-off of WTVJ to Post-Newsweek a decade ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjt24 309 Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 So you are also saying WPXI has no chance of becoming an NBC O&O? I think it has more chance of becoming and NBC Owned Station then going to Nexstar ,Tenga ,or Scripps. I really don't see WPXI becoming an NBC O&O. Odds are either Nexstar, Tegna or Scripps comes in and buys them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
channel2 869 Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 I don't think the group is going piecemeal. Cox wants to partner with somebody else, not sell the properties off entirely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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