T.L. Hughes 753 Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 As Media General transitions from a publishing and broadcasting company to a broadcasting group (now that is has sold almost all of its newspapers to Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway), the company seems to be exploring expansions to its group... eventually. But it may result in Media General swapping stations to other owners or forming new shared services agreements, possibly turning it into another Nexstar Broadcasting or Sinclair Broadcast Group. From TVNewsCheck: “I don’t see us as a seller right now. Maybe as an exchanger,” replied Marshall Morton, president-CEO, if such a swap deal would allow Media General to step up in markets “or tighten up our focus in some way that’s particularly progressive to us.” Morton noted that the company is currently in a JSA/SSA situation in only one market. That’s Augusta, Ga., where Media General’s only ABC affiliate, WJBF (which also has ME-TV as a D2), provides news, sales and other services to the Schurz station, WAGT, which is the NBC affiliate and has The CW as its D2. “We are managing a station for another company in one market and like that a lot,” Morton said of the arrangement. “It’s a good way to extend our reach in the marketplace, particularly with respect to news and sales power, without added capital.” The same article notes that while Media General has no interest in selling stations, it has no plans to buy stations in the short term either as it is focusing on reducing its debt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABC 7 Denver 1554 Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 I hope this shift to a broadcasting only business cues MG to develop a new graphics package! The current one I'm a fan of not so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElliotJones 52 Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 I hope this shift to a broadcasting only business cues MG to develop a new graphics package! The current one I'm a fan of not so much. jesus, seriously? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyrannical bastard 3471 Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 Since they're open to expanding SSAs and station swaps, I could see WKRG swapped to Raycom for WWBT. Richmond and Mobile/Pensacola are about the same in market size, and this would give Media General a property in their hometown now that they sold the Times-Dispatch and all their other newspapers except the Tampa Tribune, and it would finally give Raycom a presence in Mobile, thus giving them a presence in every media market in Alabama. I wonder if they would consider having someone ELSE run one of their stations....but in terms of other SSAs, the only one I could see is the CW/FOX stations in Roanoke....perhaps the ABC station in Kingsport, TN as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mre29 1340 Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 I could see them swapping WCMH and/or WJAR. Those are Media General's only properties that aren't in the South. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jero23 105 Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 Maybe they could swap WVTM to Gannett in return for Media General to get WMAZ in Macon, Ga. It would one allow that poor station to have a chance to grow and prosper once again since it has wilted like rose since MG has taken over the station in 2006. MG would get a station off their hands that isn't very successful for them return for the leading station in the Macon market while Gannett gains a station in Alabama's largest media market and a broadcasting partner for the Montgomery Advertiser newspaper in the state. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jero23 105 Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 I could see them swapping WCMH and/or WJAR. Those are Media General's only properties that aren't in the South. Those 2 stations are huge moneymakers for them, thus they wouldn't try to unload those prior to getting rid of WVTM and/or WNCN. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColumbusNewsFan 217 Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 Those 2 stations are huge moneymakers for them, thus they wouldn't try to unload those prior to getting rid of WVTM and/or WNCN. I could see them getting rid of WCMH in a couple years or so. MG hasn't really invest that much into WCMH and IT SHOWS in the product they put out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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