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.
LIN TV CEO Vincent Sadusky says that M&A in the TV station business is likely to increase with “non-traditional” owners as potential sellers. Recently, Sinclair announced a deal to acquire seven stations from private-equity firm Cerberus, while Newport Television, which is owned partly by Providence Equity, has an impressive portfolio, though it may not be for sale.
Sinclair Eyes M&A Market With Interest
In the station group’s earnings call with analysts today, management says they’re in a prime position to take advantage of all the stations now on the block.Said David Amy, Sinclair EVP-CFO: “There’s nothing we have to go out and purchase.… We can be very selective. If the price make sense for us, we can deal.”
