Through joint sales and shared services agreements, Bonten will operate two stations its partner Esteem Broadcasting is buying in Chico-Redding and Eureka.
DMAS 131 & 194
Bonten Creates Duopolies In 2 Calif. Markets
Bonten Media Group with the help of partner Esteem Broadcasting is doubling up in Chico-Redding, Calif. (DMA 131), and Eureka, Calif. (DMA 194), Bonten announced today.
Esteem is acquiring KCVU, the Fox affiliate in the Chico-Redding, and KBVU, the Fox affiliate in the Eureka, from Sainte Partners. Terms were not disclosed.
But through joint sales and shared services agreements, Bonten will operate the stations in tandem with the ABC affiliates it already owns in the market — KRCR Chico-Redding and KAEF Eureka.
Bonten has a similar arrangement with Esteem in Tri-Cities, Tenn.-Va., and Greenville-New Bern, N.C. In Tri-Cities, it owns NBC affiliate WCYB and operates Esteem’s Fox affiliate WEMT. In Greenville, it owns ABC affiliate WCTI and operates Esteem’s Fox affiliate WFXI.
Bonten noted that it is also buying a number of low-power stations from Sainte in the Chico-Redding and Eureka markets.
“[W]e are pleased to be working once again with Esteem Broadcasting,” said Bonten CEO Randy Bongarten in a statement. “This arrangement will enable us to enhance the quality and number of news alternatives the viewers of these markets will enjoy.”
BRAND CONNECTIONS
Not counting the stations in the latest deal, Bonten owns and operates 24 full-power, low-power and multicast channels in eight markets.
Comments (1)
Christina Perez says:
August 15, 2012 at 4:16 pm
Ah, corporate communism! The elixir of today’s telecom robber barons.