Gray Television in 4 new deals in Montana, Texas, Wisconsin

[mvcg66b3r]

Gray Television Inc. on Wednesday announced four new station deals... The new transactions are:

Wausau-Rhinelander, Wis. (DMA 134): Gray entered into an agreement with Davis Television LLC, to acquire certain non-license assets of WFXS, which had served as the market’s Fox affiliate. Earlier today, WFXS ceased operating. At that time, the parties closed the transaction, and Gray began broadcasting the program streams formerly transmitted by WFXS on Gray's digital low-power WZAW in Wausau. Gray also owns and operates full-power WSAW in Wausau, which serves as the market's CBS affiliate. Kalil & Co. was the exclusive broker for this transaction.

Laredo, Texas (DMA 184). Gray entered into an agreement with Eagle Creek Television to purchase certain non-license assets of KVTV, which had served as the market’s CBS affiliate. Earlier today, KVTV ceased operating. At that time, the parties closed the transaction, and Gray began broadcasting the program streams formerly transmitted by KVTV on Gray's digital low-power KYLX. Gray also owns and operates full-power KGNS in Laredo, which serves as the market's NBC affiliate.

Great Falls and Helena, Mont. (DMAs 191 and 206). Gray entered into an agreement with Cordillera Communications, to sell Gray's KBGF, the NBC affiliate in Great Falls, and KTVH, the NBC and CW affiliate in Helena. Gray said it “believes that Cordillera, as the owner of top-rated stations across the state of Montana, will leverage its strong presence throughout ‘Big Sky Country’ to further improve the service and operations of KBGF and KTVH for the benefit of those stations' local communities.”

Helena, Mont. (DMA 206). Gray owns KMTF in Helena, which simulcasts the CW channel broadcast by KTVH-D2. At the suggestion of Cordillera, Gray has agreed to donate KMTF to Montana State University. This donation will allow MSU to operate a full-power PBS station in the state's capital for the first time in the history of the statewide PBS network that MSU operates.

From Raymie on TVNewsTalk:

The sale of KTVH/KBGF to Cordillera is going to have some major consequences for that station. Cordillera owns the MTN state CBS network, which has a full-power transmitter in Great Falls (KRTV) and a low-power transmitter in Helena (KXLH) with little news output. Because KMTF is now gravy (it was bought by Gray on a failing station waiver), it's going to Montana State which is probably very excited about the opportunity to begin full-power PBS service in the capital of Montana. News consolidation is extremely likely; expect KXLH to move to KTVH's facilities and Cordillera to upgrade them considerably.

The Wausau and Laredo moves are interesting. For one, WFXS has largely operated under the orbit of WAOW, with news share and technical agreements. That's going to end very quickly and WSAW is likely to take over the newscasts. In the case of KVTV, this was a Brian Brady station that has always been kind of neglected under various owners. I cannot find ANY technical information on this new KYLX, not even a new LPTV licensed to "Gray Television Licensee", though they have reserved that callsign. (Actually, giving things a closer look, Brady did something absolutely wild. He owned KNEX-LP, which had a CP to move to digital channel 14. He instead opted to apply for digital channel 13 - the same as KVTV - at 3 kW ERP - the same as KVTV - from the same facilities as KVTV. He essentially replaced KVTV with an LPTV, KNEX/KYLX. And yes, a sale of that was approved to Gray. So KVTV disappeared today and KYLX, on the SAME TRANSMITTER AND FACILITIES, replaced it.)

But it makes me wonder about something Gray did in Rapid City, South Dakota. They have an LPTV there ready to duplicate KEVN's coverage in Rapid City. It would make a lot of sense if they were about to buy someone — most likely locally-owned KNBN — and move its programming to the LPTV.

http://forums.tvnewstalk.net/index....-broadcasting-general-discussion/#entry136380

More on this on the state-specific forums:
http://www.radiodiscussions.com/sho...-full-power-PBS-coming-to-Helena&goto=newpost
http://www.radiodiscussions.com/sho...o-goes-dark-CBS-moves-to-KYLX-LD&goto=newpost
http://www.radiodiscussions.com/sho...u-goes-dark-FOX-moves-to-WZAW-LD&goto=newpost

