Marvin Dillweed 73 Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 http://www.mediabistro.com/tvspy/layoffs-at-ktva-as-morning-and-weekend-newscasts-are-cancelled_b45787#more-45787 This leaves KTUU as having the only morning and weekend newscasts in the market (unless you'd count "The Dan Fagan Show" at 6am weekdays on Fox 4/KTBY). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WXmanTim 88 Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 KTVA is the only TV station owned by MediaNews Group (San Jose Mercury-News, Contra Coasta Times), so sounds like they are about to put the station on the market. Cutting staff and overhead to the bare bones beefs up the bottom line, making it more attractive to potential buyers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
effseesee 101 Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 It's only a matter of time before KTUU takes over news operations at KTVA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WXmanTim 88 Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 I don't think that will happen. Anchorage is just small enough as a market AND there's already a duopoly in place with the KTBY/KYUR combo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
effseesee 101 Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 I don't think that will happen. Anchorage is just small enough as a market AND there's already a duopoly in place with the KTBY/KYUR combo. Schurz has virtual duopoly operations in multiple small markets. All they would have to do is sign a Shared Services Agreement either with current ownership or a new owner and voila! When a station like KTVA decides to shed large chunks of its new department, one of two things will ultimately happen. Either the station will limp along with its evening news program for several months and then decides to cut news altogether because it's not financially viable, or it will reach out to another entity to produce news programming for them. The idea that cutting the news department to make it more attractive for sale is only true if the buyer doesn't want a news department. Buyers who want a full fledged news department don't want to have to spend significant money to build the news department back up after it has been cut down. To think that because there's already a duopoly in place in Anchorage would preclude another one is incredibly naive. There are numerous examples of markets of similar size (Erie, PA, Joplin, MO, and Terre Haute, IN come to mind) where the big 4 networks are split into 2 duopolies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WXmanTim 88 Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 The idea that cutting the news department to make it more attractive for sale is only true if the buyer doesn't want a news department. Buyers who want a full fledged news department don't want to have to spend significant money to build the news department back up after it has been cut down. Yet it does happen. A little more than a year before announcing it was selling, then-Dix Communications owned KFBB cut it's morning, noon and weekend newscasts. That move improved it's bottom line enough to look attractive to eventual buyer Max Media. Max Media reinstated the weekend shows, but not the morning or noon. To think that because there's already a duopoly in place in Anchorage would preclude another one is incredibly naive. There are numerous examples of markets of similar size (Erie, PA, Joplin, MO, and Terre Haute, IN come to mind) where the big 4 networks are split into 2 duopolies. I suppose anything is possible, SSAs or otherwise. I still don't think it's probable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
effseesee 101 Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 Yet it does happen. A little more than a year before announcing it was selling, then-Dix Communications owned KFBB cut it's morning, noon and weekend newscasts. That move improved it's bottom line enough to look attractive to eventual buyer Max Media. Trust me, it wasn't that simple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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