Sinclair...Again

[Mrtraveler01 738]

 

They had no buyers for WMMP or WABM (the stations they were trying to sell), but those are very marginal stations in their markets anyway and who would want them as a standalone? They would qualify for failing station waivers in that case! And yes, HSH is definitely a Sinclair shell and not a legitimate broadcaster.

 

I am sure the employees at the Allbritton stations - especially in the conflict markets - can't wait for July 28 for this soap opera to reach a conclusion.

 

Aren't they also threatening to shut down WCIV as well, or did I misread that?

 

Anyway, you're right, I think everyone is looking forward to July 28th so this debacle can come to some sort of conclusion.

[GoldenShine9 1513]

Aren't they also threatening to shut down WCIV as well, or did I misread that?

 

Anyway, you're right, I think everyone is looking forward to July 28th so this debacle can come to some sort of conclusion.

In Charleston they would shut down WCIV and move ABC to WMMP DT2. Previously, they wanted to sell WMMP (and keep WCIV) to stack the deck in their favor.

[Mrtraveler01 738]

 

In Charleston they would shut down WCIV and move ABC to WMMP DT2. Previously, they wanted to sell WMMP (and keep WCIV) to stack the deck in their favor.

 

Sounds pretty stupid to me, why not surrender the license to WMMP or WTAT instead to make their argument sound a little more believable? I'm sure ABC wouldn't be too happy with this arrangement either.

[CircleSeven 1955]

And if the FCC finally give them the greenlight because these devils had to shutdown the ABC stations, then it would be the FCC's fault for allowing them to do so, since they're hungry for the TV spectrum. That's why I said earlier, the FCC and rest of the parties should just sit this out for eight weeks. And then let Allbritton terminate the deal. The DOJ don't have to say a word either. And everything will be back to normal in two months.

 

I haven't heard anything from Free Press in all of this. Usually they would be very vocal on any objections. I'm shocked they haven't said anything about possilbly seeing three ABC affiliates going dark by these devils.

[GoldenShine9 1513]

Free Press probably hasn't had the chance to prepare a press release and submit it yet. Hopefully, if the deal dies, the next buyer - whoever it may be - will treat the stations and process with more respect.

[CircleSeven 1955]

If a new buyer comes about, should this deal dies down, you'll probably won't hear Free Press' mouth at all.

[Mrtraveler01 738]

 

And if the FCC finally give them the greenlight because these devils had to shutdown the ABC stations, then it would be the FCC's fault for allowing them to do so, since they're hungry for the TV spectrum. That's why I said earlier, the FCC and rest of the parties should just sit this out for eight weeks. And then let Allbritton terminate the deal. The DOJ don't have to say a word either. And everything will be back to normal in two months.

 

I haven't heard anything from Free Press in all of this. Usually they would be very vocal on any objections. I'm shocked they haven't said anything about possilbly seeing three ABC affiliates going dark by these devils.

 

This is fresh news so Free Press probably hasn't had a chance to respond yet.

 

Gotta wonder what ABC is thinking, can they terminate their affiliation contracts in those markets if Sinclair does shut down WCIV and WCFT/WJSU?

[CircleSeven 1955]

 

This is fresh news so Free Press probably hasn't had a chance to respond yet.

 

Gotta wonder what ABC is thinking, can they terminate their affiliation contracts in those markets if Sinclair does shut down WCIV and WCFT/WJSU?

 

I wished ABC would make an informal objection on this deal should they follow through on shutting down those stations. This would be the final nail in the coffin for this Sinclair/Allbritton deal.

[GoldenShine9 1513]

This is fresh news so Free Press probably hasn't had a chance to respond yet.

 

Gotta wonder what ABC is thinking, can they terminate their affiliation contracts in those markets if Sinclair does shut down WCIV and WCFT/WJSU?

Go where? Only options in Charleston are 2.2 and 5.2.

 

In Birmingham, they could choose 6.2, 13.2, 42.2 or could try to play a role in buying the station Media General must sell (not saying O&O, but at least an ABC-friendly company).

[Mrtraveler01 738]

Found this hysterical gem:

 

 

Sinclair General Counsel Barry Faber told TVNewsCheck that Sinclair decided to use WABM and WMMP as the ABC outlets because their broadcast facilities are better than those of the Allbritton stations.

 

http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/76663/sinclair-giving-up-3-stations-to-appease-fcc

That's right, apparently the broadcast facilities at the My Network TV affiliate in Charleston (with no news department) are better than the ones at the ABC affiliate (with a news department) in Charleston.

[hathawaynson2 39]

Found this hysterical gem:

 

 

That's right, apparently the broadcast facilities at the My Network TV affiliate in Charleston (with no news department) are better than the ones at the ABC affiliate (with a news department) in Charleston.

Since I am in a very good mood, lets fire up the Sinclair executive translator app to fine tune things.

This will mean job losses, less service to South Carolinians and Alabamians, and less ownership diversity," they said.

Translation: if we shut the following stations and lay off employees and or severage packages, we're going to save $1.5 million to 3.5 million dollars.

Translation about ownership diversity: We're going to create conversial issues of we begin to shut down tv stations left and right.

[bobvick 9]

With time running out, Sinclair is proposing drastic changes to the Allbritton deal. With no buyers found for WABM or WMMP, a new letter crossed this morning, and Sinclair is going to the nuclear option:

 

Birmingham: Sinclair would surrender the licenses of WCFT and WJSU to be cancelled. Sinclair would retain WTTO and WABM, and it would use WABM to multicast WBMA. In effect, Sinclair gets rid of the pesky full-power ABC affiliate(s).

 

Charleston: Sinclair would surrender the license of WCIV. The LMA to Cunningham for WTAT would be terminated. WMMP and WCIV would be multicast.

 

Harrisburg: Sinclair is now proposing a sale of WHTM in which it would keep WHP and operate WLYH.

 

In other words, Sinclair has given up on WHTM, and in order to keep WMMP and WABM, it would shut down the full-power stations being acquired from Allbritton. This is not a good move. Sinclair's desperation is showing.

 

I just looked at the service contours of WBMA, WABM, WCFT and WJSU. Neither of the latter two are appropriate to cover the whole market alone, and WBMA doesn't even reach Tuscaloosa or Anniston. WABM's full-service signal is comparable to WIAT. My question: Would Sinclair then reverse WBMA and WABM to make MyNetworkTV low-power and ABC full-power on one station in Birmingham?

If Sinclair we're going to do this I can't see why they would use 68 for ABC, it has for, since it's inception in 1986 been the lowest rated station in Birmingham. It seems they would use the 21/17 combo and move CW and MY to 68. Although they don't own it outright, WDBB-17 is a full power repeater of WTTO 21.

I wonder if they will shut down the ABC 33-40 news department? Would the FCC allow them to map WABM 68 ( which is RF 36 ) to 33 or 40 using PSIP I wonder.

[bobvick 9]

Go where? Only options in Charleston are 2.2 and 5.2.In Birmingham, they could choose 6.2, 13.2, 42.2 or could try to play a role in buying the station Media General must sell (not saying O&O, but at least an ABC-friendly company).

Although it's studios are in Tuscaloosa, WUOA 23 broadcasts a full power signal from Red Mountain covering the entire market. It is owned by the University of Alabama. That could be an option for ABC, similar to KMOU in Columbia, MO. I doubt ABC would want to end up on a sub channel in the 44th largest market.

[Glimmer 282]

I honestly think this "move" is the one that is gonna kill this deal once and for all. ABC would likely consider this the nuclear option and find a way to get out of the affiliation agreements.

[tyrannical bastard 3951]

If this deal actually goes through in its current form, the shuttered licenses will become cheap takeover bait that companies could snatch up at fire sale prices. And then, ABC could pull their affiliations from the affected stations and affiliate with the new licensee(s), as if nothing ever happened....

 

I think the deal is going to fall apart at this point. Allbritton is going to either keep existing or sell off to other parties. Sinclair should have given this battle up LONG ago.

