Gray Television

Increases in local, national and Internet revenue as well as higher retrans money can’t hold off lower political ad dollars.

Multi-screen media measurement firm Rentrak Corp. today announced that Gray Television has signed a multi-year contract for Rentrak’s StationView Essentials service for five of its stations. The new station are […]

Attempts to solve problems associated with the DTV transition have failed to resolve reception problems by some viewers of Gray Television’s WJHG, so the company has asked the FCC for permission to move the NBC affiliate from ch. 7 to ch. 18.

Gray Television Inc. has chosen Matrix Solutions’ Web-based CRM and sales analytics software. Gray operates 36 television stations serving 30 markets and operates 40 subchannels. Gray will be using Matrix […]

Since entering a long-term technology partnership with Ross Video in 2010, Gray Television has purchased 18 OverDrive automated production control systems, with more implementations planned in the future. “I have […]

The TV group’s management says eventually it will look to add stations, but for now it’s focusing on dealing with its roughly $830 million in debt and lowering its debt to cash flow ratio.

The increase to $76.2 million is powered by gains in local (4%), national (3%), retrans (8%) and Internet (56%).

Gray Television’s Colorado Springs station has seen a lot of changes in on-air personnel lately. Now it’s undergoing a management makeover as well. Nick Matesi, VP-GM of Gray’s KOLO Reno, Nev., is returning to KKTV to lead the CBS affiliate.

Performance is pulled down because of lack of political and Olympics advertising. Local, retrans and Internet money all posted gains.

WEAU-TV today reported that its tower located in Eau Claire county came down last night around 8:30 PM local time, during the station’s telecast of The Biggest Loser. WEAU is the Gray Television-owned NBC affiliate. No one was reported injured when the structure fell.

The news director at the Panama City, Fla., NBC affiliate was relieved of his duties Tuesday during the 5 p. m. newscast, according to sources.  Wildman had join the Gray Television station from Macon, Ga., WMGT just last year.

Tech VP Jim Ocon implemented that Gray model at WOWT Omaha and is rolling it out across all the company’s 36 stations. Its focus is getting all the stations on the same page technically, including greater use of automation, upgrading to HD news production and a steady push toward IP-friendly, open format equipment. He also says Gray will be very aggressive with its mobile rollout once receiving devices are available. “We see this as the future.”

Academic Clay Christensen, Greater Media’s Peter Smyth and Gray Television’s Robert Prather emphasized that every employee’s input is valuabe to traditional media companies wanting to make a smooth and successful transformation into digital media companies: “What you want to do is create the environment where people have the ability to think,” Smyth said.

After a record fourth quarter, the station group is focused on paying down debt in anticipation of the seven Young stations it’s managing going on the market. “If it’s possible to acquire them at a reasonable price without increasing leverage, that’s something we’d be interested in,” said Gray President Robert Prather.

The climb to $114.6 million is powered by political ad and retransmission consent revenue increases along with improved local and Internet ad results.

WorldNow, an online technology, content and revenue-solutions company for local media, today announced it has have signed a multi-year video extension with Gray Television.  Gray Television’s upcoming deployment of WorldNow’s […]

It turns out it’s broadcast veteran Tony Cassara (left) along with other New Young’s board members Tom Sullivan, Sheldon Galloway and Kevin Shea. The board gets an assist from Young President Deborah McDermott who oversees KRON San Francisco, WATE Knoxville, Tenn., and WLNS Lansing, Mich. Cassara says the $2.2 million annual management contract with Gray Television is really an advisory agreement. “They do not manage our stations,” Cassara says. “The general managers of those seven stations report to the board.”

Gray Television’s CBS affiliate in Augusta, Ga. started broadcasting its local news in high definition at noon Monday, becoming the first television station in Augusta to do so, according to the station.

The Gray-owned CBS affiliate in Lincoln-Hastings-Kearney, Neb., decided that it could secure its place by better serving the community when things were at their worst. It took advantage of the “bunker mentality” that has gripped other broadcasters, hiring news pros who had been ousted from larger markets, increasing its staff and launching a variety of new shows, a subchannel newscast and a website, momseveryday.com, that will serve as a model for similar sites on other Gray stations.

Gray Television Inc. today announced that during the year ended Dec. 31, 2010, it used cash from operations to make a total of $50.2 million in payments on its outstanding debt balances. Based upon preliminary unaudited information for 2010, Gray believes its outstanding indebtedness approximates $826.7 million composed of approximately $467.8 million of amounts outstanding under its senior secured credit facility and $358.9 million of amounts outstanding under its 10.5% senior secured second lien notes (excluding approximately $6.1 million of unamortized original issue discount).

Gray Television hires the former KDAF newsman Anthony Maisel to head up news at its CBS affiliate in Sherman, Texas-Ada, Okla.

Political ad increases of 422%, coupled with greater local, national and Internet advertising, plus higher retrans money push total to $85 million.