Anyone think the FCC might require some bloodletting to permit the unprecedented WTVJ-WPMG combo especially with the transition to a stricter administration? (Hint: Make Post-Newsweek swap KPRC--the largest station in the group/top 10 market--and/or WDIV, giving Houston and/or Detroit 3 network O&Os.)
-
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
KPRC and WTVJ swap
- Thread starter KTN Corp
- Start date
KTN Corp said:
Why? Unless the rules have changed, duopolies are allowed to be created provided they are not involving combining two of the top four highest ranked stations in the market. WTVJ is like 5th or 6th in the market if I recall due to the strength of the Spanish-language stations. If I recall, Univision WLTV, CBS WFOR, ABC WPLG, and Fox WSVN are normally the top 4 in the rankings. You can't create a duopoly involving any 2 of those, but you can create duopoly with any of those 4 and WTVJ without any special waiver from the FCC.
txchipk said:
Politics and the common law legal system can throw a stumbling block. A congressman spurred by an outraged citizenry might bolster the concentration of English-speaking media argument and hinder the approvals. If it gets to court, the courts may rule that Congress intended the law to distinguish between different types of media markets (English and Spanish), so that WTVJ will end up as a top 4 English language station and stop the sale. They may also throw in that networks can be regulated through the station so network affiliation will be a factor in the FCC's records and decisions.
KTN Corp said:
And all that would fail since there are dozens of much smaller TV markets across the country where two of the "big 4" affiliates are co-located and operated together in even a far more concentrated media landscapes. In Victoria, Saga owns or controls the ABC (KAVU), Fox (KVCT), NBC (KMOL-LP), MyNetworkTV (KXTS-LP), and Telemundo (KVTX-LP) affiliate. In Northwest Arkansas, Nextstar owns the full power NBC (KNWA) and Fox (KFTA) affiliates. In Texas, through ownership and operating agreements, it manages multiple affiliates in Amarillo (NBC KAMR, Fox KCIT, MNT KCPN-LP), Wichita Falls (NBC KFDX, Fox KJTL, MNT KJBO-LP), Lubbock (CBS KLBK, ABC KAMC), Abilene (CBS KTAB, NBC KRBC), and San Angelo (CBS KLST, NBC KSAN-TV).
The Miami case doesn't even result in a reduction in "voices" since the number of newsrooms and owners is unchanged. WTVJ is moving from being co-owned with and sharing a newsroom with Telemundo WSCV (which NBC is keeping as a Telemundo O&O) to being co-owned with and sharing a newsroom with ABC WPLG. The number of owners didn't change...only which owner in the market is owning WTVJ.
Chip is right on the money here. (and by the way, lets not forget Beaumont where the ABC affiliate is adding NBC as a digital subchannel because the current NBC affiliate is flipping to Fox)
This deal in Miami is only unusual in that it's the largest market where two of the former "big 3" network affiliates have come under common ownership.
This deal in Miami is only unusual in that it's the largest market where two of the former "big 3" network affiliates have come under common ownership.
tested said:
Those markets Chip listed are very small and tend to attract home-grown and small companies and thus justifiable that the practice has to be tolerated since it only gets a few offers from those types of companies. But Miami is a Top 20 market with a metro population of 4 million. There were probably many offers from many large companies such as Gannett, et al. that don't have a station in Miami and Post-Newsweek fetched the highest price and thus the winner but has that pesky problem. If the FCC did it's job (considering the time period that D.C. is in), NBC will be forced to sell to the highest bidder who doesn't have a major station already for the good of the "public interest." There has been a complaint filed already about the sale.
The rules don't take into account Miami's unique situation since they are written with an assumption of English being the most dominant and thus the regulations concerning big 4 could be inferenced by size (e.g. 4 largest stations being the ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC local stations in any order by default).
KTN Corp said:
NBC put WTVJ and WVIT for sale early in the year. They finally took an offer in July for WTVJ...at *half* the estimated value of the station. If there were "many offers from many large companies" on the table, NBC would not have sold it for 50% of its value.
The rules were written at a time where several large TV markets with large Hispanic populations that have Spanish-language stations in or close to being in the top 4 sign-on to sign-off. If they wanted to define top 4 as meaning top 4 English-language stations, they could have, but didn't. There is nothing unique with Miami...Spanish-language stations in LA, New York, and other large markets often beat some of the "big 4" in prime time and in head-to-head newscasts.
The FTC has already approved the sale since it did not violate anti-trust issues. There is no FCC violation here, so they will clear it. In fact, it will be easy to approve because the usual complaints don't apply -- the number of owners is not reduced in the market and the number of newsrooms is not reduced.
As I said before, there are numerous other places far more concentrated. In top 50 markets, Gannett owns the ABC (WJXX) and NBC (WTLV) affiliate in Jacksonville. Tribune and LocalTV formed a LMA in October to consolidate newsrooms and operations of stations in several large sized markets, including St Louis where KTVI and KPLR are combined...consolidating 4 newsrooms to 3. Since ABC KDNL 30 in not a factor in that market as one of the weakest ABC affiliates in the country and the largest without a news operation, 2 of the big 4 (KTVI, KMOV, KSDK, KPLR) there were consolidated via a LMA in October.
