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Nexstar acquires KUSI


mrschimpf

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31 minutes ago, mrschimpf said:

(including a CW move if Tegna backs out).

Given this little bit in the article...

Quote

The planned acquisition, Nexstar added, “strengthens Nexstar’s local television broadcasting, news, and digital media platforms in San Diego, while presenting numerous opportunities for operating efficiencies. The transaction, subject to regulatory and other customary approvals, is expected to close later this year and is expected to be accretive to Nexstar’s operating results when The CW Network affiliation becomes available in the market.”

...it sounds like a matter of when, not if. That said, when might not be for a while; KFMB's affiliation agreement doesn't end until 2026 according to files on the FCC's website.

Edited by Adam MadMan
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KSWB seemed to operate like a KUSI style without the political leaning, but will miss the hyper local issues coverage from KUSI with local ownership. And will miss the folksy, non corporate personalities. 

 

Won't miss the extended coverage of random Trump 'campaign' speeches. 

 

 

 

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54 minutes ago, mrschimpf said:

Welp, there are about to be a lot of anchor changes at KUSI AND KSWB (and a lot more than that); Nexstar is buying KUSI.

 

Yeah, this would be a major change! When KUSI picked-up LIV Golf from Tegna's KFMB a couple months back, I knew something was up. This article suspects that KUSI will be a CW station when the affiliation becomes available: https://www.nexttv.com/news/nexstar-media-agrees-to-acquire-kusi-tv-san-diego-for-dollar35-million

 

It will be interesting how news operations will merge. Both stations have completely different narratives; KUSI is more conservative-bent and has a news set from 1990s while KSWB's Fox 5 News has built up a cool, So San Diego vibe and has one of the best news sets in the area in my opinion. Will the stations adopt one news brand? Will there be simulcasts? So many questions. 

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Nexstar appeared to have developed a cozy relationship with KUSI since they took LIV Golf in lieu of KFMB, and now it’s culminated in an outright sale and a future CW affiliation. 
 

As for KFMB’s agreement, I think both parties would pursue an early exit from that. I think this is going to go down in other markets as well. Nexstar and Tegna appear to be at odds over CW, stemming from the latter’s refusal to carry LIV. 

Edited by The Frog
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Well they know how to run a strong CW station with lots of news (WGN, KTLA) in markets where there's a strong Fox station. Though not where there's common ownership.

 

I guess Indianapolis would be an example where they have two stations, and two separate news brands and staff, though common facility. Maybe they're happy with how that turned out.

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5 hours ago, mrschimpf said:

Welp, there are about to be a lot of anchor changes at KUSI AND KSWB (and a lot more than that); Nexstar is buying KUSI.

This would be the first duopoly for the San Diego market, since none could be formed under the “Eight Voices test” requirement that the FCC proposed for elimination in 2017, and the Supreme Court unanimously upheld in 2021 as part of a broader challenge to the rule changes made as part of that (not quite) quadrennial review under Ajit Pai’s chairmanship.

 

Under that rule, the U.S. side of the market fell short of the required number of full-power stations needed to allow a duopoly. It only has six full-power stations (five commercial stations [including one O&O in KNSD] and PBS member KPBS), hence why Fox, UPN, The CW and MyNetworkTV had to default to affiliating with stations across the border in the Tijuana area at various points, aided by KUSI choosing to operate as an independent for most of those networks’ existences (though, CMIIW, it did carry UPN for a time early in the network’s run). 

Edited by T.L. Hughes
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As @Samanthapointed out to me, this outright eliminates KSWB's main competitor, there are no newscasts on KUSI that don't overlap with KSWB. Because of that, the chances KUSI maintains any sort of separate operations is very, very small; in the case of Indianapolis, WTTV and WXIN have to have separate news ops because of the nature of their affiliations.

 

Of note, KFMB-DT2's contract with the CW (reupped in 2021) runs through September 2026. So either Nexstar said what they said under the impression Tegna is planning to opt-out of their CW contracts, or they are forcing the issue for Tegna. Otherwise I cannot understand why Nexstar just turned KFMB-DT2 into a lame-duck CW affiliate for three years.

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I have to assume part of the reason for McKinnon getting out is because of KUSI's physical studio deterioration; with Nexstar in control they can vacate them and have a much more state-of-the-art building with KSWB. I also have to think these talks were happening even before LIV was a factor and Tegna is having second thoughts about the renewal with the decline of syndication being more of a yoke than a complement to 8.1.

