Tegna today confirmed that it as of Sept. 9 it will be taking national sales in-house and will no longer employ Cox Reps for national sales except for the Tribune stations that it is in the process of acquiring.
“This is a strategic change in how we go to market, and is aimed at taking advantage of our scale to deepen our relationships with national clients by embracing automation, and focusing our talented marketing executives on solutions that drive client results,” the station group said in a statement. Citing the Tribune stations, it added, “CoxReps has been, and continues to be, a tremendous and effective partner.”
Tegna announced in March a deal to buy 11 stations in eight markets being spun off from Nexstar’s pending merger with Tribune. The deal, which carries a $740 million price tag, includes eight Big Four affiliates.
