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NBC selling stations (WJAR and WVIT)?

O

odomski

Guest
I just read on FTVLive that NBC is selling some of their "smaller" stations. The site reports this sale includes WVIT in Hartford. Another gossip site is reporting WJAR is also going to be sold. Evidently, as of now, nothing is written in blood on this...just something we'll have to wait and see what happens!
 
WNCN/Raleigh, WCMH/Columbus, WVTM/Birmingham, and WJAR/Providence will be sold.

> I just read on FTVLive that NBC is selling some of their
> "smaller" stations. The site reports this sale includes
> WVIT in Hartford. Another gossip site is reporting WJAR is
> also going to be sold. Evidently, as of now, nothing is
> written in blood on this...just something we'll have to wait
> and see what happens!
>
 
> WNCN/Raleigh, WCMH/Columbus, WVTM/Birmingham, and
> WJAR/Providence will be sold.

---------------

This is a surprise to me. I thought NBC 10 was a solid performer. Number 1 Newscast in the market. Why sell? Now I fear that some 2nd rate corporation will purchase WJAR and the station will go downhill. On the other hand perhaps the station could further improve under the right ownership..... although I don't really see how. When you are already at the top there is only one direction you can go from there. Very interesting.


John<P ID="signature">______________
Awsome Voiceovers for your station.
JohnChartier.com
206-600-2629
</P>
 
WJAR-10 is Rhode Island's dominant television station, and will likely net the highest sale price of the NBC O&O's being sold.

This is a link to an article from Broadcasting and Cable.com (registration may be required) on the sale. The article suggests NBC might get $600 million from selling the four stations being put up for sale.

Given WJAR's dominance in it's market, I think it alone would fetch almost half that figure.

I don't think this is the entire story: I think NBC may be building-up a "war chest" to buy stations in larger markets. Boston (now the #5 television market) is the largest TV market where NBC's affiliate isn't a network-owned station. Could this sale be a prelude to a possible NBC purchase of WHDH-7 Boston (as well as WDIV-4 Detroit and WXIA-11 Atlanta, the only other NBC affiliates in top-ten markets that are not network-owned)??
 
Re: Prediction?

> I just read on FTVLive that NBC is selling some of their
> "smaller" stations. The site reports this sale includes
> WVIT in Hartford. Another gossip site is reporting WJAR is
> also going to be sold. Evidently, as of now, nothing is
> written in blood on this...just something we'll have to wait
> and see what happens!
>
>
>WPXQ is still operated by WJAR if I am correct.An indepented outlet will buy WJAR keep it NBC and flip WPXQ to WB. giving WJAR the advantage it had when it operated WLWC (28). WJAR was affiliated with WB and if it goes as a package deal I can see this happening.

Then again FOX can purchase WJAR leaving NBC to move to WNAC. Not sure how the WPRI people would do news in that case.
 
The magic number?

> I don't think this is the entire story: I think NBC may be
> building-up a "war chest" to buy stations in larger markets.
> Boston (now the #5 television market) is the largest TV
> market where NBC's affiliate isn't a network-owned station.
> Could this sale be a prelude to a possible NBC purchase of
> WHDH-7 Boston (as well as WDIV-4 Detroit and WXIA-11
> Atlanta, the only other NBC affiliates in top-ten markets
> that are not network-owned)??
>

YUP!!!!!!!!!!!
The quesiton becomes this: What is the "magic number" that NBC-Universal would need to offer Mr. Ansin for him to say "yes?"
 
Re: The magic number?

> > I don't think this is the entire story: I think NBC may be
>
> > building-up a "war chest" to buy stations in larger
> markets.
> > Boston (now the #5 television market) is the largest TV
> > market where NBC's affiliate isn't a network-owned
> station.
> > Could this sale be a prelude to a possible NBC purchase of
>
> > WHDH-7 Boston (as well as WDIV-4 Detroit and WXIA-11
> > Atlanta, the only other NBC affiliates in top-ten markets
> > that are not network-owned)??
> >
>
> YUP!!!!!!!!!!!
> The quesiton becomes this: What is the "magic number" that
> NBC-Universal would need to offer Mr. Ansin for him to say
> "yes?"

Yeah, that's probably exactly what's going to happen. A few things though...

1) NBC Uni isn't going to sell 'JAR until they have a concrete deal for WHDH. That's going to come before or at the same time as a sale of WJAR; definitely not after.

2) If NBC doesn't come to terms with Sunbeam, I doubt they'd sell WJAR at all. Boston and Providence/New Bedford overlap south of Boston, so they'd have at least some minimal reach in the Boston area, which is better than none at all.

3) If 'HDH ends up being a no-deal, anybody else think they might make a hefty offer to H-A for WCVB? I know that's a long shot, but if Ansin doesn't want to let go of 'HDH, it may just be something they might think about.

