In granting Nexstar's purchase of WFRV Green Bay, Wis., and WJMN Escanba, Mich., from Liberty Media, the FCC also extended a waiver of "main studio" rule for WJMN.
DMAS 71 & 179
Nexstar Buy Of Liberty Stations Gets FCC OK
The FCC today approved Nexstar Broadcasting’s purchase of WFRV Green Bay-Appleton, Wis. (DMA 71), and WJMN Escanaba, Mich. (DMA 179), extending a waiver of the “main studio” rule so that Nexstar can continue operating WJMN without a studio.
Nexstar agreed to buy the two CBS affiliates last April from Liberty Media Corp. for $20 million.
The studio waiver is based in part of Escanaba’s economic decline, the FCC says in a letter approving the deal. “In light of the current economic downturn, it is unlikely that this situation will change appreciably in the near future.
“Furthermore, Nexstar has demonstrated that it will take measures to ascertain the needs of the local community and to make it convenient for the listeners in the community to communicate with the local station by toll-free number.”
Comments (5)
Jason Adams says:
June 28, 2011 at 1:32 pm
Sympathies to the 22 people laid off because of this transaction
matt fess says:
June 28, 2011 at 3:52 pm
Ditto. Anybody know how Nexstar operates in local markets? Good corporate citizens?
nuwr nerw says:
June 28, 2011 at 3:59 pm
Not…
Al Ming says:
June 29, 2011 at 12:42 pm
Gee, the “toll free number” makes all the difference! WFRV is in for a rude awakening. Good luck.
Hope Yen and Charles Babington says:
June 29, 2011 at 6:09 pm
WJMN has gone from, originally, a pure satellite of WFRV from its original sign-on when it was an Orion station. The call letters stand for Jane Morton Norton, Daughter of T. Ballard Morton, Jr, and Orion’s principal owner. Over the years and thru a few ownership changes, and thanks to the stewardship of long serving GM Perry Kidder, WJMN, sold totally separately, locally with a sales office in Marquette and nationally/regionally as the now-CBS affiliate in Marquette, it has been turned into a huge cash cow, Looking at it strictly as a stand alone with a staff of two (Chief engineer and single local salesperson) its ratios are unbelievable! At one time WJMN had a larger local sales staff and may have had its own reporter. It is unfortunate that Mr. Sook will be able to continue to milk the $$$ from WJMN’s sales, while clearly being in a position to at least have a local studio, and it need not be in Escanaba, with the FCC’s newer and far more relaxed studio rules. The Marquette TV market deserves better.