Gannett + Belo

[KTN Corp]

Having lived in the DFW area all my life and understanding the importance of WFAA...I will put it this way: Gannett would not have bought Belo without WFAA and will not sell it for any price.

I'll agree. The other DFW stations are network O&Os (if you count KXAS as an O&O).

Gannett will sell KHOU first before WFAA (especially to meet FCC ownership caps). Gannett is already in Washington and Atlanta, DMAs larger than Houston, and Dallas is much larger than all of these. Why pass up the opportunity to get to the biggest DMA possible?

 

[JeeperOne]

Having lived in the DFW area all my life and understanding the importance of WFAA...I will put it this way: Gannett would not have bought Belo without WFAA and will not sell it for any price.

I'll agree. The other DFW stations are network O&Os (if you count KXAS as an O&O).

KDFW 4 (FOX) isn't an O&O. It used to be be one when Fox bought it but it's now owned by Local TV

Gannett will sell KHOU first before WFAA (especially to meet FCC ownership caps). Gannett is already in Washington and Atlanta, DMAs larger than Houston, and Dallas is much larger than all of these. Why pass up the opportunity to get to the biggest DMA possible?[/quote]Why do that when they can just as easily trim some fat in some smaller places elsewhere (Like Knoxville, TN for instance) to accomplish the same thing?

For Gannett to own KHOU & WFAA would be like having their cake & eating it too

Cheers & 73 ;D

 

[michael hagerty]

Has anyone read the memo?

Once Jack Sander buys the 7 stations in 5 markets (Phoenix, St. Louis, Portland, Louisville, Tucson), Gannett will be at roughly 33% of the country. The cap is 39%. They don't have to sell anything else. Certainly not Houston.

 

[Rollo-Smokes]

The other DFW stations are network O&Os (if you count KXAS as an O&O).

KDFW 4 (FOX) isn't an O&O. It used to be be one when Fox bought it but it's now owned by Local TV

Memo to both: both KDFW-TV and KXAS-TV are O&Os. Don't you guys double-check first?

For the record, NBC-Universal bought out LIN's interest in KXAS and KNSD earlier this year.

 

[JeeperOne]

The other DFW stations are network O&Os (if you count KXAS as an O&O).

KDFW 4 (FOX) isn't an O&O. It used to be be one when Fox bought it but it's now owned by Local TV

Memo to both: both KDFW-TV and KXAS-TV are O&Os. Don't you guys double-check first?

Fox must've just recently bought KDFW back then. Last time I checked before just a minute ago, they were NOT an O&O

Cheers & 73 ;D

 

[michael hagerty]

The other DFW stations are network O&Os (if you count KXAS as an O&O).

KDFW 4 (FOX) isn't an O&O. It used to be be one when Fox bought it but it's now owned by Local TV

Memo to both: both KDFW-TV and KXAS-TV are O&Os. Don't you guys double-check first?

Fox must've just recently bought KDFW back then. Last time I checked before just a minute ago, they were NOT an O&O

Cheers & 73 ;D

There's been no swap. Fox has owned KDFW since the 1990s. Local TV never has.

 

[TroyG]

I think Gannett will have a strong presence for Texas & Louisiana. As you know, Austin's KVUE was once owned by Gannett. So it will be reunited along with Sacramento's KXTV-which originally owned by Belo. Gannett will retain 13 of the 20 stations it plans to buy from Belo-Including flagship WFAA in Dallas, Houston's KHOU, KENS-TV in San Antonio & WWL-TV in New Orleans. Gannett, However will be the largest owner of NBC Stations with a total of 15 stations across America, once the planned merger approves.

 

[Kent]

Fox must've just recently bought KDFW back then. Last time I checked before just a minute ago, they were NOT an O&O

Fox has owned KDFW since it closed on the New World deal in either late '96 or early '97. You're probably thinking of WDAF-TV in Kansas City, which is also "Fox 4" but was spun to Local a few years ago.

