station trading

The purchase of KTAS-TV San Luis Obispo, Calif., by International Communications Network tops the latest list of TV station transactions submitted to the FCC for its approval, according to BIA Advisory Services.

The purchase of K20MP-D Lamar, K19LA-D Rocky Ford and K35MZ-D Las Animas, Colo., by Denver Digital Television tops the latest list of TV station transactions submitted to the FCC for its approval, according to BIA Advisory Services.

Dish has sent the FCC a term sheet it says backs up the claim, cited in a story in Broadcasting + Cable, that Cox Media Group wanted to include both Standard General and Tegna stations in retrans talks. Standard General is trying to get the FCC to sign off on its $8 billion-plus deal to acquire the Tegna stations. It has told the FCC it will not bundle Cox and Tegna stations in retrans talks and Cox has disputed the Dish claim, saying it never has and never will try to do so.

The long-anticipated Standard General-Tegna merger won’t be happening before the new year, as the FCC has requested another round of comments concerning the deal. The request came shortly after Standard General announced a series of formal commitments to ease regulators’ concerns about how the $8.6 billion merger would affect journalism jobs and retransmission consent agreements.

Comcast and Standard General have struck an agreement confirming Standard General’s pledge to the FCC that it would agree not to raise the retransmission consent rates of Tegna stations charged to MVPDs to that of its Cox Media Group TV stations — if applicable — after the closing of its deal to buy those Tegna stations. That is according to Standard General, which said the agreement on not raising the rates was reached this week with Comcast, which is the largest cable group carrying Tegna stations.

The purchase of KVPS-LD Indio, Calif., by INOX Media tops the latest list of TV station transactions submitted to the FCC for its approval, according to BIA Advisory Services.

The seemingly never-ending FCC review of the Standard General-Tegna merger will continue into the New Year. The FCC has sought comment on Standard General’s latest attempts to get the commission to sign off on the deal and has given commenters until Jan. 20, after which it must vet those comments, meaning the FCC likely won’t be making any decision until at least early February (to demonstrate that it vetted those latest comments before making its decision).

Standard General is trying hard to get its Tegna deal done by year-end. The FCC is currently on day 246 of its unofficial 180-day shot clock for vetting mergers. In a letter to the FCC Friday, the company committed to no journalism or newsroom layoffs for at least two years after the merger is approved and closes.

The purchase of low-power stations in nine states by Bridge News tops the latest list of TV station transactions submitted to the FCC for its approval, according to BIA Advisory Services.

Rainbow PUSH Coalition founder Rev. Jesse Jackson has told the FCC it should approve the merger of Standard General and Tegna. In a letter to the FCC Monday (Dec. 12), Jackson said that after meeting with Standard General founding partner Soo Kim, who is Asian-American, and upon “careful and scrupulous review of his record on diversity and inclusion,” he and his organization “wholeheartedly support the purchase of Tegna.”

The purchase of 17 translators by Ruralink Broadband tops the latest list of TV station transactions submitted to the FCC for its approval, according to BIA Advisory Services.

The purchase of KWSD-TV and KCWS-LD Sioux Falls, SD, by Forum Communications tops the latest list of TV station transactions submitted to the FCC for its approval, according to BIA Advisory Services.

Standard General continues to collect anecdotal backing for its proposed merger with Tegna, which the FCC is still vetting on day 221 of its unofficial 180-day shot clock for reviewing such deals. One of the recent submissions to the FCC docket is from Marcia Green, who identifies herself as the former director of programming for a medium-size ABC affiliate. Green is a fan of Deb McDermott, currently Standard General’s CEO.

The purchase of two LPTV stations by Bridge News tops the latest list of TV station transactions submitted to the FCC for its approval, according to BIA Advisory Services.

The purchase of a new construction permit by Roseland Broadcasting tops the latest list of TV station transactions submitted to the FCC for its approval, according to BIA Advisory Services.

The purchase of WGCT-LD Tampa, Fla., by Bridge News tops the latest list of TV station transactions submitted to the FCC for its approval, according to BIA Advisory Services.

Nancy Pelosi is creating static over the proposed Tegna-Standard General merger that would take a massive group of TV stations private — after she and fellow House Democrats got more than $500,000 in campaign donations from Byron Allen, a comedian-turned-media mogul who wants to block the deal.

The purchase of WQAV-CD Glassboro, N.J., by Lighthouse Support tops the latest list of TV station transactions submitted to the FCC for its approval, according to BIA Advisory Services.

The purchase of WLFT-CD Baton Rouge, La., by Family Worship Center Church tops the latest list of TV station transactions submitted to the FCC for its approval, according to BIA Advisory Services.

The purchase of nine LPTV stations by Gray Television tops the latest list of TV station transactions submitted to the FCC for its approval, according to BIA Advisory Services.

The purchase of K24OE-D Jackson, Wyo., by International Spanish Network tops the latest list of TV station transactions submitted to the FCC for its approval, according to BIA Advisory Services.

The purchase of three Arkansas low-power stations by Gray Television tops the latest list of TV station transactions submitted to the FCC for its approval, according to BIA Advisory Services.

The purchase of K14TB-D College Station, Texas, by Gray Television tops the latest list of TV station transactions submitted to the FCC for its approval, according to BIA Advisory Services.

The purchase of W18DQ-D Santa Isabel, P.R., by Telenorte Broadcasting tops the latest list of TV station transactions submitted to the FCC for its approval, according to BIA Advisory Services.

Opponents of the $8.6 billion Standard General-Tegna deal met with top FCC officials this week to talk about the former’s issues with the deal, particularly the documents those opponents say the merging parties should be producing. The FCC apparently asked for the meeting.

Standard General, Apollo General and Tegna have pledged to the Federal Communications Commission that they will not jointly negotiate or share information on retransmission consent after their proposed merger-station swap, but that’s not enough for ACA Connects and the other members of the American Television Alliance (ATVA). They want conditions on the deal and an enforcement mechanism.

The purchase of KVSD-LD San Diego, Calif., by Daystar TV Network tops the latest list of TV station transactions submitted to the FCC for its approval, according to BIA Advisory Services.

The sale of CMG stations in 12 markets to INSP’s Imagicomm marks INSPs expansion into broadcasting.

The purchase of WXNY-LD New York, by Daystar TV Network tops the latest list of TV station transactions submitted to the FCC for its approval, according to BIA Advisory Services.

Standard General (SGCI) has told the FCC that the two-week comment extension it has granted on the proposed Standard General-Tegna merger could cost the company millions of dollars. SGCI, in opposing a comment extension the FCC ultimately granted, told the FCC that the way the deal is structured the per-share price SGCI has to pay escalates based on the closing date.

Civil rights group Arc of Justice sent a letter to the FCC urging it to approve Standard General’s acquisition of Tegna. The letter testifies to Standard General founder Soo Kim’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

The FCC has agreed to give key communications unions and advocacy groups a two-week extension on the deadline for comment on the proposed merger of Standard General and Tegna. The NewsGuild-CWA, the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians-CWA, Common Cause and United Church of Christ, OC, had sought the extension from the current deadline of Aug. 1.

Attorneys for Standard General and Tegna have told the FCC that the petitions to deny their $5 billion-plus merger/station spinoff are both legally irrelevant and factually incorrect and should be rejected so the deal can go through. The FCC has to sign off on the transfer of any station licenses. That is according to a copy of the merging parties’ consolidated oppositions to those petitions and comments on the deal.

The purchase of WSFG-LD Berry and WSSF-LD Fayette, both Alabama, by Center Point Broadcasting tops the latest list of TV station transactions submitted to the FCC for its approval, according to BIA Advisory Services.