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16 minutes ago, mrschimpf said:

I have to assume part of the reason for McKinnon getting out is because of KUSI's physical studio deterioration; with Nexstar in control they can vacate them and have a much more state-of-the-art building with KSWB. I also have to think these talks were happening even before LIV was a factor and Tegna is having second thoughts about the renewal with the decline of syndication being more of a yoke than a complement to 8.1.

FINALLY A NEW SET 😂

RIP One and Only. Hello Aerial 😒

Edited by SFTV
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PIX, KTLA and WGN to a lesser extent have had free reign on their sets. Will KUSI get the traditional Nexstar set in a corner like big market brother KRON or will they get to do something original. I really like the chill vibe that Fox5SDs set has.

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3 hours ago, Rusty Muck said:

As @Samanthapointed out to me, this outright eliminates KSWB's main competitor, there are no newscasts on KUSI that don't overlap with KSWB. Because of that, the chances KUSI maintains any sort of separate operations is very, very small; in the case of Indianapolis, WTTV and WXIN have to have separate news ops because of the nature of their affiliations.

 

Of note, KFMB-DT2's contract with the CW (reupped in 2021) runs through September 2026. So either Nexstar said what they said under the impression Tegna is planning to opt-out of their CW contracts, or they are forcing the issue for Tegna. Otherwise I cannot understand why Nexstar just turned KFMB-DT2 into a lame-duck CW affiliate for three years.

 

A few thoughts came into my mind... would Nexstar go with the KCAL route and just rebrand everything KUSI News? Nexstar paid $35 million for it and I just don't see it going away, it's a brand that is well known in San Diego; getting KCAL'd would seem to be the most cost-efficient, there wouldn't be a need for separate branding packages and it would reduce redundancies. Both brands already use red, white and blue in their branding. Just use KSWB's good looking studio and graphics and KUSI's iconic theme music together.

 

Merging of the two talents/staff from both stations: let's face it, this is going to happen, but if they mirror this to KTLA's situation in terms of cumulative hours on air: 15+ hours on weekdays, 8+ hours one weekends, then maybe there might be room for everybody?

 

I also wonder if Nexstar will move any of KUSI's syndication offerings over to KSWB so it will mirror Fox O&O stations? KUSI always got many of the programs that would usually air on Fox O&Os: TMZ, Extra, Jennifer Hudson, and Sherry.

 

Also, it's probably a good thing for Nexstar to have an additional hub for Newsnation in San Diego being that it's so close to the border. Nexstar is also getting into local sports, I can see them airing KTLA's Clippers games locally and possibly steal some of that local Padres tv rights from Bally.

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31 minutes ago, FiveNews said:

PIX, KTLA and WGN to a lesser extent have had free reign on their sets. Will KUSI get the traditional Nexstar set in a corner like big market brother KRON or will they get to do something original. I really like the chill vibe that Fox5SDs set has.


FOX 5’s BDI Set was under the Tribune era. Hopefully after this merger or sale, they won’t bust a KDVR and downgrade. 
 

then again KSWB’s original studio is very small during WB era and relocated the newsroom when they got the 360 set. 

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39 minutes ago, tvtime07 said:

 

A few thoughts came into my mind... would Nexstar go with the KCAL route and just rebrand everything KUSI News? Nexstar paid $35 million for it and I just don't see it going away, it's a brand that is well known in San Diego; getting KCAL'd would seem to be the most cost-efficient, there wouldn't be a need for separate branding packages and it would reduce redundancies. Both brands already use red, white and blue in their branding. Just use KSWB's good looking studio and graphics and KUSI's iconic theme music together.

 

Merging of the two talents/staff from both stations: let's face it, this is going to happen, but if they mirror this to KTLA's situation in terms of cumulative hours on air: 15+ hours on weekdays, 8+ hours one weekends, then maybe there might be room for everybody?

 

I also wonder if Nexstar will move any of KUSI's syndication offerings over to KSWB so it will mirror Fox O&O stations? KUSI always got many of the programs that would usually air on Fox O&Os: TMZ, Extra, Jennifer Hudson, and Sherry.