[Samantha 2895]

 

If this deal actually goes through in its current form, the shuttered licenses will become cheap takeover bait that companies could snatch up at fire sale prices. And then, ABC could pull their affiliations from the affected stations and affiliate with the new licensee(s), as if nothing ever happened....

 

They'd be surrendered to the FCC and deleted. I don't think with the current freeze on all new station applications or with their signals that someone would want OR could even try to acquire WCFT (RF 33) or WJSU (RF 9).

[tyrannical bastard 3951]

If the FCC has any shred of dignity left in them, they will deny this transaction since surrendering licenses to the FCC of PROFITABLE, POPULAR stations in order to satisfy a selfish desire to own more TV stations to push a selfish agenda is hardly in the public interest.

[bobvick 9]

If the FCC has any shred of dignity left in them, they will deny this transaction since surrendering licenses to the FCC of PROFITABLE, POPULAR stations in order to satisfy a selfish desire to own more TV stations to push a selfish agenda is hardly in the public interest.

I could not agree more. All Sinclair wants is WJLA out of this deal, they could give two craps about Birmingham and Harrisburg, both of which are sizable markets.

[Thundershock MN 169]

Give me a break! Are they really trying to convince people that there were absolutely no other buyers for full-power ABC stations in markets like Charleston and Birmingham?

 

And are they still trying to convince people that Howard Stirk is independent from Sinclair?

 

Looks like Sinclair is trying to play hard ball and are really sucking at it. How can people take these clowns seriously?

They didn't try to sell the ABC stations. They tried to sell the MNT stations (WMMP/WABM).

 

They had no buyers for WMMP or WABM (the stations they were trying to sell), but those are very marginal stations in their markets anyway and who would want them as a standalone? They would qualify for failing station waivers in that case! And yes, HSH is definitely a Sinclair shell and not a legitimate broadcaster.

 

I am sure the employees at the Allbritton stations - especially in the conflict markets - can't wait for July 28 for this soap opera to reach a conclusion.

On the first bolded comment. What does that tell you about the marketplace. It's something I've been saying before but, there aren't many options for buyers...especially a standalone MNT (or CW) affiliate.

 

To the second point. I'm a little puzzled why everyone thinks this deal will automatically terminate on July 29th. The only thing that happens is both parties can walk away at anytime by notifying the other party "we're out." It is possible that Allbritton decides to ride it out. Maybe it's still the best deal in their eyes or, whatever. But, it's just as possible that ride it out as it is they pull the plug. The only thing that changes is either party can walk away at anytime.

 

Aren't they also threatening to shut down WCIV as well, or did I misread that?

 

Anyway, you're right, I think everyone is looking forward to July 28th so this debacle can come to some sort of conclusion.

Yes, to the first point.

 

To the second point see my reply directly above yours. It *could* change course on July 29th or not.

 

Sounds pretty stupid to me, why not surrender the license to WMMP or WTAT instead to make their argument sound a little more believable? I'm sure ABC wouldn't be too happy with this arrangement either.

They already hold the licenses to WMMP & WABM. Therefore, they will simply acquire the non-license assets of WCFT/WJSU & WCIV folding them into their current operations. The licenses of WCFT/WJSU & WCIV won't be transferred and effectively be surrendered to the FCC. In other words they likely wouldn't need to file a TOC or Reassignment app for any of the Birmingham or Charelston stations. The non-license assets would then simply change hands as part of the overall purchase.

 

I don't think ABC is going to get relegated to a ".2" they will likely be on the primary. MNT will get jettisoned to the ".2" (+ the LP in Birmingham.)

 

Found this hysterical gem:

 

 

That's right, apparently the broadcast facilities at the My Network TV affiliate in Charleston (with no news department) are better than the ones at the ABC affiliate (with a news department) in Charleston.

