CircleSeven

Bye Bye, ACME! Last month, ACME Communications have sold its last operating asset, its morning program The Daily Buzz to this firm called Mojo Brands Media, LLC for $1.5M. ACME sold its last television assets in New Mexico to Tamer Media, LLC late last year, after selling its Green Bay & Dayton stations to LIN Media in 2011 and its Madison station to Byrne Acquisition Group in 2012.

I wouldn't be shocked if he retreat to WJZY 46 later this year. I thin WCCB has to settle in with doing more with less, since they will be the new CW station. They have to work with what they got, or to find more coverage deals, live local sports programming to try to get the Fox numbers, that will be next to impossible. They will still air the Panthers exhibition games in August, but unless they get some deals with like ESPN Plus for College Footbal & College Basketball, or local high school sports, they have to really trim down. And no doubt the revenue will take a hit post-Fox.

And VO'd by the now late-Bob Vernon (Cosart). RIP.

Those had to be done in-house. They've done that a few months ago, before they replace that 20-year old 10pm tease cue for that WABC promo cue.

And its a Done Deal!!! The deal was consummated yesterday (5/6). KHSL was sold to GOCOM Media, and sister station KNVN was sold to K4 Media Holdings but GOCOM Media will operate KNVN under the grandfathered LMA. This is GOCOM expansion, outside of the central Illinois stations WRSP/WCCU & WBUI. Sinclair just recently bought the non-licensed assets of the central Illinois stations.

I'm thinking more of what he said: But you may never know. They didn't implement those current graphics until after the May books in 2005.

Here's snippets of WLS's 10pm newscast from Thanksgiving 2012 (11/22/12). This was when Ron did the news solo and he'd basically used all the camera angles in the studio. Video Courtesy by PicklePower234 from YT

I saw that on Monday, during the GMA cut-ins. I was wondering what the hell is that thing. Is that a TV Screen or just a image that lights up? I wished they can adjust that light so it won't look as dark when whoever sits there. No wonder why they did the teases downstairs last week, while they added that big thing upstairs.

I was hoping that it was a marketing ploy to drive more viewers into the morning fold, instead of a complete rebrand of the program. But since Miles tenure into the station, he has done many small cosmetic changes. He was interviewed by Lewis Lazare, and Miles stated that he's considering an overall brand promotion campaign. Unless there's a brand campaign that showcase the connecting the anchors to the viewers, I'm thinking they might follow through with changing the set & graphics (which I wouldn't mind). June 3rd will be the 8th anniversary since the graphics they're using now (they're using the HD version, since the original 2005 were never HD) was implemented. And earlier this month (April 8th) was their 7th anniversary since moving downstairs from the third floor to the streetside studio. So I wouldn't mind seeing them implementing new graphics. It could be a good while making a new set however. Don't get me started about the other element, I already touched on that.

Say goodbye to Eyewitness News at 9pm on My54. The Times-Picayune states it appears that WWL-TV will drop its 9pm newscasts on WUPL after tonight's broadcast. The 9pm newscast will be replaced by an interview-driven program entitled "The 504", hosted by Eyewitness Morning News anchor Melanie Hebert. The program will be taped every morning (after the Eyewitness Morning News) every weekday. The station cites that the 9pm news was the lowest-rated program with a 1.1 rating. So they want to free up the staff members to prepare for the Nightwatch show at 10pm on Channel 4.

They didn't say when, but they also air a tease for this morning's morning show last night, with the current name. So it's safe to say the brand change won't be today. Sweeps do start tomorrow, so we'll see when it happens.

This is total BS. This is what I feared right here. If this new name sticks, then this will be one of the biggest changes this station has done in many years. They obviously doing this because sweeps start on Thursday. I like some of the new content styles on the morning newscast now. But this is going too far. This is how I feared. And starting their 25th year of the Morning News program, you come up with the name "7 in The Morning"? This is not KOTV, and this is not the radio. No doubt Miles is trying to put a stamp on changes and trying to do it very quickly. And the promo music better NOT be the new main theme music. I can't fathom myself hearing it on the newscast itself. This is craziness, and this is just the morning show. Wonder what they're going to do with the rest of the shows? Will Windy City Live see its final stretch once Kelly & Michael come on the fold? And who else is going to get fired. They didn't have the right to fire Evelyn Holmes, she didn't do anything wrong. If this keeps on going it this rate, we have a new Joe Ahern in the Chicago market. And his name is John Idler.

Follow up on the GOCOM acquisition in Northern Caifornia. It appears that the FCC has greenlighted the assignment of licensee of KHSL to GOCOM and KNVN to K4 Media. GOCOM will operate KNVN under the same grandfathered JSA/SSA. Also unrelated to this deal. Recently Raul Broadcasting has agreed to sell Eureka's CBS station KVIQ to Sainte Partners II. Sainte Partners operated the station owned by Raul. It just now decided to acquire the station outright, just close to a year after they'd decided to sell its Fox station to Esteem (Bonten).

Follow Up Time! Last Friday, the FCC has greenlighted the assignment of license of WDON-LP to Gray Television. And it has also planned to change its calls to WRGX-LD. Well fast forward to Tuesday, when the transaction was consummated. Now let's see if Gray will make a formal announcement. Will they announce that they'll become the new NBC affiliate? Let see what happens. EDIT 4/22: The station has changed its callsign to WRGX-LP, and has took its analog signal off the air. The silent STA state that they are hoping to turn the signal back on by June 1st.

