GoldenShine9

The way the article was written it almost sounds more like the opposite - Tegna buying Nexstar...

Heck, FTVLive is more reliable!

That one doesn't pass the smell test. I can't see how ABC will uproot one of their top affiliates - and one of their top company groups - for such. The repercussions could be enormous there. The only way I can see WCVB become an O&O is either by Hearst buying ABC as a whole from Disney, or by a trade with (at least) WTVD and KFSN. As for just gutting WCVB, do they want to make Hearst really mad in their largest market?

Of course, it will continue to get destroyed by WBKO in the ratings.

That's what I call a career-killing move to jump from the market's strongest station to a ratings joke...

CajunFirst.com now redirects to KLFY (was KADN's old site), and FortWayneHomepage.net now redirects to WANE (was WFFT's old site), although the primary domains have not *yet* changed.

KIRO has leaped to #1 in the latest results.

He's of retirement age? Otherwise, what are the chances he ends up at one of the other three stations?

Interesting and unexpected! Maybe they had offers from bigger companies but want to keep things relatively localized.

Where would they go, WATL?

Then again, since WGME is one of Sinclair's more rebellious stations, if they are forced to divest that may be one of the first to go anyway.

Simple: it is a lot more time consuming at the FCC and DOJ to deal with 10 separate applications than for a single large acquisition - each one is a different order and a different process. It's not so much time consuming at Gray as it is at the FCC and DOJ.

Gray does have one major advantage: looking at the remaining independent entities, NONE of them are in Gray markets from what I can tell. The limitations are the paperwork mess acquiring each and every one (time consuming) and there are at least 3 markets that have multiple independent entities (Salisbury, Paducah-Cape Girardeau and Fort Myers-Naples, maybe a couple more) of which they can only take one. Gray has nothing in Minnesota, which is another limiting factor towards KEYC, and few prospects due to the fact Hubbard and Quincy are the leading companies in that state. WWNY might be isolated as well, since Nexstar and Sinclair pretty much have the rest of upstate New York sewn up (and the markets may be too large for them anyway). Unless Sinclair or Nexstar acquires Tribune and Gray scoops up WNEP in a forced divestiture, there will likely be a forced gap in their coverage between northern New England and, at a minimum, the Delmarva. In the Speculatron, I posted the following stations remain independent (may be a few others): KFMB KIEM (?) KJTV KOBI+ KOMU (special case) KRGV KTBS WBOC WBRZ WFMJ WINK WMDT WOAY WPSD WRAL/WRAZ WSIL WWTV+/WFQX+ Of those, NONE are in Gray markets. I think Gray might want all of them except: * KFMB and WRAL/WRAZ, too big and too expensive for them * KOBI+, KJTV and WMDT, they are laggards in their markets (last place among news outlets) * KIEM, would be isolated in the portfolio with no west coast stations and few prospects * Although KOMU would fit very well with Gray, would Mizzou really give it up? At a minimum, a "reverse LMA" would be kept probably with the news operation outsourced back to the school. * Since Paducah/Cape Girardeau have two stations on the list and both rank up there, obviously they can only take one of them.

KFMB is outside Gray's size range as well, but someone else may want it.

I wonder if someone from Gray reads these and takes our thoughts? Just like Diversified we called it from a mile away.

One that I correctly called...and an excellent purchase for them to build up the "inland" Northeast. Unfortunately, there isn't much left to take there, unless WNEP is forced to go back on the market due to conflicts, or they go after WWNY (and, by extension, KEYC). The next closest market to there that I can see Gray taking a good shot at is Salisbury, MD - WBOC seems ripe for them.

Since it is a small market and essentially a "training ground" anyway, there have been few cuts there. It's the big market stations that have taken the hits.

I wonder what will happen after Tribune is sold (assuming it is) - that could be the next game changer if KCPQ can make moves. Unless Sinclair keeps it and sells KOMO... This is definitely KIRO's time to shine though and they took advantage of an opening.

I saw a report saying he's staying in market and may be heading to KJRH. Probably would have to wait for the non-compete clause to expire though.

They couldn't if they also acquire Tribune, since that deal alone would put them over the cap, let alone anything beyond that.

Honestly, I thought of that possibility (but didn't post about it) and felt they might actually fit quite well. There are 8 conflicts and 2 new duopolies created (the Speculatron post I mentioned them in more details), but it is a lot less messy than Sinclair-Tribune and the stations actually feel like they belong together. Combined, their national reach would be 58.5%. That *should* fit within the adjusted cap.

I'm guessing WSLS will be getting a new logo soon, shedding all traces of MG? After all, they are no longer part of that lineage...

Yeah some of them are better described as companies though and not independents. I created a new thread in Speculatron about the future of the independent stations (I mean by that those which are locally/separately owned, and not stations without an affiliation). Somehow I think Gray will get quite a few of them, as they fit their portfolio and are missing in those markets...

WABI had been family owned since day 1? There are still a few left - WRAL/WRAZ, WBRZ, KTBS, WOAY, WINK, WPSD, WSIL, WBOC, WMDT, WFMJ, WWTV/WWUP...those off the top of my head... How many of those will still be independent a few years from now though?

It's already a competitive market, so they would be foolish to start a new operation IMO. Really, the station should just be sold to Tegna or Scripps and paired with an existing incumbent.