See reply above. They would acquire the non-license assets. Meaning the news operations, building, etc, etc. change hands. The news departments would just move to WMMP & WABM. As to the facilities (tower & tx) there is a difference in Birmingham. I really don't think there is much of a difference in Charleston, though. I think they just kept their licenses to avoid having to due a TOC or reassignment.

 

If Sinclair we're going to do this I can't see why they would use 68 for ABC, it has for, since it's inception in 1986 been the lowest rated station in Birmingham. It seems they would use the 21/17 combo and move CW and MY to 68. Although they don't own it outright, WDBB-17 is a full power repeater of WTTO 21.

I wonder if they will shut down the ABC 33-40 news department? Would the FCC allow them to map WABM 68 ( which is RF 36 ) to 33 or 40 using PSIP I wonder.

No, to the bolded point. And, they could always swap affiliations around like you stated at the beginning of your post if they wanted a "lower number."

 

They won't shut down the news department. See replies above they will likely just acquire non-license assets to those stations.

[Rusty Muck 4374]

They'd be surrendered to the FCC and deleted. I don't think with the current freeze on all new station applications or with their signals that someone would want OR could even try to acquire WCFT (RF 33) or WJSU (RF 9).

The spectrum will just be thrown into whatever incentive auction takes place, assuming one ever occurs.

[Rusty Muck 4374]

To the second point. I'm a little puzzled why everyone thinks this deal will automatically terminate on July 29th. The only thing that happens is both parties can walk away at anytime by notifying the other party "we're out." It is possible that Allbritton decides to ride it out. Maybe it's still the best deal in their eyes or, whatever. But, it's just as possible that ride it out as it is they pull the plug. The only thing that changes is either party can walk away at anytime.

Given how much has been invested into this deal, S!nclair is not going to walk out of it unless they are told it is legally impossible to consummate. Their retrans folly with WNWO is totally dependent on the merger going through, for one. And Allbritton is not going to walk away from it, because, well, they are counting on money from the sale to invest into Politico. They will be forced back to square one and have a TV division that is not a clean unload regardless of the potential buyer.

 

I don't doubt that Allbritton brass is having serious cold feet about this deal, but neither side is going to pull out without the other consenting. Otherwise, a nasty legal fight between the two will follow.

[tyrannical bastard 3951]

On the technical side, WABM and WCFT/WJSU are both 720p stations, since MyNetworkTV and ABC both broadcast their programming in 720p. 720p is much better to use for a dual-HD stream, and would make switching from one frequency to another relatively easy.

 

Same goes for WMMP and WCIV.

 

Technically WTTO is a 720p station, but the CW is natively 1080i. They only have ZUUS Country as a subchannel, since WABM's is silent since Sinclair dropped TheCoolTV.

 

WMMP may have issues with a dual-stream because they already have ZUUS on 36.3 and WCIV has MeTV on 4.2. MyNetworkTV programming could be relegated to SD on 36.2 giving 36.1 the slot for ABC and WCIV's programming. WTAT may have to take on a subchannel if one is dropped.

 

Branding-wise, however could pose a problem since WCFT/WJSU has been branded as ABC 33/40 for their entire existence as a shared entity. This route would necessitate a branding change since the PSIP channels would be lost if the 33/40 channels go away. I could see "ABC Alabama" or "ABC Birmingham"....heck even "SPANN TV" might even work! "ABC 68" would be a disaster, seeing the stigma of what's happened with WBMG/WIAT over the years.

 

WCIV's branding could live on since it's channel 4, a low channel number that carries over well to cable TV prime real-estate.

[Thundershock MN 169]

If this deal actually goes through in its current form, the shuttered licenses will become cheap takeover bait that companies could snatch up at fire sale prices. And then, ABC could pull their affiliations from the affected stations and affiliate with the new licensee(s), as if nothing ever happened....

 

I think the deal is going to fall apart at this point. Allbritton is going to either keep existing or sell off to other parties. Sinclair should have given this battle up LONG ago.

As Raymie stated if this takes place the licenses will be surrendered meaning they are gone. And, given the license freeze I doubt they would take bids on new licenses to replace the surrendered licenses.

