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WBOC to acquire WRDE Coast TV


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https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/maryland/2018/08/21/wboc-parent-company-acquire-wrde/1050532002/

Draper Media and SagamoreHill of Salisbury Licenses, LLC announced on social media and on WBOC's website Tuesday that they have entered into a purchase agreement for WRDE-LD, an NBC affiliate serving the Delmarva Peninsula as Coast TV.

 

Draper Media and SagamoreHill of Salisbury Licenses, LLC announced on social media and on WBOC's website Tuesday that they have entered into a purchase agreement for WRDE-LD, an NBC affiliate serving the Delmarva Peninsula as Coast TV.

 

"We’re looking forward to bringing more local news, weather and community information to viewers here on Delmarva,” says Molly Draper Russell, CEO of Draper Holdings Business Trust, parent company of Draper Media in a news release. “Coast TV’s NBC lineup reinforces our commitment to serving the Delmarva Peninsula with the absolute best information, entertainment and sports programming available. Our family’s history of service through free over-the-air broadcasting goes back more than half a century. Along with my sister and brothers we are proud to carry on the legacy of our late father, and company founder, Thomas H. Draper, who was fond of saying we have a moral obligation to serve Delmarva.”

 

“WBOC is unquestionably one of the great stations in America,” says Louis Wall, president of SagamoreHill Broadcasting Corp, in a news release. “Tom Draper built what all true broadcasters strive for, a well-resourced television station that could stand up against the competition in a market of any size. The union of Coast TV with WBOC will serve the viewers of the Delmarva Peninsula better than ever. We are delighted with this agreement and the prospects it holds for the station’s future.”

 

"I began my Delmarva broadcasting career at WBOC so, I am very pleased, and it seems fitting, that WRDE and I rejoin the WBOC family,” says Bob Backman, president of WRDE-TV, in a news release.

 

Draper Media, based in Salisbury, Maryland, consists of WBOC-TV, FOX21, Telemundo Delmarva, Antenna TV, WBOC Digital, WBOC-FM, WAAI-FM, WTDK-FM, WCEM-FM and WCEM-AM with satellite offices in Cambridge, Maryland, Dover and Milton, Delaware.

 

The transfer of ownership is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2018 subject to approval by the Federal Communications Commission.

 

This report will be updated.

And the consolidation of local TV continues...

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This is a great move. Draper Media is not some major station group like Tegna, Raycom or Sinclair. They only have a presence in the Salisbury market, and WBOC is one of the most dominant television stations in America. The people of Delmarva think of WBOC and no one else when they think of local news. For them to continue their growth with a CBS and FOX affiliate, then a Telemundo affiliate, and now an NBC affiliate in addition to 5 radio stations demonstrates their dominance. If it were a station group that has no connection to the market and didn't know anything about the community's interests this would be terrible, but it's a local company looking to serve local people. Win-win.

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It's not as if WRDE was really gaining ground against WBOC & WMDT. I'm sure that when Draper comes in, they'll kill off the INN newscasts and introduce new WBOC newscasts.

 

It also proves that the Drapers aren't planning on leaving broacsting anytime soon.

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This is a great move. Draper Media is not some major station group like Tegna, Raycom or Sinclair. They only have a presence in the Salisbury market, and WBOC is one of the most dominant television stations in America. The people of Delmarva think of WBOC and no one else when they think of local news. For them to continue their growth with a CBS and FOX affiliate, then a Telemundo affiliate, and now an NBC affiliate in addition to 5 radio stations demonstrates their dominance. If it were a station group that has no connection to the market and didn't know anything about the community's interests this would be terrible, but it's a local company looking to serve local people. Win-win.

 

THIS...sort of.

Salisbury is one of, if not the only remaining DMA in the country with locally owned TV stations across the board. That can only be a good thing in this climate.

