TheRolyPoly 2592 Posted December 16, 2015 Posted December 16, 2015 As many of you are or possibly not aware by now, Boston has been in a secret TV crisis. We're hearing from my good friends over at New England One that NBC is ready to strip WHDH 7 of its NBC affiliation and move it to WNEU 60, which is currently Telemundo Boston. Telemundo would move to a digital subchannel, WHDH 7 would then receive the CW affiliation from WLVI 56 which would leave WLVI 56 as an independent, which goes back to their pre-1995 roots before it was affiliated with The WB under Tribune ownership (it used to be owned by Gannett at one point too). NE1 is also saying that NBC is secretly assembling its new news team into place, including hiring long-time WFXT 25 anchor and one of the most respected and honored TV news journalists in Boston, Maria Stephanos and New England weather veteran Pete Bouchard, who resigned today from WHDH 7 as its chief meteorologist after 13 years there. This will be an interesting couple of months up there to come in Boston. Reactions? http://www.newenglandone.com/news/local-news/item/1284-beantown-breakup-nbc-actually-leaving-whdh.html
TriangleTriadMediaNews 267 Posted December 16, 2015 Posted December 16, 2015 Will WHDH keep their news team and launch additional newscasts like WISH did when they left CBS for the CW?
atlnews2 596 Posted December 16, 2015 Posted December 16, 2015 Does anyone think that there will be an 11th hour deal to keep the affiliation on WHDH? Also the article mentions that WFXT signed a long term affiliation agreement, when did this happen and when does it expire?
WAVY 10 Fan 233 Posted December 16, 2015 Posted December 16, 2015 Had been seeing rumors of NBC looking at a potential O&O; but those I heard involved NBC trying to buy WHDH. Wonder what Ed Ansin did to tick the Peacock off this time?
Rusty Muck 4405 Posted December 16, 2015 Posted December 16, 2015 Will WHDH keep their news team and launch additional newscasts like WISH did when they left CBS for the CW? Look at their sister station in South Beach. You know, the one that WSVNFan has as his avatar. And don't think for a minute that WHDH wouldn't want to bump Today off completely and go wall-to-wall with local news like what WSVN did back in 1989.
atlnews2 596 Posted December 16, 2015 Posted December 16, 2015 Had been seeing rumors of NBC looking at a potential O&O; but those I heard involved NBC trying to buy WHDH. Wonder what Ed Ansin did to tick the Peacock off this time? Asnin is in his late 70s, who takes over when he dies?
William1111 41 Posted December 16, 2015 Posted December 16, 2015 Does anyone know the exact day the contract expires? Because if it expires immediately on 12/31, then, if this is true, you would think NBC would have already made an official announcement.
Greggo 358 Posted December 16, 2015 Posted December 16, 2015 Maria and Pete didn't have no-compete clauses? I find that very hard to believe. Typically it'd be at least 6 months or maybe even a year before they could resurface in the same market.
Rusty Muck 4405 Posted December 16, 2015 Posted December 16, 2015 Had been seeing rumors of NBC looking at a potential O&O; but those I heard involved NBC trying to buy WHDH. Wonder what Ed Ansin did to tick the Peacock off this time? The bad blood between NBC and Edmund Ansin runs long, and runs deep. Maria and Pete didn't have no-compete clauses? I find that very hard to believe. Typically it'd be at least 6 months or maybe even a year before they could resurface in the same market. Exactly. Something about this just doesn't add up.
TheRolyPoly 2592 Posted December 16, 2015 Author Posted December 16, 2015 Look at their sister station in South Beach. You know, the one that WSVNFan has as his avatar. And I'm proud to have it up. Anyways, I think WHDH 7 will beef up its local news operation if they do lose the NBC affiliation. But this would come as a price because then, WLVI 56 will stop airing local news for the first time since 1982 as the nightly hour-long 10:00pm news would move from WLVI to WHDH. Btw, just recently, WLVI 56 added BUZZR on 56.2
nhmediaguy 3 Posted December 16, 2015 Posted December 16, 2015 Maria and Pete didn't have no-compete clauses? I find that very hard to believe. Typically it'd be at least 6 months or maybe even a year before they could resurface in the same market. Last I heard, MA does not allow no-compete clauses. Thus there would be no waiting.
William1111 41 Posted December 16, 2015 Posted December 16, 2015 I'm going to insert the obligatory song reference/forced meme.
GoldenShine9 1514 Posted December 16, 2015 Posted December 16, 2015 No way NBC buys WHDH, since they have no pathway to buying WSVN as well. At least NECN provides an established news network to deal with...WHDH would be best as an independent. CBS would have to sell WBZ first, and there is no way Hearst is letting ABC move off WCVB, one of the crown jewels for both of them.
brianpr3 178 Posted December 16, 2015 Posted December 16, 2015 Cause wasn't NBC really close to leaving whdh before when the station was about disobey by not airing that jay leno primetime version of the tonight show before he bumped off conan?
broadcastfan9751 140 Posted December 16, 2015 Posted December 16, 2015 Does anyone know the exact day the contract expires? Because if it expires immediately on 12/31, then, if this is true, you would think NBC would have already made an official announcement. I found an affiliation agreements list in WHDH's online public inspection file that says WHDH's affiliation expires on January 1, 2017, so unless they terminate the agreement early, NBC is stuck with WHDH for another year.