 

If the FCC has any shred of dignity left in them, they will deny this transaction since surrendering licenses to the FCC of PROFITABLE, POPULAR stations in order to satisfy a selfish desire to own more TV stations to push a selfish agenda is hardly in the public interest.

It will be interesting to see how the FCC reacts. The FCC is effectively freeing up spectrum for their upcoming auction without having to compensate the license holder.

 

And, I'm curious to see how Sinclair re-files with the FCC. If do it the way I think they will they are might be calling the FCC's bluff. As I stated in my last post they will likely just acquire the non-license assets to the "surrendered" stations. So, they likely wouldn't even need to file a TOC or Reassignment app for any of they stations in Birmingham or Charleston. Omitting the LP in Birmingham but, that doesn't count towards/against ownership limits in anyway. So, they have effectively eliminated the "conflicts" and in theory have likely given them nothing to review in Birmingham & Charleston as the licenses aren't changing hands. Although, Allbritton would have to play along in this scenario as they would be the ones holding the "surrendered" licenses when the deal closes. Meaning, Allbritton would really be the ones surrendering them. But, if Allbritton gets the agreed upon amount do they really care that they are having to surrender the licenses? In short, I'm not sure there is much the FCC could do if they do this.

[tyrannical bastard 3951]

Another wrinkle in this deal could be if Allbritton insists that the licenses of WCFT/WJSU and WCIV exist as going concerns....there goes Sinclair's latest attempt at this deal...

[GoldenShine9 1513]

On the technical side, WABM and WCFT/WJSU are both 720p stations, since MyNetworkTV and ABC both broadcast their programming in 720p. 720p is much better to use for a dual-HD stream, and would make switching from one frequency to another relatively easy.

 

Same goes for WMMP and WCIV.

 

Technically WTTO is a 720p station, but the CW is natively 1080i. They only have ZUUS Country as a subchannel, since WABM's is silent since Sinclair dropped TheCoolTV.

 

WMMP may have issues with a dual-stream because they already have ZUUS on 36.3. MyNetworkTV programming could be relegated to SD on 36.2 giving 36.1 the slot for ABC and WCIV's programming.

 

Branding-wise, however could pose a problem since WCFT/WJSU has been branded as ABC 33/40 for their entire existence as a shared entity. This route would necessitate a branding change since the PSIP channels would be lost if the 33/40 channels go away. I could see "ABC Alabama" or "ABC Birmingham"....heck even "SPANN TV" might even work! "ABC 68" would be a disaster, seeing the stigma of what's happened with WBMG/WIAT over the years.

 

WCIV's branding could live on since it's channel 4, a low channel number that carries over well to cable TV prime real-estate.

As for the demise of the deal, the wording in all of Sinclair's press releases suggest that July 27 is a hard date for the deal in their minds and they are rushing. They must have at least indication that Allbritton is ready to walk away and they want a quick deal to keep the contract right now in force.

 

Agreed, something like ABC Alabama would need to be the branding (and I see James Spann being released or leaving). That scenario looks like it will raise the value of WVTM or WIAT in the forced pending sale (obviously not to Sinclair) since it would seriously weaken the ABC station in the market no matter what with much poorer coverage. This has implications in the LIN-Media General sale as well:

 

1) If Sinclair gets away with this, the ABC station will be very weak and lose a lot of ratings, just on coverage alone. The divested LIN-MG station (and the kept station) would have an opportunity to move up big time. Most seem to believe Meredith is the frontrunner in the market for the divested station (I'd say Gannett is up there too, as long as there are no newspaper conflicts), and they would have an opportunity right away.

 

2) If the Sinclair-Allbritton deal dies, there are suddenly two stations on the market in central Alabama. That creates a lot of decisions and two openings. Whoever takes Allbritton then is suddenly out of the running for the divested MG-LIN station. Since Sinclair could not bid for either of them, it leaves very few in the race - Hearst, Scripps, Gannett, Meredith and Tribune are the only ones I can think of able to both bid and enter a top-50 market. And TWO of them would enter.