The owner of Fox affiliates KLJB Davenport, Iowa; KPEJ Odessa, Texas; and KMSS Shreveport, La., earlier this year sued Nexstar over SSA deals.
Marshall Broadcasting Group, owned by Pluria Marshall Jr., has filed suit against Nexstar Broadcasting in the New York State Supreme Court. Marshall alleges that Nexstar sold it three TV stations only to gain FCC approval of other station sales then attempted to “hobble” those stations so it could ultimately re-acquire them at a bargain basement price. “The allegations made by MBG … are spurious and without merit,” said Nexstar in a statement.
A black-owned TV company sued Nexstar Media Group on Wednesday, accusing the company of sabotaging its efforts to operate independently. Marshall Broadcasting Group owns three Fox affiliates in Odessa, Texas; Shreveport, La.; and Davenport, Iowa. The company, owned by Pluria Marshall Jr., bought the stations from Nexstar in 2014, as Nexstar was looking to divest in order to win FCC approval for a series of acquisitions.
It took over a year, but the agency finally approved Nexstar’s $87.5 million acquisition of seven Grant stations with one being spun off to minority-owned Marshall Broadcasting. Marshall will own and operate KLJB Quad Cities-Davenport, Iowa, with the help of sales and shared services agreements with Nexstar.
In urging the FCC to OK the proposed JSA waivers involving Nexstar and Marshall Broadcasting, the group wants the FCC to subject approval of the deal to annual reporting requirements as well as other conditions. The critical question for NABOB, for this deal and any others, according to the association’s filing: “Is this transaction designed to produce a free-standing, independent broadcast operation at the conclusion of the JSA agreement?”
Nexstar Selling 3 Fox Affils For $58.5 Million
Minority-owned Marshall Broadcasting Group, headed by Pluria Marshall, will launch new local news and sports programming at the Fox affiliates in Shreveport, La.; Odessa-Midland, Texas; and KLJB Quad Cities, Iowa, as well as minority oriented public affairs programming.
