Meredith to buy KMOV, KTVK

[GoldenShine9 1509]

Lately it seems Meredith has been turning its stations into virtual O&O's, so they seem to be following their networks...that may be a clue?

[sanewsguy 509]

 

Lately it seems Meredith has been turning its stations into virtual O&O's, so they seem to be following their networks...that may be a clue?

 

You're just going off of one relaunch... (WSMV doesn't count, they just so happen to use the NBC Artworks pack and their Meredith's only NBC affil anyways; KVVU doesn't seem to come across as one with their outdated O&O graphics and horribly mismatched voiceover artist)

 

Meredith seems to leave it mostly to the individual station management to make their own decisions. Standardization is almost non-existent. The one major thing St. Louis viewers will probably see during May sweeps, I guarantee it, is KMOV offering to pay your mortgage or rent for a year. That's a standard Meredith sweeps tactic.

 

But not much else will change. Maybe they'll go by CBS 4, but no I don't anticipate any major changes. Why would they mess with a number one station?

 

I also hope they keep Chris Nagus, I really enjoy his "News 4 Investigates" pieces.

[TVIntheDesert 183]

 

You're just going off of one relaunch... (WSMV doesn't count, they just so happen to use the NBC Artworks pack and their Meredith's only NBC affil anyways; KVVU doesn't seem to come across as one with their outdated O&O graphics and horribly mismatched voiceover artist)

 

Meredith seems to leave it mostly to the individual station management to make their own decisions. Standardization is almost non-existent. The one major thing St. Louis viewers will probably see during May sweeps, I guarantee it, is KMOV offering to pay your mortgage or rent for a year. That's a standard Meredith sweeps tactic.

 

But not much else will change. Maybe they'll go by CBS 4, but no I don't anticipate any major changes. Why would they mess with a number one station?

 

I also hope they keep Chris Nagus, I really enjoy his "News 4 Investigates" pieces.

 

Some areas are most likely Meredith corporate-mandated, like their intention of launching the DOA "Dyle" mobile DTV service. Also, KPHO and WFSB's worthless weather subchannels are identical, right down to the mandated "E/I" program (I suppose KVVU uses the same company for their weather subchannel, but has a more common sense approach to the "three hour rule").

[Mrtraveler01 737]

I imagine that they're going to run KMOV in the same fashion as KCTV. Meredith keeps emphasizing that these are now sister stations of one another and I imagine that they will be sharing a lot of resources when it comes to Missouri-oriented news.

 

As someone whose watched KCTV, I'm looking forward to see how KMOV is going to be run.

[fl19ga114sc105 3]

I know this would never happen but one has to wonder would it help channel 4, Meredith, and CBS if the station changed back to its original call letters of KMOX as it would have built in legacy brand recognition and not just in St. Louis but also the Midwest thanks to clear channel frequency of KMOX radio.

[Brother 82]

Channel 4 has been KMOV for 28 years now, so I'd say they have their own legacy brand recognition at this point. Changing the call letters wouldn't necessarily hurt them (especially among the older folks who do still call it KMOX-TV), but there's no reason for it and it wouldn't help them one bit.

[nomadcowatbk 144]

 

Channel 4 has been KMOV for 28 years now, so I'd say they have their own legacy brand recognition at this point. Changing the call letters wouldn't necessarily hurt them (especially among the older folks who do still call it KMOX-TV), but there's no reason for it and it wouldn't help them one bit.

 

advertisers don't care about older folks anyway

[Mrtraveler01 737]

Channel 4 has been KMOV for 28 years now, so I'd say they have their own legacy brand recognition at this point. Changing the call letters wouldn't necessarily hurt them (especially among the older folks who do still call it KMOX-TV), but there's no reason for it and it wouldn't help them one bit.

If CBS bought it and turned it back to an O&O, then it might make sense for them to change it for branding purposes. But It makes little sense for Meredith to do it.

[Samantha 2878]

 

advertisers don't care about older folks anyway

 

St. Louis is a market of super stability where the best stations haven't changed much in years or decades. So yes, they DO care, because that's why KMOV and KSDK control the market and KDNL couldn't stand a chance with local news.

[nomadcowatbk 144]

 

St. Louis is a market of super stability where the best stations haven't changed much in years or decades. So yes, they DO care, because that's why KMOV and KSDK control the market and KDNL couldn't stand a chance with local news.

 

full of old people, not a lot of younger people moving in

[Rusty Muck 4259]

Channel 4 has been KMOV for 28 years now, so I'd say they have their own legacy brand recognition at this point. Changing the call letters wouldn't necessarily hurt them (especially among the older folks who do still call it KMOX-TV), but there's no reason for it and it wouldn't help them one bit.

Most people refer to the station as News 4 anyway. Even IF Meredith thought of rebranding the station as CBS 4 (and were to do everything possible to make the station look like an O&O), the KMOX-TV calls are STILL unnecessary.

 

Had CBS spun off KMOX-TV a few years later than they did, it's possible that the callsign could have been retained.

[Samantha 2878]

 

full of old people, not a lot of younger people moving in

 

Yep. That means the demo may not be as important in that market.

[nomadcowatbk 144]

 

Yep. That means the demo may not be as important in that market.

 

what are rates in that market?

[CircleSeven 1945]

There's a new development regarding the KASW portion of the deal. An amendment of its app was posted today.

 

It has eliminated it's joint sales agreement form (they should've done that eons ago), and made a revised shared service agreement form. It also posted a document on top which it states "Request for Conditional Grant". I guess if they feel that if the deal doesn't get approval as it stands, they are seeking a conditional grant from the FCC with voluntary commitments:

 

Request for Conditional Grant Subject to Voluntary Commitments. The Applicants request

the following conditional grant, make the following voluntary commitments and acknowledge

that, if the Applications were granted subject to such condition, a failure to comply with such

commitments would constitute a failure to comply with an official Commission order:

 

Within ninety (90) days of the date of consummation of the transaction authorized hereby,

the Assignee shall file an application proposing a sale of KASW(TV) in a

transaction in which the Assignee shall not propose a buyer that would have a sharing

arrangement, such as an SSA or JSA, or a contingent financial interest, such as an option

or loan guarantee, with the Assignee or with any other entity that controls or has an

attributable interest in a broadcast television station in the same DMA as KASW(TV) and

whose ownership of KASW(TV) would violate the local television ownership rule, 47

C.F.R. § 73.3555. If the Assignee has not satisfied the requirement to file a sale

application within the applicable deadline, the Assignee shall promptly thereafter, but in

any event within thirty (30) days after such deadline, file an application to assign or

transfer the license of KASW(TV) to a divestiture trust, subject to review and approval

by the Media Bureau. The divestiture trustee shall be required to consummate the sale of

KASW(TV) within one hundred and eighty (180) days of acquiring the station in a

transaction that complies with the Commission’s local television ownership rules, 47

C.F.R. § 73.3555, and does not involve a sharing arrangement, such as a SSA or JSA, or

a contingent financial interest, such as an option or loan guarantee. The terms of the

divestiture trust shall not contain any provision that acts as a price floor regarding the sale

price of KASW(TV). The divestiture trustee, in temporarily operating the station, will

not engage in any new sharing arrangements, such as a SSA or JSA, or new contingent

financial interest, such as an option or loan guarantee, with any entity that controls or has

an attributable interest in the same DMA as KASW(TV), and whose common ownership

of KASW(TV) would violate the Commission’s local television rules, 47 C.F.R. §

73.3555.

[Samantha 2878]

If they take that option, which I think they will be forced to do, that opens the door for KASW to be sold completely out of KTVK's orbit, either to someone who wants a full-power station for Spanish (e.g. Liberman, which owns an LPTV in Phoenix; Hero, which owns the MundoFox affiliate LPTV in Phoenix combined with a Kingman full-power station; or Una Vez Más, which owns an Azteca LPTV in Phoenix) or to a spectrum speculator.

 

This deal has languished. It's clear that it's affecting these stations, to quote one of the documents:

 

 

As a result of these decisions, nearly a year of transition has resulted in significant disruption to both stations. KTVK(TV) and KASW(TV) have lost 35 employees since the Gannett-Belo merger was announced.

[Thundershock MN 169]

If they take that option, which I think they will be forced to do, that opens the door for KASW to be sold completely out of KTVK's orbit, either to someone who wants a full-power station for Spanish (e.g. Liberman, which owns an LPTV in Phoenix; Hero, which owns the MundoFox affiliate LPTV in Phoenix combined with a Kingman full-power station; or Una Vez Más, which owns an Azteca LPTV in Phoenix) or to a spectrum speculator.

 

This deal has languished. It's clear that it's affecting these stations, to quote one of the documents:

 

As a result of these decisions, nearly a year of transition has resulted in significant disruption to both stations. KTVK(TV) and KASW(TV) have lost 35 employees since the Gannett-Belo merger was announced.

