promoguy98 254 Posted July 24, 2014 Posted July 24, 2014 Here's the link from TVNewsCheck: http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/77940/gray-buys-stations-in-flint-toledo-for-128m
GoldenShine9 1515 Posted July 24, 2014 Posted July 24, 2014 Wow, I didn't expect that! I guess that means they have other stations for sale as well?
NEOMatrix 1308 Posted July 24, 2014 Posted July 24, 2014 I had a feeling SJL/Lilly would eventually start selling the group. I also got a feeling that the rest of SJL (WICU/WSEE and WENY) might become Sinclair bait.
swillh2k2 206 Posted July 24, 2014 Posted July 24, 2014 I had a feeling SJL/Lilly would eventually start selling the group. I also got a feeling that the rest of SJL (WICU/WSEE and WENY) might become Sinclair bait. As much as that would upset people, you may be right.
tvjay 6 Posted July 24, 2014 Posted July 24, 2014 I had a feeling SJL/Lilly would eventually start selling the group. I also got a feeling that the rest of SJL (WICU/WSEE and WENY) might become Sinclair bait. I could see that.
tvjay 6 Posted July 24, 2014 Posted July 24, 2014 This is the crazy part, "The deal is another big score for George Lilly, who owns SJL Holdings. He bought the stations from ABC in 2010 for $30 million after having sold them to ABC for $120 million in 1995."
GoldenShine9 1515 Posted July 24, 2014 Posted July 24, 2014 ABC must have been desperate to unload them in 2010 to sell for a bargain basement price!
Rusty Muck 4432 Posted July 24, 2014 Posted July 24, 2014 I had a feeling SJL/Lilly would eventually start selling the group. I also got a feeling that the rest of SJL (WICU/WSEE and WENY) might become Sinclair bait. Considering what SJL/Lilly did to WICU and WSEE (especially WSEE) a sale to S!nclair would constitute an improvement.
Rusty Muck 4432 Posted July 24, 2014 Posted July 24, 2014 Isn't it a nice coincidence that this sale to Gray takes place after S!nclair forced Buckeye into a retrans deal with WNWO that was more than WTVG and WTOL combined... yet WNWO is the fourth station in a two-station market. Gray vs. Buckeye for WTVG retrans fees will be very interesting.
tvjay 6 Posted July 24, 2014 Posted July 24, 2014 Isn't it a nice coincidence that this sale to Gray takes place after S!nclair forced Buckeye into a retrans deal with WNWO that was more than WTVG and WTOL combined... yet WNWO is the fourth station in a two-station market. Is this fact or are you speculating?
NEOMatrix 1308 Posted July 24, 2014 Posted July 24, 2014 Considering what SJL/Lilly did to WICU and WSEE (especially WSEE) a sale to S!nclair would constitute an improvement. Actually Sinclair would be an improvement to WTVG and WJRT but they couldn't have them due to owning WNWO and WEYI, respectively. Hopefully, Gray can improve the on-air look of WTVG and WJRT because honestly, they look more like an Elmira or Erie station than a Toledo station.
Rusty Muck 4432 Posted July 24, 2014 Posted July 24, 2014 Is this fact or are you speculating? It's been well-established. Terms of the retrans deal were never made public AFAIK, but all signs point to Buckeye caving on S!nclair's demands, which were publicly known.
TennTV1983 811 Posted July 24, 2014 Posted July 24, 2014 Considering what SJL/Lilly did to WICU and WSEE (especially WSEE) a sale to S!nclair would constitute an improvement. Goes without saying when you consider the Nexstar stations in those markets make them look extremely low budget.
effseesee 101 Posted July 24, 2014 Posted July 24, 2014 This is the crazy part, "The deal is another big score for George Lilly, who owns SJL Holdings. He bought the stations from ABC in 2010 for $30 million after having sold them to ABC for $120 million in 1995." George Lilly made out like a bandit twice. ABC was desperate in 1995, because they were worried that WXYZ would flip to CBS, which would leave them without a reliable signal in the Detroit suburbs. Then he comes back, when the market is in the toilet, and buys the stations at a fire sale price. Now, with the station market hot due to consolidation, he cashes out again. Pretty impressive that someone can make a huge windfall twice on the same two stations.
