WJHL to take over ABC from WKPT

[Samantha 2902]

Viewers in the Tri-Cities market of Tennessee and Virginia will have a new ABC affiliate come next month as the network moves from WKPT to WJHL.

 

Holston Valley Broadcasting, which owns the outgoing ABC affiliate, released a statement claiming that "ABC presented to us a proposal that would have had us paying the network at least $15 million over the next five years. Although we ultimately agreed to meet the network’s terms, ABC told us a few days ago that it had decided to explore other options in the market." It also cited the size of MG as a motivating factor for the switch.

 

Of course, this isn't the first time a group deal left a family broadcaster out in the cold. WKPT says it will take on MyNetworkTV and other programs from WAPK and likely sign the latter up to a diginet. However, it is axing its local news programming as a result.

[tyrannical bastard 4036]

Stations like these have targets on their back these days because they're either acquisition bait or have been doomed for their entire existence.

And if you balk about reverse compensation, time to kiss your network affiliation goodbye.

 

Unfortunately, WKPT has been in this boat for their entire existence. Having to deal with WLOS being easily accessible over-the-air (and as a backup source of ABC network programming) really made the going difficult. It wasn't until the satellite era that they had an "official" feed from ABC, using bootleg feeds from WTVK and WATE since they couldn't afford a telco signal!

[TennTV1983 807]

This is very unfortunate. You have to wonder what will become of other small family-owned broadcasters as a result of this move. They are becoming more and more of a dying breed every year.

[mardek1995 200]

This is very unfortunate. You have to wonder what will become of other small family-owned broadcasters as a result of this move. They are becoming more and more of a dying breed every year.

And just when they were starting to prosper too. And the only one that could stand a chance (and did) was Weigel Broadcasting, and that's because they created successful subchannels

[mvcg66b3r 100]

This is like WPGA Macon GA all over again.

 

On October 29, 2009, Register Communications announced that WPGA-TV would terminate its affiliation contract with the network and become an independent station. Owner Lowell Register cited concerns that ABC's programming did not meet the station's family-oriented focus, and also objected to the network's decision to begin requiring its affiliates to pay an annual fee of $500,000 to carry its programming. WGXA owner Frontier Radio Management, Inc. signed an affiliation deal with the network to carry its programming on a second digital subchannel (the station had carried ABC programming as its primary affiliation from its sign-on in April 1982 until it switched to Fox in January 1996).

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WPGA-TV

 

WKPT = spectrum bait

[tyrannical bastard 4036]

WPGA flat out TURNED DOWN the ABC affiliation based on the owner's belief that the network was no longer "family-friendly"

WKPT was muscled out by ABC and Media General making a deal based on their leverage.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if WCOV down in Montgomery, AL lost their FOX affiliation to Raycom and WSFA. It would be another blow to a station that originally lost CBS to WAKA when they won a decades-long fight to move their station from Selma to Montgomery as a second VHF frequency...

 

WCOV took a VERY long time to add their station to DirecTV....YEARS after the other stations entered into local-into-local service. Things like this may come back to haunt them come renewal time...

[Kirkland1009 2]

I was told a few years back that Raycom respects David Woods and they would not try to yank the Fox affiliation from WCOV. But they would wait until he is ready to sell.

[elfuego35 90]

And just when they were starting to prosper too. And the only one that could stand a chance (and did) was Weigel Broadcasting, and that's because they created successful subchannels

 

Capitol Broadcasting in Raleigh is also still going strong, between a combination of their Radio Stations, and owning WRAL, and is still in the founder's family.

 

Plus Griffin Communications in Oklahoma is still going strong.

 

Of course the ones I mentioned has the backing of strong, established stations.

[NewsMaster 226]

Capitol Broadcasting in Raleigh is also still going strong, between a combination of their Radio Stations, and owning WRAL, and is still in the founder's family.

 

Plus Griffin Communications in Oklahoma is still going strong.

 

Of course the ones I mentioned has the backing of strong, established stations.

 

Exactly. WKPT was doomed from the start, because WCYB and WJHL had (and still have) established audiences, and WKPT never has had a true news operation to speak of. There are many markets in the South like this; having 2 established stations on the VHF band and one network is stuck on a weak station. I could list a whole bunch of stations - WRDC as an NBC affiliate, WBMG, WAGT, WLTZ, WVLA - the list goes on and on. The only stations that were UHF in a market with 2 VHF's and ended up being successful in that region AFAIK were WAPT and WJCL.

[mvcg66b3r 100]

There are many markets across the country like this; having 2 established stations on the VHF band and one network is stuck on a weak station.

 

Fixed.

[TheRolyPoly 2592]

Exactly. WKPT was doomed from the start, because WCYB and WJHL had (and still have) established audiences, and WKPT never has had a true news operation to speak of. There are many markets in the South like this; having 2 established stations on the VHF band and one network is stuck on a weak station. I could list a whole bunch of stations - WRDC as an NBC affiliate, WBMG, WAGT, WLTZ, WVLA - the list goes on and on. The only stations that were UHF in a market with 2 VHF's and ended up being successful in that region AFAIK were WAPT and WJCL.

 

Don't forget Macon on that list with two strong stations with strong audiences, WMAZ and WGXA and a weak one, WMGT.

[IndyNewsOpens 83]

Capitol Broadcasting in Raleigh is also still going strong, between a combination of their Radio Stations, and owning WRAL, and is still in the founder's family.

 

Plus Griffin Communications in Oklahoma is still going strong.

 

Of course the ones I mentioned has the backing of strong, established stations.

 

Don't forget Dispatch Broadcasting. They own WBNS and WTHR, and still under the Wolfe family.

 

I know they sold off the Columbus Dispatch, but still.