4) Assuming 'JAR winds up on the block for certain, who's buying them? Yes, 10's going to go at a premium, but who's footing the bill? Nexstar quickly comes to mind. Anybody else...?<P ID="signature">______________
FPXMedia: TV, Radio, and Anything Else
FPX Radio - Coming Soon!
Be Mused...</P>
 
The magic number is...

> The quesiton becomes this: What is the "magic number" that
> NBC-Universal would need to offer Mr. Ansin for him to say
> "yes?"

No, the magic number is 39%. That's the cap on household reach for a single U.S. television owner. NBC was skating pretty close to that cap already. Selling these stations will bring them down a couple of percentage points, which is enough to add perhaps one of the big markets they're missing, but certainly not all three.

Incidentally, Providence (#48) is the smallest market that's being sold. Columbus (#34), Birmingham (#40) and Raleigh-Durham (#29) are all larger than Providence (#48). Raleigh-Durham got there through sheer growth; Birmingham got there by absorbing two neighboring markets, Anniston and Tuscaloosa. <P ID="signature">______________
Tower Site Calendar 2006 JUST RELEASED! - <a target="_blank" href=http://www.fybush.com/nerw.html#calendar>www.fybush.com</a></P>
 
> I don't think this is the entire story: I think NBC may be
> building-up a "war chest" to buy stations in larger markets.
> Boston (now the #5 television market) is the largest TV
> market where NBC's affiliate isn't a network-owned station.
> Could this sale be a prelude to a possible NBC purchase of
> WHDH-7 Boston (as well as WDIV-4 Detroit and WXIA-11
> Atlanta, the only other NBC affiliates in top-ten markets
> that are not network-owned)??

KPRC Ch. 2 in Houston (which is Market #10 by a hair over Detroit - a virtual tie, though) is owned by Post-Newsweek, as is WDIV Detroit. WXIA Atlanta is owned by Gannett.
 
Re: The magic number is...

> > The quesiton becomes this: What is the "magic number" that
>
> > NBC-Universal would need to offer Mr. Ansin for him to say
>
> > "yes?"
>
> No, the magic number is 39%. That's the cap on household
> reach for a single U.S. television owner. NBC was skating
> pretty close to that cap already. Selling these stations
> will bring them down a couple of percentage points, which is
> enough to add perhaps one of the big markets they're
> missing, but certainly not all three.
>
>

Even without selling those 4 stations, NBC U could still acquire WHDH without going over the limit. With the FCC's UHF discount, NBC U is currently is at 34% of national homes. (Without UHF discount, they're at 39.)

Besides, WHDH is not for sale. End of story.



Station Market (affiliate; ch.) FCC Coverage %

WNBC New York (NBC; 4) 1 ---- 6.786
WNJU New York (Tel.; 47) 1

KNBC Los Angeles (NBC; 4) 2 ---- 5.010
KWHY Los Angeles (Tel.; 22) 2
KVEA Los Angeles (Tel.; 52) 2


WMAQ Chicago (NBC; 5) 3 ------- 3.152
WSNS Chicago (Tel.; 44) 3

WCAU Philadelphia (NBC; 10) 4 ----- 2.693

WNEU Boston (Tel.; 60) 5 ------- 1.103

KNTV San Francisco-Oakland (NBC; 11) 6 ----- 2.177
KSTS San Francisco-Oakland (Tel.; 48) 6

KXAS Dallas-Ft. Worth (NBC; 5) 7 ---- 2.115
KXTX Dallas-Ft. Worth (Tel.; 39) 7

WRC Washington (NBC; 4) 8 ---- 2.068

KTMD Houston (Tel.; 48) 11 ----- 0.878

KPHZ Phoenix (Tel.; 11) 15 ------- 1.473

WTVJ Miami-Ft. Lauderdale (NBC; 6) 17 ------ 1.381
WSCV Miami-Ft. Lauderdale (Tel.; 51) 17

KMAS Denver (Tel.; 24) 18 ------ 0.647

KNSD San Diego (NBC; 39) 26 ----- 0.473

WVIT Hartford-New Haven, Conn. (NBC; 30) 27 ----- 0.470

WNCN Raleigh-Durham, N.C. (NBC; 17) 29 ------ 0.446

WCMH Columbus, Ohio (NBC; 4) 34 ----- 0.800

KVDA San Antonio (Tel.; 60) 37 ------ 0.345

WVTM Birmingham, Ala. (NBC; 13) 40 ----- 0.661

WJAR Providence, R.I. (NBC; 10) 49 ----- 0.595

KBLR Las Vegas (Tel.; 39) 51 ---- 0.283

KNSO Fresno-Visalia, Calif. (Tel.; 51) 58 --- 0.244

KHRR Tucson, Ariz. (Tel.; 40) 72 ---- 0.192

WKAQ San Juan, P.R. (Tel.; 2) 999 -----
 
Re: The magic number is...

> Besides, WHDH is not for sale. End of story.
>
>

Ed Ansin said he isn't selling?
Unless there's some kind of press announcement, anything is possible.
 
Re: The magic number is...

