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Disney Execs reported to be visiting Cox stations


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27 minutes ago, TheOneManHerd said:

I think the most likely scenario here is...someone is pulling Scott’s leg.

Yeah, especially considering the number of stations (14) and the number of affiliation swaps that would be needed (in Jacksonville, Boston, Dayton, Tulsa, Pittsburgh, Memphis, and Seattle).

 

 

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Here's the full text...

"Sources tell FTVLive that the suits from Disney were spotted kicking the tires at WSB (Atlanta), WSOC (Charlotte) and WFTV (Orlando). 

As long as station groups are for sale, there will be rumors and stories floating around as to who is buying them?

Cox put their stations on the market and there have been a number of companies that are interested in picking them up. Cox stations are always well run and most are at the tp of the ratings. 

Word is that ABC is interested on the Cox ABC affiliates and that’s why the Disney folks are having a look around at those stations. 

As FTVLive told you, Cox is expected to announce very soon as to who their buyer(s) are? 

Many of those working at Cox stations would jump for joy if that buyer was ABC. It sure is a hell of a lot better than Sinclair. 

But, if that is the case, ABC will only be interested in the ABC affiliates, that means that stations like WPXI (Pittsburgh) and WFXT (Boston) along with others would be going to someone else.

Stay tuned…"

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Yes, "ABC never buys stations", but this makes too much sense.

You don't think ABC would want a station in a still-growing Top 10 market - and one of its largest and most powerful affiliates - now that it has a chance? Even Charlotte and Orlando, which is a smaller market by comparison, have seen significant population growth over the past few years (moreso Charlotte than Central Florida).

This is an easy call to make.

 

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If Cox is selling their stations to different buyers, then why not?

I remember hearing over the years that Disney really wanted WJLA, but Allbritton wanted a single buyer. And like hell Disney would have bought the group just for one station.

One thing is for sure, Sinclair is taking themselves out of consideration due to their unbelievable tone-deaf attitude after killing their own bid for Tribune.

As it is, I’ll believe this when I see it, but who knows?

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Here's my take on this:

 

I don't think Disney (ABC) will buy WSB or WFTV because as we all know they don't buy stations, they never have and they never will.

 

But with this broadcasting industry, anything is possible so therefore I can't really discount Disney buying anything.

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disney execs have kicked the tires of many stations with the for sale sign out front in these last 15-20 years.... in the end they passed on them all....

just like every other company has explored buying the same stations....

does everyone who walks onto a car lot leave with a car??? 

 

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This is why I've always said don't sleep on the possibility of Disney being the buyer of certain stations.  I've always felt that the reason they "don't buy stations" as people are so quick to throw around is that stations they'd truly want were never available for them to buy.  And before anyone says "but what about WJLA and WFAA?", those were cases where their owners were looking for a single buyer for their entire group of stations.  Disney wasn't going to buy all of Albritton and Belo just to get WJLA and WFAA, respectively.  Now, if this is also the case with Cox and they're looking for a single buyer, then Disney is out. But if Cox has been open to a split sale, I don't see why Disney wouldn't be seriously considering purchasing their 3 ABC stations, seeing as these are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities up for grabs, especially in the case of WSB which has always been Cox's "baby".  All three of them come with some benefit to Disney:

- WSB is pretty much synonymous with local TV in Atlanta.  It's the dominant station in a top 10 market.
- WSOC could provide some synergy with would-be sister WTVD in Raleigh, sharing resources in North Carolina.
- WFTV exists in a market where Disney is the area's biggest employer.  I'm sure there's opportunities for some degree of synergy there.

When it comes to this whole Cox sale, many creatures seem to stirring, even a "Mouse"...

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1 hour ago, TresGriffin said:

I've always felt that the reason they "don't buy stations" as people are so quick to throw around is that stations they'd truly want were never available for them to buy.  

 

They've been available. Disney just hasn't wanted to spend too much money on them. They could have bought WJLA if they wanted to. They could have paid well over what anyone else wanted to pay. They could have gone to Sinclair and offered to buy it for more than Sinclair paid. In the end, they backed out because they didn't want to spend the money. Every opportunity Disney/ABC has passed over has almost always come down to having better things to spend money on.

