Jessell | Nexstar-Tribune Ripe For Quick DC Approval
Nexstar CEO Perry Sook sacrificed 19 stations to bring his proposed $4.1 billion merger in line with FCC and DOJ ownership limits. There is now no reason why regulators should stand in the way of the deal, including the transfer of Tribune’s top four duopoly in Indianapolis. Also, here’s a quick review of the winners and losers in Nexstar’s spinoff auction.
KUSA News An Example Of Risk With Reward
Hey boss, got a second? I’ve got a great idea. Let’s take our 6 p.m. news — yes, I know it’s No. 1 in the market — and blow it up. Let’s get rid of murders, fires and car crashes unless they’re really bad. Let’s pare back the set and most of the graphics. That was pretty much the pitch KUSA Denver anchor Kyle Clark, made to Tegna President Dave Lougee and other corporate executives in 2015. Obviously, Lougee said yes, or you wouldn’t be reading this.
Security executives from Tegna Media, Graham Media, KQED San Francisco and Sinclair Broadcast Group will share their list of the 10 best security practices for broadcasters at TVNewsCheck’s annual Cybersecurity for Broadcasters Retreat next month.
WUSA in Washington, D.C., WVEC in Norfolk, Va., and WGRZ in Buffalo, N.Y., have returned to the Verizon Fios lineup.
Tegna Dealmakers Waiting Out ‘Rain Delay’
Once ownership questions get settled at the FCC, Tegna says it is ready to look at any and all types of M&A transactions.
Exclusives
WTSP, Tegna Sued For Sex Discrimination
Theresa Collington, the former digital director for WTSP, the CBS affiliate in Tampa, Fla., is suing the station and its parent company, Tegna, for sex discrimination. Her complaint alleges Tegna discriminated against her in her compensation and when she was ultimately terminated for violations of the company’s social media policy that male employees violated regularly with impunity.
2016 Revenue: $1.407 billion Stations: 55 in 39 markets Coverage: 31.3% Ownership: Tegna Inc. (NYSE: TGNA) Key Executives: David Lougee, president-CEO; Lynn Beall, EVP-COO of media operations; Ed Busby, SVP of strategy. What’s Up: On June 1, the company […]
The 2017 NAB Show exhibition opens Monday, April 24, and there will be much to see for broadcast engineers and technologists who find themselves grappling with the repack of the TV spectrum and a nearly completed new broadcast standard. Five top techs — one each from Gray Television, NBCU O&Os, Nexstar Media Group, Sinclair Broadcast Group and Tegna Media — talk technology and what they will be looking for at this year’s NAB Show. For a recap of TVNewsCheck’s multi-part roundup of NAB Tech Hot Topics, click here.
Tegna Taps Mike Rodriguez To Head WTSP
The former Univision and Telemundo executive is the new GM of Tegna’s CBS affiliate in Miami.
The freshman syndicated talk show has been canceled by Tegna “due to the current economics of daytime TV,” and will be replaced by a renamed BOLD, a half-hour that will feature several live feeds a day to affiliates in all four U.S. time zones.
Tegna Media’s NBC affiliate KARE Minneapolis (DMA 15) won a George Polk Award for television reporting for its investigative series Invisible Wounds. Numerous KARE investigations disclosed that the Veterans Administration […]
Tegna Readies Home-Grown Shows For Fall
Sister Circle, a panel talk show featuring black women, and Sing Like a Star, a weekly talent show, underscore the station group’s commitment to developing its own programming. “We have to take control of our own destiny a little more,” says Tegna programming chief Bob Sullivan.
The Tegna NBC affiliate is rethinking how it covers sports. Specifically, the station will do away with the traditional sports segment on local newscasts beginning sometime after the Super Bowl, instead integrating sports personality pieces and sports feature stories throughout the broadcast.
Tegna Looking To Grow Its Own Syndie Hits
Tegna Media President Dave Lougee challenged his stations to come up with new ideas for first-run shows that it could take group-wide — and possibly nationally. That yielded five pilots and, of those, two from WXIA Atlanta and WWL New Orleans were deemed worthy to produce locally.