[NEOMatrix 1307]

WWCP and WATM are the next targets for Fox and ABC, respectively. I could see Sinclair taking Fox for WJAC 6.2 and Nexstar taking ABC for WTAJ 10.2 (or still on 23 but shelled).

Back to the Tri-Cities debacle, I wonder if the ABC subchannel will carry-over any syndicated programming from WKPT or will MG be on its own for programming it.

[TheRob 938]

Media General would be on its own to fill the rest of the schedule for WJHL's subchannel. A change in network affiliation does not affect WKPT's syndication schedule, just the value of those contracts when it comes time to renew and buy programming.

[T.L. Hughes 903]

This is like WPGA Macon GA all over again.

WPGA flat out TURNED DOWN the ABC affiliation based on the owner's belief that the network was no longer "family-friendly"

WKPT was muscled out by ABC and Media General making a deal based on their leverage.

 

A more accurate comparison is Fox's shift of its Boise affiliation in 2011. According to Block Communications management, KTRV had agreed to pay a higher share of retrans revenue to Fox as part of a contract renewal with the network, as Holston Valley claimed it did with ABC. But Fox chose to affiliate with KNIN instead of agreeing to stay with KTRV, like ABC apparently did to WKPT as it chose to move to WJHL-DT2 (which seems like a weird move, choosing to be relegated to a subchannel, instead of keeping a primary affiliation, no matter how owner leverage comes into play).

 

Block and Holston Valley were smaller compared to Journal (which owned KNIN then) and Media General, although Block is roughly twice the size of Holston Valley, given that the former also owns newspapers and other properties.

 

The key differences here is that WKPT chose to shut down its news department at the end of the month and immediately considered moving the MyNetworkTV affiliation from one of its low-power sisters to WKPT. KTRV didn't move MyNetworkTV from its DT2 feed to its main channel until a few months after losing Fox, and briefly considered expanding news programming before deciding it would be best to close its news department. Also, KTRV was given two or three months notice by Fox, whereas ABC only notified WKPT one month before the switch that it was terminating its affiliation.

 

I would venture a guess, though, that striking an affiliation with Fox or The CW is out of the question? When do WEMT and WCYB-DT2's affiliation contracts with those networks expire?

[elfuego35 90]

A more accurate comparison is Fox's shift of its Boise affiliation in 2011. According to Block Communications management, KTRV had agreed to pay a higher share of retrans revenue to Fox as part of a contract renewal with the network, as Holston Valley claimed it did with ABC. But Fox chose to affiliate with KNIN instead of agreeing to stay with KTRV, like ABC apparently did to WKPT as it chose to move to WJHL-DT2 (which seems like a weird move, choosing to be relegated to a subchannel, instead of keeping a primary affiliation, no matter how owner leverage comes into play).

 

Block and Holston Valley were smaller compared to Journal (which owned KNIN then) and Media General, although Block is roughly twice the size of Holston Valley, given that the former also owns newspapers and other properties.

 

The key differences here is that WKPT chose to shut down its news department at the end of the month and immediately considered moving the MyNetworkTV affiliation from one of its low-power sisters to WKPT. KTRV didn't move MyNetworkTV from its DT2 feed to its main channel until a few months after losing Fox, and briefly considered expanding news programming before deciding it would be best to close its news department. Also, KTRV was given two or three months notice by Fox, whereas ABC only notified WKPT one month before the switch that it was terminating its affiliation.

 

I would venture a guess, though, that striking an affiliation with Fox or The CW is out of the question? When do WEMT and WCYB-DT2's affiliation contracts with those networks expire?

 

The CW affilation is off the table as WCYB-DT2's CW affiliation runs until August 2019.

 

That said, Fox is a viable option... but WKPT will have to be independent for a few months as WEMT's affiliation agreement with Fox ends in December.

[TheRolyPoly 2592]

That said, Fox is a viable option... but WKPT will have to be independent for a few months as WEMT's affiliation agreement with Fox ends in December.

 

Don't expect that. WEMT is operated by Bonten Media Group, which also owns WCYB.

[tyrannical bastard 4036]

The only hope for small operators is if they are dominant in their market and/or have already embraced multicasting or low-powered stations to fill in affiliation gaps.

 

On one end of the spectrum, you have Block in Lima, OH who controls ALL of the major affiliations through a dual stream on their main station (NBC & FOX), and an LD (CBS & ABC).

On the other end...you have stations like WHIZ in Zanesville, OH that could cash out their NBC affiliation and fold Muskingum County into the Columbus DMA and give WCMH another county to be viewed in.

[effseesee 101]

The CW affilation is off the table as WCYB-DT2's CW affiliation runs until August 2019.

 

That said, Fox is a viable option... but WKPT will have to be independent for a few months as WEMT's affiliation agreement with Fox ends in December.

 

WKPT is essentially toast. They'll take what they can get in the spectrum auction, and shut the place down.

[TheRolyPoly 2592]

WCYB 5.1 + 5.2 + WEMT 39 = WCYB is O&O by Bonten Media Group while Bonten operates WEMT.

WJHL 11.1 + 11.2 = O&O by Media General.

WKPT 19.1 + 19.2/WAPK 36 = A local broadcast group with barely any money, comparing to bigger local station groups like Sunbeam.

 

WKPT is the biggest loser here.

[TexasTVNews 1378]

Sorry to bump the thread up, but WKPT aired its last live 11PM newscast last Thursday.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10156540192845651

[atlnews2 596]

was their news an in house production or an INN production ?

[mardek1995 200]

was their news an in house production or an INN production ?

It was in house

[TexasTVNews 1378]

Former WCYB anchor Ann Carter will be the new anchor for ABC Tri-Cities on Monday, February 1st.

http://www.adweek.com/tvspy/wjhl-names-anchor-for-new-abc-affiliate/162222