AdamTheJ 90 Posted December 16, 2015 Posted December 16, 2015 I say the peacock is moving in Boston. I'd say it's returning to WBZ, except CBS is unlikely to split 'BZ apart from WSBK, and give channel 4 the look that NYC, LA, and DC are used to.
24994J 5630 Posted December 16, 2015 Posted December 16, 2015 I say the peacock is moving in Boston. I'd say it's returning to WBZ, except CBS is unlikely to split 'BZ apart from WSBK, and give channel 4 the look that NYC, LA, and DC are used to. No. Just no.
channel2 982 Posted December 16, 2015 Posted December 16, 2015 Why would CBS sell WBZ? One half of a duopoly in the seventh-largest market, gets to broadcast lots of Patriots games...
nickp 340 Posted December 16, 2015 Posted December 16, 2015 Could NBC move to WFXT OR NBC bought and split the Sunbeam duopoly to get WHDH
TexasTVNews 1378 Posted December 16, 2015 Posted December 16, 2015 WBZ Back to NBC, WHDH back to CBS... Not happening. But, I hope WHDH and NBC can resolve this, and keep the affiliation. And finally, if I had a vote; I say NBC would buy WHDH and give WLVI back to Tribune, or sell WLVI to another broadcast group (my vote: Tegna).
johnnya2k6 171 Posted December 16, 2015 Posted December 16, 2015 And finally, if I had a vote; I say NBC would buy WHDH and give WLVI back to Tribune, or sell WLVI to another broadcast group (my vote: Tegna). Or how about if WLVI goes the WWL-TV route in the early '90s and becomes an employee-owned station? (By the way...didn't Tegna use to own WLVI in the '80s?)
TheRolyPoly 2592 Posted December 16, 2015 Author Posted December 16, 2015 WHDH's original affiliation agreement with NBC lasted 23 years? Wow. ESPN's recent contract with the SEC conference lasts for 25 years. Try putting that into perspective. Btw, did WHDH 7 extend its affiliation agreement with This TV? Because it says it expires on February 2nd, 2015 and yet, WHDH 7 still has it on the air. I can't wait to see where NBC ends up in Boston because after all, this is the biggest market in the country where NBC doesn't O&O its own station (NBC owns O&O's in the first 7 markets, WNBC, KNBC, WMAQ, WCAU, KXAS, KNTV and WRC).
rkolsen 1686 Posted December 16, 2015 Posted December 16, 2015 Does anyone think that there will be an 11th hour deal to keep the affiliation on WHDH? Also the article mentions that WFXT signed a long term affiliation agreement, when did this happen and when does it expire? I haven't looked at their public file yet but I'd assume Cox signed a long term agreement because of the recent station swap. Well the public file didn't help and this was all that was left in the contracts folder updated December 3, 2015 https://stations.fcc.gov/collect/files/6463/Ownership%20Reports/Contracts%20and%20Agreements/WFXT%20WHBQ-TV%202015%20Statement%20of%20Contracts%20%2814491669403741%29.pdf
NEOMatrix 1307 Posted December 16, 2015 Posted December 16, 2015 23 years?!? Wow! How did Ansin negotiate that? Anyway, WHDH going indie would be a dream come true, but he better he careful about expanding news, otherwise they'll end up in the same boat as CHCH.
ABC 7 Denver 1729 Posted December 16, 2015 Posted December 16, 2015 WBZ Back to NBC, WHDH back to CBS... Not happening. But, I hope WHDH and NBC can resolve this, and keep the affiliation. And finally, if I had a vote; I say NBC would buy WHDH and give WLVI back to Tribune, or sell WLVI to another broadcast group (my vote: Tegna). That's no win for Tegna. They don't own any CW or MyTV affiliates in markets where they don't control one major network affiliate (Tuscon doesn't count). WHDH's original affiliation agreement with NBC lasted 23 years? Wow. ESPN's recent contract with the SEC conference lasts for 25 years. Try putting that into perspective. Btw, did WHDH 7 extend its affiliation agreement with This TV? Because it says it expires on February 2nd, 2015 and yet, WHDH 7 still has it on the air. I can't wait to see where NBC ends up in Boston because after all, this is the biggest market in the country where NBC doesn't O&O its own station (NBC owns O&O's in the first 7 markets, WNBC, KNBC, WMAQ, WCAU, KXAS, KNTV and WRC). Couldn't they apply for full power at WTMU-LP, WCEA-LD or WHDT-LD or buyout WWDP?
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