Follow-up time. Earlier Today, the FCC has greenlighted the Assignment of Licenses of WPXT & WPME to Ironwood & Cottonwood Communications. It had to been one guy that came up with the idea of naming those firms like that. Maybe he/she likes to "Iron" its t-shirts, made out of "Cotton".

A former WJW weather personality returns to headline its new 4pm program this fall. The Cleveland Plain-Dealer states that former WJW meteorologist Melissa Mack will return to the station, in time for the station's new 4pm newscast, premiering this fall. Melissa was at the station from 2006 to late 2009, where she moved to Boston to do weather at CBS's WBZ 4.

Well. Y'all know what Monday is right? Well, the FCC is reminding broadcasters of a certain rule that's in effect. So if anyone wants to act a fool on Monday (or anyday, at that matter), go right ahead, so the FCC can fine your ass!

So the longest drought of having the distinction of being the largest Fox affiliate to not have a newscast (in any form, in-house or outsourced) will finally be over. Wow.

41 Action News adds 4pm to its news offerings. The Kansas City Star states that, Scripps-owned NBC affiliate KSHB 41 will extend its early evening newscast to 4pm on April 8. This will give Channel 41 90 minutes of news until the NBC Nightly News at 5:30pm. The new 4pm news will compete with Meredith's CBS station KCTV 5's 4pm news program. ___________ Three Richmond stations are having signal issues. The Richmond Times-Dispatch states Young Broadcasting's ABC station WRIC 8, Sinclair's Fox station WRLH 35 and PBS station WCVE are operating at reduced power because of a broken antenna exciter, which isn't bringing the signals properly. They stated that it isn't affecting everybody since most folks have cable & satellite, but for the folks in the outlying areas, who rely on an over-the-air signal is greatly affected.

New acquisition completion. This time, its making a "First!!!" in Knoxville. Back last November, Lockwood Broadcast Group, owners of Knoxville CW affiliate WBXX (which they bought from ACME Communications a couple of years prior) went and bought WMAK from Daystar's Word of God Fellowship for $2.95 mil. FCC greenlight it on December 21st, and Lockwood took control of the station on February 25, dropping the Daystar programming and become an Independent station. The station is branded "WKNX, The Knox", although the callsign hasn't officially changed. It was officially consummated yesterday, making this the first television duopoly in the Knoxville Market.

Another acquisition is in the works. This time it's in the nation's 49th state and there's already plenty of opposition. Back on November 12, Denali Media Holdings agreed to acquire Anchorage's CBS affiliate KTVA from Affiliated Media and Juneau's NBC affiliate KATH-LD with low-power Sitka translator KSCT-LP from North Star Television. Denali Media is a subsidiary of Alaska's largest telecommunications provider General Communication Inc. or GCI. Fast forward to late last week when many broadcasters in the state have filed a petition to deny, stating that granting the applications would give a combo of two television stations in three Alaska markets, along with their largest (and exclusive) provider in cable & broadband services for the entire state. Among the broadcasters that have joined in this petition of denial are, Fireweed Communications, Vision Alaska/Coastal Television, Ketchikan TV, and the only non-Alaskan group Schurz Communications (Northern Lights Media). GCI has already made its opposition on Fireweed's denial petition.

Well it may not be a falling out after all. Or is it? Here's the follow-up on the KUQI/National Communications deal. From the FCC site, KUQI filed yet another Extension of Consummation notice. Usually when they call off a sell, a non-consummation note is issued. Their reasoning for the extension of time is as they said on the note is "because of certain unanticipated pre-closing business issues", and ask for another three months to close on the deal. So I don't know if the current owners, High Maintenance Broadcasting is going to follow through on this measure.

New Age Media is hoping the second time is a charm to unload its Maine properties. Last year, New Age Media tried to sell its Portland properties WPXT CW 51 & WPME My 35 to Tyche Broadcasting. The deal was approved, however the deal was never finalized. This time around it has found a new buyer. From the paperwork, WPXT is being sold to Ironwood Communications for $1.525 million. It's sister station (owned by New Age shell, MPS Media) WPME is being sold to Ironwood's shell Cottonwood Communications for $75,000, making the total deal to $1.6 million. New Age Media owns stations in the Gainesville, Tallahassee, Chattanooga & the Wilkes-Barre-Scranton markets.

Starting Wednesday, WPMT Fox 43 in York, PA will become the fifth Tribune-owned station to have a 4:00am newscast (after WPIX, WGN, KTLA & WXIN). 4am seems to be too early in market like Harrisburg but WHTM 27 & WGAL 8 already have a 4:30am newscast every weekday morning.

We have ourselves another acquisition deal and it appears GOCOM is ready to expand again. From the paperwork posted this morning (2/6) via FCC website, it appears that Catamount Broadcasting is selling Chico, CA's NBC affiliate KHSL to GOCOM Media for $5.45 mil. Catamount also operates Evans Broadcasting-owned, CBS affiliate KNVN, which that station will concurrently be sold by (I guess this will be GOCOM shell partner) K4 Media Holdings for $1.5 mil. The Chico News & Review stated last month that they heard rumors that Nexstar would buy KHSL/KNVN. GOCOM (which also owns Fox affiliate WRSP/WCCU & CW affiliate WBUI in Springfield-Champaign, IL) is partially related to the old station group company, Piedmont Television (which also used the GOCOM name at one point); that group owned more than 15 stations from 1997 to 2008.