Jump to content

WRAL loses CBS affiliation effective next month


bostonmediaguy

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 332
  • Created
  • Last Reply
Posted

You are going to see a wave of this as agreements expire. All details will be withheld from you except for what is required by the FCC filings....and that is not much.

 

Stations and networks are going to be playing hardball as the tides are turning.

Posted

Wow, CBS is going to be biting themselves after this...and really WNCN was the only place they could go, since Fox was already with WRAL's sister station and ABC has an O&O. Unless Media General pulled a fast one and snatched the CBS affiliation away, knowing MG is one of CBS's strongest owners.

 

As for WILM-LD, I'm thinking it disappears. Does WECT have room for CBS on 6.2?

Posted

Wow. That's a shock. They put out a good product.

 

Of some interest to me because I have family in that area and watch it when I'm up there on occasion.

Posted

I'm shocked WRAL is switching to NBC from CBS hey least they get to air both the Super Bowl and Summer Olympics

Posted

Between the affiliation situation going on in Boston and what recently happened in the Tri-Cities, this news came up out of nowhere.

 

Who else could possibly be switching networks next?

Posted

The question is....who made the deal go through.....Media General using their muscle (as a larger company) to steal away CBS, or Capitol to finally give NBC a strong affiliation (after the decades of disaster they dealt with WPTF/WRDC and NBC ITSELF upending the affiliation over to WYED to become WNCN...)

 

Personally, unless WRAL was muscled out of CBS, I think WRAL screwed up royally and CBS will suffer the consequences of losing one of their top affiliates.

Posted

Man..with all of the big stories that's been happening, case in point, WKPT losing ABC affiliation, WHDH losing NBC, Media General soon to merge with Nexstar (unless Meredith has anything to say about it) and above all else, the upcoming spectrum auction, there's no telling what the future of broadcasting would be like as 2016 gets under way.

Posted
The question is....who made the deal go through.....Media General using their muscle (as a larger company) to steal away CBS, or Capitol to finally give NBC a strong affiliation (after the decades of disaster they dealt with WPTF/WRDC and NBC ITSELF upending the affiliation over to WYED to become WNCN...)

 

Personally, unless WRAL was muscled out of CBS, I think WRAL screwed up royally and CBS will suffer the consequences of losing one of their top affiliates.

 

Media General is one of the top CBS owners, especially after any deal with Meredith, meaning they would have a lot more clout in the market, despite having a 3rd place operation versus the dominant one.

 

Maybe MG and NBC are having trouble right now?

Posted
Media General is one of the top CBS owners, especially after any deal with Meredith, meaning they would have a lot more clout in the market, despite having a 3rd place operation versus the dominant one.

 

Maybe MG and NBC are having trouble right now?

Isn't TEGNA also one of the top CBS owners?

 

And if wouldn't KXAN switch to CBS sometime soon as well?

Posted
Isn't TEGNA also one of the top CBS owners?

 

And if wouldn't KXAN switch to CBS sometime soon as well?

 

That's correct. Not sure how well their relationships are, I know NBC and Tegna get along well. CBS has poor relations with Scripps and Hearst though...

Posted
That's correct. Not sure how well their relationships are, I know NBC and Tegna get along well. CBS has poor relations with Scripps and Hearst though...

About NBC and TEGNA getting along well, this even extends as small as the Waco/College Station market. And ABC has a surprisingly good relationship with Sinclair, and so does Fox.

Posted

TVNewsCheck is reporting that it was Capitol's inability to renew with CBS.....

 

This is an interesting 180 considering their pre-buying spree station (pre-2013) affiliations were almost entirely CBS and NBC stations (except for WJBF)....and that they purchased FOUR O&Os....and the only one that is still with NBC (for now?) is WCMH (since WVTM and WJAR have been sold off or swapped).

Posted
That's correct. Not sure how well their relationships are, I know NBC and Tegna get along well. CBS has poor relations with Scripps and Hearst though...

Until last year's merger with Journal, Scripps had ZERO CBS affiliates in their portfolio.

Posted
Until last year's merger with Journal, Scripps had ZERO CBS affiliates in their portfolio.

They had CBS affiliates up until 1996 and never got another until they merged with Journal

Posted
I'm not sure if this has changed but is WILM still simulcasting some newscasts while they produce weather segments aimed at Wilmington and how will that affect them?

 

Yes... sales is handled locally, while WRAL's morning, 6:00 and 11:00 news are simulcast. Wilmington weather inserts and CBS This Morning news cut-ins are produced by WRAL.

Posted
I wouldn't be surprised to see WBNS switch with WCMH after hearing this....

Given the histories of channels 4 and 10 (which have had the same affiliations since day one) that would be much, much bigger than this affiliation switch is.

Posted

Damn. The hits just keep coming. I'm wondering what affiliate ABC's gonna drop- they and Fox are next in the "drop a major market affiliate like a turd into the toilet" race they're having.

Posted
Media General is one of the top CBS owners, especially after any deal with Meredith, meaning they would have a lot more clout in the market, despite having a 3rd place operation versus the dominant one.

 

Maybe MG and NBC are having trouble right now?

 

IMO this has everything to with CBS and little if anything to do with NBC. NBC is just collateral.

 

CBS likely wanted to strong-arm WRAL into more money, hoping WRAL would blink. It didn't. So it rang up MG and they probably jumped at the chance to have the higher-rated network on WNCN (really CBS's only choice in that market). So it was only logical for NBC to move to its only viable choice...WRAL.

 

Remember: MG is the one who got screwed out of CBS on WISH. Clearly no hard feelings in business...

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using Local News Talk you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.