At the FCC

[CircleSeven 1944]

 

NEW M&A Tonight!!!!

 

B&C states that Duhamel will sell its family-owned station KOTA in Rapid City, SD to South Bend-based Schurz Communications.

 

KOTA has been owned Duhamel family since its inception in 1955. KOTA also operates three satellite stations where they coin their coverage area "KOTA Territory", KDUH in Scottsbluff, NE, KHSD in Lead, SD and KSGW in Sheridan, WY.

 

Follow Up Time!!!

 

On Monday, the FCC greenlighted the Schurz applications to acquire KOTA-TV and its satellites. But the FCC ordered Schurz that it had 60 days to divest at least two of its radio stations (they currently own six radio stations) to come into compliance with the radio/television cross-ownership rule in the Rapid City market. Hoping for a temporary waiver for either 6 months or pending the outcome of the 2010 Quadrennial review, the FCC decided that the waiver would only be for 60 days.

 

It also stated that they found buyers and have already started the process to sell, I wouldn't be shocked if Schurz would divest one of those stations back to Duhamel, since they won't have any TV stations post-consummation.

 

KOTA-TV states that Schurz will take over station operations on April 28th.

[tw-804 190]

From the Buffalo News: "New Owner (Scripps) May Take Control Of (WKBW) Channel 7 After May Sweeps"

http://blogs.buffalonews.com/talkintv/2014/04/new-owner-may-take-control-of-channel-7-after-may-sweeps.html?ref=bmh

 

 

April 25, 2014 - 9:19 AM

 

By Alan Pergament

Channel 7 General Manager Mike Nurse said this week that the Federal Communications Commission is expected to rule on the sale of the station from Granite Broadcasting to E.W. Scripps Co. in the next few weeks.

If the sale of WKBW-TV to Scripps is approved as expected, the Cincinnati-based company is expected to take control by the end of May.

Scripps announced on Feb.9 that it had a deal to purchase Channel 7 and a Detroit station owned by Granite, which is controlled by a hedge fund, for $110 million in cash.

At the time, the parties said it typically takes three or four months for FCC approval.

A ruling in the next few weeks would fall into the time frame of three to four months. It generally takes three or fourth weeks to close the sale after FCC approval, which would mean Scripps would take over after the end of the May sweeps.

Scripps officials probably would prefer taking over after the May sweeps so the results -- which haven't been favorable to the ABC affiliate for years -- won't fall under the company's watch. Channel 7 is deep in third place in local news ratings. The ratings for ABC's top-rated news programs "Good Morning America" and "World News with Diane Sawyer" are also third in this market.

The first sweeps period of significance for Scripps would be in November, by which time it might implement some of its plans to try and restore Channel 7 to its former glory. There also is a July sweeps, but it is by far the least important to advertisers of the four periods that measure household ratings and key demographics.

Scripps isn't allowed to share its plans yet, but the company is expected to do the typical things new owners do like change the set of the newscast and take a research survey to judge the popularity of the station's on-air staff.

It is believed that Channel 7 hasn't taken such a comprehensive research survey in about 15 years.

The sale to Scripps undoubtedly is both exciting and a little scary for station staffers. It is exciting because Scripps is expected to give Channel 7 more resources to compete with Channel 2 and Channel 4.

It is scary because the research survey could have an impact on whether some people keep their jobs and remain part of the station's proposed comeback.

[email protected]

 

[CircleSeven 1944]

Follow Up Time!!!

 

On Monday, the FCC greenlighted the Schurz applications to acquire KOTA-TV and its satellites.

........

 

KOTA-TV states that Schurz will take over station operations on April 28th.

The KOTA Territory sale to Schurz has been consummated. It was completed on Monday (the date they said they would close).

 

No word on which radio stations they are planing to divest as it was stated on the order last month.

 

They are one of the few stations (aside from WTMJ) to have a 3pm news. Once they dump all of their syndicated programming, they will have more news than any local network affiliate in the US.

I just check out their guide a few hours ago, and it appears that they don't have a 3pm news now. I'm not sure when that occured. It appears that they probably moved one of the syndie shows from 11am to 3pm and place an hourly 11am news with the Wagners in its place.

[Samantha 2876]

More M&A with a Montana flavor: Gray is taking IWCC's second-to-last unsold cluster, Helena-Great Falls, for $2,000,000 (KTVH, KMTF, KBGF LP). This includes one station under a failing station waiver (CW affiliate KMTF). Gray will take over operations on June 1 pursuant to an LMA.

 

Of the remaining stations owned by IWCC:

• KPVI/KXTF to Frontier awaits consummation.
  
• KRNV is operated by Sinclair and being sold to Cunningham pending approval.
  
• KTVH/KMTF just went today.
  
• KSNV is still theirs.
  

[CircleSeven 1944]

 

More M&A with a Montana flavor: Gray is taking IWCC's second-to-last unsold cluster, Helena-Great Falls, for $2,000,000 (KTVH, KMTF, KBGF LP). This includes one station under a failing station waiver (CW affiliate KMTF). Gray will take over operations on June 1 pursuant to an LMA.

 

Well, I kind of suspected that KTVH would get sold before they sell its big station. But I wouldn't thought it would be Gray. I strongly don't think that they would acquire this Helena station for nothing. And I said this back last October that I would love to see KTVH clustered up with Bonten's NBC.

 

I dunno what's popping with Frontier, because they've been buying, but they've also been selling as well. And once they close on the KPVI/KXTF deal, would they resell it to another buyer, like they did with the Yellowstone properties?

 

So I wouldn't be shocked if they want to pursue going further into Montana. And should they follow that path, which avenues will they go, Bonten's NBC or Cordillera's CBS/Montana? If Gray picks the latter, Gray would have control of NBC, CBS & CW in little Helena. But since KXLH-LD is a LP station, it's not affected by the ownership limits.

[effseesee 101]

Well' date=' I kind of suspected that KTVH would get sold before they sell its big station. But I wouldn't thought it would be Gray. I strongly don't think that they would acquire this Helena station for nothing. And I said this back last October that I would love to see KTVH clustered up with Bonten's NBC.

 

I dunno what's popping with Frontier, because they've been buying, but they've also been selling as well. And once they close on the KPVI/KXTF deal, would they resell it to another buyer, like they did with the Yellowstone properties?

 

So I wouldn't be shocked if they want to pursue going further into Montana. And should they follow that path, which avenues will they go, Bonten's NBC or Cordillera's CBS/Montana? If Gray picks the latter, Gray would have control of NBC, CBS & CW in little Helena. But since KXLH-LD is a LP station, it's not affected by the ownership limits.

They have to have another deal lined up. You can't make any money with just Helena and an LP in Great Falls.

[Samantha 2876]

 

They have to have another deal lined up. You can't make any money with just Helena and an LP in Great Falls.

 

The Helena and Great Falls markets could be combined with no real effect on anything except CW. KRTV has a semi-repeater in Helena (KXLH) which produces its own weekday evening newscasts. KBGF is the Great Falls extension of KTVH and needs to be converted to digital. ABC and Fox originate from KFBB Great Falls, which has its own Helena repeater (KHBB). The only difference is that CW in Great Falls is a digital subchannel of KRTV while in Helena it is associated with KMTF. The DMAs, 205 and 191 on their own, together have 95,000 TV homes and slot in around DMA 176 together.

 

It's worth noting that the history of television in this region of Montana includes an Equity station that somehow survived the digital transition (not smoothly) and now airs JCTV (!). It's KLMN now, but it used to be KTGF/NBC and then became a Fox affiliate.

 

The question here: where could Gray possibly expand?