 

[jamesjimcie]

If Gray ever wanted to acquire one of Cordillera's TV stations after selling KTVH and KBGF to Cordillera with Cordillera's intention to broadcast on KRTV and KXLH digital multicast streams with KRTV-KXLH CBS programming on KRTV-KXLH DT1, KBGF-KTVH NBC programming on KRTV-KXLH DT2, and CW programming on KRTV-KXLH DT3 in Great Falls and on KTVH digital multicast streams with KRTV-KXLH CBS programming on KTVH-KBGF DT1, KBGF-KTVH NBC programming on KTVH-KBGF DT2, and CW programming on KTVH-KBGF DT3 in Helena is to acquire KRIS NBC on 6.1, CW on 6.2, K22JA (KAJA TeleMundo on 47.1 and KDF on 47.2), and rights to program KZTV CBS under Sagamore Hill in Corpus Christi from Cordillera is to match Gray's presence in Laredo.

Brian William Brady-Northwest Broadcasting has indeed way been terrible with KVTV since acquiring it with KZTV in Corpus Christi, Texas in 2002-2003 under the Eagle Creek banner as a subsidiary of Northwest when Sagamore Hill owned KGNS from 2004 to 2013 before KGNS was sold to Yellowstone Holdings/Frontier Radio in 2013 who in turned would sell it to Gray later in 2013. Brady sold KZTV to Sagamore Hill and Cordillera/Evening Post in 2009.

Brady has been terrible with KYMA and KSWT in Yuma under the Blackhawk banner as a subsidiary of Northwest since February 2014 after acquiring KYMA from James (Jimmy) Rogers-Intermountain West Communications Company/Sunbelt and KSWT from Harry J Pappas/Pappas Telecasting and Pappas Liquidating Trust with Lee W Shubert as trustee when Brady proposed to acquire KSWT and David L Stapleton as trustee when Brady completed the acquisition of KSWT. Brady completely burnout with operating KSWT and KYMA himself on his own due to not wanting to deal with the pressures of operating them due to Yuma having the most horrible unemployment rate levels as Brady outsource the operations of KSWT and KYMA to KECY and it's owner-parent News Press Gazette in September 2014.

Brady-Northwest may likely want to get even with Gray after Gray bought KNEX-LP to become KYLX-LD and the assets of KVTV with KVTV programming being broadcasted on KYLX-LD by vying to possibly compete with Sinclair Broadcast Group, Duane Lammers & Peter Markham-Granite Broadcasting/Silver Point Capital, Mark Nalbone-Wyomedia, Max Media, Cordillera/Evening Post, and SJL Broadcasting/Lilly to attempt on a pursuit on a bid on acquiring NTV(KHGI-KWNB)/KFXL FOX Nebraska from Harry J Pappas/Pappas Telecasting and Pappas Liquidating Trust under trustee David L Stapleton to thwart KLKN's owner-parent Philip Lombardo-Citadel Communications attempt to acquire NTV/KFXL with Citadels intentions to operate NTV/KFXL in tandem with KLKN mainly for the benefit to keep NTV/KFXL operational in the future in the Lincoln-Grand Island-Hastings-Kearney TV DMA where Gray operates 10/11(KOLN-KGIN) in Lincoln and the ex-former KHAS turned (KSNB) NBC Nebraska in Hastings. Brady may likely been pursuing NTV/KFXL ever since Brady's proposal to purchase NTV's sister station KSWT in July 2013 with Brady's intention on acquiring NTV/KFXL as leverage for negotiations for the FOX affiliation on the FOX stations Brady already operates and as leverage for retransmission consent negotiations for Brady's stations on Time Warner Cable, Dish, DirecTV, and others.

 

[nathannah]

This is a shocker, but even more in Wausau, where a large area has to be served from south of Stevens Point all the way to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Pretty smart of Davis Television to cash out to Gray this way, but if you're Fox, you're not happy at all to be stuck on an LD, especially one market over from Green Bay (the Facebook page complaints pretty much shows when the Packers season opens, this is going to look idiotic if you can't get the station outside Wausau proper). The signal doesn't get out to Rhinelander in any form (the usual second focus city for the market), along with Marshfield and hardly to Stevens Point, and generally the goal in Wausau is to get the signal out far; that's why Quincy has WAOW on two full-powers in Eagle River and Crandon in addition to the main channel 9 from Wausau. Even WJFW in Rhinelander at least gets enough signal to Wausau for their Rib Mountain translator.