Tegna’s ‘Bold’ New Syndie Is Just That
The new, live daily syndicated show the station group is shopping at NATPE this week is being offered on a cash-and-barter basis. The show will air live whenever a station airs it. That means Bold really has to be ongoing for about 12 or more hours a day.
Richard Dyer Named President-GM Of WUSA
The head of WLWT Cincinnati is tapped by Tegna to lead its CBS affiliate in Washington. His resume includes an earlier stint at WUSA as VP-station manager.
Leverage Worries Batter TV Groups Stock
Stock prices of six publicly-traded TV station groups had a rocky first half due to concerns over leverage as well as political, automotive and overall sustainability of the television business model. The companies bounced back a bit in the second quarter, but were still well below where they were on Jan. 1. Analysts, however, see signs for optimism.
KVUE’s New GM? WABC’s Promo Manager
Tegna Slots New GMs In Seattle, Austin
Jim Rose is promoted at KING, KONG and NWCN, while Kristie Gonzales takes over at KVUE.
KSDK GM Marv Danielski Leaving July 1
Less than three years after coming to Tegna’s St. Louis NBC affiliate — and after only 14 months in the top slot — General Manager Marv Danielski is leaving the station. In an email distributed to KSDK staff Wednesday, Danielski said he would be leaving July 1.
6. TEGNA, McLean, Va. 2015 Revenue: $1.276 billion Stations: 48 in 36 markets Coverage: 32% Ownership: Tegna Inc. (NYSE: TGNA) Key Executives: Gracia Martore, president-CEO, Tegna Inc.; David Lougee, president, Tegna Media; John A. Williams, […]
Lynn Beall, Mark Cornetta expand responsibilities; Steve Carter is promoted to president and general manager of KUSA Denver
The station group increased its investment in the technology that allows video call-in shows and other interactive programs and secured global rights to use it, according to VCC and its managing partner.
Auto Ads Driving Steadily Toward Digital
Auto advertising continues to move online with Standard Media Index reporting that digital media’s share of the category rose 20% in 2015 while spot TV’s slice was down 8%. A large percentage of that digital money is going to auto verticals and a few broadcast groups have opted for an “if-you-can’t-beat-’em-join-’em” approach and moved into that market as well.
Stations Becoming DIY Program Believers
A determined cadre of station groups remains intent on replacing pricey Hollywood syndication shows with programming of its own. Among the upcoming do-it-yourself offerings is a talk show from Tegna Media hosted by T.D. Jakes set to debut this fall.
Tegna And NBC Sign New Affiliation Deal
All 17 Tegna Media’s NBC stations are now under one common, long-term agreement. “The new deal removes an overhang from [Tegna],” say Wells Fargo analysts in a note to clients. “While we had always expected a deal to be signed, we think this was a nice sigh of relief for anyone who may have had some concerns.”
CrowdTangle’s personalized real-time social media tracking and discovery platform will help Tegna Media stations track local and national breaking news and major events as well as aid its journalists in telling stories.
The broadcast group will air the new syndicated talker on its 29 stations and has taken over distribution from Debmar-Mercury.
Tegna Closes On Sander TV Stations Purchase
Tegna Media announced today it has completed its acquisition of three Sander Media TV stations — KGW Portland, Ore. (DMA 24); WHAS Louisville, Ky. (DMA 49); and KMSB Tucson, Ariz. (DMA 70) — following approval from the FCC last week. Tegna has serviced these stations under shared services and similar arrangements since December 2013. With the addition of these three stations, Tegna said it owns the largest independent station group of major network affiliates in the top 25 markets, reaching approximately one-third of all television households nationwide.
The true-crime talk show that has already lined up a test run on Sinclair stations now adds tests on some Tegna and Scripps stations as well.
The new show’s four-week syndication test will offer personal stories behind socially relevant topics based on the headlines.
The new hour-long syndicated talk show distributed by Debmar-Mercury will debut Aug. 17 for four weeks in afternoon time periods on Tegna stations in Dallas, Atlanta, Minneapolis and Cleveland.
The station group will use the technology to build full shows of callers, screened in real time, and selected live by the show’s host. The VCC was created by long-time network executive and former Wall Street analyst Tom Wolzien, and developed by a team of broadcast, software, and hardware experts.
