Gray Television

The former GM of WDBJ Roanoke, Va., and current Gray Television executive will be honored for his contributions to journalism on Sept. 19 at the Excellence in Journalism 2016 convention in New Orleans.

Stock prices of six publicly-traded TV station groups had a rocky first half due to concerns over leverage as well as political, automotive and overall sustainability of the television business model. The companies bounced back a bit in the second quarter, but were still well below where they were on Jan. 1. Analysts, however, see signs for optimism.

With the technical demands of running TV stations and related digital media increasing and requiring new IT and IP skills, broadcasters can’t just poach new hires from competitors. Among the alternatives are actively recruiting military veterans who have a number of valuable skills, especially IP and RF experience. This is Part III of a three-part series on the challenges facing broadcasters in finding the right people for the rights jobs.  Part I focused on the impact digital is having on station sales hiring and tactics. in Part II: It used to be a given that news managers would readily move it if meant a bigger market and a larger paycheck. Not anymore. Read all the stories here.

The board of directors of Gray Television today voted unanimously to expand the board by one seat and elected Luis A. Garcia as a director. Like all Directors, Garcia’s term […]

The FCC dismisses objections of cable interests and grants a “failing station” waiver to allow Gray to add KYES Anchorage, Alaska, to its portfolio despite already owning KTUU there.

He joins the Gray CBS affiliate in Roanoke, Va., from WFLA Tampa, Fla., where he’s been executive producer since 2011.

It is acquiring ABC affiliate WBAY Green Bay, Wis., and NBC affil KWQC Davenport, Iowa, both currently owned and operated by Media General that are being divested as part of the Nexstar-Media General merger.

13. GRAY TELEVISION, Atlanta 2015 Spot Revenue: $535.3 million  Stations: 107 in 52 markets  Coverage: 9.6%  Ownership: Gray Television Inc. (NYSE: GTN)  Key Executives: Hilton Howell, president-CEO/vice chairman; Kevin Latek, EVP/chief legal and development officer; […]

Withers Broadcasting Co. is selling its CBS-Fox/CW duopoly to Gray for $26.5 million.

In its earnings call today, CFO Jim Ryan offered no specific reason for the poor April, in which both local and national were down, but said business is rebounding in May and June.

Revenue tops $173 million, driven by increased local and national sales, political, retrans and station acquisitions. Net income is $9 million. Retrans grows to $47.3 million.

One of the early adopters of the service that delivers broadcast programming over the internet, Gray has now become an investor, joining CBS, the NAB and the Consumer Technology Association.

When the acquisition of the Scottsbluff, Neb., station by Gray Television is complete, it will be rebranded as NBC Nebraska Scottsbluff and will add three weekday newscasts at noon, 6 and 10 p.m. and will overhaul tech and equipment. The station’s previous simulcast of ABC affiliate KOTA Rapid City, S.D., will move to a D2 channel.

The Georgia Supreme Court yesterday lifted a lower court injunction that had blocked Gray from assuming full control of its newly acquired WAGT Augusta, Ga. Media General had won the injunction saying it could continue operating the station under joint sales and shared services agreement with Schurz, the station’s previous owner. John Ray, GM of Gray’s other station in the market, WRDW, says Gray and Media General are “cooperating to facilitate the smooth return of WAGT to Gray’s operation and control,” according to a local report.

How far can a court go in ordering broadcasters to comply with the terms of a contract?  By trying to get a court to enforce a contract signed with a broadcaster, is the suing party infringing on a licensee’s control over its broadcast station license? These questions are addressed in a letter that the FCC released this week, sent to a federal district court in connection with a dispute between two big TV companies over the termination of a joint sales agreement between TV stations in Georgia.

Media General has incurred the wrath of the FCC for continuing to operate Gray’s WAGT Augusta, Ga., under joint sales and shared services agreements. It’s one the wackier cases I’ve seen in a long time. Media General, it seems to me, is taking a big gamble, given it’s pending $4.6 billion merger with Nexstar, and I’m not sure why.

The agency’s deputy general counsel tells a federal court that the probe is to determine whether to subject Media General to a license revocation hearing. The FCC is upset by Media General’s attempts in court to block Gray Television from ending the JSA it has with Media General for WAGT Augusta, Ga., and from selling the station in the incentive auction.

A federal judge will hear arguments this Thursday involving a contract dispute between the station’s new owner, Gray Television, and Media Gene­ral, the company that has been operating WAGT (NBC) under a long-term contract with former owner Schurz Communications. Gray, owner of Augusta’s WRDW (CBS), says the agreement dissolved when it acquired the NBC affiliate from Schurz. Media General, which owns WJBF (ABC), maintains the joint operating agreement is still in effect.