This deal just doesn't make sense; I get the feeling that Gray will keep Fox for now, but first opportunity, the network's going back to Quincy (WAOW had impressive relations with Fox going back to '94 when they needed a Packers/Simpsons outlet while WFXS was built out) and WMOW out of Crandon would end up with Fox on their .1 and ABC on .2 (CW goes to .3), it's transposed as normal on WAOW and WYOW, and This is gone for some kind of 3/720p channel map. Basically this deal was done in greed to get Packers rights, but if 60% of the market will need to get cable/sat to watch the games, what's the point? Not to mention WLUK in Green Bay is sure to tell viewers on the east side of the market their signal's viewable most of the time and should get back some antenna viewers who left them for WFXS in 1999.

 

[KeithE4]

Given the market, I would think that Fox would yank WZOW in favor of WAOW/WYOW/WMOW as soon as possible. No way could Gray build enough translators -- Marshfield, Rhinelander, Crandon, Hurley/Ironwood, and Boulder Junction, where WSAW has had a translator for decades -- to cover the entire market before Packers games begin.

 

[nathannah]

Gray has now realized their idocy of launching a small translator station in a big market and put the Fox signal on WSAW 7.3 to give it technical 'full market coverage', albeit in 480i widescreen no sports bar is going to accept come September (and probably ruining the moods of a few Weigel execs and fans of Heroes & Icons, which is now homeless in Wausau; they're probably still steaming about Me-TV being stuck in an LP in one of their most important states). Meanwhile, WAOW quickly found a home for their 9pm newscast which got thrown off WFXS; it's now carried on their CW+ .2's (.1 in Crandon), and now the new Fox operation is news-free until September.

 

[crainbebo]

KVTV had been a terrible operation. They USED to have news about 15 years ago, all shows were yanked except for 12PM, 10PM news came back later, and then EVERYONE was fired...everything was pass-through, and they only aired CBS News programming, leaving KGNS as the news "leader" in Laredo, and KXOF-LD as a 9:00PM operation. Pretty unacceptable for a city of 250,000.

-crainbebo

 

[mvcg66b3r]

KVTV had been a terrible operation. They USED to have news about 15 years ago, all shows were yanked except for 12PM, 10PM news came back later, and then EVERYONE was fired...everything was pass-through, and they only aired CBS News programming, leaving KGNS as the news "leader" in Laredo, and KXOF-LD as a 9:00PM operation. Pretty unacceptable for a city of 250,000.

-crainbebo

I guess you could call Laredo one of the "Worst Markets for Local TV". The conversation continues over on that thread:
http://www.radiodiscussions.com/sho...for-Local-TV&p=6059260&viewfull=1#post6059260

 

[ftballfan]

Given the market, I would think that Fox would yank WZOW in favor of WAOW/WYOW/WMOW as soon as possible. No way could Gray build enough translators -- Marshfield, Rhinelander, Crandon, Hurley/Ironwood, and Boulder Junction, where WSAW has had a translator for decades -- to cover the entire market before Packers games begin.

WFXS was never on cable in Hurley/Ironwood. WLUC-DT2 and KQDS are carried there (and both of them in HD!). Years ago, WLUK and WGKI/WFQX were carried there.

 

[mvcg66b3r]

WFXS was never on cable in Hurley/Ironwood. WLUC-DT2 and KQDS are carried there (and both of them in HD!). Years ago, WLUK and WGKI/WFQX were carried there.

WLUC-DT2 only broadcasts in SD over the air. IMO, they should upgrade 6.2 to 720p HD to make OTA-only Lions fans happy.

