Media General to sell five stations?

[genius]

http://broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6495533.html

Stations their shopping:

WCWJ Jacksonville, Fl
WTVQ Lexington, Ky.
WMBB Panama City, Fl
KALB/NALB Alexandria, La
WNEG Toccoa, Ga

Reason? Media General has seen a 3.5% drop in broadcast revenue.

Watch this topic get more views than the writers strike one.

 

[FrankB-town]

i'm excited about this. i'd like to see WMBB get bought by someone like Raycom.

 

[jal41]

http://broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6495533.html

Stations their shopping:

WCWJ Jacksonville, Fl
WTVQ Lexington, Ky.
WMBB Panama City, Fl
KALB/NALB Alexandria, La
WNEG Toccoa, Ga

Reason? Media General has seen a 3.5% drop in broadcast revenue.

Duh! People are on the Internet more, and on the TV less. This is a national trend.

About WNEG...they claimed to the FCC that they are a repeater of WSPA-TV Greenville/Spartanburg to get out of building a DTV facility (they are in the same market), but they produce their own newscasts. One of their anchors, Chuck Moore, did the news in Atlanta for a long time at WSB-TV and WXIA. They serve an incredibly small area for a CBS affiliate...but from what I understand they do a good job at it.

It should be noted that Media General just acquired 4 former NBC O&O's (in Birmingham, Raleigh/Durham, and two others) and sold a few to stay within FCC complience.

 

[fortmill]

Interesting thing about WNEG, their city of license, Tocoa GA, is part ot the Greenville-Spartanburg DMA, so they are carried on Dish and Direct throughout that market, which means they are available to thousands of homes throughout western NC and the upstate of SC (Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville is a huge market geographically, and ranked #35). Meanwhile, most of their actual viewing area is northwest GA, most of which is in the Atlanta market so a majority of their potential viewers can't see them on satelite. I would doubt Media General would get rid of WNEG, since whoever got them would automatically be in competition with their WSPA-TV for CBS viewers on satelite throughout the G/S/A market.

 

[Markxxx]

Just adding some info

WCWJ Jacksonville, Fl -- Market #50 -- CW -- Channel 17
WTVQ Lexington, Ky. -- Market #63 -- ABC -- Channel 36
WMBB Panama City, Fl -- Market#157 -- ABC -- Channel 13
KALB/NALB Alexandria, La -- Market #176 -- NBC / CBS*--Channel 5
WNEG Toccoa, Ga --Market #36-- CBS -- Channel 32

*NBC on analog and main digital channel. CBS on digital subchannel

 

[jal41]

Interesting thing about WNEG, their city of license, Tocoa GA, is part ot the Greenville-Spartanburg DMA, so they are carried on Dish and Direct throughout that market, which means they are available to thousands of homes throughout western NC and the upstate of SC (Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville is a huge market geographically, and ranked #35). Meanwhile, most of their actual viewing area is northwest GA, most of which is in the Atlanta market so a majority of their potential viewers can't see them on satelite. I would doubt Media General would get rid of WNEG, since whoever got them would automatically be in competition with their WSPA-TV for CBS viewers on satelite throughout the G/S/A market.

Whoever acquires WNEG might have to ditch CBS as part of the deal. WNEG's existance (as well as that of WMAZ/Macon, and to a lesser extent WDEF-TV/Chattannooga and WRBL/Columbus) are some for the reasons WGCL/Atlanta is in the shape it is in. The only reason WNEG has a CBS affiliation is because it is sister to WSPA-TV. Since WLOS is located the furtherest away in Asheville, WNEG could try to get an ABC affiliation (to which WSB-TV/Atlanta would have a field day over), but WNEG is destined for bible-thumper programming (it is located where the Georgia Baptist Convention has it's conference center).

