Cox sells majority TV interest to Apollo

[Greggo 354]

9 hours ago, Eat News said:

 

As soon as COX finds the desirable buyers for those outlets, then they will be disposed of also.

 

COX is not selling off the TV stations and newspapers just so they can stay in radio and magazines.

 

I suggest you all hold your wake(s) now.

Magazines? Which magazines does Cox own? Answer: none. Maybe you’re thinking of Meredith? Yes, though ... clearly Cox is slowly exiting the media business and anything not sold yet will likely be sold in the coming months. 

[Weeters 1916]

On 2/15/2019 at 8:07 PM, tyrannical bastard said:

At least, for once, the buyer is not a company called Sinclair or Nexstar.  That alone, saves some hope that they could possibly not be subject to a company that takes charge and runs things THEIR way...

 

That's a lot of wishful thinking. Especially once the Tribune/Nexstar and Northwest stations are brought into the fold. Just because Cox people may be brought over to the new Apollo, doesn't mean Apollo is going to let them run things the "Cox Way".

 

The ex-Cox staffers will be forced to unify all these stations on similar hardware, just like every other station group is. Someone will get a set designed, and that will quickly become the "Apollo set", and we'll have the "Apollo graphics" and "Apollo music". That's how Economy of Scale works. I suspect in a couple years, "Apollo buys a new station" will be as unpleasant to hear around these parts as "Sinclair buys a new station" or "Nexstar buys a new station" is today.

 

Hope for the best, expect the worst!

 

[rkolsen 1684]

6 hours ago, Weeters said:

 

That's a lot of wishful thinking. Especially once the Tribune/Nexstar and Northwest stations are brought into the fold. Just because Cox people may be brought over to the new Apollo, doesn't mean Apollo is going to let them run things the "Cox Way".

 

The ex-Cox staffers will be forced to unify all these stations on similar hardware, just like every other station group is. Someone will get a set designed, and that will quickly become the "Apollo set", and we'll have the "Apollo graphics" and "Apollo music". That's how Economy of Scale works. I suspect in a couple years, "Apollo buys a new station" will be as unpleasant to hear around these parts as "Sinclair buys a new station" or "Nexstar buys a new station" is today.

 

Hope for the best, expect the worst!

 

 

I thought on the technical standpoint they were standardized.

[dman748 1256]

4 hours ago, rkolsen said:

I thought on the technical standpoint they were standardized.

 

I think only the technical aspects of the newscasts are standardized. They don't do standardized graphics or music packages.

[Weeters 1916]

5 hours ago, rkolsen said:

 

I thought on the technical standpoint they were standardized.

 

Was talking about the Nexstar/Tribune and Northwest stations. The Cox people are going to have to figure out a standardization plan for the Apollo group as a whole. Ex-Tribune stations can't live on TONS and BRUTUS forever.

[rkolsen 1684]

40 minutes ago, Weeters said:

 

Was talking about the Nexstar/Tribune and Northwest stations. The Cox people are going to have to figure out a standardization plan for the Apollo group as a whole. Ex-Tribune stations can't live on TONS and BRUTUS forever.

Okay.  That’s TONS and BRUTUS are the in house stuff right?

[who?cares 254]

5 minutes ago, rkolsen said:

Okay.  That’s TONS and BRUTUS are the in house stuff right?

Yes. TONS is the video server. BRUTUS is the Master Control. Don’t forget about OPUS, the newsroom system. 

[H4UL4U 127]

I think what Weeters is alluding to is that the Coxapollo folks will have to figure out is shifting the Nexstar cast off stations off the Tribune proprietary systems like Brutus, Opus, and Tons. As per terms of the merger they may not be allowed to use them and will have to find something else.

 

IIRC, Cox stations use Ignite for production. On the other hand Tribune uses OverDrive. They're all pretty much the same though. Cox, though, doesn't have hubbed MC, but Tribune does. Then all the computers at all the stations will have to be migrated to the Cox domain network (or whatever they're going to use). That does take time. It took Nexstar a couple years to migrate the former MG stations to the Nexstar domain.

 

Mergers are much more than layoffs and standardized graphics and websites.

[rkolsen 1684]

35 minutes ago, H4UL4U said:

I think what Weeters is alluding to is that the Coxapollo folks will have to figure out is shifting the Nexstar cast off stations off the Tribune proprietary systems like Brutus, Opus, and Tons. As per terms of the merger they may not be allowed to use them and will have to find something else.

