GoldenShine9

Nexstar can't acquire KAKE+ though as they already own KSNW+.

Unless Raycom starts a standalone news operation? I don't think Knoxville has ever had four operations. There are 10 full powers with 9 owners in Knoxville, so one of them CAN legally acquire WKNX and create a duopoly.

Given that the area is quite hilly with large valleys, having its transmitter on VHF 2 is not as bad as you would think, since it would penetrate into the valleys a lot better. Although having it on VHF-high would be best in that case.

Now we await Gray's next move...there are at least a dozen stations I can see that they would be interested in. Problem is that acquiring them is slow as they don't have the money for a blockbuster.

It seems as well it is the first time that Scottsbluff has had its own news operation for far western Nebraska? The DMA lines definitely need to be redrawn in that area - I'd put ALL of Nebraska outside of the Omaha metro into a single DMA. Heck, Gray has created such a tangled web in the Plains that you could argue that the whole region is one market with at least 6 "sub-markets".

Doesn't WKYC beat all of them in ratings?

Gray is VERY fast at updating websites - the deal isn't even closed yet, but WCAX has the Gray layout. It probably helps that they don't make mega-deals so they can quickly design them and make the switch.

I will say that some on the left have gone too far as well. They are also misidentifying several stations as Sinclair whenever a conservative politician appears on their newscasts (they have to sometimes, even in markets where Sinclair is absent). I've seen tweets calling out WTVG (Gray), WOWK (Nexstar), KRIV (Fox O&O) and WCNC (Tegna), at least, incorrectly calling for boycotts or action saying they were owned by Sinclair (when they aren't).

EXTREMELY loyal. They are also the most reliable voters in the country.

Probably the easiest way for them to achieve that is to acquire Fox News from NewsCorp.

It could be a lightning rod for their base though, even if they right now don't think of it too much.

Here's an alternate (and just as scary?) thought? If Democrats can take power in 2020, could they be so beholden to the left-wing base and demand the opposite for Sinclair - a takeover and shutdown of the company, leaving 200 (or many more?) stations shuttered? I know this is one of the lightning rod issues for the anti-Trump side, and they hate them for their politics more than anything. Such could also lead to messy court cases.

That is a Herculean task when WBKO has literally had a stranglehold on the market...good luck trying to surpass them!

Have KTVB or KIVI said anything about it? I wonder if they would have the guts to file complaints...

That's a very conservative market too for the most part, so you'd think they would do better...

Especially when there are already two competitors in the shadow of uber-dominant WMAZ...

Plus they can't use the market excuse either, since Hagerstown is part of the DC market...

It has been rumored for a little while.

If not for the fact that the two big markets - Pittsburgh and Philadelphia - have no Nexstar presence and likely never will (Philly is all O&O's, Pittsburgh mostly stable companies), they might want to bring a statewide news there as well, and they'd need to find room for it too (4:00 or 4:30?).

That will likely come with time. Gray is VERY quick with updating websites though; they probably start the draft versions before the sale is even completed.

Most of those markets are out of reach for Nexstar unless they have to scoop up leftovers from other acquisitions.

I'm a bit surprised they would launch it without a station in every market...they don't have one in South Bend.

She needs a promotion to a better job in a bigger market under another company.

Perhaps it is a test towards a new group package? It seems to be a slightly modified version of the most recent Media General package (there are some ex-MG stations that still use old graphic packages though)

They have hired two meteorologists as well. I'll be curious to see the graphics, since it is the first new Nexstar news operation since the Media General acquisition. Will it have the old Nexstar graphics, the 2015 MG graphics (they inherited the production of that) or something else altogether?