 

Cowles is fresh off replacing Max Media and owns KULR (NBC Billings), KWYB (ABC Butte), KFBB, and KTMF (ABC Missoula).

Cordillera owns the successful MTN station chain, all CBS: KTVQ (Billings), KRTV, KXLH, KXLF (Butte), KBZK (Bozeman), KPAX (Missoula) and KAJJ (Kalispell). I've bothered to list the repeaters because they each carry customized local news product (and are really the only ones to do so). Combined the media markets, as well as Glendive, are about DMA 80 or 81—didn't think you could make a Top 100 market of all these little ones, huh?

Bonten owns KECI (NBC Missoula) and its semi-satellites KCFW Kalispell and KTVM Butte-Bozeman, the latter two producing inserts into the KECI newscasts.

 

The only thing I can see being worth an acquisition is Nexstar's pathetic Billings cluster, which is an ABC (KSVI) and a Fox (KHMT). Neither currently have a news product and

, at the time of the Nexstar acquisition. The ratings were weak, and the law enforcement thought their reporting was too aggressive.

[sanewsguy 509]

 

The only thing I can see being worth an acquisition is Nexstar's pathetic Billings cluster, which is an ABC (KSVI) and a Fox (KHMT). Neither currently have a news product and

, at the time of the Nexstar acquisition. The ratings were weak, and the law enforcement thought their reporting was too aggressive.

 

The newscast started during the previous ownership group. Nexstar (specifically Brian Jones) was the one who made the decision to cancel the newscast.

 

This would be perfect for Gray. Then Nexstar would be free of any ownership in the Billings market. Then they could make a play for Cordillera with virtually no conflicts. Nexstar is my favorite for Cordillera. I can't see them fitting with Gray like someone else suggested due to too many conflicts.

[CircleSeven 1944]

The sale of two Sunbelt stations (KPVI & KXTF) to Frontier was completed on Tuesday.

 

Frontier is waiting to close on its acquisition of Sainte Partners' remaining station, Eureka's KVIQ.

 

IWCC still have stations in Nevada & Montana. Gray announced that they'll buy the Montana cluster, while the Reno properties are still awaiting for the FCC greenlight.

[CircleSeven 1944]

Well we have a New M&A this morning (well new to me, but the news was posted two weeks ago).

 

Back to Oregon we go. It appears the owners of Zolo Media (owners of its cable/broadband system and Bend, OR's broadcast stations, KOHD & KBNZ-LD) is selling its company to a midwestern firm Telephone & Data Systems, Inc. (TDS) for $261M.

[CircleSeven 1944]

The Paperwork of KMTF have been posted, which Gray filed a failed station waiver, they're paying $150K for the station. Gray is paying $1.75M for KTVH.

 

Also, we have an FCC approval.

 

The sale of two CBS Alaska station's KUBD Ketchikan & KTNL SItka to Denali Media Holdings, a subsidiary of Alaska's telecommunications provider, GCI, was greenlighted last Thursday (5/15). Just like their last deal to acquire KTVA & KATH/KSCT, this deal also had a petition of deny. Specifically by the City of Ketchikan. The FCC shot down their POD and granted in GCI's favor.

 

So GCI have Anchorage & Juneau locked. Will they head into Fairbanks now?

_____________________________

 

WJHG's longtime anchor Joe Moore retired earlier this week after 43 years at the station.

 

Hoping all the best in his retirement.

[CircleSeven 1944]

Speaking of WMBB, it's been almost a month since the Nexstar sale was green-lighted. I wonder what the holdup is on the consummation?

