WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commissions’ Media Bureau has approved the transfer of TV station licenses from subsidiaries of SagamoreHill Broadcasting II and Block Communications to Gray Media.

In granting its approval of station acquisitions announced last year, the agency waived some of the FCC's station ownership rules.

In granting the transfers, the FCC rejected arguments from DirecTV, Georgia Cable Association, Illinois Broadband & Cable Association, Indiana Cable and Broadband Association, Tennessee Cable & Broadband Association, Business Forward, Asian Americans Advancing Justice and Christopher Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax Media, Inc.

“After carefully and thoroughly reviewing the record, we find that there are no material public interest harms arising from the Transactions,” the agency noted. “We further find that certain transaction-related public interest benefits are likely to be realized, especially given Gray’s reaffirmed commitment to “strong local news and information programming.”

The approval gives Gray ownership of WAND(TV), Decatur, Illinois, its first full power station in the Champaign-Urbana & Springfield-Decatur, Ill. DMA, and WLIO(TV), Lima, Ohio, its first full power station in the Lima, Ohio DMA.

In addition, Gray will now own two full power stations, a duopoly, in the Columbus, Ga.-Opelika, Ala. DMA with WTVM(TV), Columbus, Ga., and WLTZ(TV), Columbus, Ga.

It will also have three full power stations, a triopoly in Lubbock, Texas with KCBD(TV) and KJTV-TV, Lubbock, Texas, and KLCW-TV, Wolfforth, Texas and a triopoly in Louisville, Ky. with WAVE(TV) and WDRB(TV), Louisville, Ky., and WBKI(TV), Salem, Ind.

With the approvals, Gray announced that it had closed on its previously announced transaction with Block Communications, Inc. for a total purchase price of $80 million.

More specifically, that transaction included WDRB and WBKI, the Fox and The CW affiliates for the Louisville, Kentucky, market (DMA 49), where Gray owns and operates NBC affiliate WAVE-TV. The transaction also includes WAND, the NBC affiliate for the Springfield-Champaign-Decatur, Illinois, market (DMA 92), and WLIO, the NBC affiliate for the Lima, Ohio, market (DMA 190), as well as WLIO’s associated low-power television stations.

Last year in July, shortly before the Block deal, Gray announced it was buying SagamoreHill Broadcasting’s WLTZ, the NBC affiliate in Columbus, Ga. (DMA 127), and KJTV, the Fox affiliate in Lubbock, Texas (DMA 140).

In the wake of Gray Media’s plans to acquire TV stations from Block Communications and Allen Media, the Federal Communications Commission has set deadlines for public comments on the acquisitions and transfer of station licenses from Sagamore Hill Broadcasting, Block and Allen Media to Gray.

In the filing, the FCC said, “Interested persons must file petitions to deny no later than Oct. 22, 2025. Oppositions to petitions to deny must be filed no later than November 6, 2025. Replies must be filed no later than November 17, 2025.”

In August, Gray announced an agreement to acquire the Block Communications-owned television stations for $80 million and separately announced plans to acquire Allen Media Group-owned stations in 10 markets for $171 million.

Both deals require changes or waivers in existing FCC ownership rules, which the regulator acknowledged in a filing setting the dates for public comment.

“The Commission’s Local Television Ownership Rule 47 CFR § 73.3555(b) generally prohibits common ownership of two full power stations with overlapping contours in the same Nielsen Designated Market Area (DMA), where both are ranked among the top four stations in the DMA, subject to certain exceptions (the Top-Four Prohibition),” the FCC noted. “On July 23, 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit issued a decision vacating and remanding the Top-Four Prohibition. Zimmer Radio of Mid-Missouri, Inc. v. FCC, et al., No. 24-1380 (8th Cir. July 23, 2025). The court also vacated an amendment to Note 11 of that rule that included multicast and low-power television streams in the Top-Four prohibition. It is anticipated that the mandate for the vacatur of the Top-Four Prohibition will take effect on October 21, 2025.”

The FCC also noted that Gray proposes to own two or more full-power stations in the following markets:

• Sagamore Hill-Gray in Lubbock, Texas, DMA: KCBD(TV) and KJTV-TV, Lubbock, Texas, and KLCW-TV, Wolfforth, Texas.
• Sagamore Hill-Gray in Columbus, Ga., DMA: WTVM(TV) and WLTZ(TV), Columbus, Georgia.
• Block-Gray in the Louisville, Ky., DMA: WAVE(TV) and WDRB(TV), Louisville, and WBKI(TV), Salem.
• Allen Media in the Huntsville-Decatur (Florence), Ala., DMA: WAFF(TV) and WAAY(TV), Huntsville.
• Allen Media in Paducah-Cape Girardeau-Harrisburg DMA: KFVS(TV), Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and WSIL-TV, Harrisburg, