LIN is merging with Media General

[tyrannical bastard 3962]

...and Sinclair has closed on their end, acquiring WLUK/WCWF, WTGS and WJAR, and divesting the stations in Tampa and Colorado Springs....

http://www.sbgi.net/site_mgr/temp/Swaps%20Closing%20Press%20Release.pdf

[tyrannical bastard 3962]

 

I just posted it on the shoutbox just now. I was like when the hell did they do that? WJCL is still using the LIN layout, for now.

 

WALA is using it as well. A WorldNow site is probably on its way soon since that's what Meredith uses for their stations.

...and WFNATV.com is no longer active, relinking only to fox10tv.com....

I wonder how long it's going to take for WKRG to fully take over WFNA's operations...

[Mrtraveler01 738]

 

...and Sinclair has closed on their end, acquiring WLUK/WCWF, WTGS and WJAR, and divesting the stations in Tampa and Colorado Springs....

http://www.sbgi.net/site_mgr/temp/Swaps%20Closing%20Press%20Release.pdf

 

So now Sinclair has another money making machine with WLUK and MG has a duopoly in Tampa once more where they can put WFLA's newscasts on.

 

Sounds like a win-win for both sides.

[rkolsen 1684]

Hearst officially closed on WVTM and WJCL today. They named Timothy J. Morrissey from WNCN as GM of WJCL and is transferring Henry "Hank" Price who currently is the GM at their station in Greensboro, NC WXII to WVTM.

 

I'm posting in this read because it relates to the LIN/MG merger, rather than the Hearst thread because they are just taking over the stations.

[tyrannical bastard 3962]

Hearst is moving quickly on these stations...and is hungry to bring these stations out of the basement. I expect them to be Hearst-ified by February....

[rkolsen 1684]

Hearst is moving quickly on these stations...and is hungry to bring these stations out of the basement. I expect them to be Hearst-ified by February....

I think that February would be a really aggressive timetable. I'm guessing they also will be deautomating the news production which will take time. Hearst from what I've read dislikes automation, which is great as it doesn't cut jobs.

[scrabbleship 429]

I think that February would be a really aggressive timetable. I'm guessing they also will be deautomating the news production which will take time. Hearst from what I've read dislikes automation, which is great as it doesn't cut jobs.

Given how it took Hearst about six months to Hearstify WMTW after buying it from Harron, I would think Hearstifying WVTM/WJCL by May might be optimistic.

 

Then again, WMTW in 2004 was in better shape than WVTM is now, WJCL gets a pass given the mess they were pre-New Vision/LIN.

[tyrannical bastard 3962]

February is a bit optimistic, but a smaller company like Hearst that has deliberately expanded it's reach has to be much more well-planned than the Boys in Baltimore; buying anything that moves, and changing things at a slower pace because they've DOUBLED their station count over the last two years.

 

Hearst likely had a plan in place before the keys were turned over to them, and execution of these plans pales in comparision to the latter mentioned above.

[Wills737 1]

 

Not only that, Raycom like cookie-cutter (even more than You-Know-Who). An examole of that is over in Youngstown, LIN's WKBN and Vaughan's WYTV ; the news department is combined yet have two seperate newscasts. Would Raycom scrap that and go the "Hawaii News Now" route? Something tells me they will royally mess up the 'KBN/'YTV combo and have market leader WFMJ laughing all the way to the bank.

 

Will Lin/GM have to sell WYTV due to the strict laws put in place by the FCC for JSA's and SSA's or are they fine??

[GoldenShine9 1513]

It seems, since the Pulitzer acquisition, all Hearst has bought is fixer-uppers...

[NewsMaster 226]

 

It seems, since the Pulitzer acquisition, all Hearst has bought is fixer-uppers...

 

Yep. WMUR, WMTW, WVTM and WJCL were the stations that Hearst bought since the Pulitzer deal, and except for WMUR you're exactly right.

[channel2 980]

They also picked up WKCF when Emmis bowed out of TV, and their deal to buy KCRA was essentially concurrent with the Pulitzer deal.

[Rusty Muck 4379]

Will Lin/GM have to sell WYTV due to the strict laws put in place by the FCC for JSA's and SSA's or are they fine??

Likely the MG-LIN merger forced the amending of the WYTV SSA. MG will do what they can to keep WYTV in their hands.

 

If push comes to shove, WYTV's intellectual property will move to a subchannel of WKBN, and the license would be spun off separately. The Youngstown market simply can't support three autonomous news departments. And for all intents and purposes, WYTV has no infrastructure to operate separately.

[cbs2newengland 72]

 

Yep. WMUR, WMTW, WVTM and WJCL were the stations that Hearst bought since the Pulitzer deal, and except for WMUR you're exactly right.

 

what do you mean? I think Hearst made WMUR become a fixer upper over time. The station was fine before they came in and got it to become the red headed step child.

[scrabbleship 429]

what do you mean? I think Hearst made WMUR become a fixer upper over time. The station was fine before they came in and got it to become the red headed step child.

WMUR was the one of the four to not have that status. And even now, WMTW and WVTM are much worse off, WJCL debatably so.

[Thundershock MN 169]

Likely the MG-LIN merger forced the amending of the WYTV SSA. MG will do what they can to keep WYTV in their hands.

 

If push comes to shove, WYTV's intellectual property will move to a subchannel of WKBN, and the license would be spun off separately. The Youngstown market simply can't support three autonomous news departments. And for all intents and purposes, WYTV has no infrastructure to operate separately.

They didn't have to "amend" anything. The merger was structured in a manner whereby none of the agreements needed to be amended or changed. Nor, did any new agreements need to be entered into to "make the deal happen." Therefore, they were allowed to continue "as-is" until December 19, 2016 at which point they will have to come into compliance...just as they would have been required to due prior to the merger.

 

From the FCC order approving the Transfer and/or Assignment of the MG/Lin Stations:

"Lastly, the applicants note that certain subsidiaries of LIN Media are currently a party to several types of sharing arrangements with in-market broadcasters including: four joint sales agreements (“JSA”), which are now attributable pursuant to the 2014 Quadrennial Review Order and five non-attributable shared services agreements (“SSA”). Because of the divesture of WJCL(TV) by Post-Merger Media General to Hearst and the sale of WTGS(TV) by Vaughan to Sinclair, the JSA and SSA that currently exists between the stations will be terminated. As a result Post-Merger Media General will only retain three “legacy” JSAs and four “legacy” SSAs. Only the control of the upstream parent company will be changing as a result of this transaction; the named parties to the agreements will remain the same...When evaluating the transaction as a whole, it is clear that these agreements are only an incidental aspect of a large multi-station, multi-market transaction...No new sharing agreements (e.g., JSAs or SSAs) or “overlap” markets are being created as a result of this transaction...Accordingly, Post-Merger Media General will have until December 19, 2016, the end of the two-year compliance period established by the Commission in the 2014 Quadrennial Review Order and extended for six months by Congress to either amend, terminate or otherwise bring all attributable JSAs into compliance with the Commission’s local TV ownership rule."

[tyrannical bastard 3962]

Here's my question....when exactly did WYTV enter into a JSA with WKBN? The original deal with Parkin and New Vision was only an SSA with WYTV maintaining their own management and sales staff. Did this go away when LIN purchased New Vision and/or Parkin selling WYTV to Vaughn?

[NewsMaster 226]

 

Here's my question....when exactly did WYTV enter into a JSA with WKBN? The original deal with Parkin and New Vision was only an SSA with WYTV maintaining their own management and sales staff. Did this go away when LIN purchased New Vision and/or Parkin selling WYTV to Vaughn?

 

WYTV was owned by Chelsey Broadcasting, who bought the station from Benedek in 2002 (otherwise WYTV would have been a Gray station). Chelsey sold WYTV in 2007 to Parkin and would then enter into the SSA with WKBN upon consummation. But I don't know anything about a JSA.

[tyrannical bastard 3962]

Here's the JSA posted on the FCC's web site for WYTV

[Thundershock MN 169]

Here's my question....when exactly did WYTV enter into a JSA with WKBN? The original deal with Parkin and New Vision was only an SSA with WYTV maintaining their own management and sales staff. Did this go away when LIN purchased New Vision and/or Parkin selling WYTV to Vaughn?

To the best of my knowledge based upon public information the JSA was first entered into after the sale to Parkin(/NV) but, before the sale to Vaughn(/Lin). So, at some point between July 30, 2007 and May 4, 2012 New Vision & Parkin entered into a JSA to go along with the SSA. Vaughn & Lin entered into a "new" (or, "amended") JSA concurrent with the New Vision & Parkin purchase.

[TheRob 938]

In Topeka, KSNT, KTKA and KTMJ dropped the "Kansas First News" banner. The news is now "KSNT News."

[NewsMaster 226]

 

In Topeka, KSNT, KTKA and KTMJ dropped the "Kansas First News" banner. The news is now "KSNT News."

 

New graphics and music too. No more of the WEWS / WVUE / WTVA look.

 

Your move, WKBN / WYTV.

[NEOMatrix 1302]

Is KSNT using Metropolis? Media General, WHY?!?

[channel2 980]

Why not? It's a good package. Shows its age a little bit, but it still holds up to me.

[Big Country News 435]

 

Is KSNT using Metropolis? Media General, WHY?!?

 

I just watched their 5pm open. They're still using Aerial.

 

Also, Blue Helio does another great package.