They're probably waiting on the KFQX to Mission app (KREX/KFQX are on a grandfathered LMA). They even amended its application back on May 12 to state this:

 

AMENDMENT

 

Mission Broadcasting, Inc. ('Mission'), The Transferee, Submits This Amendment To Clarify That It Will Acquire KFQX(TV) From Cash On Hand And Will Not Draw Upon Any Loan Or Other Credit Facility To Fund This Acquisition. Furthermore, Mission Will Not Draw Upon Any Loan Or Other Credit Facility To Fund The Operations Of Or Capital Improvements To KFQX(TV). Mission Anticipates That Its Ownership Of KFQX(TV) Will Produce Income To Mission That Meets Or Exceeds Mission's Costs To Operate The Station. In The Unlikely Event That This Presumption Proves Incorrect, Mission Certifies That It Will Meet Any Deficit By Means Other Than Funds Generated By A Loan From Or Use Of A Credit Facility Guaranteed By The Licensee Of Any Other Television Station Located In The Grand Junction DMA.

I dunno if this would finally convince Wheeler's FCC to budge, but ever since the FCC went with that Public Notice "Guidance" back in March (before they voted on that new JSA rule), the FCC hasn't acted on any app that included a sharing arrangement with contingent financial backings.

 

But this is not the first time where approvals don't happen simultaneously. When Nexstar acquired WFFF/WVNY, the WVNY one was approved before the WFFF one did.

 

Gray is still waiting on the Excalibur apps (KHAS, KXJB & KAQY), and they has modified their apps to eliminated its put/call and option agreements. And they didn't even have a JSA in its original application.

[CircleSeven 1944]

New M&A: Bob Prather's Heartland Media is buying Chambers Communications's Oregon stations (KEZI Eugene, KDRV Medford + KDKF Klamath Falls) for $30 million. Chambers cites issues with network economies of scale and increased costs to ABC.

Yesterday, FCC greenlighted the KEZI/KDRV-KDKF deal to Prathers' Heartland Media yesterday.

 

Also this past Wednesday, The FCC also greenlighted the KFXP deal to Abraham Telecasting. KFXP is owned by Compass Communications, and it was operated by a LMA with KPVI.

 

_______________________________

 

I know this was mentioned days ago but it bares mentioning again. Two prominent New Orleans anchors are retiring tonight.

 

Norman Robinson will anchor his final 6pm newscast on WDSU. And Dennis Woltering will anchor his final 5pm & 10pm newscast on WWL.

[Samantha 2876]

Today's FCC Daily Digest includes the news that Bob Prather's Heartland Media now has the licenses of the Chambers stations. The licensee is Oregon TV License Company, LLC.

[CircleSeven 1944]

 

Today's FCC Daily Digest includes the news that Bob Prather's Heartland Media now has the licenses of the Chambers stations. The licensee is Oregon TV License Company, LLC.

 

Hold on. Where does it say that? I'm looking through the Digest now, and i didn't see anything other than the one on May 29, at which it sale was greenlighted. OH wait a minute. You must've saw yesterday's Broadcast Actions which list each of them as granted. Prather still hasn't finalized the deal, yet that might come soon.

[CircleSeven 1944]

Since they'd placed a freeze on new petitions to change channels, and for full-powers to boost their signals, now the FCC has put a freeze on Low-power displacement and stations that want to fill a new application for a digital replacement (fill-in) translator.

 

Of course the freeze will stay on, pending the outcome of those incentive spectrum auctions. But this is yet another blow for the broadcasters.

[CircleSeven 1944]

Well he didn't have to go too far.

 

B&C states that former President & GM of WMYD, David Bangura, will become the President & GM of Independent statiion WADL.

 

Of course this comes after WMYD's completed acquisition by Scripps yesterday.

 

___________________

 

New M&A Tonight!

 

rbr.com state that Pappas's WIWN is being sold by Caballero Acquisition, LLC. Caballero owns LP stations in California & Texas.

[Samantha 2876]

 

New M&A Tonight!

 

rbr.com state that Pappas's WIWN is being sold by Caballero Acquisition, LLC. Caballero owns LP stations in California & Texas.

