CBS And/Or ABC For Sale?

[Ultimajock]

Wasn't there talk about Hearst being a possible buyer should ABC ever be for sale?

Of course, Hearst owns a number of NBC affiliates, as well as two CBS affiliates and a smattering of other stations, but that can be dealt with...

They also own about 20% of ESPN.

...and a third of A&E, The History Channel, History International and The Biography Channel...

 

[dave73]

Wasn't there talk about Hearst being a possible buyer should ABC ever be for sale?

Of course, Hearst owns a number of NBC affiliates, as well as two CBS affiliates and a smattering of other stations, but that can be dealt with...

If that were to happen, I wonder how many stations might have to be divested, if there's a limit on the number of stations allowed for ownership of a major network. I don't know what that limit is now. I wonder if the Livewell HD Network would be included. If it were, would Hearst help expand the channel to other ABC stations that they already own (ABC wants to expand Livewell HD beyond the ABC stations)? What would happen to stations in markets that Hearst has a different affiliate & a competing company has the ABC affiliation? Would Hearst & the other station change affiliations? I don't exactly know how this works out since I live in the Chicago market, & the 4 biggest networks: Fox, ABC, CBS, & ABC already own already own the stations they're on.

 

[RadioStarOne]

Perhaps its time for Uncle Mel and Mr. Malone at Liberty Media to aquire the CBS Radio Stations? What would that do for CBS Radio?

 

[TexasTom]

Does FOX qualify for a network? I thought this was one of the reasons FOX only programs two hours per night and three on Sunday

In the early days of the FOX network, there were rules that essentially prohibited a TV network and TV syndication company from being commonly owned. That's why ABC, CBS, and NBC all had to spin off their syndication arms in the early seventies. There were also restrictions that made common ownership of a TV network and a TV production studio impractical. So the way that FOX avoided those rules was to keep it's weekly programming hours low enough so that it wasn't classified as a network.

However, all those rules went away in the nineties, which means that there is no longer any regulatory reason for FOX to resist being classified as a network. Today, the shorter prime time on FOX continues not for regulatory reasons, but simply because it is more profitable: starting the late news an hour earlier makes the FOX O&Os more profitable.

 

[Ultimajock]

there is no longer any regulatory reason for FOX to resist being classified as a network.

...actually, there still is one reason, albeit a small one in the grand scheme of things -- they still have one affiliate, XHRIO-TV/2 Matamoros, licensed to a Mexican city (it's in the Brownsville/McAllen/Harlingen, Texas market). If Fox gets recognition as a U.S. network by the Federal Communications Corruption, that affiliation will have to go immediately...

 

[vchimpanzee]

ABC provides them a perfect platform to cross promote their movies & theme parks.

Yeah. No more hour-long commercials for theme parks and cruise ships masquerading as episodes of "America's Funniest Home Videos".

 

[vchimpanzee]

Westinghouse Electric never made railroad brakes. Westinghouse Air Brake Company-WABCO, was a totally different company with no connections whatsoever to the "other" Westinghouse.

I just looked it up. George Westinghouse ran both companies. But not at the same time.

Other than that, you're right.