 

IIRC, Cox stations use Ignite for production. On the other hand Tribune uses OverDrive. They're all pretty much the same though. Cox, though, doesn't have hubbed MC, but Tribune does. Then all the computers at all the stations will have to be migrated to the Cox domain network (or whatever they're going to use). That does take time. It took Nexstar a couple years to migrate the former MG stations to the Nexstar domain.

 

Mergers are much more than layoffs and standardized graphics and websites.

I figured it would take time.  But was specifically thinking of the equipment. But the Nexstar/Media General was a pretty big task and since it was an outright merger would it matter if the MG domains networks were still used for a decent time? It’s not like they purchased a few stations that were still on the old owners network. 

[bhratbrat 437]

1 hour ago, H4UL4U said:

I think what Weeters is alluding to is that the Coxapollo folks will have to figure out is shifting the Nexstar cast off stations off the Tribune proprietary systems like Brutus, Opus, and Tons. As per terms of the merger they may not be allowed to use them and will have to find something else.

 

IIRC, Cox stations use Ignite for production. On the other hand Tribune uses OverDrive. They're all pretty much the same though. Cox, though, doesn't have hubbed MC, but Tribune does. Then all the computers at all the stations will have to be migrated to the Cox domain network (or whatever they're going to use). That does take time. It took Nexstar a couple years to migrate the former MG stations to the Nexstar domain.

 

Mergers are much more than layoffs and standardized graphics and websites.

Very much so when it comes to not just the computers, but the backend infrastructure like servers and storage and virtualization. That does take a lot of time to plan and then execute. They also might think about upgrading whatever equipment (and software) for that matter to be integrated into the new group for those cast off stations. And to give a nidea, most stations probably only have one IT guy that has to split their duties amongst other responsibilities (like most of the IT staff at stations either belong to the station's engineering team or to a different department).

[tyrannical bastard 3951]

With Sinclair and Nexstar, the control that these station groups exert over their new acquisitions is what sets them apart.  Sinclair takes a whole step further through their "agenda" of must-run content, town halls, and how they conducted themselves trying to buy Tribune the first time around.  Nexstar doesn't have that, but has the overbearing boss (Uncle Perry) and the attitude of doing things because "he says so".

 

There definitely may be some re-investment in the cast-offs should Apollo get them.  But there is the faint hope of optimism in that a group that hasn't bought TV stations before is making a go at it.  It could be decent, or it could be a disaster if it's like any other private equity effort of the last decade (especially with retail).  There will be cuts, but it's how much control is exerted from the top that could spell doom.  If Cox has some good things that are working for them, and don't cost them too much money....if it ain't broke, don't fix it!  If only Scripps and Tegna followed that advice....

 

For anyone around back in the KKR takeover of Storer...what made it so bad?  At least TV was pretty regulated at the time and ownership overlap wouldn't be an issue for many years later....Probably the lasting legacy was the fast and loose pre-emptions of programming late in the SCI era...most notably WJW bumping the premiere of David Letterman off by half an hour....

[H4UL4U 127]

42 minutes ago, bhratbrat said:

Very much so when it comes to not just the computers, but the backend infrastructure like servers and storage and virtualization. That does take a lot of time to plan and then execute. They also might think about upgrading whatever equipment (and software) for that matter to be integrated into the new group for those cast off stations. And to give a nidea, most stations probably only have one IT guy that has to split their duties amongst other responsibilities (like most of the IT staff at stations either belong to the station's engineering team or to a different department).

At my station our two person I.T. team work under the chief engineer and have their benches in the engineering shop area. They and the engineers only work 9 to 5 (stuff only breaks then, of course ). Everyone is so busy I could not imagine having less people. Your scenerio of covering multiple stations is very common in smaller markets, though. I couldn't imagine...

[Eat News 4745]

1 hour ago, tyrannical bastard said:

For anyone around back in the KKR takeover of Storer...what made it so bad? 

It was "the beginning of the end" for Storer and the beginning of a very long roller coaster ride for those stations.

It's all pretty well detailed in the Storer history books.

[bhratbrat 437]

1 minute ago, H4UL4U said:

At my station our two person I.T. team work under the chief engineer and have their benches in the engineering shop area. They and the engineers only work 9 to 5 (stuff only breaks then, of course ). Everyone is so busy I could not imagine having less people. Your scenerio of covering multiple stations is very common in smaller markets, though. I couldn't imagine...