 

[FloydB]

It's interesting that the Toccoa and Panama City stations are from the former Spartan Communications group they bought a few years back. Back when you were supposed to own only one station in the market, Spartan had NEG as an LLC (along with another station in the market) to boost their flagship, WSPA-7, through the mountains. WSPA is where Jane Robelot got her start.

As for being a religious station: Yeah, that's about all that NEG's good for as a standalone. It's too much in a rimshot between the two markets. On the other hand, a lot of north Georgia is complaining that they don't have any local TV presence out there, so the viewership is there... if it's done right. They could be an independent, how WGNX-TV (now WGCL) was before Tribune got the CBS affiliation after WAGA dumped it, mixing TBS-style movies with Billy Graham-esqe specials mixed in. Throw in a news product that covers from Gainesville to Helen, Athens to Hartwell, Greenville-Spartanburg to Asheville, then you might have a station that shows up on both Neilsen books! They've got a big intern-pool potential with UGA, Clemson and USC Spartanburg all within an hour's drive, which isn't much (speaking as an Atlanta resident).

 

[carolinaradio]

Good for them.....too bad they aren't selling WSPA and WYCW in Greenville. I don't care for how Media General runs things, personally (especially how they make their stations use those so-so news graphics).

 

[fortmill]

Good for them.....too bad they aren't selling WSPA and WYCW in Greenville. I don't care for how Media General runs things, personally (especially how they make their stations use those so-so news graphics).

At least WSPA doesn't air "The 700 Club" in the middle of the day like almost all Media General properties do--I suppose it is on WYCW instead. Like almost all MG stations, WSPA news is a poor number 3 in the ratings---even SINclair's WLOS beats them! You're right, WSPA's graphics are really bad---and all MG stations use them---except, I wonder, does powerhouse WFLA use the "half moon" logo?

 

[azumanga]

WSPA's graphics are really bad---and all MG stations use them---except, I wonder, does powerhouse WFLA use the "half moon" logo?

Yes they do, though they've since revamped their graphics after they started broadcasting their news in HD.

And there are very few MG stations affiliated with the Big 3 that doesn't use the corporate "half moon" logo -- Lexington's WTVQ, one of the stations on the block, no longer uses such a logo.

 

[Markxxx]

I figured WNEG was affliated because Atlanta's CBS was on a weaker UHF station. I wonder if CBS will want it after the switch to digital where the UHF won't matter

 

[chuckydoll]

The only reason WNEG has a CBS affiliation is because it is sister to WSPA-TV.

The Fox-New World merger in the mid-90's pushed CBS to UHF in Atlanta. That was long before Media General purchased WSPA-TV.

WNEG-32 fills a coverage hole for CBS between the ATL and Greenville/Spartanburg. As a bonus, WNEG has cable coverage in Clarke County (home to UGA) and Hall County (now an ATL exurb).

Were CBS to pull the affiliation the new owners of WNEG would have the network in court and before the FCC. Also, going independent is iffy given the economics of the industry.

 

[bpatrick]

Interesting thing about WNEG, their city of license, Tocoa GA, is part ot the Greenville-Spartanburg DMA, so they are carried on Dish and Direct throughout that market, which means they are available to thousands of homes throughout western NC and the upstate of SC (Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville is a huge market geographically, and ranked #35). Meanwhile, most of their actual viewing area is northwest GA, most of which is in the Atlanta market so a majority of their potential viewers can't see them on satelite. I would doubt Media General would get rid of WNEG, since whoever got them would automatically be in competition with their WSPA-TV for CBS viewers on satelite throughout the G/S/A market.

NorthWEST Georgia? Last time I looked Toccoa was in NorthEAST Georgia.
Northwest Georgia has to depend pretty much on WDEF for CBS; I was in
Dalton a few years back and couldn't get WGCL on cable; I had two ABC
stations (WSB and WTVC), two NBC (WRCB and WXIA), two Fox (WAGA
and WDSI), but one CBS.

