Newport Television

The commission cites KTVX Salt Lake City for broadcasting a private telephone conversation. Then-owner Newport admits violating FCC rules prohibiting broadcasters from invading consumer privacy and failing to respond promptly to investigative requests.

In a new deal with Newport Television, Sinclair is adding an ABC affiliate in upstate New York. That came as Sinclair closed on other Newport stations and other transactions.

The purchase of the NBC affiliate from Newport Television will give it an operating duopoly in the Oregon market along with its KVAL, the CBS affil.

Shield Media, owned by Sheldon Galloway, is buying Fox affiliate WXXA for $19.4 million from Newport Television with the intention of entering shared services and joint sales agreements with Young Broadcasting’s ABC affiliate, WTEN.

The group owned by Providence Equity has deals with Nexstar for 12 stations, Sinclair for six and Cox for four. It’s still looking for buyers for its remaining five stations.

With four significant TV station group deals within the past year, there is a growing number of groups up for sale. But right now few buyers are willing to pay the multiples that the sellers are demanding. “Owners are either going to have to take lower prices and come out under water or hold stations for another two years,” says broker Larry Patrick.

Newport Television’s NBC affiliate made the switch to HD news with a new set over the weekend. The set, designed by Devlin Design Group, features a number of video displays and a Weather Central weather system. You can watch anchor Greg Peterson showing off the new digs here.

Providence Equity Partners is shopping Newport Television, the group of 56 television stations it acquired in 2008, to potential buyers, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

Newport Television-owned stations in Harrisburg, Pa.; Albany, N.Y.; and Syracuse, N.Y., have been restored to local Verizon FiOS systems over the weekend after the two companies reached a new retransmission deal.

The mired-in-last-place Newport Television-owned ABC affiliate is once again shaking up its news anchors in an attempt to gain some traction in the local TV news wars. In the recently completed November sweeps, it remained a distant fourth-place in the late-news ratings. It’s also killing the 10 p.m. newscast it produces for CW affiliate KUCW, which Newport also operates.

The latest buy for the computer billionaire is Me-TV affiliate KVOS. Terms were not disclosed. Earlier this year, he purchased KFFV Seattle and KTLN San Francisco.

High-yield bond analysts Bishop Cheen and Davis Hebert provided some insight into the privately held Newport Television. They wrote that Newport’s 3Q revenues were in line with expectations at $70.6 million — down 5% from political ad-fueled 3Q of 2010. And they said “4Q core ad revenue is pacing up 4.1% with auto pacing better than the core.”

Newport Television is getting $1.1 million for KTVF Fairbanks, Alaska, according to an FCC filing. The sale of the NBC affiliate to Chena Broadcasting, a local group headed by Michael Young, was announced last week.

The buyer is headed by Michael Young, a one-time member of the municipal assembly. Terms were not disclosed.

Fox affiliate KSAS Wichita owner Newport Television filed suit Thursday in District Court against  Sunflower Broadcasting, parent of CBS affil KWCH, alleging that KWCH has stopped producing KSAS’ 9 p.m. newscast live, as required by contract. Instead, the suit says, KWCH is recording the KSAS newscast in advance and producing a live 9 p.m. newscast for KWCH’s sister station, CW affiliate KSCW.

The buyer of the San Francisco station is the largest affiliate group of Spanish-language Azteca America. The seller is High Plains Broadcasting, whose stations in San Francisco and five other markets are operated by Newport Television in duopolies.

The group says that Newport Television’s demand that it stop using station logos as part of its campaign against virtual duopolies is not a violation of copyright law, but “a clear and outrageous attempt to intimidate Free Press, and to silence commentary on this important issue.”

The redesigned station websites with new content sections and other features have increased advertiser visibility and boosted both visits and page views.

The agreement covering 10 of Newport Television’s 22 markets increases the music network’s reach to more than 45 million TV homes, nearly 40% of total homes.

Newport Television’s ABC affiliate WSYR Syracuse, N.Y. (DMA 82), launched local news broadcasts in high definition using JVC Professional Products Co.’s ProHD cameras both in its studio and for ENG work. The new JVC cameras were part of a major overhaul for the station that included the construction of a new control room, as well […]

TV stations are rolling out apps for smart phones and tablets with the support of technology and software vendors, hoping that the apps will eventually provide a substantial, new source of advertising revenue. Although advertising is the most common way of monetizing apps, some are also experimenting with modest monthly subscription fees.

Often with the help of outside companies that provide software and support, broadcasters are finding that Groupon-like group buying deals and rewards programs are a valuable new source of revenue — a good way to bring in smaller, local businesses like massage therapists that may not be able to afford traditional on-air spot campaigns.