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Raycom buys WWSB Sarasota and WTXL Tallahassee

mvcg66b3r

mvcg66b3r

Calkins Media is exiting the broadcast TV business, having agreed to sell its three small-market ABC affiliates to Raycom Media and its duopoly partner, according to a memo to station staffers from Calkins CEO Mark Contreras obtained by TVNewsCheck.

Under the agreement, Raycom will buy Calkins Florida stations, WWSB Sarasota and WTXL Tallahassee. American Spirit Media will buy WAAY Huntsville, Ala., which will presumably be operated in tandem with Raycom's NBC affiliate in Huntsville, WAFF.

The memo did not mention a sale price. FCC filings that would include the price have not yet been made.
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http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/93837/calkins-selling-3-tvs-exiting-broadcasting

Raycom and Scripps are partners in Palm Beach and Boise, now they'll have separate ABC affiliates in the Tampa Bay DMA. Do you think Raycom will make a deal with Scripps to give up ABC on WWSB?

And in Tallahassee, do you think Raycom will snatch NBC from Sinclair's WTWC and put it on WTXL's subchannel, leaving WTWC with FOX?


Crossposted to Tampa-St Petersburg TV board
 
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Hmmm... The NBC affiliation is up for renewal in Tallahassee this year, if I'm not mistaken. Raycom snatching it wouldn't be a total surprise. They have a similar arrangement in Albany, GA (the DMA immediately north) on WALB; NBC is on 10.1 and ABC on 10.2.

In the case of WWSB, they could make it a go of it... Or strike up a deal with Scripps to operate it.
 
Fox49 and NBC 40 consolidated their operations over a year ago; 49's staff moved into 40's building, and only the master control remains at 49 (around the corner from WTXL). It would be unlikely for Raycom to acquire the NBC affiliation in Tallahassee.
 
I don't know if this will give anyone a clue as to what is going on with WWSB ABC 7 (channel 40) in Sarasota, but just within the last 3 or 4 days, they have added 40.2 and now it is 40.2-QVC; not sure if this is going to be permanent as a money maker or if the QVC is just a placeholder. WWSB was the last holdout for a full power TV station in the area, not to have a least one sub-channel. If I didn't have an indoor antenna along with my cable, I would have never known this "factoid"!
 
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drt said:
I don't know if this will give anyone a clue as to what is going on with WWSB ABC 7 (channel 40) in Sarasota, but just within the last 3 or 4 days, they have added 40.2 and now it is 40.2-QVC; not sure if this is going to be permanent as a money maker or if the QVC is just a placeholder. WWSB was the last holdout for a full power TV station in the area, not to have a least one sub-channel. If I didn't have an indoor antenna along with my cable, I would have never known this "factoid"!
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It's not on RabbitEars yet, and QVC is still on ION 66.5. This would give Tampa Bay two places to watch QVC OTA.
http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=61251#station
http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=6601#station
 
Yes, QVC is still on ION 66.5 as well........ How lucky could one be to be able to watch QVC on two different channels! I was switching back and forth between 40.2 and 66.5 to see if one might be slightly different or on a time delay but both were broadcasting the same exact thing at the same time. For what it's worth, Sarasota/Bradenton is part of the Tampa/St Petersburg TV market but Sarasota/Bradenton is also a sub-market and at one time it was a necessity since the Tampa ABC affiliate channel 10 was about 35 miles north of St. Pete, on a short stick (500 feet) and only 100,000 watts, it's signal did not even reach parts of St. Petersburg, let alone Sarasota or Bradenton...... Thus WXLT was born as the ABC affiliate for the southern part of the "suncoast".....WXLT (XLT=40 in Latin) later became WWSB. I know the station has been financially strapped and was the last station in the area to broadcast it's news and other local programs in HD and a few years ago, they almost lost their ABC affiliation......but many petitions and pleas from Sarasota area residents and businesses saved them from having to sign off or become an independent.

Btw- channel 36 WDNP is a station I have never picked up since I got the indoor antenna last July, which is now scanning 56 channels instead of 55, with 40.2 being added. (Indoor antenna is the Ulitmate Leaf, which is physically attached to an outside window).

How often is rabbitears updated?
 
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seedless said:
Is QVC trying to invade HSN's backyard?
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Wouldn't be surprised if QVC is trying to invade HSN's own backyard and wondering if HSN is placed on some OTA channels near QVC's headquarters. I'm imagine with so many people shopping on the internet now, that both QVC and HSN aren't doing the volume they used to and they are probably each trying to do what they can to keep up with changing technology.

40.2 and 66.5 both remain QVC as of today.
 
mvcg66b3r said:
Is Raycom going to put QVC on some of its other stations?
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I don't have a clue....... Hopefully someone does and can enlighten us; as far as I'm concerned there are already so many shopping channels and infoorcommercials , I would hope that 40.2 is just broadcasting QVC until they can get something better to fill the airwaves.
 
drt said:
Yes, QVC is still on ION 66.5 as well........ How lucky could one be to be able to watch QVC on two different channels!
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Minneapolis is same way
KPXM-DT5 (Ion) has it and when DTV America re-lit back up KBMD-LD 43 they added QVC to 43-5 AND QVC Plus on 43-6 (Plus is just a 3 hour delay of the main feed)

How often is rabbitears updated?
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When Trip gets info on changes ;)
 
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