The newly acquired stations will manage their national ad sales in-house like the rest of Gray’s stations.
Scripps Closes On KXXV-KRHD, WTXL Buy
The spinoffs from the Gray-Raycom merger brings Scripps’ holdings to 36 TV stations in 26 markets and gives Scripps its first stations in Texas and expands its Florida presence.
The $3.6 billion merger creates another TV mega-group with stations in 92 markets reaching 24% of TV homes (or 17% with the UHF discount the FCC uses in calculating compliance with its 39% ownership cap).
FCC Grants Raycom, HITV Honolulu Renewals
The FCC has granted the license renewals of Raycom’s KHNL and KGMB, both Honolulu, and HITV’s KFVE Honolulu, denying a license challenge by Media Council Hawai’i and putting a final nail in the group’s long-standing complaint that Raycom and KITV had run afoul of local ownership rules.
Gray and Raycom must divest television stations in nine markets to receive approval of the $3.6 billion merger.
It doesn’t take an Einstein to know that in this age of streaming and on-demand viewing, linear TV notions of time and space don’t apply. But it did take a Breland — Sandy Breland, group vice president at Raycom Media — to apply that new reality to investigative reporting.
Exclusives
The Justice Department has settled with six TV station groups over what DOJ said was the “unlawful sharing of competitively sensitive” information on advertising that disrupted “the normal competitive process of spot advertising in markets across the United States.” The six: Sinclair Broadcast Group, Raycom Media, Tribune Media, Meredith Corp., Griffin Communications and Dreamcatcher Broadcasting.
Instead of looking at off-the-shelf syndicated programming, Raycom Media decided to tailor its own, a half-hour talk show featuring two comediennes. Me Time with Frangela features the team of Frances Callier and Angela V. Shelton, who have been friends for more than 20 years. Ken Reiner, Raycom’s programming VP, sees the show as an opportunity “to really look at something that’s new, unique, fun and dynamic.”
Raycom Media and partners are highlighting the work of investigative journalists while making the reporting process more transparent to audiences with a new show Post. Show host Jamie Grey discusses recent investigations with an Investigative Reporters and Editors staffer and journalists. The monthly show, which is recorded at the Reynolds Journalism Institute, features investigative projects from documentaries to newspaper data stories published by all newsroom sizes.
The Atlanta-based production company is a provider of urban content production and programming, delivering more than 60 original productions in the last six years.
InvestigateTV, Raycom Media’s OTT app, is adding a new show putting watchdog journalists in the spotlight. The show, called Post, is a new media review program presented in partnership with […]
Sales to Scripps, Tegna and Lockwood complete the divestitures designed to bring Gray’s $3,6 billion merger with Raycom into compliance with the FCC’s local ownership rules. Combined with last week’s sale of WSWG Albany, Ga., proceeds from the latest spin offs total $235.5 million.
Licensed to Pill is a one-hour special that exposes doctors betraying patients by prescribing addictive opioids to line their own pockets. It follows up on extensive investigations aired over the past year, during which time a federal raid, charges against doctors and action by Congress were all realized.
InvestigateTV, Raycom Media’s OTT app, announced a new content partnership with Investigative Network, which it describes as “a first of its kind nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to producing video- and […]
Raycom Media and Kids at Play have a new show venture — Me Time with Frangela — premiering this fall in all Raycom Media markets. The new series is the […]
Effective July 16, the Raycom station takes over the CW’s lineup from WBNX.
The digital media platform provider said it anticipates additional funding from Raycom and implements management and board changes.
Raycom Exposes High Opioid Prescribers
In a series of investigative reports, Raycom’s National Investigative Team, led by WVUE New Orleans’ Lee Zurik, analyzed the nation’s top 1,000 prescribers of opioids to Medicare patients and found just 10% had been sanctioned.
The group’s investigative team produced Licensed to Pill, which analyzed the nation’s top 1,000 prescribers of opioids to Medicare patients and found just 10% had been sanctioned. A week after the story aired featuring the nation’s top opioid prescriber, federal agents raided his Tennessee office.
Chris Conroy Named KFVS-WQWQ VP-GM
Raycom Media moves the TV executive from its KAIT Jonesboro, Ark., to lead its Cape Girardeau, Mo. CBS-CW duopoly.
