Morphtato 43 Posted July 29, 2021 Share Posted July 29, 2021 Per this RadioInsight article, Bill Fielder's Coastal Television is acquiring the broadcast assets of Waypoint Media. This includes the hub in Little Rock. 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TVLurker 159 Posted July 29, 2021 Share Posted July 29, 2021 do you think NewsNet is going to replace the news departments in every station? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenShine9 1508 Posted July 29, 2021 Share Posted July 29, 2021 51 minutes ago, TVLurker said: do you think NewsNet is going to replace the news departments in every station? Most likely yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmaxhanson 649 Posted July 29, 2021 Share Posted July 29, 2021 This makes me wonder if Coastal actually owns a stake in NewsNet. Maybe they'll turn the old Independent News Network studio they have into a bureau for NewsNet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyrannical bastard 3410 Posted July 31, 2021 Share Posted July 31, 2021 (edited) Seeing as how they ran their Alaska and Wyoming stations (into the ground), this could be bad news. Then again, most of Waypoint's stations are basic means of bringing network affiliations (and "local" news) into under-served markets. Edited July 31, 2021 by tyrannical bastard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenShine9 1508 Posted July 31, 2021 Share Posted July 31, 2021 2 hours ago, tyrannical bastard said: Seeing as how they ran their Alaska and Wyoming stations (into the ground), this could be bad news. Then again, most of Waypoint's stations are basic means of bringing network affiliations (and "local" news) into under-served markets. Not so much underserved, but run by a single uber-dominant station that no one would even consider competing against. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyrannical bastard 3410 Posted July 31, 2021 Share Posted July 31, 2021 6 minutes ago, GoldenShine9 said: Not so much underserved, but run by a single uber-dominant station that no one would even consider competing against. Pretty much, especially in places like Meridian and Jonesboro where WTOK and KAIT have ruled the ratings since the beginning of time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weeters 1749 Posted July 31, 2021 Share Posted July 31, 2021 On 7/29/2021 at 1:36 PM, hmaxhanson said: This makes me wonder if Coastal actually owns a stake in NewsNet. Maybe they'll turn the old Independent News Network studio they have into a bureau for NewsNet? Given how they've been running their Alaska and Wyoming stations, I wouldn't be surprised if they dropped NewsNet to save a few bucks and use the old INN "News Hub" to do their own hubbed newscasts. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
froyo49 229 Posted July 31, 2021 Share Posted July 31, 2021 6 hours ago, Weeters said: Given how they've been running their Alaska and Wyoming stations, I wouldn't be surprised if they dropped NewsNet to save a few bucks and use the old INN "News Hub" to do their own hubbed newscasts. From what I recall, they already do that. All their newscasts are produced in Little Rock and they only have a few local reporters. If they decide to keep it, I could see them changing the music and graphics to fit the News Net template. Two examples, but all of them look and sound virtually the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yankees4life 529 Posted August 1, 2021 Share Posted August 1, 2021 I wonder if Standard General will have another go at getting the Coastal stations if they don't get their way with Tegna... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyrannical bastard 3410 Posted August 4, 2021 Share Posted August 4, 2021 (edited) I would assume that the WMDN LMA with WGBC will be continuing as before? WMDN is being sold to Big Horn Television group from WMDN-TV LLC, while WGBC is being sold to Coastal from Michael Reed (Waypoint). https://tvnewscheck.com/top-news/business/article/station-trading-roundup-7-deals-54101788/ Also no mention of WHPM-LD in Hattiesburg, which has operated in tandem with WMDN and WGBC. Edited August 4, 2021 by tyrannical bastard Whpm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CircleSeven 1944 Posted August 4, 2021 Share Posted August 4, 2021 Yes the 1996 Grandfathered TBA for WMDN will stand post-closing. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LOWERCASE GUY 241 Posted August 4, 2021 Share Posted August 4, 2021 If I worked at Waypoint Media, I would be updating my resume & reel, and try to run like hell! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrtraveler01 737 Posted August 4, 2021 Share Posted August 4, 2021 On 7/31/2021 at 9:11 AM, froyo49 said: From what I recall, they already do that. All their newscasts are produced in Little Rock and they only have a few local reporters. If they decide to keep it, I could see them changing the music and graphics to fit the News Net template. Two examples, but all of them look and sound virtually the same. As cheap as the Waypoint newscasts look. They still look a lot more polished than the pre-packaged garbage from the Coastal stations. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TVIntheDesert 183 Posted September 12, 2021 Share Posted September 12, 2021 On 7/30/2021 at 6:38 PM, tyrannical bastard said: Seeing as how they ran their Alaska and Wyoming stations (into the ground), this could be bad news. Then again, most of Waypoint's stations are basic means of bringing network affiliations (and "local" news) into under-served markets. The Casper stations were pretty much run as bottom-barrel operations prior to Coastal's purchase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CircleSeven 1944 Posted September 22, 2021 Share Posted September 22, 2021 The deal was greenlighted on Monday. Here's the approval paper for WGBC/WMDN. Let's see if Coastal can close this transaction....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJClementeFan69 477 Posted September 22, 2021 Share Posted September 22, 2021 Not much will really be lost here even if they do NewsNet it. These stations add very little to their markets. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CircleSeven 1944 Posted January 7, 2022 Share Posted January 7, 2022 And this should be mentioned. Coastal TV has completed the Waypoint Media deal last Friday (12/31/21). Here's the closing paper for WGBC/WMDN. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVVTV12 81 Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 Looks like Coastal has started making cuts 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LOWERCASE GUY 241 Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 8 hours ago, EVVTV12 said: Looks like Coastal has started making cuts This looks oddly familiar! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyrannical bastard 3410 Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 Not a good sign of things to come, for sure. How many markets did he do forecasts for? Most of the content looks like it was from Jackson, TN, with some posts about Lafayette, IN, Jonesboro, and Lake Charles, LA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samantha 2873 Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 It's the Bill Fielder Special, no doubt about it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LOWERCASE GUY 241 Posted February 1, 2022 Share Posted February 1, 2022 On 1/30/2022 at 10:23 PM, Samantha said: It's the Bill Fielder Special, no doubt about it. Ahh yes, the Bill Fielder Special; have several staff meetings, promise sunshine, rainbows, better equipment, more resources, better pay, etc. In the meetings, he talks about how he worked with Gray, and he has connections to take a good quality newscast, and make it even better. Then once he takes over, he makes you sign the "employee handbook" under duress without reading the handbook, and threatens you if you don't sign it right then and there. (one of the things it says, it makes you an At-will employee and they can fire you for any reason including cause) whacks everyone out of a job, and offer a severance of one paycheck, and if you accept it, you aren't allowed to discuss what happened. (So do NOT accept the buyout). I, along with anyone else who has experienced the Bill Fielder Special, am telling you right now, if that man, or Scott Centers, his right hand man, EVER set foot in your TV station, start working on your Resume and Reel and run like hell. Take this from Several people in Alaska and Wyoming, and now with the NewsHub staff, who have experienced this! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lugnuts6 89 Posted February 2, 2022 Share Posted February 2, 2022 So, coastal which replaced Alaska and Wyoming news with Traverse City, Michigan based NewsNet, NOW has bought [ to put it bluntly ] what I guess could be considered their own NewsHub so to me that means that Alaska and Wyoming will be dropping NewsNet for newscasts of what was known as Independent News Network in Davenport ,Iowa ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CircleSeven 1944 Posted February 2, 2022 Share Posted February 2, 2022 (edited) 3 minutes ago, lugnuts6 said: So, coastal which replaced Alaska and Wyoming news with Traverse City, Michigan based NewsNet, NOW has bought [ to put it bluntly ] what I guess could be considered their own NewsHub so to me that means that Alaska and Wyoming will be dropping NewsNet for newscasts of what was known as Independent News Network in Davenport ,Iowa ? INN left Davenport years ago. They're now in Little Rock. Edited February 2, 2022 by CircleSeven Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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