 

[Kent]

I see NO ONE has brought up the the regional cable news nets that Belo owned (Like NWCN & TXCN for example). Are they part of the deal (I would assume so)

It's been brought up on the Texas board. All of Belo's broadcast assets are part of this deal, including the cable news networks. So long as the cable companies keep paying them to run these networks, they'll stay around.

 

[Brother]

Has anyone read the memo?

Once Jack Sander buys the 7 stations in 5 markets (Phoenix, St. Louis, Portland, Louisville, Tucson), Gannett will be at roughly 33% of the country. The cap is 39%. They don't have to sell anything else. Certainly not Houston.

It must be a weird feeling you're having, to repeatedly shout into a pipe and the only response you can understand is the reverberation of your own voice.

Jack Sander should be like a godsend to all the posters here. He'll own these 7 stations in 5 markets and he's devoted to local news operations. That's about as small and localized as you can get these days. Everyone here demands LOCAL LOCAL LOCAL, then turns around and hopes that the additional stations get sold to heartless networks or soulless conglomerates because it just makes their skin crawl that CBS hasn't owned KMOV in over 25 years or that KTVK is an independent station that doesn't program like an indie station from 1975.

As a St. Louisan, this is rather exciting and I'm quite looking forward to seeing how this turns out locally.

 

[Morgan Wick]

Fox must've just recently bought KDFW back then. Last time I checked before just a minute ago, they were NOT an O&O

Fox has owned KDFW since it closed on the New World deal in either late '96 or early '97. You're probably thinking of WDAF-TV in Kansas City, which is also "Fox 4" but was spun to Local a few years ago.

That would explain it. Certainly a top-five market and the home of the Dallas Freaking Cowboys is NOT the sort of station Fox was selling in that deal.

 

[mescutia]

Jack Sander should be like a godsend to all the posters here. He'll own these 7 stations in 5 markets and he's devoted to local news operations. That's about as small and localized as you can get these days. Everyone here demands LOCAL LOCAL LOCAL, then turns around and hopes that the additional stations get sold to heartless networks or soulless conglomerates because it just makes their skin crawl that CBS hasn't owned KMOV in over 25 years or that KTVK is an independent station that doesn't program like an indie station from 1975.

As a St. Louisan, this is rather exciting and I'm quite looking forward to seeing how this turns out locally.

Hey, I like it, too, but I also live in a market that doesn't have any Belo or Gannett stations.

 

[Brother]

Jack Sander should be like a godsend to all the posters here. He'll own these 7 stations in 5 markets and he's devoted to local news operations. That's about as small and localized as you can get these days. Everyone here demands LOCAL LOCAL LOCAL, then turns around and hopes that the additional stations get sold to heartless networks or soulless conglomerates because it just makes their skin crawl that CBS hasn't owned KMOV in over 25 years or that KTVK is an independent station that doesn't program like an indie station from 1975.

As a St. Louisan, this is rather exciting and I'm quite looking forward to seeing how this turns out locally.

Hey, I like it, too, but I also live in a market that doesn't have any Belo or Gannett stations.

You're in the best possible situation, then. Just sit back, relax, and watch the potential craziness unfold in the television world (and on this board, of course).

 

[KTN Corp]

Why do that when they can just as easily trim some fat in some smaller places elsewhere (Like Knoxville, TN for instance) to accomplish the same thing?

For Gannett to own KHOU & WFAA would be like having their cake & eating it too

Cheers & 73 ;D

Geographic area coverage. It's easier to sacrifice 1 station rather than several market 50-100 stations and still can boast that you reach a third of the country (In what? Area/Number of markets or Households ).

KHOU has always played second fiddle to WFAA to Belo management. When WFAA moved to Victory Park, the news set and graphics looked as modern as a network O&O in NYC, LA, or Chicago. KHOU still looks like they are broadcasting from a converted conference room. It might get worse with a Gannett merger with not only WFAA but WXIA and WUSA to contend with as fourth-fiddle.