 

Smells like a format flip is coming. Caballero seems to be tied to Viacom and its LPTVs broadcast the Tr3s service (on further reading, Caballero and its Más Música network (most of the LPTVs have MM in their callsigns) was acquired by Viacom). WIWN will probably be speaking Spanish soon.

 

They won't do this, but Milwaukee is one of the larger media markets in the country without Univision (others ahead in DMA size: St. Louis, Charlotte, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis*, Baltimore, Nashville**, Columbus). Even more unusually it has MundoFox and Telemundo but not Univision.

 

*Once had Univision (WIIH).

**Has UniMás (!!) but not Univision.

 

Pro forma, Pappas will have these remaining assets:

• WLGA.
  
• KBBV-CD, Estrella TV in Bakersfield. While listed by Wikipedia, Pappas sold it to Jaco Communications LLC in 2011. The principal of Jaco is Fernando Acosta.
  
• 80% of the license of KAZA, Los Angeles, which Azteca directly controls through LMA. For obvious foreign ownership reasons Ricardo Salinas Pliego can't buy the other 80%, and a sale of this station would be primarily of its license. (It's worth noting that this isn't the only TV joint venture that Azteca's had that went sour really, really quickly.)
  
• KDMI and KCWI, Des Moines.
  
• WMMF, an LPTV in Vero Beach, Florida. The station appears to be rebroadcasting TBN from WHLV in Cocoa.
  
• NTV.
  

[CircleSeven 1944]

 

New M&A Tonight!

 

rbr.com state that Pappas's WIWN is being sold by Caballero Acquisition, LLC. Caballero owns LP stations in California & Texas.

 

And the paperwork says......Caballero is paying $1.8M for WIWN, and it will enter into a LMA while it waits for the greenlight from the FCC.

[CircleSeven 1944]

 

The FCC approved the three stations (KPVI, KXTF, & KVIQ) going to Frontier Radio Management, as of late last week.

 

Upon closing, Sunbelt will still have stations in Nevada & Montana, while Sainte Partners won't have any more stations.

 

Frontier has completed its KVIQ acquisition on Monday.

 

Sainte Partners. And RIP to founder Chester Smith.

[effseesee 101]

According to FTVLIVE, NPG is taking over operations, except sales, for KYMA and KSWT from Blackhawk Broadcasting. This will give NPG control of every English language television network in the Yuma/El-Centro market.

[Samantha 2876]

Consolidation has truly hit the fan in Yuma.

 

Last year KYMA bought KSWT. Now KECY is buying "operating" BOTH of them. NPG is set to form the only English-language television empire in the Imperial Valley via a resource sharing agreement—and every news employee goes with them. All of the employees will be moving to the KECY building in Yuma, which is being remodeled to accommodate the operation, and all of the stations will continue to produce the newscasts that they are currently providing. NPG says this arrangement will mirror that of KCOY.

 

NPG in Yuma will now include all of the Big Four networks, The CW and Telemundo. The only other major media owner on the US side of the market is Entravision, with its Spanish-language station combo of KVYE and KAJB providing Univisión, UniMás and MundoFox. On the other side of the border, in Mexicali, there's the "of course" Televisa combo of four stations, Azteca with two, the Sonora state network Telemax in San Luis del Río Colorado, and XHILA Mexicali, effectively an independent. The entire media market (both sides of the border) basically comes down to four owners, plus the Sonora state network and an independent in Mexicali. It's the only time Televisa and Azteca have ever made a multiple ownership situation look good.

 

NPG now owns virtual duopolies in quite a few markets: Idaho Falls, Santa Barbara, Palm Springs, Mid-Missouri and Bend, Oregon.

[CircleSeven 1944]

Consolidation has truly hit the fan in Yuma.

 

Last year KYMA bought KSWT. Now KECY is buying "operating" BOTH of them. NPG is set to form the only English-language television empire in the Imperial Valley via a resource sharing agreement—and every news employee goes with them. All of the employees will be moving to the KECY building in Yuma, which is being remodeled to accommodate the operation, and all of the stations will continue to produce the newscasts that they are currently providing. NPG says this arrangement will mirror that of KCOY.