 

[jal41]

NorthWEST Georgia? Last time I looked Toccoa was in NorthEAST Georgia.
Northwest Georgia has to depend pretty much on WDEF for CBS; I was in
Dalton a few years back and couldn't get WGCL on cable; I had two ABC
stations (WSB and WTVC), two NBC (WRCB and WXIA), two Fox (WAGA
and WDSI), but one CBS.

Dalton (Whitfield County) is in the Chattanooga DMA, not Atlanta. As such, satellite customers living in Whitfield County cannot get the Atlanta channels. I don't see the cable company adding a station like WGCL that would attract zero viewers.

Dalton is only 20 miles from Chattannoga. I am surprised any of the stations (especially WTVC) have take any actions to remove the Atlanta stations from cable lineups. The cable systems in the counties just to the south are in the Atlanta DMA, and have WGCL (and WDEF) on their systems.

WDEF was owned by Media General until last year, when it was sold to make room for the four former NBC O&O's they acquired.

 

[bpatrick]

You may have missed my point. Fortmill said that
most of WNEG's coverage area is in northwest Georgia,
but I've never seen or heard tell of any cable system
northwest of Atlanta carrying it.

And when I was in Dalton, I was watching cable,
not satellite, so it wouldn't surprise me if DirecTV
or Dish Network let viewers there have only Chattanooga
channels. I live in the Raleigh/Durham DMA, about three miles
from the start of Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High
Point, and DirecTV allows me only the Triangle
stations plus WFMY and WGHP from the Triad.

One thing's for sure: if I ran WTVC I'd want WSB off
the cable on the Georgia side of the Chattanooga
market. Slaying the monster, if you know what I mean.

 

[Kent]

Dalton is only 20 miles from Chattannoga. I am surprised any of the stations (especially WTVC) have take any actions to remove the Atlanta stations from cable lineups.

They can't invoke must-carry on all of those because WSB-TV and WAGA are significantly viewed in Whitfield County. Significantly viewed out-of-market stations can't be bumped from cable, though the cable systems don't have to carry them either.

 

[daryll]

WGCL's Performance

I don't see how the adjacent market CBS affiliates impact WGCL. The issues surrounding CBS 46's anemic stand in the ratings have nothing to do with neighboring markets. Sure, some viewership in the fringe Atlanta DMA counties like Putnam County, Georgia heavily favor 13WMAZ Macon for CBS programming and the 26 hours each week of Eyewitness News. 13WMAZ is the most-watched station in Putnam County but WSB, WAGA and WXIA's cumulative audience force the county into the Atlanta market. However, the Atlanta metro area has the super majority of diaries/people meters/sampling and so forth in the Nielsen reports. With the monster-strong CBS prime line-up of this decade, WGCL should have killer late news numbers but they are still modest at best. Simply put, Meredith cannot figure out what to do with 46 and the on-air look/news talent shows it. When you change logos/station names/lead anchors seven to eight times in twelve years, people don't know who you or your news product. By the way, WSB has used the same gold "2" on a blue field since October 1985, WXIA has had their logo since Labor Day 1993 and WAGA has certainly done an outstanding job of branding FOX in the minds of the viewers since the December 12, 1994 affiliation swap. Cheap and inconsistent will never win in the major market TV ratings wars.

 

[FloydB]

Amen to that

 

[MarkL]

From what I remember from the old TV Guide listings, WNEG used to be an independent channel until at least the mid-1990s.

And I've always found it interesting how WNEG still uses the old logo that looks like WSPA's logo from when they were still owned by Spartan Communications.

The best thing about WNEG is how they sometimes run different NFL games than WSPA... making more games avaliable to the entire Greenville/Spartanburg market on satellite.

 

[carolinaradio]

Why is the graphics package that Media General apparently forces on their affiliates so lousy?? They are definately last in the Greenville/Spartanburg (with WSPA 7 at least) market in that regard. They're just so plain and just dull looking. Seems they could do better. WJBF in Augusta uses that package as well.....does WNEG?