Gray Television

WNDU, Gray Television’s NBC affiliate in South Bend, Ind., will launch daily news magazine program InvestigateTV+ today, an expansion of its weekend series. InvestigateTV+ will draw from all of Gray’s 113 newsrooms with a dedicated team of investigators and producers.

Gray announced in a press release the official launch of the daily news magazine program InvestigateTV+ on September 11, 2023. The program, according to the company statement, “will leverage one of the largest collections of investigative journalists in the nation to provide even more investigations that not only uncover problems but reveal and often lead to solutions.”

C-suiters from Gray Television, The Weather Group and Avid will share recommendations for how security leaders can effectively communicate the need for more cybersecurity investment to the CEO and board of directors in a special breakfast workshop at TVNewsCheck’s Cybersecurity for Broadcasters Retreat on Oct. 26 at the NAB Show New York. Register here.

In this repeat of the Talking TV episode from June 23, Brian Morris, CISO for Gray Television, says that building successful defenses against ever more frequent and sophisticated cyberattacks on broadcasters depends on having a strong culture of cybersecurity from the C-suite down. A full transcript of the conversation is included. For more information about TVNewsCheck‘s Cybersecurity for Broadcasters Retreat on Oct. 26, click here.

The network adds a new affiliate with launch of CW programming on WPCH Atlanta.

CEO Hilton Howell (pictured): “We’re especially pleased at the performance of our television stations during the quarter. Our core advertising revenue increased 4% on a year-over-year basis, with both local and national core up in low single digits on a year-over-year basis.”

The decrease to $813 million was not quite offset by increased core ad revenue. Lower retrans and political also contributed.

Gray Television taps the CBS affiliate’s general sales manager to succeed Dan Cates who has retired.

Brian Morris, CISO of Gray Television, says that building successful defenses against ever more frequent and sophisticated cyberattacks on broadcasters depends on having a strong culture of cybersecurity from the C-suite down. A full transcript of the conversation is included. For more information about TVNewsCheck‘s Cybersecurity for Broadcasters Retreat on Oct. 26, click here.

The agreement comprises seven markets acquired from Meredith Corp. and 47 legacy markets. All these will continue to be available locally to subscribers on Paramount+ and widely distributed across all traditional and virtual MVPD platforms.

The station group is moving him from Charleston-Huntington, W.Va., to succeed Matt Moran as leader of the CBS-CW duopoly in Ohio.

Marketing leaders from Cox Media Group, Graham Media Group, Gray Television and Tegna will discuss projects that get to the heart of localism and how they’ve successfully built high audience engagement around them in a TVNewsCheck Working Lunch Webinar on July 13. Register here.

Station groups including Gray, E.W. Scripps and Nexstar are increasingly drawing on their stations to contribute stories for their national reporting projects. The ensuing collaborations are having a transformative effect on news production. Pictured: Susan Campbell reporting a story for one of Gray Television’s “consumer franchises” — Did You Know? — from KOLD Tucson.

Gray Television is rolling out a distinctive motion graphics package across its stations known internally as GrayONE. The newly formed Gray Design Group, which combined the former Meredith and Gray creative services hubs into a centralized team, developed the package.

Gray Television is suing the FCC over its decision to fine the broadcaster over half a million dollars for an affiliation move in Alaska the regulator said violates its duopoly restriction. That is according to an appeal filed late Wednesday (May 24) in the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, whose jurisdiction includes Atlanta, where Gray is based.

The station group’s GM of its Cleveland tripoly will now oversee several stations in Midwest markets.

The veteran station group journalist and executive is tapped to succeed Bob Smith. Executive Chairman Hilton Howell said: “She is the natural choice to lead Gray’s unique portfolio of leading television stations.”

Kyle Rogers, news director of Gray Television’s Local News Live, explains how the streaming news service has upped its game and its polish since its relocation to Washington, D.C., and settling into a more conventionally anchored approach to stitching together local reports from around the U.S. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Hawaii News Now, a three-station news operation, has unique coverage requirements due to the state’s history and natural beauty which draws tourists. But it shares the conundrums all local TV stations are facing.

The Texas bankruptcy court overseeing Diamond Sports Group’s restructuring says the NBA franchise must first try to negotiate a new deal with Sinclair’s regional sports network subsidiary.

CEO Hilton Howell: “For the first time ever in the year before a presidential election we are receiving significant presidential ad buys from all major candidates and parties. This is a great sign for this year and for next year.”

The decrease to $801 million was fueled by lower core and political revenue and only a 1% rise in retransmission consent money.

Gray is rolling out Waymark’s tech across all its stations, letting them create video ads in five minutes or less.

Diamond Sports Group, which runs the Bally Sports regional sports networks, said that the agreement the NBA’s Phoenix Suns announced today to have games broadcast on TV stations owned by Gray Television breaches its contract with the team and violates bankruptcy law.

The “transformative rights deal” will bring every game free, over-the-air with statewide distribution.

Executives from Nexstar, Cox Media Group, Gray Television and ABC Owned Stations shared how their content businesses are evolving into 24/7 news networks, diginets, FAST channels, hyperlocal offerings and more at TVNewsCheck’s Programming Everywhere conference at NAB in Las Vegas last week. Pictured (l-r): Brad Wall, LTN Global; Adrianne Anderson, ABC Owned Stations; Steve Pruett, Cox Media Group; Sean Compton, Nexstar Media; and Pat LaPlatney, Gray Television. (Alyssa Wesley photo)

Executives from Telemundo, Scripps News, CBS News and Stations, Gray Television and SciLine shared the collaborations they’re undertaking and the places they’re taking news content beyond the conventional newscast in a panel at last week’s Programming Everywhere event at the NAB Show.

The weekday show from Gray Television will launch in Gray’s 113 markets and will be made available elsewhere starting Sept. 11.

Robert “Bob” Smith, executive VP and COO of Gray Television since 2013, resigned last Thursday (April 13). He decided to retire, the company said in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Smith started his TV career as an account executive at WEAU Eau Claire, Wis., in 1986.

New platforms from Matrix, Operative and WideOrbit aim to make local broadcast competitive with digital. Note: This story, originally published for TVNewsCheck Premium members only, is now available to everyone thanks to a sponsorship by Revenue Analytics.

Top executives from Cox Media Group, Nexstar, Gray Television and ABC Owned Stations frame up how they’re building content everywhere lineups, then branding and promoting them locally and beyond in a panel at TVNewsCheck’s Programming Everywhere conference at the NAB Show in Las Vegas on April 16. Register here.

New jobs posted to TVNewsCheck’s Media Job Center include openings for a director of sales, an account executive, a news photographer, creative services writer, a local sales manager and a photographer/editor.

Sandy Breland, Ronna Corrente, Colin Gaston, Matt Jaquint and Mike King are now senior managing vice presidents.