I do not want to pry and ask about the insider secrets of what your IT team does, but I remember when I was fielded an offer from Channel 8 in Richmond that they wanted me to be in charge of not just the station's backend infrastructure, but the regional infrastructure for Media General at the time (and this included virtualization). Sadly, I also know how things can be at times ran very lean in the sector of IT that I work in. I guess in a way its the beauty of virtualization, but I remember that I was on a small team that had to do the virtualization installation work at a remote site and that took about two weeks per network. 

[Breaking News 829]

Memo from Cox on the new changes.

[Conrad 113]

On 2/17/2019 at 6:05 PM, H4UL4U said:

At my station our two person I.T. team work under the chief engineer and have their benches in the engineering shop area. They and the engineers only work 9 to 5 (stuff only breaks then, of course ). Everyone is so busy I could not imagine having less people. Your scenerio of covering multiple stations is very common in smaller markets, though. I couldn't imagine...

What station do you work for?

 

On 2/17/2019 at 5:49 PM, tyrannical bastard said:

With Sinclair and Nexstar, the control that these station groups exert over their new acquisitions is what sets them apart.  Sinclair takes a whole step further through their "agenda" of must-run content, town halls, and how they conducted themselves trying to buy Tribune the first time around.  Nexstar doesn't have that, but has the overbearing boss (Uncle Perry) and the attitude of doing things because "he says so".

 

There definitely may be some re-investment in the cast-offs should Apollo get them.  But there is the faint hope of optimism in that a group that hasn't bought TV stations before is making a go at it.  It could be decent, or it could be a disaster if it's like any other private equity effort of the last decade (especially with retail).  There will be cuts, but it's how much control is exerted from the top that could spell doom.  If Cox has some good things that are working for them, and don't cost them too much money....if it ain't broke, don't fix it!  If only Scripps and Tegna followed that advice....

 

For anyone around back in the KKR takeover of Storer...what made it so bad?  At least TV was pretty regulated at the time and ownership overlap wouldn't be an issue for many years later....Probably the lasting legacy was the fast and loose pre-emptions of programming late in the SCI era...most notably WJW bumping the premiere of David Letterman off by half an hour....

In 2007, I would have looked at Scripps and Gannett and saw that at the time, they were "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" companies.

 

Even after standardizing graphics and music in the late 2000s, both were still among the better station groups for some time.

 

To me at least, it was in 2011 that Scripps started to go downhill, and in 2014 that Gannett started to go downhill.

 

It'll be sad by the time the Cox stations will be ruined by Apollo, who planned to cut costs at what are currently the Cox stations.

 

There's a good chance Apollo will make these stations a shadow of what they are right now.

[H4UL4U 127]

57 minutes ago, Conrad said:

What station do you work for?

 

I'd rather not say.

On 2/17/2019 at 9:18 PM, bhratbrat said:

I do not want to pry and ask about the insider secrets of what your IT team does

Yep...lots of Area 51 type stuff going on. They ride to work in unmarked buses with blacked out windows. 

[NEOMatrix 1299]

I'll put my two cents in. Cuts are going to be inevitable no matter who ran the show at the ex-Cox stations. The main question is how bad the cuts are going to be. Some stations do have a chance to maintain dominance (WSB, WFTV, WHIO), while others have a chance to overtake the competition (*cough* KIRO *cough*).

[Guest]

On 11/28/2018 at 2:00 PM, SoFloTVClassics said:

And look how far they (Milwaukee and Atlanta) come post CBS switch. It was brutal but worth it in the long run.

Sadly for Detroit, boy, they gave its all with in depth detroit, 62 CBS News and First forecast Mornings, I blame management for this (local level).

Who would say the CBS affiliation deal in Milwaukee and Atlanta was "worth it in the long run?" I mean let's be honest, WGCL and WDJT are dog stations and have been two of the weakest CBS affiliates since they made the switch. The only thing decent about either station is that they've made an attempt, WDJT better than WGCL. Both stations are pretty much on ratings life support though.

 

On 2/10/2019 at 9:53 PM, TheRolyPoly said:

If I read this correctly from CNBC, Apollo would buy Cox's TV stations, put LMA's in some markets, acquire stations from Nexstar that they may shelve because of the Tribune takeover and acquire Northwest Broadcasting (like KPVI)?

 

And here's something that would be very nerve-wracking to many of us...

