In what would be the latest in a series of transactions, Sinclair Broadcast Group will add several more stations to its rapidly expanding station portfolio, according to industry sources. No word on yet on price.
Sinclair Targets Titan Television For Next Buy
Sinclair Broadcast Group is poised to add Titan Television Broadcast Group (TTBG) to its rapidly expanding portfolio, according to multiple sources.
If the deal’s financials conform to recently disclosed transactions, the group should go for a seller multiple of roughly 7-8 times cash flow. It’s unclear how that translates into an actual dollars. The parties were not talking.
David Smith, CEO of Sinclair, declined to comment. Steve Pruett, recently hired by Sinclair to manage its growing small-market portfolio, was unavailable for comment. Bert Ellis, a principal at TTBG along with Dan Sullivan, declined to comment. Lee Ann Gliha of Houlihan Lokey, the brokerage representing TTBG, also declined to comment.
The TTBG acquisition would be the latest in a string for Sinclair, the most active buyer. In the past two years, it has spent roughly $1.5 billion, purchasing Freedom for $385 million, Four Points for $200, Newport for $467 million, and, most recently, Barrington for $370 million and four Cox stations for $99 million.
TTBG’s portfolio includes stations in at least four markets: KMPH, a Fox affiliate, and KFRE, a CW affiliate, in Fresno, Calif. (DMA 55); KPTM-KXVO, a Fox-CW combo in Omaha, Neb. (DMA 75); KDBC, a CBS affiliate in El Paso, Texas (DMA 91); and KPTH-KMEG, Fox and CBS affiliates, respectively, in Sioux City, Iowa (DMA 147). (Editor’s note: In the original posting, this story incorrectly said that the group also included KTNC San Francisco and KUBE Houston. Those station were sold earlier this year to NRJ Ventures.)
Along with his interests in TTBG, Ellis also is part of Titan Broadcast Management. Properties under its management include stations purchased by NRJ TV. NRJ, whose other principals are Ted Bartley and Larry Patrick, has been purchasing stations over the past few years in a play intended to cash in on an FCC incentive auction now slated for next year.
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Comments (9)
Michael Liedtke & Tali Arbel says:
March 29, 2013 at 4:03 pm
Not sure this can all be true based upon your story link attached!
http://tvnewscheck.com/article/64874/nrj-adds-2-stations-to-portfolio-for-325m?ref=search
Edie Baker says:
March 29, 2013 at 5:13 pm
Yes, we made a mistake and have now corrected the story.
Joanne McDonald says:
March 29, 2013 at 5:58 pm
I always have followed KPTM since my childhood. I miss the days KPTM aired kids and children shows like KDNL did in the early days of the TV station with old school Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and the old school Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon show from the 1980’s and 1990’s before it showed mostly crime and courtroom drama show garbage of today. In the past before the DTV transition of 2009, I have gotten KPTM/KXVO, and KPTH/KMEG (before and after Pappas JSA/LMA/SSA with KPTH) that were part of the Pappas bankruptcy filling in May 2008. Pappas formerly ran low power channel 57 out of Columbus as a repeater of KPTM before it switched to become a repeater of KAZO channel 57 airing Azteca America spanish language programming and later went to Pappas spanish language brand called TuVision. http://columbustelegram.com/news/network-caters-to-spanish-viewers/article_1eb3e3aa-1439-5b59-8d2d-21b78bdc1ac6.html TuVision went under in 2009 due to Pappas bankruptcy. I also picked up other Pappas stations that are were not part of the bankruptcy filling with NTV ABC under KHGI channel 13, KFXL precessors KSNB and KTVG FOX 4 & 17 before both the old KSNB and KTVG got shut down and went off by air by Pappas, and KPWB (now KCWI). I never picked up KDMI due to being a digital only station and KCWL CW (now KFXL FOX) due to being having a low power status. 10/11 and Gray Television is right now getting KSNB back on the air as a MYNET affiliate with 10/11 Central Nebraska branding. Harry Pappas and his Pappas Telecasting were never good with cable and satellite operators in the past years before the Pappas bankruptcy filling. Pappas failed to allow Dish to carry the main stations because Dish carried the Azteca America stations from the 148 satellite orbit. http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=11372 http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=17026 http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=18182 http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=16324 http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=25511 http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=25698 http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=27181 http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=26474 Pappas even extorted the Time Warner Cable system in Lincoln to add NTV under KHGI channel 13 feed from it’s Axtell studios to be able to add the KPTM HDTV feed. http://journalstar.com/entertainment/jeff-korbelik-fox-hd-now-available-to-time-warner-cable/article_25f46e85-de25-58d7-8c6a-d9c7f55dd0fa.html Nexstar ought to give the JSA/LMA/SSA for KDBC to Sinclair to be house together with KFOX inside KFOX studios with the small COX stations and the Titan Television stations acquations. Sinclair may see KDNL getting CW in Saint Louis, and WXLV getting FOX and WCWG keeping CW in Greensboro-High Point while ABC moves to WGHP in Greensboro-High Point, ABC moves to KTVI and FOX moves to KPLR in Saint Louis and FOX moves to KWGN and CW moves to KDVR in Denver with Tribune for KPLR and KWGN and Local TV LLC for WGHP, KTVI and KDVR in a side deal unrelated to a Sinclair owned and or operated TV station. http://tvnewscheck.com/article/65729/sinclair-buys-four-cox-tvs-for-nearly-100m http://tvnewscheck.com/article/65826/sinclair-buying-barrington-stations-for-370m http://tvnewscheck.com/article/66367/nexstar-poised-to-buy-cca-stations What’s next, Nexstar buying the Harry Pappas and his Pappas Telecasting stations that were not part of the original May 2008 bankruptcy filling now being under the trustee of Lee Shubert with KCWI/KDMI, NTV (KHGI/KWNB/KHGI-CD)/KFXL FOX Nebraska, and KSWT while the possibly of Journal grabbing WIWIN to formed a duopoly with WTMJ and the possibly of either Media General with WRBL, Raycom Media with WTVM/American Spirit Media with WXTX, or SagamoreHill Broadcasting with WLTZ grabbing WLGA. We’ll find out in the future if it may happen or not. Stay tuned.
Keith ONeal says:
March 30, 2013 at 9:12 pm
WLGA has WeatherNation 24/7. Do you even think for ONE second that either Media General (WRBL 3), Raycom (WTVM 9), SagamoreHill (WLTZ 38), or American Spirit (WXTX 54) would EVEN CONSIDER buying WLGA 66 from Pappas? Does anyone even watch WeatherNation? I live in Orlando now, but I spent a decade of my life in Columbus, Georgia (WTVM was owned by AFLAC when I moved to Orlando).
Bill Vernon says:
March 31, 2013 at 7:58 pm
no, as a matter a fact I don’t think that any of the Kansas City stations have it at all.
Angela Foreshaw says:
March 29, 2013 at 7:52 pm
This is getting out of hand.
Carol Thompson says:
March 29, 2013 at 8:28 pm
The buying and selling or Cieloha’s comments? 😉
Bill Vernon says:
March 29, 2013 at 11:07 pm
I personally think its Cieloha’s Commentary! It’s driven me nuts to the point that I would even report it.
Brad Dann says:
June 4, 2013 at 4:06 pm
Amen! enough!