Tribune Files Bankruptcy

[Rollo-Smokes]

What triopoly? Fox would have to sell one station to be within the guidelines. I'll bet it will be KCOP and WPWR for sale (and WWOR since you mentioned it).

My point was this: Why would Fox purchase a Tribune station, in the markets in which they both compete in (NYC, L.A., Chicago, D.C., Dallas, etc.) for the sole purpose of flipping it to the main Fox network?

They could have done that already with their second stations (WWOR-TV, KCOP, WPWR-TV, WDCA, KDFI-TV, etc.) if they wanted to -- instead of creating MyNetworkTV which, as has been noted elsewhere on this board, is currently kicking CW's donkey hide in the Nielsen department. And what makes you think they'd sell their MyNetwork O&Os just to buy the Tribune stations to do essentially the same thing?

As for the TV triopoly thing, there is a precedent with NBC owning KNBC, KWHY-TV, and KVEA in Los Angeles (even though the latter two stations speak en Espanol). But the clock may be ticking on that one. Don't look for the incoming FCC to ever create one of those again.

 

[jal41]

News Corp doesn't seem to be interested in buying additional local TV stations over the ones that they already own. So it seems unlikely that they'd be interested in any of the Tribune stations.

News Corp., like Tribune, just sold some stations recently. There is an economic crisis on...and Murdoch just bought the Wall Street Journal. I would count them out.

Look for a private equity TV group to come in and take them, whether together or seperately. But there is no credit thanks to the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the other investment banks.

Sam Zell is going to have to sit on everything for as long as possible until the economic crisis is over. Some of the newspapers may be sold if able buyers can come forward, but I don't think there will be any major news for a while. If he is not able to wait it out, look for TV stations like WGN at bargain basement prices...which might change the game.