 

Also, it's probably a good thing for Nexstar to have an additional hub for Newsnation in San Diego being that it's so close to the border. Nexstar is also getting into local sports, I can see them airing KTLA's Clippers games locally and possibly steal some of that local Padres tv rights from Bally.

San Diego is supposed to have a MLS team in the coming years as well. Sounds like a good time for the marketing people to arrange a partnership. 

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I honestly thought Nexstar had pretty much hit the cap and wouldn't be able to buying anything in a market bigger than, say, DMA 150.

 

Took a peek at KUSI's website. I see they're still rocking the mid-2000s Fox News color scheme. 😏

 

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3 hours ago, tvtime07 said:

 

A few thoughts came into my mind... would Nexstar go with the KCAL route and just rebrand everything KUSI News? Nexstar paid $35 million for it and I just don't see it going away, it's a brand that is well known in San Diego; getting KCAL'd would seem to be the most cost-efficient, there wouldn't be a need for separate branding packages and it would reduce redundancies. Both brands already use red, white and blue in their branding. Just use KSWB's good looking studio and graphics and KUSI's iconic theme music together.

 

Merging of the two talents/staff from both stations: let's face it, this is going to happen, but if they mirror this to KTLA's situation in terms of cumulative hours on air: 15+ hours on weekdays, 8+ hours one weekends, then maybe there might be room for everybody?

 

I also wonder if Nexstar will move any of KUSI's syndication offerings over to KSWB so it will mirror Fox O&O stations? KUSI always got many of the programs that would usually air on Fox O&Os: TMZ, Extra, Jennifer Hudson, and Sherry.

 

Also, it's probably a good thing for Nexstar to have an additional hub for Newsnation in San Diego being that it's so close to the border. Nexstar is also getting into local sports, I can see them airing KTLA's Clippers games locally and possibly steal some of that local Padres tv rights from Bally.

 

It's probably more well known and recognized, but it's a polarizing brand from the political slant. 

 

People who watch KUSI news tend to be fiercely loyal to it, not interested in the other stations. They like Dan Plante's rants, Brandon Stone's quirks, they miss Dave Scott's wandering on air. And the other way around, there's a sizable contingent that would refuse to watch anything KUSI related. But Steve Cohen did an interview last year that said some large percentage of households tune into a KUSI newscast any given week or month. From what I heard recently KUSI is very strong at 10 and 11pm, - jockeying for #1, not sure about morning, and guessing evening is muddling along. 

 

Would be nice if they could find a way to keep a KUSI identity, but without Steve Cohen as the news director (doubt he's staying around) who will prosecute the hyper-local coverage and angles, and let even longshot local political candidates come on to be heard. The sale price might indicate advertisers stayed away but maybe that's just a function of having no real prime time or sports $$ presence. 

 

Living in the market, KSWB is 'just another station' - perfectly fine product that works any number of places, and exists because of lead-ins from sports and network, but at least for me not appointment viewing since the same product is on 3 other stations. I probably won't watch much local news if KUSI drifts to a more traditional coverage format, and goes for less colorful, quirky personalities. But that might not matter to Nexstar or profit margins.

 

 

Edited by sfomspphl
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17 minutes ago, mre29 said:

I honestly thought Nexstar had pretty much hit the cap and wouldn't be able to buying anything in a market bigger than, say, DMA 150.

KSWB is already a U so the “Discount” sham is equally applied to KUSI, so Nexstar is not really affected cap-wise here.

3 hours ago, tvtime07 said:

A few thoughts came into my mind... would Nexstar go with the KCAL route and just rebrand everything KUSI News? Nexstar paid $35 million for it and I just don't see it going away…

It IS very possible that Nexstar paid the McKinnons $35 million to take out a competitor to KSWB.

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35 minutes ago, sfomspphl said:

 

It's probably more well known and recognized, but it's a polarizing brand from the political slant. 

 

People who watch KUSI news tend to be fiercely loyal to it, not interested in the other stations. They like Dan Plante's rants, Brandon Stone's quirks, they miss Dave Scott's wandering on air. And the other way around, there's a sizable contingent that would refuse to watch anything KUSI related. But Steve Cohen did an interview last year that said some large percentage of households tune into a KUSI newscast any given week or month. From what I heard recently KUSI is very strong at 10 and 11pm, - jockeying for #1, not sure about morning, and guessing evening is muddling along. 

 

Would be nice if they could find a way to keep a KUSI identity, but without Steve Cohen as the news director (doubt he's staying around) who will prosecute the hyper-local coverage and angles, and let even longshot local political candidates come on to be heard. The sale price might indicate advertisers stayed away but maybe that's just a function of having no real prime time or sports $$ presence. 

 

Living in the market, KSWB is 'just another station' - perfectly fine product that works any number of places, and exists because of lead-ins from sports and network, but at least for me not appointment viewing since the same product is on 3 other stations. I probably won't watch much local news if KUSI drifts to a more traditional coverage format, and goes for less colorful, quirky personalities. But that might not matter to Nexstar or profit margins.

 

 

 

Heck yeah, but San Diego always had that political slant for some reason...  One America News Network calls America's Finest City home. San Diego has always been deemed more conservative compared to our neighbors in Los Angeles. 

 

KUSI does have that slant. Heck, I remember when the late weatherman John Coleman would reject global warming, KUSI dedicated specials on that topic alone. One check of their Instagram, and you can totally see where their audiences' allegiance is. This alone kinda tells you what people like: https://www.kusi.com/kusi-news-dominates-2022-san-diego-union-tribune-readers-poll/

 

If anyone misses Dave Scott, he performs jazz weekly in fine dining restaurants at Rancho Santa Fe and Escondido. This just made reminded me of Ron Burgundy and his jazz flute. 😎  You stay classy San Diego.

 

I agree with you on KSWB, it's come a long way since it they got their Fox affiliation; their early days were quite shaky but they've built a brand for themselves. My PR tips for Nexstar, keep KSWB's hip brand and KUSI's name and quirkiness, dump the right-wing bent.

Edited by tvtime07
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22 minutes ago, tvtime07 said:

One check of their Instagram, and you can totally see where their audiences' allegiance is. This alone kinda tells you what people like: https://www.kusi.com/kusi-news-dominates-2022-san-diego-union-tribune-readers-poll/

The only thing these dumb local newspaper 'best of the best' polls show is that there's both unchecked ballot stuffing from the few old people who care about this, and monetary contributions from advertisers that influence the 'winner'. Gannett is horrible with these things (I'm sure the only reason Patrick Soon kept it from the Platinum Equity days is because some local advertisers treat it like a drug high and toss money to keep their titles and plaster their front walls with these tacky trophies; it's free money to throw up some Survey Monkey polls, put in a bulk order of some plaques, and call it a day) and I can expect once Nexstar is in charge, their winning streak will end because the U-T is competition.

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32 minutes ago, tvtime07 said:

 

Heck yeah, but San Diego always had that political slant for some reason...  One America News Network calls America's Finest City home. San Diego has always been deemed more conservative compared to our neighbors in Los Angeles. 

 

KUSI does have that slant. Heck, I remember when the late weatherman John Coleman would reject global warming, KUSI dedicated specials on that topic alone. One check of their Instagram, and you can totally see where their audiences' allegiance is. This alone kinda tells you what people like: https://www.kusi.com/kusi-news-dominates-2022-san-diego-union-tribune-readers-poll/

 

If anyone misses Dave Scott, he performs jazz weekly in fine dining restaurants at Rancho Santa Fe and Escondido. This just made reminded me of Ron Burgundy and his jazz flute. 😎  You stay classy San Diego.

 

I agree with you on KSWB, it's come a long way since it they got their Fox affiliation; their early days were quite shaky but they've built a brand for themselves. My PR tips for Nexstar, keep KSWB's hip brand and KUSI's name and quirkiness, dump the right-wing bent.

 

Ha yes we went to see Dave perform at Nick and Gs - a consummate gentleman. 

 

And yes the instagram comments on the announcement post say it all about the loyalty of the existing viewer base however big or small that is.

 

They get it’s different. 

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9 hours ago, mrschimpf said:

I have to assume part of the reason for McKinnon getting out is because of KUSI's physical studio deterioration; with Nexstar in control they can vacate them and have a much more state-of-the-art building with KSWB. I also have to think these talks were happening even before LIV was a factor and Tegna is having second thoughts about the renewal with the decline of syndication being more of a yoke than a complement to 8.1.

I was going to ask, whose building was going to be kept and whose building was going to get left behind. I assume FOX5 would move into KUSI's studios.  KUSI also have a talent pool as well too.

I wonder what talent would be apart of the transition and what talent would leave.

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