 

NPG in Yuma will now include all of the Big Four networks, The CW and Telemundo.

Here's more details about the NPG Yuma consolidation from the Yuma Sun.

 

Excerpts are on the quote below:

 

As for the news departments, he said NPG will maintain separate news brands and anchor teams for the stations but the reporters may float.

 

He said the goal is for each station to have its own focus on local news coverage. "We want each station to compete on its own for viewers. We would maintain their current focus that differentiates them."

 

There will be no changes in the times of the news on KYMA or KSWT. ABC may change, "but the amount of overall news in the market will not decrease," he said. "If anything, it will increase as we would like to add morning news on ABC and a Hispanic local news product."

 

Meara maintains that the stations, the community and viewers will all benefit from the agreement.

 

The stations will see an increase in capital purchases to enhance the product and an increase in the number of journalists, he said. They also will have access to content from other NPG markets and the support of a larger company.

 

"The viewers will see a dramatic upgrade in the quality of the video they are seeing," he said. "All of the stations will be able to broadcast all local news, syndicated programming, commercials and network prime in high definition for the first time."

 

.....

 

Also, like the current look on Fox and ABC, virtual set technology will be used for all the newscasts, he said. "We will build two separate studios so we can air simultaneous newscasts."

 

With plans to hire additional journalists and future possible expansion of news on ABC and a Hispanic product, the viewers will see an increase in content, Meara said, "and we will be able to serve a market not being served today."

 

In addition, he said, "each station will continue to connect with the community in their own way, but this agreement will allow for more opportunities to unite the community around one issue with these stations."

I get that they want to hire more reporters on the field. But if they would keep the three separate newsclubs separate, I wouldn't be shocked if every newscast would have a solo anchor on all of them, even their 10pm. And probably one station having a 10pm on the weekends, while the other stations air different programming. But you know what, when I first heard the news, I feared that which market so small like Yuma, NPG could play the same card like Block is doing in little Lima with the Your News Now, and simulcast the news on big-3 affils. But this is not the case, as they say.

 

I wonder how they're going to make all the network programming in HD. Since NPG now have two full-powers to play with, I wonder if they're going to plan on reshuffling the channel line-up, since they'll finally have some breathing room, and not cram everything on KECY. For example the CW could move back to KSWT and make that an HD signal. That would most definitely free up the ABC programming to HD on KECY-DT2. If they flash-cut Telemundo KESE-LP to digital and have it at full 15kW, they might not need to relay it on KECY, and they could move Estrella to the LP's subchannel.

 

So they want this consolidation to be completed within three to five months. That means if it last the full five months, that would go over the November sweeps period. Well we'll see how this consolidation goes, I guess.

_____________________________

 

It appears that John Anderson will finally get a co-host after all.

 

On Friday, WKYC announced that weekend anchor Lynna Lai will become the new co-host of Channel 3 News Today, starting July 28th.

 

No word on who'll replace Lai on the weekend. But I'm hoping they give the weekend spot A.J. Ross.

[Samantha 2876]

It's one of the few cases where this was warranted.

 

Yuma is the nation's worst economy, and likewise its TV stations were technically not performing well — just one station is HD is not a record to be proud of, and even though I'm not a fan of the virtual set deal it's probably the most effective thing for the market. I'm sure that there was better-quality television to be had from Mexicali.

[CircleSeven 1944]

Yesterday' date=' FCC greenlighted the KEZI/KDRV-KDKF deal to Prather's Heartland Media yesterday.

Wow. I was wondering why this took so long but, we finally got a consummation.

 

Bob Prather's Heartland Media has now completed it acquisition of KEZI & KDRV/KDKF from Oregon-based Chambers Communications. They closed it out earlier today (7/15).

 

Chambers.