TV Deals

A Class A FM straddling the North Dakota-Minnesota border and its Class C AM sibling have been sold to a "13G" local buyer. But, the buyer and the seller aren't exactly unfamiliar with one another: They are both members of the Ingstad family. It's the lead deal in RBR+TVBR's TRANSACTIONS TODAY.

The Spanish-language broadcast TV network known for its prime-time variety program hosted by a man in a clown suit, a host of originally produced reality competition shows, and two weekday newscasts will soon return to Miami after a six-month absence. This results in a perhaps cloudy South Florida future for another Spanish-language TV network -- one that Philip A. Falcone's HC2 Holdings acquired just weeks ago.

Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) has carved an indelible imprint into the nation's broadcast TV industry. Its stations can be found in practically every market in the U.S.; its programming has served multiple generations of Christians. Now, TBN is officially saying goodbye to four major-market channels in the Midwest, following their stations' successful Auction 1000 participation.

On Sunday evening, Jews across the world celebrated the miracle of Hanukkah. In North Texas and in Chicago, a different sort of miracle had been finalized, and leaked to news organization Reuters. Nexstar Media Group has just accomplished something Sinclair Broadcast Group was unable to do. 

In April, Janet and Jeff Winemiller made news by making a trade with Marquee Broadcasting that saw their Lowcountry 34 Media become the licensee of a low-power TV property in Delaware's state capital. “We are happy to add WEVD to our other LPTV stations in Myrtle Beach, and in LaGrange and Savannah, Georgia,” Jeff Winemiller said at the time. He's just sold it.

One month ago, a licensee headed by Matthew Davidge and Julie Huang agreed to purchase a trio of yet-to-be-constructed low-power TV stations serving small communities in Illinois, New Mexico and North Dakota, respectively. They've now struck a series of bigger deals with the entity that in May agreed to spin those three unbuilt LPTVs — HC2 Broadcasting.

The town of Port Jervis, N.Y., lies at the heart of the "other" Tri-State Area within the vast New York City DMA — New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. It is situated along the bucolic Delaware River, and its proximity to fast-growing Sussex County, N.J., is likely why a low-powered TV station licensed to this municipality has just sold for nearly $2 million.

He's been involved in numerous deals tied to low-power television stations in recent months. Now, Jeff Winemiller is securing an unbuilt property serving a city in the Palmetto State.

A 10-year old family-owned, woman-led, group of television and radio stations that owns the NBC and CBS affiliates serving Bowling Green, Ky., has submitted paperwork with the FCC seeking its approval to acquire a low-power TV property in the market. That station is presently home to MyNetwork TV and five digital multicast channels, including Estrella TV.

Just in time for Halloween, a "zombie" has surfaced in Washington. And, the Commission is comfortable enough with this creature living on an island off the coast of Los Angeles that it's treating it unlike Godzilla. That's because the FCC has given its approval to the first-ever transaction involving a channel-sharing agreement, a so-called "zombie" station resulting from the Commission's incentive auction, before the channel-sharing has even commenced.

A low-power VHF TV operation in a small Deep South town has just been sold. It's the lone deal up for discussion in a soft day at the FCC in RBR+TVBR's TRANSACTIONS TODAY for Wednesday, Feb. 14.

RBR+TVBR on Monday reported on the acquisition of an affiliate of The CW that carries MeTV and MyNetworkTV programming on its digital subchannels by a company with a formidable presence in New England. This deal would, if approved by the FCC, create a duopoly in Maine's biggest market. Terms including the price and escrow payment have now been disclosed.

A low-power Iowa TV station operated by Bahakel Communications via a Shared Services Agreement with a company that assumed would be its new owner is heading back to the company that intended to sell it due to "problems" it suffered. Instead, a Georgia LPTV is being assigned.