 

 

I would still be VERY nervous if you're a current Cox TV employee as well, even if you won't be bought out by Sinclair or Nexstar. Just that one line would make me nervous to see what WSB, WFTV, WHIO and a few others could look like in just a few years time.

 

On 2/10/2019 at 8:01 PM, channel2 said:

We may know the buyer...

 

I, for one, am very shocked by this turn of events. Here I was thinking Scripps was going to get the whole thing (it just makes the most sense). Instead, a private equity group.

 

For those of you breathing a sigh of relief, stop breathing. Apollo is only trying to help their bottom line and make money, they are NOT TV people. They will cut costs down to the bone if it makes them more money. Dark days are ahead for any station acquired by this new unnamed company and jobs will be at stake.

[tyrannical bastard 3951]

I can't recall the last time a station drove themselves out of last place.  If they rise, it's a direct result of their competition tanking.

 

Once the flow of money gets tightened, then come the buyouts, attrition, and layoffs.  All the while the old and highly paid get replaced with the cheap and green.  Sometimes they'll find a good one, most of the time, it's a revolving door or the good ones jump to a better opportunity.

 

If the leadership stays, hopefully little will change.   But if it changes and some "visionary" is hired, we could have the next Scripps or Tegna on our hands that sends the viewers in droves to the once-inferior competition. 

[dman748 1256]

7 minutes ago, tyrannical bastard said:

I can't recall the last time a station drove themselves out of last place.  If they rise, it's a direct result of their competition tanking.

 

The last station I could recall that drove themselves out of last place was KOKI/Tulsa after Cox bought the station from Newport. For the first decade or so of the news department (under Clear Channel and later, Newport ownership) KOKI was that inferior competitor to the "Big Three" Tulsa stations (KOTV/KJRH/KTUL). Then Cox came in (at least on the TV station side of things, they've had some level of presence in the Tulsa market since 2000 via its radio stations and having a cable system there) and all of the sudden, KOKI became a factor in the TV news ratings in Tulsa.

 

I think some of it had to do with Cox finally giving KOKI what it needed to be a true competitor some of it was also helped by the fact that KJRH was suffering under Scripps (though it's cheapening of programming inventory) and that KTUL who had basically fallen from grace since the turn of the century (they dominated over KOTV/KJRH prior to Griffin's purchase of KOTV in 2000)

[GoldenShine9 1513]

28 minutes ago, oknewsguy said:

The last station I could recall that drove themselves out of last place was KOKI/Tulsa after Cox bought the station from Newport. For the first decade or so of the news department (under Clear Channel and later, Newport ownership) KOKI was that inferior competitor to the "Big Three" Tulsa stations (KOTV/KJRH/KTUL). Then Cox came in (at least on the TV station side of things, they've had some level of presence in the Tulsa market since 2000 via its radio stations and having a cable system there) and all of the sudden, KOKI became a factor in the TV news ratings in Tulsa.

 

I think some of it had to do with Cox finally giving KOKI what it needed to be a true competitor some of it was also helped by the fact that KJRH was suffering under Scripps (though it's cheapening of programming inventory) and that KTUL who had basically fallen from grace since the turn of the century (they dominated over KOTV/KJRH prior to Griffin's purchase of KOTV in 2000)

 

Could WVTM in Birmingham be a case of driving itself out of last place the last few years?

[dman748 1256]

6 minutes ago, GoldenShine9 said:

 

Could WVTM in Birmingham be a case of driving itself out of last place the last few years?

That's the other one as well that I was thinking of, I named KOKI off of my head but I figured that KOKI wasn't the only one. Hearst has done a tremendous job with WVTM and it's paying big dividends.

 

Another one is WSLS in the years since Graham bought the station

[GoldenShine9 1513]

Just now, oknewsguy said:

That's the other one as well that I was thinking of, I named KOKI off of my head but I figured that KOKI wasn't the only one. Hearst has done a tremendous job with WVTM and it's paying big dividends.

 

Another one is WSLS in the years since Graham bought the station

 

I don't think WSLS has made it out of 3rd place yet in ratings though, although it's trying hard. It had a long way to come from the doldrums during the Park and Media General eras.

[dman748 1256]

Just now, GoldenShine9 said:

 

I don't think WSLS has made it out of 3rd place yet in ratings though, although it's trying hard. It had a long way to come from the doldrums during the Park and Media General eras.

True but they have come a long way since the Media General days