> > Besides, WHDH is not for sale. End of story.
> >
> >
>
> Ed Ansin said he isn't selling?
> Unless there's some kind of press announcement, anything is
> possible.
>
Yes, a number of times. You weren't listening..again.
 
Re: The magic number is...

> > > Besides, WHDH is not for sale. End of story.
> > >
> > >
> >
> > Ed Ansin said he isn't selling?
> > Unless there's some kind of press announcement, anything
> is
> > possible.
> >
> Yes, a number of times. You weren't listening..again.
>

Ok, I was not aware of any. Could you post the link to any one of them please? Thanks.

After reading Scott's posts, I am retracting my agreement that WHDH could be sold to NBC. I did not realize this prediction was made before.
 
Re: The magic number is...

> > > > Besides, WHDH is not for sale. End of story.
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > > Ed Ansin said he isn't selling?
> > > Unless there's some kind of press announcement, anything
>
> > is
> > > possible.
> > >
> > Yes, a number of times. You weren't listening..again.
> >
>
> Ok, I was not aware of any. Could you post the link to any
> one of them please? Thanks.
>
> After reading Scott's posts, I am retracting my agreement
> that WHDH could be sold to NBC. I did not realize this
> prediction was made before.
>

Just remember, WSVN/Miami which Ansins have owned since 1962, lost NBC affiliation because he wouldn't sell to NBC. Just because Gallant insists
Ansin will sell, it doesn't mean he knows anything about
the Sunbeam's history of not selling.


"...That doesn't mean there haven't been inquiries. NBC and Fox were both reported to have made huge offers for the stations (NBC may have offered as much as $1.5 billion for WHDH and WSVN, according to the Boston Globe and Miami Herald). NBC and Fox both deny making offers....

....But Ansin, who also owns more than $300 million in real estate across the country (Forbes magazine listed him as one of the wealthiest Americans in 1999, a source of embarrassment for the low-profile Ansin), wants to keep the stations in the family. "My two sons [James, director of sales/marketing/promotion for WSVN; Andy, vp of Ansin's real estate holdings] are in the family business, and I expect they'll continue to run them," he says.

....With executive vp/gm Bob Leider at his side, Ansin runs both stations from his office at WSVN's Miami studio, regularly putting in 10-hour days during the week (he also flies to Boston once a month to oversee WHDH). Forget about retiring, Ansin is looking to add another station to his mini-empire, preferably a big-market station in the northeast. "It's a matter of availability," he says...."<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by Brighton Boris on 01/10/06 02:54 AM.</FONT></P>
 
WHDH is not for sale!!!

I don't understand why folks like Mr. Gallant constantly speculate that Sunbeam will sell WHDH to NBC. It's evident in discussion on this board and others that Sunbeam is NOT selling WHDH. I really wish thick-headed people would understand this. I realize that your perfect situation would be NBC running WHDH...just because you people think the networks are supposed to own their affiliate stations in every major market.
 
Re: WHDH is not for sale!!!

Looks like The New York Times is buying WJAR. What other stations does "The Times" own?


John<P ID="signature">______________
Awsome Voiceovers for your station.
JohnChartier.com
206-600-2629
</P>
 
New York Times Company stations

Stations owned by The New York Times (from the company website):

WHNT (CBS) Huntsville, AL
KFSM (CBS) Fort Smith, AR
WREG (CBS) Memphis, TN
WTKR (CBS) Norfolk, VA

WNEP (ABC) Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PA
WQAD (ABC) Moline, IL

WHO (NBC) Des Moines, IA
KFOR (NBC) Oklahoma City, OK

KAUT (UPN) Oklahoma City, OK
 
Re: WHDH is not for sale!!!

> I don't understand why folks like Mr. Gallant constantly
> speculate that Sunbeam will sell WHDH to NBC.

Because everything has its price; if not now, eventually.

> It's evident
> in discussion on this board and others that Sunbeam is NOT
> selling WHDH.

Refer to the above.

> I really wish thick-headed people would
> understand this. I realize that your perfect situation
> would be NBC running WHDH...just because you people think
> the networks are supposed to own their affiliate stations in
> every major market.

Not true. I'm of the opinion that with a couple of exceptions, NBC Uni is horrible at managing their O&O stations. When NBC purchased WJAR I thought 10 took a dive; just as 'HDH would if NBC Uni were to get their hands on it.

But, you can't argue the fact that the ideal model that networks work toward is a guaranteed and corporately-driven presence in at least the top five markets.

Boston is the least "network saturated" of the top five; it only makes sense that someone, eventually, will sell to ABC/NBC for the right price.
<P ID="signature">______________
FPXMedia: TV, Radio, and Anything Else
FPX Radio - Coming Soon!
Be Mused...</P>
 
Re: New York Times Company stations

Thanks for that list. I noticed that all those markets are pretty small. Providence may become the largest market the New York Times owns a station in if the WJAR sale goes through.



John<P ID="signature">______________
Awsome Voiceovers for your station.
JohnChartier.com
206-600-2629
</P>
 
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