In just the last few days, an entity linked to a Detroit-area bringing together “powerful PR talent and tools in communications and media to deliver relevant, meaningful messages across all media platforms worldwide” has gained attention for a deal in hand that will give it a low-power TV station in Las Vegas.
Now, Bridge News LLC is buying again — this time in the Sunshine State and in areas largely out of harm’s way from Hurricane Ian.
What is Bridge News? Look no further than the people behind a “diginet” devoted to 24/7 news and information headquartered in Michigan.
In the first of two simultaneous filings with the FCC seeking regulatory approval, Bridge News is agreeing to acquire two properties from WKIZ UHF TV LLC, a licensee led by David Drucker.
Drucker in recent years has been the VP/GM of NexxGen News and is a former Senior Vice President with pioneering in-classroom channel Channel One News. In 2002, they earned $5 million from the sale of WEYS-TV in Key West, Fla. — a “Franken FM” facility today used by Almavisión for Spanish-language evangelical Christian programming. By 2011, the Druckers were active media owners in Southeast Alaska through their Seattle Streaming Radio LLC. Three years later, Penny Drucker sold a Denver TV outlet, KSBS-3. The selling continued in August 2019, with their Denver Digital Television earning $850,000 from the sale of KDMD-LD 6 in Tacoma, Wash.
Now, the Druckers are making a quick spin of two properties acquired in December 2021. At the time, WKIZ-LD 29 in Key West and W16CA-D in Key Largo, Fla., were transferred from Cayo Hueso Network to the newly created WKIZ UHF TV LLC for $100,000. However, that transaction reflected a reorganization of the station’s ownership.
W16CA-D is now WHMR-LD 16 and is licensed to Homestead, in southern Miami-Dade County. Thanks to that proximity to the City of Miami, WHMR and WKIZ are being sold for $750,000.
A 10% escrow deposit has been made to the seller. WKIZ is currently reported as silent.
The second filing sees the sale from the aforementioned Cayo Hueso to Bridge News of WDGT-LD 5 in Miami.
That deal is valued at $1.2 million. And, full payment was made within five days of the September 22 signing of an asset purchase agreement.
Bridge News secured the brokerage services of Craig Ruark, doing business as The
Broadcast License Store.
Putting their signature on the Bridge News buys is CEO Vincent Bodiford.
He is the founding chairman of the Alzheimer’s Caregivers Network and splits his time between Farmington Hills, Mich., and Cheyenne, Wyo.
And, looking at his curriculum vitae yields an answer some may have as to what NewsMakers Media is all about or why it would want to purchase LPTV properties.
Bodiford also happens to be CEO of NewsNET, the all-news digital multicast network that uses a programming formula akin to what CNN Headline News used some 30 years ago.
With intense competition from The E.W. Scripps Co.’s Newsy and, in Florida, the OTT-delivered Florida 24 Network; and a variety of cable and digitally-delivered news services including Nexstar Media Group’s NewsNation, Bodiford appears to be committing to NewsNET’s growth after experiencing success in Michigan.
And, this expansion is all tied to a mission to owning and operating media outlets, content distribution, newspapers and more from the ultimate parent of NewsMakers Media, Golden Media Inc.
Golden Media is family-owned and headquartered in Cheyenne, where it owns and operates The Cheyenne Post. It is owned by Bodiford and is the parent of NewsMakers Media. Through NewsMakers Media, it serves as the PR agency of record for 5-hour ENERGY and NewsNET, among other clients.
The tie to Five-Hour Energy is important to note. Bridge News LLC, parent of NewsNet, is funded and backed by company chairman Manoj Bhargava, who is also the creator of 5-hour ENERGY. The company is led by CEO Vince Bodiford, and President Eric Wotila.
The addition of WDGL, WHMR and WKIZ secures the Miami market with owned-and-operated stations. In March 2020, just days before COVID-19’s arrival in North America, NewsNET secured an affiliation agreement with WDFL-LD 18 in Miami, owned by Paramount Broadcasting Communication.
That affiliation is staying in place, Bodiford tells RBR+TVBR. Once the acquisition is complete, the main focus right now, the operational plan for the three stations will be finalized.
“We are expanding into owned-and-operated stations,” he says.
This means a “substantial number” of deals are on the way, and multiple brokers are having conversations with Bodiford and Bridge News.
Speaking of Las Vegas and Miami, Bodiford says he’s impressed with the broadcast assets already in those markets. “We believe that there are also strong markets, and both fit the type of market we like to do business in. It makes a lot of sense for us.”
