Gannett to acquire Belo

[Mrtraveler01 737]

 

http://m.us.wsj.com/articles/a/SB10001424127887323846504579071320775678460?mg=reno64-wsj

 

Belo stockholders are planning to vote against the deal according to the Wall Street Journal (only have the preview though)

 

Here's an article for those who don't subscribe to the WSJ.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/morning_call/2013/09/belo-investors-balk-at-gannett-deal.html

 

Looks like the main argument is that Gannett's offer is too low. That should be an easy fix for them if necessary.

[channel2 869]

The shareholders have approved the deal.

 

(This has been mentioned in the Allbritton thread, but this is the Gannett-Belo thread...)

[ABC 7 Denver 1554]

 

The shareholders have approved the deal.

 

(This has been mentioned in the Allbritton thread, but this is the Gannett-Belo thread...)

 

Damn. I thought we could get more! Ironically, Carrie McClure and Ashton Alteri, former 9News staffers now at WFAA, will be working for Gannett again. Even more interesting, Alteri recently left his post at KXTV (ABC News 10) to be a weekend meteorologist at WFAA (the merger was already in the works).

 

Even though I think we got totally ripped off, I think it will be fun to own part of my news leader, Gannett Flagship and G3. I think I'll probably be the most critical because I'm in their market!

[djlynch 54]

 

 

Damn. I thought we could get more! Ironically, Carrie McClure and Ashton Alteri, former 9News staffers now at WFAA, will be working for Gannett again. Even more interesting, Alteri recently left his post at KXTV (ABC News 10) to be a weekend meteorologist at WFAA (the merger was already in the works).

 

 

KVUE has several staffers who have gone from Gannett to Belo to Gannett without ever leaving the station. Belo and Gannett swapped KVUE and KXTV back in the late 90s.

[WAVY 10 Fan 232]

 

http://m.us.wsj.com/articles/a/SB10001424127887323846504579071320775678460?mg=reno64-wsj

 

Belo stockholders are planning to vote against the deal according to the Wall Street Journal (only have the preview though)

 

Surprise. The shareholders approved the sale

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/09/25/belo-shareholder-vote/2868549/

[SterlingNorth 33]

 

Surprise. The shareholders approved the sale

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/09/25/belo-shareholder-vote/2868549/

 

Obviously a few hedge funds and shareholders were using the WSJ to try to get Gannett to pony up more money for Belo.

[ABC 7 Denver 1554]

 

Obviously a few hedge funds and shareholders were using the WSJ to try to get Gannett to pony up more money for Belo.

 

Yes we were.

[channel2 869]

I'm honestly kind of surprised that nobody else stepped in. You'd think that the opportunity to grab Belo would be too much for someone else to pass up (though they were probably worried that they might overpay for it)...

[GoldenShine9 1509]

 

I'm honestly kind of surprised that nobody else stepped in. You'd think that the opportunity to grab Belo would be too much for someone else to pass up (though they were probably worried that they might overpay for it)...

 

May be hidden behind paywall, but the WSJ article suggests that Tribune, Hearst and Nexstar (although they probably couldn't afford everything) were also interested in Belo. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323846504579071320775678460.html. Hearst and Tribune would have several conflicts themselves...

[TexasTVNews 1367]

I talked with WFAA's Monika Diaz yesterday at my neighborhood Walgreens store. Diaz told me that if the deal is finalized, nothing changes. Belo stations keep their graphics and theme music

(no new graphics and no this is home music from Gannett). So, I guess it's safe to say I can breathe a sign a relief. However some Belo shareholders are still trying to block the deal.

Will see how this plays out through the end of the year.

[ABC 7 Denver 1554]

 

I talked with WFAA's Monika Diaz yesterday at my neighborhood Walgreens store. Diaz told me that if the deal is finalized, nothing changes. Belo stations keep their graphics and theme music

(no new graphics and no this is home music from Gannett). So, I guess it's safe to say I can breathe a sign a relief. However some Belo shareholders are still trying to block the deal.

Will see how this plays out through the end of the year.

 

You know that is temporary. Gannett is going to consolidate graphics departments probably in Dallas. And though it won't be for a few years, until graphics and music wear-out their welcome, the ugly head of standardization will rear it's ugly head again!

[TVLurker 161]

 

I talked with WFAA's Monika Diaz yesterday at my neighborhood Walgreens store. Diaz told me that if the deal is finalized, nothing changes. Belo stations keep their graphics and theme music

(no new graphics and no this is home music from Gannett). So, I guess it's safe to say I can breathe a sign a relief. However some Belo shareholders are still trying to block the deal.

Will see how this plays out through the end of the year.

 

Good. It would be a waste to see the graphics that were designed by them be thrown away even though Gannett's graphics package is actually pretty good.

[TennTV1983 748]

I talked with WFAA's Monika Diaz yesterday at my neighborhood Walgreens store. Diaz told me that if the deal is finalized, nothing changes. Belo stations keep their graphics and theme music

(no new graphics and no this is home music from Gannett). So, I guess it's safe to say I can breathe a sign a relief. However some Belo shareholders are still trying to block the deal.

Will see how this plays out through the end of the year.

Well, even so, there is no ruling out the possibility of some standardization happening at the Belo stations post-sale. Do not be surprised if the current Hothaus package gets tweaked somehow to include the USA Today color scheme for different stories like what is currently being used at the Gannett stations.

[swillh2k2 203]

 

I talked with WFAA's Monika Diaz yesterday at my neighborhood Walgreens store. Diaz told me that if the deal is finalized, nothing changes. Belo stations keep their graphics and theme music

(no new graphics and no this is home music from Gannett).

 

What about the Belo stations that haven't made the change yet? (i.e. WCNC here in Charlotte, WHAS in Louisville)

[sanewsguy 509]

Nobody knows what's going to happen with their graphics. I'm sure Gannett doesn't even know.

 

The two companies are on different graphics systems, Belo uses Miranda, Gannett uses Chyron Axis. Both graphic packages are good, but both also have their flaws. Could Gannett keep their hub in Denver, or move it elsewhere once they take over? They could very well modify Belo's graphics, but who knows?

 

I honestly think Gannett will keep things status quo and just unveil a new graphics package eventually and unite all the stations under one look, like Scripps. And although Scripps uses Chyron Axis at their pre-MGH acquistion stations, I think the former MGH stations (minus KERO) use something else. I think KERO got Chyron Axis when they moved to HD, since that conversion under Scripps watch. I notice that KMGH, KGTV, WRTV graphics animate slightly differently from the pack the rest of the group uses.

 

My point, they could just make a package that is compatiable (or has very little differences) with both graphics systems. Cheaper that way, especially if the graphics system/character generator is only a couple years old (most stations install a new one when they switch to HD).

[AaronQ 259]

What about the Belo stations that haven't made the change yet? (i.e. WCNC here in Charlotte, WHAS in Louisville)

WHAS actually got some of the new graphics (just only the weather graphics because they recently got upgraded to TruVu Max)

[mike91 66]

I think it could go either way-either the Belo stations get the new graphics or keep the old ones and eventually the group gets a whole new package, honestly it's probably way down the list of importance of things regarding the merger, but, here's something to think about. I can think of two examples in recent past of station groups with standardized graphics buying another group of stations. Sinclair and Scripps are the only two that I can think of (that have across the board, every single station pre-M&A madness had the same graphics and music). Neither of these groups have a recognizable national news operation that Gannett has in the USA Today (that Gannett's new graphics package is heavily centered around, of course). Wouldn't they want to have their new acquistions associated with USA Today, a brand that most people would recognize? And what better way to do so then by giving all the new stations the new graphics look that integrates the USA Today into the local stations brand? Just thought I would put that out there.

[Nelson R. 560]

Mark Washburn's latest Charlotte Observer article mentions that the WCNC general manager plans to step down when the Gannett deal closes. Doesn't sound like he is happy with the direction Gannett wants to take.

[sanewsguy 509]

 

Mark Washburn's latest Charlotte Observer article mentions that the WCNC general manager plans to step down when the Gannett deal closes. Doesn't sound like he is happy with the direction Gannett wants to take.

 

Maybe he's just afraid he'll lose his job. New ownership generally brings in their own GM (and sometimes ND and GSM as well).

[broadcastfan9751 136]

BREAKING NEWS: TVNewsCheck is reporting that Gannett has reached an agreement with the Department of Justice that will require Gannett and Sander Media to sell KMOV in order to move forward with its purchase of Belo.

 

Surprised they didn't require a divestiture of KTVK.

[CircleSeven 1944]

B&C have a thorough article. They basically didn't really have much of a choice. Knowing that KMOV & KSDK are the two top stations in St. Louis, they'd made the right decision. Yeah that sounded one sided that they didn't think about KTVK, but I think the St. Louis situation was the giant worry why it's been holding up these past few months.

 

Even though I said that the Trib deal would most likely give them the greenlight by the end of this year, could two deals happen, after this latest news?

 

Now the question is, which group would want KMOV when they formally divest next year? If Meredith want a top-25, they can very well start with KMOV. Meredith already have that CBS station on the other side of the state (KCTV).

 

But anybody but Sinclair.

[swillh2k2 203]

 

B&C have a thorough article. They basically didn't really have much of a choice. Knowing that KMOV & KSDK are the two top stations in St. Louis, they'd made the right decision. Yeah that sounded one sided that they didn't think about KTVK, but I think the St. Louis situation was the giant worry why it's been holding up these past few months.

 

Now the question is, which group would want KMOV when they formally divest next year? If Meredith want at top-25, they can very well start with KMOV. Meredith already have that CBS station on the other side of the state (KCTV).

 

But anybody but Sinclair.

 

Would make perfect sense for Meredith to purchase KMOV.

[TexasTVNews 1367]

My prediction:

---------------------------------------------------------

KMOV - Meredith, Cox, Media General, LIN Media, or CBS

KTVK - Cox, Media General, Tribune, Graham, or LIN Media

 

That's all I can think of for right now. Just hope and pray it's not Sinclair.

[CircleSeven 1944]

 

My prediction:

---------------------------------------------------------

KMOV - Meredith, Cox, Media General, LIN Media, or CBS

KTVK - Cox, Media General, Tribune, Graham, or LIN Media

 

That's all I can think of for right now. Just hope and pray it's not Sinclair.

 

I doubt CBS would want to come back to KMOV. Other than that, its anybody's game. NY Times says the this independent entity has to be approved by the government, and a federal judge has to approve this settlement.

[damien6786 9]

Since KMOV and KSDK is the top two in St. Louis Then is KTVK and KPNX are the top two in Phoenix or this is because Phoenix Belo and Gannett are not the top two like St. Louis