• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Cox Media Group selling WFXT, acquiring WLNE

K

kramie13

Banned
Source.

Cox Media Group is acquiring all of the stations currently owned by Standard Media. In return, Standard Media will acquire WFXT then acquire all of the Tegna owned stations.

This will be the 3rd owner for WFXT in 8 years. Boston is already an odd TV market with 5 local news stations. We'll have to wait and see what happens here.....
 
Perhaps Cox is going to buy Sunbeam? That would also reunite WSVN in Miami with the company.

Seems that Cox is acquiring on a slow, cautious buying spree; only buying 3 of TEGNA's Texas major market stations.
 
It will be very interesting to see what changes will be made when the new station group acquires WLNE. Hopefully they will become much more competitive with WPRI and WJAR.
 
alg2468 said:
It will be very interesting to see what changes will be made when the new station group acquires WLNE. Hopefully they will become much more competitive with WPRI and WJAR.
Click to expand...

Not since Freedom Communications has WLNE been competitive.
 
chitchatjf said:
Personally I think WFXT should become an OnO again
Click to expand...
I think you might see FOX taking another look at WHDH as with a new owner the affiliation agreement may no longer be binding.

I thought Gray might look at 25 before this deal happened.

As far as WLNE is concerned they never should have moved to Providence from New Bedford and focused on the south coast of MA and Bristol County. Mayor Buddy Cianci enticed 6 to move to Providence after both 12 and 10 fled for the burbs. WJAR not only moved to Cranston but sold their studios to a college where it would be tax-exempt.

Is WLNE a lost cause? Hearst looked at when it was worth almost nothing and declined but today WJAR has slipped under Sinclair so maybe it can find some success.
 
Fenway1912 said:
Is WLNE a lost cause? Hearst looked at when it was worth almost nothing and declined but today WJAR has slipped under Sinclair so maybe it can find some success.
Click to expand...

Hearst or Gray would've immediately turned WLNE's fortunes around. WIth WJAR under Sinclair and WPRI/WNAC under Nexstar, this would've been the perfect opportunity for WLNE to be sold to a broadcast that already has roots in New England with their stations, like Hearst or Gray. Instead, this happened.
 
itsTheRolyPoly said:
Hearst or Gray would've immediately turned WLNE's fortunes around. WIth WJAR under Sinclair and WPRI/WNAC under Nexstar, this would've been the perfect opportunity for WLNE to be sold to a broadcast that already has roots in New England with their stations, like Hearst or Gray. Instead, this happened.
Click to expand...

I have come to respect Gray over what happened in Northern New England.

Yes, they made painful cuts at WCAX-TV in Burlington but there was bloat because the Hasbrook/Martin families wouldn't make the needed cuts and sold instead. Everything changed when CBS went to you pay us instead of we pay you formula. Hearst deciding to focus on Burlington instead of Plattsburgh changed the market as well. Canadian income has vanished as many providers in Quebec now import WBZ-TV out of Boston.

Gray took over WABI-TV in Bangor 5 years ago and in this brutal cost-cutting world could have made WAGM-TV in Presque Isle a satellite of Bangor and chose not to.

WAGM-TV continues to be full service to Aroostook County, Maine, and Western New Brunswick and now transmits CBS, FOX, and NBC.

That is not a lucrative advertising market but it somehow works.





.
 
Hearst makes a lot of sense to me from a strategic standpoint. They already own WCVB, WMUR, and WMTW, all ABC affiliates, and I know there are some economies of scale going on there.

That said, I wonder how profitable these stations really are these days. Local ad rates must be down with fewer people - particularly those in the desirable younger demographic - watching linear TV these days. And the reverse compensation model for affiliates certainly can’t help. I think Disney/ABC is down to 8 O&Os.
 
Tonight at 8 PM, WFXT is not airing the season premiere of The Simpsons. Instead, they will air … local news.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a local TV station override its affiliate prime-time programming for local news.

Could this be a sign that WFXT may be un-affiliating from the Fox network?
 
The Simpsons have always been at 8 PM on Sunday nights. Looking at the program guide for WNAC in Providence, they have The Simpsons at 8, and “The Great North” at 8:30.
 
WNAC is airing the Simpsons but not WFXT? that's strange even Boston 25 news is showing Your Local News and playing down their fox connection.
 
I stand corrected WFXT is showing their new branding for local news

I texted a friend who works at 25 and he said we are gearing up for life without FOX
I womder if FOX will jump to WHDH and 25 becomes MyTV which currently doesn't have an outlet in Boston

1664151532195.png
 
MyTV is only good as a sub channel, they have crap re-runs you can find anywhere else and only feed 2 hours a night right?

Add to that Fox sports offerings to affiliates that MyTV can't even think about getting

If MyTV was worth keeping it would still be on "Channel 38"
 
WFXT should be a NBC O&O and WSBK joins CW since Paramount will only have a minority interest. If the Murdochs pay the right money to the Ansins, they can become Fox 7 even if Paramount owned CBS has the AFC package.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom