Bonten Media Group

The deal will add Bonten Media Group’s 14 stations in eight markets that reach approximately 1% of the U.S. TV households. Sinclair’s total coverage now stands at 39.6%.

Bonten’s 29-year veteran David Caldwell will oversee KTXS and KTES-LP Abilene and KTXE San Angelo following the death of Bud Brown. 

The station owner’s chief financial officer will continue in those duties, as he takes on an expanded role.

Randy Bongarten, CEO of Bonten Media, says that despite the many challenges facing TV station owners including revense comp and growing competition from an increasing number of sources, broadcasters can thrive if they see themselves less as TV distributors and more as local TV producers and marketers.

With the new station groups, 80% of U.S. homes can watch streaming local news anytime, anyplace. The announcement follows a similar deal with Tribune Media announced last month, which gave Watchup access to video content from 30 of Tribune’s broadcast stations.

Bonten Media Group is a relatively small broadcaster in markets like Abilene, Texas, and Missoula, Mont., but Daria Rachlin, its SVP of digital media, says that’s no excuse to sit on the digital sidelines. In an interview with NetNewsCheck, she explains the particular challenges of smaller markets, especially in crucial areas like mobile, and how essential top executive buy in is for a robust digital future.

Its stations and those of Esteem Broadcasting are back on the satellite provider after being off since Dec. 8.

Sixteen stations (which include stations it provides services for) from NYC-based Bonten Media went dark for Dish Network subscribers over a retransmission contract impasse over the weekend.

Dish Network and Bonten Media Group are negotiating a new carriage contract, with the existing agreement set to expire Saturday. NBC Montana channels, including KECI Missoula, have been warning viewers about a possible disruption in service.

With these stations from Bonten, Cocola and Maranatha, the classic film multicast channel’s clearances rise to 42% of the U.S.

Existing Internet Broadcasting clients extend full-service agreements and expand mobile, social, video and development platform services

The leverage being carried by television station owner Bonten Media Group is higher than Moody’s Investor Service likes, and its lack of scale increases its vulnerability to any kind of serious reversal, but that said, the leverage is shrinking and the company’s latest Moody’s report card is good.

$165 million of debt and equity capital raised to repay existing debt.

Through joint sales and shared services agreements, Bonten will operate two stations its partner Esteem Broadcasting is buying in Chico-Redding and Eureka.

The former news director of WETM Elmira, N.Y., Scott Nichols, will head up news operations at WCTI New Bern, WFXI Morehead City and WYDO Greenville.

Among the Media Financial Management Association’s picks of executives to watch, Bonten Media’s CFO William “Scott” Moody demonstrates a capacity for identifying the issues executives will need to address at stations and companies to ensure their success in the coming year. Chief among them is understanding and nurturing the linkage between operations and finance.

The broadcasters says it hasn’t been able to agree to terms with Time Warner Cable for carriage of WCTI and WFXI-WYDO, as the Dec. 31 deadline nears.

WCTI AND WFXI-WYDO will air a two-hour tornado recovery and relief special on April 21.

Multi-screen media measurement firm Rentrak Corp. today announced a multiyear agreement with Bonten Media Group for Rentrak’s  StationView Essentials electronic measurement service. Bonten will use StationView Essentials at its Tri-Cities, Tenn.-Va. duopoly of WCYB (NBC) and WEMT (Fox). “We strongly believe in the value local television brings to advertisers and Rentrak’s database measurement process brings […]