WLUC-DT2 is the Fox-affiliated television station for Michigan's Central Upper Peninsula. It is a second digital subchannel of NBC affiliate WLUC-TV that is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group. Over-the-air, the station broadcasts a standard definition digital signal on UHF channel 35.2 (or virtual channel 6.2 PSIP) from a transmitter on South Helen Lake Road in Republic Township southeast of unincorporated Republic. The station can also be seen on DirecTV channel 7 in high definition and Charter channel 11 and in high definition on digital channel 706.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WLUC-DT2

 

[nathannah]

With WLUK and WLUC now under Sinclair ownership and years of distro fights under different managements in the rear-view, I'm sure there might be a solution in the offing to the problem in the NE part of the market; I assume they still own the old WCWF analog transmitter site north of Suring so that might be a solution to add on an LD translator there. The differing Lions and Packers markets through wouldn't create a united 'Fox 11 NE Wisconsin/UP' structure though until they can get the rights deals for shows on both stations synchronized.

As for WLUC-DT2 and SD, the Sinclair home office dictation to air Grit on DT3 complicates things there, along with the 'why isn't NBC in 1080i' crowd.

 

[Ultimajock]

WLUC-DT2 only broadcasts in SD over the air. IMO, they should upgrade 6.2 to 720p HD to make OTA-only Lions fans happy.

...WLUC has always been a Packers-primary station, dating back to when they picked up The Vince Lombardi Show in regional syndication from WBAY-TV/2 Green Bay in the early 1960s...

 

[blizzard59]

If you travel through the western part of the UP, west of Marquette anyway, you should pick up that the Packers have more fans there than the Lions. You see a lot more Packers paraphernalia on cars and houses than Lions stuff.

 

[mvcg66b3r]

As for WLUC-DT2 and SD, the Sinclair home office dictation to air Grit on DT3 complicates things there, along with the 'why isn't NBC in 1080i' crowd.

6.1 is in 1080i.

 

[nathannah]

6.1 is in 1080i.

It is, but I was saying any upgrade to Fox in 720p will likely mean NBC getting bumped down to the same resolution and the complaints to come.

 

[joebtsflk1]

Like it or not, 720p with two major nets sharing one channel seems like the norm in the smaller TV markets. There may be complaints, but folks at Gray probably are used to it. Heck, I could give them several earfuls about being the "Broken News Leader" of southern Colorado via their KKTV-11, but it would be a waste of effort.

 

[ftballfan]

With WLUK and WLUC now under Sinclair ownership and years of distro fights under different managements in the rear-view, I'm sure there might be a solution in the offing to the problem in the NE part of the market; I assume they still own the old WCWF analog transmitter site north of Suring so that might be a solution to add on an LD translator there. The differing Lions and Packers markets through wouldn't create a united 'Fox 11 NE Wisconsin/UP' structure though until they can get the rights deals for shows on both stations synchronized.

As for WLUC-DT2 and SD, the Sinclair home office dictation to air Grit on DT3 complicates things there, along with the 'why isn't NBC in 1080i' crowd.

WLUK still has a translator in Escanaba (in digital!) even though it was bumped off cable there in favor of WLUC-DT2. I'm also surprised that translator hasn't become a WLUC translator since both stations are now owned by Sinclair.

 

[JeeperOne]

Like it or not, 720p with two major nets sharing one channel seems like the norm in the smaller TV markets. There may be complaints, but folks at Gray probably are used to it. Heck, I could give them several earfuls about being the "Broken News Leader" of southern Colorado via their KKTV-11, but it would be a waste of effort.

As would I suppose their purchase (And subsequent downgrade to an LP) of KJCT 8 (ABC) in Grand Junction, CO

Does Gray REALLY think ABC is going to settle for an LP (Even in a place like Grand Junction, CO) when other options exist (And Gray itself owns one of them) ??

Cheers & 73

 

[KeithE4]

As would I suppose their purchase (And subsequent downgrade to an LP) of KJCT 8 (ABC) in Grand Junction, CO

Does Gray REALLY think ABC is going to settle for an LP (Even in a place like Grand Junction, CO) when other options exist (And Gray itself owns one of them) ??

Cheers & 73

CBS has been on KREX-TV 5 for decades, and it runs even lower power than the average digital LPTV -- 800 watts @ 27.8m HAAT -- on a full-power license.