Newscasts produced by Augusta, Ga., NBC affiliate WAGT came to an end three weeks ago when the station was bought by Gray TV. But some WAGT staffers seem to have gone rogue, and continue producing NBC26 news online, via Facebook and website NBC26.tv. That site has a copyright to Media General, which sold the station to Gray last month.

Execs of the station group that made a lot of M&A news last year see a quieter 2016. Bright spots ahead include political advertising gains, money saved from its decision to take sales representation in-house and bullishness on its relationships with the networks over reverse comp and retrans.

Revenue tops $169 million, driven by increased local and national sales, retrans and station acquisitions. Net income is $6.6 million. Retrans grows to $39.5 million. Excluding acquired stations, revenue decreased 12%, to $169.5 million.

Gray Television said Tuesday that it has closed its purchase of television stations from Schurz Communications and related station acquisitions and divestitures with other parties. Gray CEO Hilton Howell said: “Today, we are thrilled to welcome the many talented individuals from the Schurz stations and WLUC to the Gray corporate family.” The acquisition cost was approximately $415.3 million.

News anchors from WJBF will no longer be able to appear on WAGT following the dissolution of a previous joint operating agreement between the two.

With the sale of WAGT Augusta, Ga., from Schurz Communications to Gray Television, some news employees have been let go. Jay Jeffries and Barclay Bishop, who, until today, were anchors of the WAGT morning show, asked viewers to file complaints with the FCC and also encouraged viewers to watch competitor ABC affiliate WJBF.

The commission approves the $442.5 million deal, granting some waivers of the local ownership rules and denying others. Among other things, it will have to terminate its JSA in Wichita, Kan.

The carriage renewals cover more than 900,000 subscribers of Big 4 network affiliates in 16 markets across the country.

Here’s a top-line summary of Gray Television’s implementation of shared services into its accounting functions, helping it to not only control expenses, but also to facilitate the integration of newly acquired stations into its operations and improve its advertiser relationships. Use it to help your stations generate the same kinds of results.

Gray Television announced today that William E. Mayher III, the chairman of the board since August 1993, died Jan. 31 in Athens, Ga.  He was 77 years old. Throughout his […]

Following the company’s recent growth, it promotes its five senior vice presidents — Jim Ryan, Kevin Latek, Bob Smith, Nick Waller and Jason Effinger.

Under the leadership of Hilton Howell and Kevin Latek, the group has flourished with top station acquisitions, savvy business moves and tech innovation. Gray’s top management team includes (l-r): Kevin Latek, SVP, business affairs; Jason Effinger, SVP, media and technology; Hilton Howell, CEO; Bob Smith, SVP, Midwest and West; and Nick Waller, SVP, mid-Atlantic and South. Here, they’re addressing Gray’s General Sales Managers Summit in Atlanta last September.

Stations — 93 Markets — 50 in 28 states Reach — 9.4% Ranked Stations — No. 1, 40; No. 2, 9 2014 revenues — $744 million 2014 BCF — $340 […]

Growing up in Waco, Texas, Hilton Hatchett Howell Jr. spent a lot of time working on his grandfather’s ranch. Turns out being a cowboy was good training for business. “My […]

Jeffrey Marks, the president-GM of CBS affiliate WDBJ Roanoke, Va., who guided the station through the shock, mourning and recovery that followed the on-air killings of two employees last year, will leave Roanoke’s top-rated TV station for a role with its new owner, Gray Television, as director of talent development.

Gray and Schurz have entered into a proposed consent decree with the DOJ that requires the divestiture of television stations in the Wichita, Kan., and South Bend, Ind., markets.

With the addition of four markets, Gray will have CW affiliates in 23 markets, making it the owner of the second-largest number of CW stations in the country.

The station group says opposition to its proposed deal for Anchorage MNT affiliate KYES Anchorage, Alaska, by telecom provider General Communication Inc. is “erroneous” and is an attempt to avoid competition.

Karen Youger and Jim Curtin, as director of sales operations and research director, respectively, will support the group owner’s new national in-house sales effort, in addition to aiding news and management teams.

Executives from major U.S. TV broadcasters like Sinclair Broadcast Group, CBS and Gray Television say their respective companies will likely participate in the FCC’s upcoming incentive auction of TV broadcasters’ 600 MHz spectrum — to varying degrees. Executives from other publicly held TV broadcasters say they will take a wait-and-see approach.

Revenue tops $151 million, driven by increased local and national sales, retrans and station acquisitions. Net income is $6.6 million. Retrans grows to $39.3 million. Excluding the acquired stations, revenue grew 2%, to $155.1 million.