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So a couple of advocacy groups (i.e. Common Cause & Public Knowledge) have asked for more information and extension of time so they can file their oppositions of this deal. The FCC has granted a limited extension of time to file. So anyone who wants to file a deny petition, the new deadline will be June 22. For oppositions to the deny petitions, you'll have to file those by July 7. And for replies, you'll have to file those by July 18.

I'm keeping an eye on weather brandings. Outside of Weather, First Alert Weather is the most popular brand in the country and continues to grow. I know because Gray's WGGB/WSHM just adopted First Alert Weather within the last two-three weeks. CBS saw the name as an opportunity for some of its markets.

I thought WDVM was already on a WDCW sub via 25.1 to provide D.C. coverage via the WDCW transmitter.

The tightening credit market and unfavorable interest rates are what will doom this deal. The shareholders vote was symbolic and pretty pointless. Stubborn Raccoon Index for Standard General/Apollo’s purchase of Tegna is at or near 12%.

The only thing that matters is if the FCC approves it. (God, I hope not)

Today (5/19), the FCC announced the ten qualified bidders who have advanced to participate in Auction 112, which will begin on June 7. BEK Sports Network, Inc. Gray Television Licensee, LLC Major Market Broadcasting of North Dakota, Inc. Marquee Broadcasting, Inc. Radiant Life Ministries, Inc. Sinclair Television Group, Inc. SJL Television Inc. TV-49, Inc. Ventura Media Communications, LLC Venture Technologies Group, LLC The ones listed as not qualified are Estrella Television, RxDIO.com, LLC, Renard Broadcasting, and previously-announced Redwood Empire Public Television. Also to mention, four entrants have claimed a "New Entrant" bidding credit. BEK Sports, Ventura Media & Venture Technologies have a 25% credit. And SJL have a 35% credit.

Renard is clearly in the game for Syracuse and nothing else. Similarly, BEK Sports Network probably only has eyes for Grand Forks. Really curious what Estrella wants. I see only two channels they'd want: 11 Yuma and 32 Flagstaff. Maybe 9 Walla Walla. The Flagstaff station could be paired with KVPA-LD in Phoenix to force must-carry for Estrella TV. Not much else in this list that has a lot of Hispanics. Weigel will want stations that attribute to large markets as part of its national mux growth strategy. Alexandria MN 7 sticks out to me here, as do the Silver City channels. They could also go for Eagle River 26 or Wittenberg 31, which are in the Wausau area. Tonopah 9 also could be used with them to get into Las Vegas, though Rxdio is clearly gunning for Tonopah. The other Nevada sticks would go into Reno (Winnemucca) and Salt Lake (Ely) DMAs. Eagle River 26 is one of a handful of brand new allocations. It was sought by Gray shortly before Gray bought Quincy; it onsold WAOW but not WYOW, which gave it the Rhinelander-area transmitter it desired. (WMOW provides much the same service, thus why Gray hived WYOW off.) So there really isn't an obvious local bidder for it. Freeport IL 9 could and probably should be used to revive WIFR as a full-power station. This allotment was also requested by Gray. You might recall WIFR was sold for spectrum and converted to an LPTV. Not much of this list coincides with Gray's portfolio of stations, though Sun Valley ID could be used to expand the service area of KMVT. Sinclair's participation here is intriguing. Walla Walla 9 would not provide that much additional benefit to KEPR. Of the Montana stations on offer, one is in the NBC Montana service area (Butte 24) and the other two in the Great Falls DMA which has KTGF-LD as its NBC affiliate. Would they want to build high-power satellites in Price or Vernal, Utah?

Stephen Marks, the owner of WBKB, KXGN, WBUP and WBKP, passed away on May 11.

Sad news for the ABC family. Walter Liss, former GM of WABC and later becoming the president of the ABC Owned Television stations, passed away earlier this week. He was 78. He started as a promotions manager at WPVI. Some of you might not know that he was credited for writing the lyrics to Al Ham's iconic "Move Closer To Your World" theme song. Before going to Channel 7, he was also GM of Fresno's KFSN.

Licensing costs.

This is chef’s kiss! Way better than the crap opens other stations with this package are using. I especially like the lights on the tower at the beginning coming on one by one. Very creative. Not seeing the anchors after the open — just the video wall — is a little weird. They stayed on the wall when tossing to the reporter.

Kent Dana has died. He was 80. https://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/media/2022/04/19/kent-dana-legendary-anchor-three-phoenix-tv-news-stations-dies/7362375001/