While I question the validity of this report, if it's true, all it means is Cox is desperate to get out of TV and is basically selling the stations at or below market value.

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8 hours ago, rkolsen said:

Also worth noting is that some affiliation contracts have a clause where if a station goes up for sale the network can look into it and buy it. 

I've never heard of this, but I bet Disney/ABC wishes their contract with Albritton had it.

 

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Wait, why didn't i know about THIS?!

Is hell finally freezing over for ABC to buy these stations?

(*whispers in prayer* please ABC if you're listening, make the smart move and start buying. BTW please buy WPLG)

If this actually happens then the mouse has grown a new pair.

 

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On 12/15/2018 at 2:15 AM, Weeters said:

They've been available. Disney just hasn't wanted to spend too much money on them. They could have bought WJLA if they wanted to. They could have paid well over what anyone else wanted to pay. They could have gone to Sinclair and offered to buy it for more than Sinclair paid. In the end, they backed out because they didn't want to spend the money. Every opportunity Disney/ABC has passed over has almost always come down to having better things to spend money on.

While I question the validity of this report, if it's true, all it means is Cox is desperate to get out of TV and is basically selling the stations at or below market value.

Did Allbritton even have the intentions to sell WJLA separately? If not, then it wouldn't have mattered, as there was no way Disney was going to buy ABC 33/40, KATV, KTUL, WSET, WCIV and WHTM in addition to WJLA.

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10 minutes ago, Myron Falwell said:

Did Allbritton even have the intentions to sell WJLA separately? If not, then it wouldn't have mattered, as there was no way Disney was going to buy ABC 33/40, KATV, KTUL, WSET, WCIV and WHTM in addition to WJLA.

I've said it before and I'll say it again:  Disney should've found a broadcaster (or even a private equity firm) to team up with to buy Allbritton's stations. Then they could've had WJLA while the other company gets the other six stations.

 

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That's the thing. I've always been in the 'never say never' camp on the idea of ABC as a buyer, but it's on the one condition that it's low effort, low risk, and basically falls into their lap. WJLA was not available to be purchased separately, so they were a quick out, unwilling to do some wheeling and dealing to get the job done. Same thing goes with Cox. If Atlanta, Orlando, and Charlotte were able to be bought, divorced from their Cox sisters, then the Mouse is in, but if there's even a little hesitation by the seller, the prospect will be DOA.

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22 minutes ago, mre29 said:

I've said it before and I'll say it again:  Disney should've found a broadcaster (or even a private equity firm) to team up with to buy Allbritton's stations. Then they could've had WJLA while the other company gets the other six stations.

 

It sounds simple on paper, but something like that is no sure thing. Remember that Fox tried to pull together a bid with Blackstone for Tribune last year and it wasn't enough.

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39 minutes ago, 24994J said:

That's the thing. I have always been in the 'never say never' camp on the idea of ABC as a buyer, but it's on the one condition that it's low effort, low risk, and basically falls into their lap. WJLA was not available to be purchase separately, so they were a quick out, unwilling to do some wheeling and dealing. Same thing goes with Cox. If Atlanta, Orlando, and Charlotte were able to be bought, divorced from their Cox sisters, then the Mouse is in, but if there's even a little hesitation by the seller, the prospect will be DOA.

My point exactly. As I see it, it’s not that Disney wasn’t interested in buying WJLA (and WFAA, for that matter). It was that that Albritton and Belo weren’t interested in selling those stations separately.

But for reasons I mentioned before, I feel Disney would be remiss to not have at least considered buying these three: WSB is one of their strongest affiliates nationwide, WSOC’s resources could be combined to a degree with WTVD, and WFTV is in WDW’s turf.

Incidentally, if The Mouse buys Cox’s ABC’s affiliates, it sets up Meredith to make a clean buy for the remainder of Cox’s stations, since that would eliminate the Atlanta conflict.

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