Unfortunately, I really think they are leaving because they see writing on the wall. KTVK's newsroom as a stand alone entity is toast once the deal closes. Might as well try to get out before the inevitable bloodletting when KTVK & KPHO combine into one newsroom. Although, they are right it's never fun to be left twisting in the wind.

 

So, if I'm reading this correctly the FCC now has a few options, correct?

1. Approve the "original" proposal. Now revised to omit the JSA.

2. Approve with the "conditional grant" offer. Thus requiring KASW to be sold off.

a. Meredith/SagamoreHill then would have 90 days to find a buyer themselves.

b. If Meredith/SagamoreHill cannot find a buyer in the allotted time KASW will be transferred to a blind divesture trust. The trustee will then have 180 days to find a buyer.

3. Deny both proposals.

 

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong or missing anything. Also, what happens if the trustee doesn't find a buyer in their allotted 180 days? Does KASW revert back to SagamoreHill or stay in perpetual limbo? Although Meredith is likely sick of waiting around I really think Gannett is one turning up the heat to get this done. They want to get things buttoned up with their books.

[Samantha 2878]

 

Although Meredith is likely sick of waiting around I really think Gannett is one turning up the heat to get this done. They want to get things buttoned up with their books.

 

And I think, as you suspected last month, it would allow them to move forward with the second part of the like-kind exchange with London (KCEB and KTXD to KTVK, Inc.).

[Thundershock MN 169]

And I think, as you suspected last month, it would allow them to move forward with the second part of the like-kind exchange with London (KCEB and KTXD to KTVK, Inc.).

I was trying to be suttle with my last sentence.

[GoldenShine9 1509]

If KTVK goes into a blind trust, could it be a duopoly opportunity for another owner in the market (most likely Scripps)?

[Joenotaro 0]

Maybe CBS or Tribune could be interested in KASW since neither one of them own a tv station in Phoenix. Also, with 3 and 5 combining operations, there will be an available studio.

[TVNewsLover 730]

If KTVK goes into a blind trust, could it be a duopoly opportunity for another owner in the market (most likely Scripps)?

Doubt this would happen, but would Scripps then entertain the thought of moving ABC back to KTVK?

[Rusty Muck 4259]

Doubt this would happen, but would Scripps then entertain the thought of moving ABC back to KTVK?

An entire generation has come to know KNXV as the home for ABC. It would be nonsensical to move it back to KTVK.

 

Plus, this isn't the analog TV era anymore. Channel numbers are more a byproduct of PSIP masking. Theoretically, Scripps could buy KTVK and swap licenses and transmitter facilities between the two stations (making KNXV with PSIP 3.1 and KTVK with PSIP 15.1), but of what benefit would that be? None, really.

[Samantha 2878]

 

If KTVK goes into a blind trust, could it be a duopoly opportunity for another owner in the market (most likely Scripps)?

 

I think the whole point is that it gets sold to a new owner:

 

The divestiture trustee shall be required to consummate the sale of KASW(TV) within one hundred and eighty (180) days of acquiring the station in a transaction that complies with the Commission’s local television ownership rules, 47 C.F.R. § 73.3555, and does not involve a sharing arrangement, such as a SSA or JSA, or a contingent financial interest, such as an option or loan guarantee. The terms of the divestiture trust shall not contain any provision that acts as a price floor regarding the sale price of KASW(TV). The divestiture trustee, in temporarily operating the station, will not engage in any new sharing arrangements, such as a SSA or JSA, or new contingent financial interest, such as an option or loan guarantee, with any entity that controls or has an attributable interest in the same DMA as KASW(TV), and whose common ownership of KASW(TV) would violate the Commission’s local television rules.

The way this is written, I think the divestiture trustee would be strongly encouraged to find a new, distinct owner for KASW.

 

As for the potential owners suggested, CBS wouldn't go near this. Tribune has the UHF discount hurdle to deal with. Scripps has been bulking up a bit on the duopoly front of late, but I don't see them here. KASW is the first Phoenix full-power station to go on the open market with the potential to be a Spanish full-power signal. There are only two in Phoenix, one of which required complex FCC action to create.

[NEOMatrix 1295]

If KASW is sold to a Spanish Network or a speculator, who would get the CW?

[TVIntheDesert 183]

 

If KASW is sold to a Spanish Network or a speculator, who would get the CW?

 

I would say either KAZT or a subchannel of KTVK or KPHO (most likely the latter), sans the HD (if Meredith wanted to keep KASW's programming inventory). If a speculator ends up buying them, they'd probably keep The CW just like OTA did in Providence. It's not known whether or not The CW will be around past 2016.