station sales

Pollack/Belz Broadcasting sold the NBC affiliate in Eureka, Calif., for $3.5 million.

If the buyer of five Class A TVs around Pittsburgh later sells the stations in the FCC’s incentive auction, it will pay a percentage to the seller, based on a sliding scale.

Hearst Television paid $3.1 million to acquire NBC affiliate WVTM Birmingham, Ala., according to Jefferson County public records. Hearst announced last month it had closed on the station, following an August announcement the longtime media company intended to purchase the NBC affiliate.

A total of 164 TV stations changed hands through the first half of 2014, with an average price of $46.5 million. That total was down from the same period last year.

The broadcast giant has been knocking on the doors of deep-pocketed buyers, including CBS Corp. and Time Warner Inc. So far, Univision hasn’t gotten the nibbles its owners have been looking for. The reason: Potential buyers are balking at a $20-billion price tag for a company weighed down by $9 billion in debt.

The sale of KTVK and KASW to Meredith Corp. was part of a deal announced last December that also included KMOV St. Louis.

Gunter Marksteiner has sold the Miami Class A low-power station to LocusPoint Networks. Larry Patrick and Greg Guy of Patrick Communications advised the buyer, while Michael Alcamo of M.C. Alcamo & Co., Inc., advised the seller. Headed by William deKay and Ravi Potharlanka, LocusPoint in an investment firm that is acquiring stations with plans to participate in the FCC’s incentive auction.

They are among the 10 TV station deals submitted to the FCC for its approval during the weeks ending March 19, according to BIA/Kelsey.

Two years after selling WXEL-FM Palm Beach, Fla., for $3.85 million, Barry University has agreed to sell its public TV sister station for $1.44 million. The buyer is the WXEL Public Broadcasting Corp., a nonprofit set up by the TV station’s executives.

Sale of WBQM-LD was one of five TV stations deal submitted to the FCC for its approval during the weeks ending Feb. 6 and Feb. 13, according to BIA/Kelsey.

The eight-station deal will give Sinclair two more duopolies, one in West Palm Beach-Fort Pierce, Fla., another in Albany-Schenectady-Troy, N.Y. It also makes Sinclair the country’s largest group in number of stations. Next in line for acquisition is LIN’s WWHO Columbus, Ohio, with a deal to be announced very soon.

Nexstar is paying $18.5 million for Gilmore’s ABC affiliate WEHT and is selling its one-time Fox affiliate WTVW to Mission Broadcasting for $6.7 million while continuing to operate it under a local services agreement. WTVW lost its Fox affiliation because of Nexstar’s running battle with the network over reverse compensation.

The commission approves the purchase of the Topeka ABC affiliate by PBC Broadcasting from Free State Communications despite an objection by the American Cable Association that the deal would likely create a triopoly with expected KTKA operator New Vision, which owns NBC affiliate KSNT and low-power Fox affil.

They write to Gov. Sam Brownback, saying if the sale to PBC Broadcasting is approved without consumer safeguards, it is very likely to lead to “excessive retrans fees.”

The city of St. Petersburg, Fla., is trying to sell its sliver of the broadcast spectrum licensed by the FCC. The license gives the city access to the airwaves, which it now uses to broadcast its television programs, including city council meetings. At its Thursday meeting, the city council is expected to be asked whether it should allow Hadden & Associates media brokers to try to sell WSPF-CA. The city is exploring the sale because of a combination of tight finances and low numbers of people who can only receive the signal through TV antennas.

SNL Kagan’s ongoing research into the TV station deal sector registers an uptick in deals year-to-date vs. 2009-10.

Daystar Television Network, an evangelical Christian broadcaster based in Dallas, plans to buy public television station WMFE Orlando, Fla., for about $5 million.

Una Vez Mas has completed its acquisition of two full-power television stations: KNWS Houston, which has been renamed KYAZ, and KLDT Dallas, which is now KAZD. Both are now Azteca America affiliates and were purchased out of the pending Johnson Broadcasting bankruptcy.

The two former Multicultural Television stations are being sold by the trust that took control of them after they ran into financial trouble. The buying group is headed by Ted Bartley. The price was approximately $20 million, according to sources.

As it promised the FCC it would, NBCU found a minority to buy the Los Angeles Spanish-language independent, the Meruelo Group, headed by Alex Meruelo. Bert Ellis and Spanish Broadcasting System were among the runners-up in the bidding.

NRT Communications Group is purchasing independent KVAW San Antonio (DMA 37) from the estate of Joseph Zavaletta for $475,000, according to an FCC filing seeking approval of the deal. NRT is owned by Susanna Guillen (80%) and Rolando Treveno (20%) who have no other U.S. broadcast interests.

The asking price for the eight TV stations works out to eight to 10 times estimated 2010 cash flow of $50 million. There are a number of potential buyers for the Freedom stations, particularly in a piecemeal sale. They include Gannett, LIN, Nexstar, Gray, Young’s new owners and Newport. All of those group owners own or run stations in Freedom markets.