Collin Gaston remains GM of the group’s WBRC Birmingham, Ala., and will now have oversight of WSFA Montgomery, Ala.; WTXL Tallahassee, Fla.; WPGX Panama City, Fla.; and WDFX Dothan, Ala.
Scott Dempsey remains GM of the group’s WBTV Charlotte and will now have oversight of WIS Columbia, S.C.; WTOC Savannah, Ga.; and WFXG Augusta, Ga.
Station group veteran Tim Ingram will oversee stations in Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas and Iowa in addition to continuing leading WVIE New Orleans.
Ellenann B. Yelverton today was appointed vice president, general counsel of Raycom Media. “With a growing number of properties in our portfolio and a fast-changing industry landscape, Ellenann is the […]
DirecTV Wins KFVE Retrans Fight At FCC
The FCC’s Media Bureau has sided with DirecTV after Hawaiian MyNetworkTV affiliate KFVE complained that the satellite operator didn’t negotiate with it in good faith. MCG Capital and Raycom Media jointly own HITV, which operates KFVE. The station has been off AT&T-owned DirecTV since Oct. 19, 2017, amid stalled retrans talks. DirecTV has argued that there is little demand for the station, and it has refused to pay fees to carry KFVE.
The station group promotes Dianne Wilson from director of human resources and employee benefits.
Groups Likely To Expand Program Production
The trend of station groups creating and syndicating their own shows has proven itself as a worthy way to create cost-effective programming that speaks to local and regional audiences, according to a panel of executives who spoke Wednesday at NATPE.
Media exec Greg McCastle will oversee all the company’s media sales efforts, including digital, linear and addressable advertising.
The new branding is designed to showcase the company’s focus on local digital, broadcast, newspaper, production and multi-content properties.
Stations Press Ahead With Social Platforms
Major groups keep experimenting, looking to find the best ways to use Facebook and YouTube, both to expand their brands and eventually generate some revenue.
After a number of extensions, Raycom Media signed a new carriage agreement with DirecTV on Wednesday, preventing a blackout of Raycom’s 54 stations. “Our local commitment is to always put the needs of the communities we serve first,” said Pat LaPlatney, Raycom CEO. “We’re pleased that we have been able to reach an agreement without any disruption to our viewers on the DirecTV system.”
AT&T has signed another temporary agreement with Raycom Media to keep its 40-plus local stations in AT&T’s DirecTV’s lineup. The new deadline for a carriage deal is tomorrow (Wednesday, Sept. 27) at 8 p.m. ET. If a new agreement is not signed by then, Raycom could pull its network affiliates from the satcaster.
Raycom Sees Synergies In Newspapers Buy
The deal will add Community Newspaper Holdings’ 110 newspapers and other publications to Raycom’s portfolio, less seven it has to sell to comply with media ownership rules. Raycom and CNH are principally owned by Alabama state pension fund and based in Montgomery. “There are general administrative costs we can take out of the business,” while taking advantage of content sharing and sales opportunities, says Raycom CEO Pat LaPlatney.
The station group and and satellite operator agreed to a 48-extension of their current deal, which was set to expire last night, suggesting that they are close to long-term deal.
DirecTV and Raycom last night agreed to a second temporary extension in their carriage agreement, preventing a blackout of Raycom’s 54 stations. The extension runs through Sept. 12.
Raycom Extends DirecTV Agreement
The broadcaster says it wants to ensure continued storm coverage and relief efforts so has moved the deadline for a new retrans deal with the satellite provider through Tuesday, Sept. 5.
DirecTV could lose more than 40 stations tonight due to a retrans dispute with their owner, Raycom. The current carriage pact between the companies expires at tonight at 11:59 ET and Raycom has turned the heat up with a sharply critical notice posted yesterday at its stations’ websites.
The satellite provider is up against a 11:59 P.M. deadline today with Raycom and is also facing losing two Dispatch Broadcast Group stations on Friday.
DirecTV could lose more than 40 Raycom stations in the coming days, according to viewer alerts posted today at the station’s websites. “The DirecTV satellite system is about to drop us and break that critical link to our viewers,” reads the Raycom viewer warning. “We are currently working hard to make sure DirecTV customers continue to have access to [the Raycom stations] without interruption. But there is a chance they will not agree to a fair deal, and decide to drop [Raycom] from their system.”
GatesAir will provide the station group with Maxiva transmitters and installation services covering 65 TV stations in 44 markets.