 

Except, of course, if you are an MMJ at WRDE. The INN mothership will be fine, but I do hope Draper finds a home for the local reporters on whatever replaces the piped out newscast (if it's anything at all!)

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First thing that came to mind was Block owning WLIO in Lima, Ohio (NBC DT1/Fox DT2) and multiple low-power signals (class A WOHL, which directly simulcasts low-powered ABC/WLQP and CBS/WLMO).

 

Yes, the combined intellectual unit is locally owned and effectively competes against stations in Toledo, Columbus and Dayton, but still.

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This is a great move. Draper Media is not some major station group like Tegna, Raycom or Sinclair. They only have a presence in the Salisbury market, and WBOC is one of the most dominant television stations in America. The people of Delmarva think of WBOC and no one else when they think of local news. For them to continue their growth with a CBS and FOX affiliate, then a Telemundo affiliate, and now an NBC affiliate in addition to 5 radio stations demonstrates their dominance. If it were a station group that has no connection to the market and didn't know anything about the community's interests this would be terrible, but it's a local company looking to serve local people. Win-win.

 

News Chomper 16

 

 

 

newschomper16.thumb.png.097f131b2ae4b2bbe05000aad0e8865b.png

 

(mic drop)

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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 months later...
On 10/17/2018 at 11:44 PM, CircleSeven said:

It's been greenlighted.

 

Draper is about to add NBC to a plethora of networks it has in the Delmarva.

 

The Graycom deal wasn't the only thing that closed.....

 

SagamoreHill has completed it sale of WRDE to Draper. It was consummated on Tuesday (1/1).

 

WRDE is now part of the WBOC family.

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  • 4 weeks later...

http://www.wboc.com/story/39869572/chief-meteorologist-wrdecoast-tv

 

Several job postings like this one on WBOC's website indicate that WRDE will be producing their own separate newscasts. A friend of mine with knowledge of the plans says they'll anchor from a studio in WBOC's Sussex County, DE bureau, rather than the main WBOC studios in Salisbury. Looks like the WRDE staff will also handle news on the Telemundo station as they're looking for bilingual staff. I said it when this deal was announced and I'll say it again, certainly the Draper's are looking to make as much money as possible, but they're also looking to service the community with quality news, information and entertainment in a way most stations are not trying to do these days. Exciting times ahead for "the little station that could"

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7 minutes ago, newsanchor26 said:

A friend of mine with knowledge of the plans says they'll anchor from a studio in WBOC's Sussex County, DE bureau, rather than the main WBOC studios in Salisbury

 

It completely makes sense as WRDE serves Rehoboth Beach primarily. It’s over an hour drive to get to WBOC’s studios in Salisbury, MD. And pairing it up with Telemundo makes even more sense given the NBC ownership.

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3 hours ago, rkolsen said:

 

It completely makes sense as WRDE serves Rehoboth Beach primarily. It’s over an hour drive to get to WBOC’s studios in Salisbury, MD. And pairing it up with Telemundo makes even more sense given the NBC ownership.

 

NewsChomper might get a Spanish brother ?

 

"Noticias Orca"?

 

image.png.8e3619cf3983d430ae995de46257139a.png

 

Fun fact: NewsChomper 16 transmits in HD...and is Fuel Injected.

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2 hours ago, Eat News said:

 

NewsChomper might get a Spanish brother ?

 

"Noticias Orca"?

 

image.png.8e3619cf3983d430ae995de46257139a.png

 

Fun fact: NewsChomper 16 transmits in HD...and is Fuel Injected.

At the time I think they were really emphasizing that it was in HD when Baltimore and DC at the time only had 4 helicopters only one other one was in HD (WBAL). 

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  • 4 months later...
16 hours ago, RGSJenkins said:

Update of WRDE's new studio and set. In the meantime, they are simulcasting WBOC's 6pm & 11pm newscasts until they are fully prepared.

 

 

Seems so small. Really putting the "sister" in sister station to the next level, I guess?

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