NBC may be after KRON afterall?

[News24/7 3]

An article in B&C indicates some sort of deal being worked out with KRON possibly moving in with KNTV and KSTS.

http://mobile.broadcastingcable.com/article/449260-NBC_in_Talks_to_Partner_with_KRON.php

[eyewitness_news 5]

Is that the same NBC that sought ownership of KRON-TV from Young in 2001? KRON was an NBC affiliate until December 31, 2001 when NBC bought KNTV Channel 11 in San Jose, and therefore prompted KRON to drop NBC affiliation.

[mbhcity 3]

Is that the same NBC that sought ownership of KRON-TV from Young in 2001? KRON was an NBC affiliate until December 31' date=' 2001 when NBC bought KNTV Channel 11 in San Jose, and therefore prompted KRON to drop NBC affiliation.[/quote']

 

They'll never give up.

[gameshowguy2000 1]

And, of course KNTV, like KGO was an ABC affiliate in the Bay Area. (the only area that I know of to have two ABC affiliates at once)

[caliwxdude 254]

I thought that we were overdue for another round of "NBC purchasing KRON" rumors. I've long since thought that the hot tranny mess that KRON has devolved into since 2002 would end when it was merged into another existing station. My money was always on KPIX, but since CBS Corporation has no money, that was a bad bet.

 

Moving in with KNTV makes sense though, as the building in San Jose could definitely accommodate KRON pretty easily. The newsroom has some empty space after they shuttered KSTS's local operation under NBCU 2.0. Granted, when CNBC's Silicon Valley bureau moved in they took over most of KSTS's half of the newsroom, but the old KSTS news studio and its control room is still just kind of sitting there. Young would probably have to shell out the bucks to upgrade the control room, as I'm pretty sure it's still just the standard-def 4:3 gear in there from the KSTS days. I doubt NBC Universal spent the money to install a Ross OverDrive system in there, but weirder things have happened.

 

KKPX master control was also co-located with KNTV and KSTS back when NBC was in bed with Bud Paxson. They moved out a few years ago now, so there's space at 2450 North First for KRON's master control gear as well.

 

I think the most interesting part of that whole article is the fact that Young is considering selling KRON's existing building at 1001 Van Ness and moving to a "less expensive part of town" if the KNTV/NBC deal falls through. As someone who's currently looking for a place to live in San Francisco, I'd really like to know what's less expensive that's not in the Bayview/Hunters Point housing projects. (KRON's existing building isn't in a great part of town, either.) Although if they did move to Hunters Point, they'd be first on the scene of all those murders and shootings since they'd be happening right on their front porch...

[WAVY 10 Fan 233]

An article in B&C indicates some sort of deal being worked out with KRON possibly moving in with KNTV and KSTS.

http://mobile.broadcastingcable.com/article/449260-NBC_in_Talks_to_Partner_with_KRON.php

 

So, by that take, will that end up meaning that if this deal goes through, how will it impact KRON and KNTV?

[gameshowguy2000 1]

So this means if NBC purchases KRON, then KRON will most likely get its NBC affiliation back. (another NBC 4 to join KNBC-LA, WNBC-NY, and WRC-DC, etc.)

[Ntropolis 596]

So this means if NBC purchases KRON, then KRON will most likely get its NBC affiliation back. (another NBC 4 to join KNBC-LA, WNBC-NY, and WRC-DC, etc.)

 

I doubt that, but I wouldn't rule it out. Is KNTV is established enough to hold onto NBC? Maybe they could do a KCBS/KCAL-like deal, making KRON the "news channel"*?

 

*clarification: KNTV being the NBC station, KRON the independent/My station

[caliwxdude 254]

So this means if NBC purchases KRON, then KRON will most likely get its NBC affiliation back. (another NBC 4 to join KNBC-LA, WNBC-NY, and WRC-DC, etc.)

 

Where did you gather that? Oh wait, that's right... it's just another wild assumption pulled from someone's posterior among the hundreds of others that dominate this board as of late.

 

There is zero incentive to move NBC programming off KNTV and back to KRON. NBC's 2001 purchase of KNTV was a great move: they paid Granite $230 million for it and it has grown into a true player in the Bay Area market. The signal argument is completely moot (and has been for nearly five years now) after KNTV lit up the new transmitter on Mt. San Bruno. KRON is an extremely thin shell of the station that it was with NBC. Young overpaid $825 million for KRON in 2000, and it's now worth ~$20 million. You do the math, and it's clear who got the better deal.

 

If--and that's a big if--KRON moves in with KNTV in San Jose, there won't be a single reason to shift NBC programming to KRON. If you actually read the Broadcasting & Cable article, you would see that Young would just be entering into a shared services agreement (SSA) with NBC Universal to operate KRON. NBC would not be buying KRON, and NBC already has a duopoly in the market anyway.

 

As I outlined in my original post, if KRON co-locates with KNTV, I'd suspect that KRON's news production would move into the old KSTS news studio and control room, and newsroom personnel would likely be merged (hopefully laying off all of KRON's poor excuses for "journalists" in the process). The San Jose newsroom and production facilities were designed to house two news operations--today, it's only home to KNTV's news staff. KRON's newscasts would probably move to alternate timeslots to avoid direct competition with KNTV, a la KCBS and KCAL. KRON is already (finally) trying to shed its high-priced talent, so I'd expect them to depart if a move like this takes place.

[alaskanews 113]

KRON is already (finally) trying to shed its high-priced talent, so I'd expect them to depart if a move like this takes place.

 

They had high-priced talent to start with? Coulda fooled me.

[Ntropolis 596]

Where did you gather that? Oh wait, that's right... it's just another wild assumption pulled from someone's posterior among the hundreds of others that dominate this board as of late.

:awesome:

 

Anyone know the latest on KPLR and ABC?

[caliwxdude 254]

They had high-priced talent to start with? Coulda fooled me.

 

Well, I should have said "the last of" their high-priced talent. KRON had most of the Bay Area's big names to start... Pete Wilson, Suzanne Shaw and John Kessler all left KRON shortly before the NBC affiliation went to KNTV. Wendy Tokuda, Tom Sinkovitz, Brian Hackney, Steve Raleigh, Mark Mullen and Susan Blake all left a few years later after the flip to independent.

 

The "big names" left are Pam Moore and Gary Radnich, both commanding pretty large salaries. Young wooed Radnich to stay after KRON lost NBC with a contract in the seven figures, but I think they've negotiated that down in the last few years because I doubt they'd be able to make payroll if they didn't.

[WCAUTVNBC10 413]

KKPX master control was also co-located with KNTV and KSTS back when NBC was in bed with Bud Paxson. They moved out a few years ago now, so there's space at 2450 North First for KRON's master control gear as well.

 

If this were to happen, they'd probably just send master control responsibilities down to Burbank with the rest of west coast O&Os.

[News24/7 3]

I hate to burst the KSTS theory bubble, but i swear i saw a live KSTS newscast with some chick last night....?

[caliwxdude 254]

I hate to burst the KSTS theory bubble' date=' but i swear i saw a live KSTS newscast with some chick last night....?[/quote']

 

When I was there, Conteo de Noticias was produced out of the KXAS facility in Fort Worth, TX. They would, however, tape brief news updates in the KSTS studio in the morning with local talent. I don't see why they couldn't build or move KSTS's set into the production studio and just work from there.

 

Of course, this is just wild speculation, although a bit more informed than what usually goes on around these parts...