I'm probably showing my ignorance here, but
what's wrong with Houston's getting an NBC
o&o (Dallas has one and both markets are growth
areas)? Post-Newsweek has not done that great in
Florida: ruined one of the best CBS affiliates in
the country by switching WJXT to independent,
making WKMG Orlando's also-ran (WPLG is a
different story).
The networks seem to want out of the Southeast.
NBC has unloaded its o&os in Miami, Raleigh/Durham,
and Birmingham; Fox in Greensboro, Birmingham, and
Memphis. All that's left are ABC in Raleigh/Durham,
CBS in Miami, and Fox in Atlanta and Tampa (yes, Ch. 69
in Atlanta is a CBS o&o but a CW affiliate).
But in Texas we have ABC and Fox in Houston, and CBS,
Fox, and NBC in Dallas/Ft. Worth. So why not another
NBC o&o? The population's there, and KPRC is certainly
synonymous with NBC. I think it would be a good fit.
what's wrong with Houston's getting an NBC
o&o (Dallas has one and both markets are growth
areas)? Post-Newsweek has not done that great in
Florida: ruined one of the best CBS affiliates in
the country by switching WJXT to independent,
making WKMG Orlando's also-ran (WPLG is a
different story).
The networks seem to want out of the Southeast.
NBC has unloaded its o&os in Miami, Raleigh/Durham,
and Birmingham; Fox in Greensboro, Birmingham, and
Memphis. All that's left are ABC in Raleigh/Durham,
CBS in Miami, and Fox in Atlanta and Tampa (yes, Ch. 69
in Atlanta is a CBS o&o but a CW affiliate).
But in Texas we have ABC and Fox in Houston, and CBS,
Fox, and NBC in Dallas/Ft. Worth. So why not another
NBC o&o? The population's there, and KPRC is certainly
synonymous with NBC. I think it would be a good fit.
Speculation. Wish it would happen. (see below)rageradio said:
I just watch the network shows. In fact I'm watching the 4th hour of Today right now since Price is Right isn't on KHOU today. I couldn't stand the newscasts (NBC ownership would improve them and the graphics). If it goes indie, nobody would watch their station. (See KRON in SF--becoming a KTVU would be very lucky)
NBC ownership would improve KPRC? Y'all are nuts. NBC/Universal is aggressively slashing budgets at all its stations. NBC O&Os in most markets have less staff than their Big 4 competitors, graphics are hubbed out of Dallas which leaves zero room for creativity, they're sharing content/resources (even choppers!) with competitors, airing subpar syndicated shows, etc. Anything to pinch pennies. Just look at what's happening right now at stations like WNBC, WCAU and WRC. KPRC, while not perfect, has yet to have layoffs under Post-Newsweek ownership and has resources that are as good as, if not better than, those of its competitors.
If NBC wanted a Houston O&O they would have converted KTMD and found another home for Telemundo. No way in hell NBC is looking to buy another station in a major market. All the speculation is that NBC is aligning its O&Os to be in a position to sell it all. GE now sees NBC/U as a drag on the company. They are actively marketing the group. Nothing will happen for another couple of years or when the recession eases. Ad revenues, or lack thereof, are way down dropping values of every media property in the US and probably the world. The only reason to buy any media property at the moment is to unload cash laying around. Unfortunately, my name is not Warren Buffet and neither is any of yours. Don't hold your breath hoping for NBC to swoop down and buy KPRC. As for KPRC they cannot stand NBC and use every opportunity (few and far between) to preempt network programming for their own local fare. NBC has been a drag on KPRC for years with poor prime ratings leading into their 10P news night after night. With the network now committing to Leno 4 or 5 days a week next year it's only going to get worse for KPRC. The lead-in combined with the piss-poorest of any late news in the market will keep them firmly in 3rd or 4th place among the English speaking news stations.
adguy said:
First off, there are not that many full-power stations available in Houston so that's one shot in the foot. Second, I thought Telemundo was the cash cow compared to NBC? It seems that NBC is trying to do the same thing that it did with radio 20 years ago, scrap it for the more profitable longer-lasting method--radio network:TV network::TV network:Cable TV/Internet properties.
Networks have been known to drop affiliates that
played fast and loose with the schedules; does
anyone recall that CBS dumped KXLY in Spokane
for that reason years ago? Maybe if KPRC continues
its practice of pre-empting, NBC might be interested
in KHOU as its Houston affiliate. But that's just speculation.
Does anyone think the day will come when all of the
networks will dump their o&os?
played fast and loose with the schedules; does
anyone recall that CBS dumped KXLY in Spokane
for that reason years ago? Maybe if KPRC continues
its practice of pre-empting, NBC might be interested
in KHOU as its Houston affiliate. But that's just speculation.
Does anyone think the day will come when all of the
networks will dump their o&os?
Garrett said:
ABC, CBS and NBC have always been referred to as the majors (big 3). That moniker came into play in the 60's with the expansion of independent stations around the country. When Fox became a real player in 1993 with the NFL it became "the big 4", thus renderring the "big 3" as the "former big 3".
Again, NBC has no interest whatsoever of buying KPRC to procure another O&O. The last thing NBC's family needs is another dramatically underperforming affiliate.
- Status