tyrannical bastard 4084 Posted July 24, 2014 Posted July 24, 2014 At least WTVG and WJRT are stand alone stations. Trying to get WICU/WJRT would have to involve the shutdown of either station to get the sale. Nexstar got in while the going was good, and they can remain status quo.....for now...... And Toledo will FINALLY have an over-the-air CW station! I wonder what this means for WT05, the current channel run by BuckeyeCableVision? Another retrans war could be in the making....especially since WTVG is more justified to demand a higher price than WNWO.
Mrtraveler01 739 Posted July 24, 2014 Posted July 24, 2014 It's been well-established. Terms of the retrans deal were never made public AFAIK, but all signs point to Buckeye caving on S!nclair's demands, which were publicly known. If that's true, then that's just another example of why more people are cutting the cord.
tvjay 6 Posted July 24, 2014 Posted July 24, 2014 It's been well-established. Terms of the retrans deal were never made public AFAIK, but all signs point to Buckeye caving on S!nclair's demands, which were publicly known. I have read all the press releases and interviews and I don't believe that Buckeye caved as much as you might think, just my opinion though. I think Sinclair had to gave up a little because NO ONE watches WNWO in Toledo and Sinclair wants to get Allbritton but Buckeye had filled complaints with the FCC over the negotiations which could of effected the deal. Again, just my opinion.
channel2 982 Posted July 24, 2014 Posted July 24, 2014 Disney sure picked the wrong time to sell these stations. Of course, at the time that deal was struck the station market was slow and I imagine that Disney just wanted to be rid of them because of the blockbuster Marvel deal (Iger-era Disney tends to use major acquisitions as cues to unload assets they don't want anymore; the Pixar deal occurred around the time ABC Radio was divested to Citadel, and they divested most of their publishing operation to Hachette after the Lucasfilm deal; also, the news of Disney's abortive attempt to sell ABC itself got out not long after the Marvel deal was consummated).
GoldenShine9 1515 Posted July 24, 2014 Posted July 24, 2014 Will they be Gray's largest markets as well? I wonder why they passed up on WENY and WSEE/WICU (although one of those would need to be turned off, no matter who buys them, since I don't think Erie can support three news operations)?
channel2 982 Posted July 24, 2014 Posted July 24, 2014 No, that would be Knoxville, where they own WVLT.
bhratbrat 437 Posted July 24, 2014 Posted July 24, 2014 Music can stay the same, but improve the graphics somewhat.
tyrannical bastard 4084 Posted July 25, 2014 Posted July 25, 2014 It wouldn't surprise me if Gray makes a play for one of the divested Mobile stations, whether it's WKRG or WALA (and WFNA). If they can own a Knoxville station, Mobile's right up there. And if they're up to the task, either WIAT or WVTM are sale bait. Buying both markets would give a lot of weight in Alabama to pair with their powerhouse WTVY in Dothan, along with adjoining markets like Meridian (WTOK) and Panama City (WJHG).
Mrtraveler01 739 Posted July 25, 2014 Posted July 25, 2014 It wouldn't surprise me if Gray makes a play for one of the divested Mobile stations, whether it's WKRG or WALA (and WFNA). If they can own a Knoxville station, Mobile's right up there. And if they're up to the task, either WIAT or WVTM are sale bait. Buying both markets would give a lot of weight in Alabama to pair with their powerhouse WTVY in Dothan, along with adjoining markets like Meridian (WTOK) and Panama City (WJHG). Its possible. But they're going to have to put up a strong bid against Raycom.
Samantha 2907 Posted July 25, 2014 Posted July 25, 2014 Its possible. But they're going to have to put up a strong bid against Raycom. Not in Birmingham though some have floated Nexstar for the Birmingham station.
hathawaynson2 39 Posted July 25, 2014 Posted July 25, 2014 Not in Birmingham though some have floated Nexstar for the Birmingham station. Nexstar in Birmingham?? sounds interesting to me. I thought Gray or Meredith might be interested in one of the divested stations.
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