The veteran Knoxville executive is chosen to succeed Neal Davis as GM of WTNZ (Fox) and WKNX (independent).
The veteran leader of Lockwood Broadcast Group’s Tennessee duopoly will end his 33-year career on Aug. 5.
She moves from WVUE New Orleans to succeed Denise Vickers as head of Lockwood Broadcast Group’s Georgia Fox affiliate.
Bumping Against Cap, Station Groups Have Their M&A Wings Clipped
With no ownership cap relief in sight from the FCC, broadcasters look to pick up ones and twos along with pursuing other avenues to grow their businesses. Meanwhile, the industry waits to see if Tegna will be sold. Note: This story is available to TVNewsCheck Premium members only. If you would like to upgrade your free TVNewsCheck membership to Premium now, you can visit your Member Home Page, available when you log in at the very top right corner of the site or in the Stay Connected Box that appears in the right column of virtually every page on the site. If you don’t see Member Home, you will need to click Log In or Subscribe.
Mark Kurtz joins from Nexstar’s WAVY Norfolk, Va., where he was news director.
Marketing Openings For Brand Manager, Producer
New job posts on TVNewsCheck’s Media Job Center include an opening for a brand manager at a broadcast group’s headquarters, and a writer/producer for a station in the nation’s capital.
Exclusives
A new long-term agreement adds four newly-acquired Lockwood stations and renews a fifth.
Denise Vickers Named WFXG Augusta GM
She moves to the Lockwood Fox affiliate from WHNT Huntsville, Ala., following its spinoff as part of the Gray-Raycom merger.
Jessell | Small Owners Have A Big Place In TV
With all the talk of TV station M&A fueling groups to get ever larger, it’s easy to forget that there are still operators that feel they can do important work in their smaller local communities. Two of these owners — Lockwood Broadcast Group and Marquee Broadcasting — want to get bigger too, but not because they believe they need scale, but because they believe broadcasting on a local scale is still a good business that’s fun and lets them provide a vital community service.
Nexstar Buying Two Stations For $19.45M
It’s purchasing KRBK Springfield, Mo., and WHDF Huntsville, Ala., markets in which it already owns or operates stations. Nexstar President Tim Busch said: “The acquisitions … will allow Nexstar to generate incremental advertising and net retransmission consent revenue growth without increasing our total U.S. television household reach.”
Hearst Completes Purchase Of WCWG
The sale, announced in October 2017, gives Hearst a duopoly in the market. It also owns NBC affiliate WXII and has been operating WCWG under a shared services agreement.
Dish: Lockwood Blacks Out Super Bowl In TX
Ramping up its retrans-based rhetorical war with regional station group Lockwood Broadcast Group, Dish Network has accused the owner of KTEN Sherman, Texas, of holding the Super Bowl over the heads of its customers in the market.
Four Lockwood Broadcast Group stations are no longer available on the satellite service: KAKE Wichita, Kan. (ABC); WHDF Florance, Ala. (CW); WCWG Lexington, N.C. (CW); and KTEN Ada, Okla. (NBC, ABC, CW).
It’s exercising an option to purchase Lockwood Broadcast Group’s CW affiliate that Hearst operates under a shared services agreement.
Lockwood Broadcast Group brings him in from KETK Tyler, Texas, to lead its NBC affiliate.
The CW affiliate was just purchased by Excalibur Broadcasting from Lockwood and upon approval of the deal, Gray Television will provide it with back-office services and limited programming. Gray owns the market’s NBC affiliate WSAZ.
The purchase of the North Carolina CW affiliate will increase Lockwood’s TV station portfolio to six stations in five markets.
It has changed the call letters of WMAK to WKNX after completing the $2.95 million purchase from Daystar Television announced last November.
The acquistion of WMAK from Daystar Television will give Lockwood an independent station to go along with its CW affiliate in the market, WBXX.
In announces the management appointment after closing on its purchase of the Knoxville, Tenn., CW affiliate from Acme.
The Knoxville, Tenn., CW affiliate is being sold for $5.6 million and follows earlier sales by Acme of its Dayton, Ohio, and Green Bay-Appleton, Wis., stations.