 

[EricStein]

I was wondering if KLAS-TV is still on the selling block after its parent sold its station in Nashville, WTVF to Journal Broadcasting, Inc. of Milwaukee?

Every station is for sale, for the right price. I can't imagine Landmark not selling KLAS soon, or that there aren't any potential suitors for the station (even the almighty SBG). Landmark would still be getting a nice ROI from when they purchased the station from the Howard Hughes estate in the late-'70s.

 

[Morgan Wick]

I was wondering if KLAS-TV is still on the selling block after its parent sold its station in Nashville, WTVF to Journal Broadcasting, Inc. of Milwaukee?

Every station is for sale, for the right price. I can't imagine Landmark not selling KLAS soon, or that there aren't any potential suitors for the station (even the almighty SBG).

Sinclair already owns KVMY and KVCW. On the one hand, that means instant duopoly partners; on the other hand, it would create a triopoly, and while that's no problem for Sinclair who can just dump one station onto Cunningham or Deerfield, it's unknown how much longer the FCC will put up with that.

 

[JeeperOne]

Fox must've just recently bought KDFW back then. Last time I checked before just a minute ago, they were NOT an O&O

Fox has owned KDFW since it closed on the New World deal in either late '96 or early '97. You're probably thinking of WDAF-TV in Kansas City, which is also "Fox 4" but was spun to Local a few years ago.

I was also thinking of KDFW but apparently (Obviously?) Fox never did go through with a full sale like the station's newscast credits (Yes I've watched a few online) indicated

Cheers & 73 ;D

 

[JeeperOne]

Why do that when they can just as easily trim some fat in some smaller places elsewhere (Like Knoxville, TN for instance) to accomplish the same thing?

For Gannett to own KHOU & WFAA would be like having their cake & eating it too

Cheers & 73 ;D

Geographic area coverage. It's easier to sacrifice 1 station rather than several market 50-100 stations and still can boast that you reach a third of the country (In what? Area/Number of markets or Households ).

KHOU has always played second fiddle to WFAA to Belo management. When WFAA moved to Victory Park, the news set and graphics looked as modern as a network O&O in NYC, LA, or Chicago. KHOU still looks like they are broadcasting from a converted conference room. It might get worse with a Gannett merger with not only WFAA but WXIA and WUSA to contend with as fourth-fiddle.

Not when you consider Gannett built a HUGE multi-story broadcast complex for KUSA 9 some years ago (They've had this station since they inherited it from the old Combined Communications Corp. way back in the 1970s)

I can't find a pic of their studio but trust me, it's NICE !!

Ain't NO WAY Gannett will run KHOU (Or any other station) be run out of a "Conference Room" for ANY reason

Cheers & 73 ;D

 

[EricStein]

I was wondering if KLAS-TV is still on the selling block after its parent sold its station in Nashville, WTVF to Journal Broadcasting, Inc. of Milwaukee?

Every station is for sale, for the right price. I can't imagine Landmark not selling KLAS soon, or that there aren't any potential suitors for the station (even the almighty SBG).

Sinclair already owns KVMY and KVCW. On the one hand, that means instant duopoly partners; on the other hand, it would create a triopoly, and while that's no problem for Sinclair who can just dump one station onto Cunningham or Deerfield, it's unknown how much longer the FCC will put up with that.

If the FCC approves (and the chances look good, looking at their track record the past few years) Gannett-Belo, they will allow Sinclair to buy KLAS by placing KVCW into one of their shell companies. The Sinclair Vegas duo are rated fifth and sixth, respectively, so I wonder if they could even use the "failing station waiver" card on one of the two smaller stations if they do end up with KLAS.

KLAS under Sinclair would cause Hank Greenspun to spin in his grave.

 

[justpassingthough]

I know Jack Sander will be buying KMOV, but I think it would be even more interesting if Disney tried to purchase KMOV so they can finally get ABC off that horrible KDNL station that has been run into the ground by Sinclair.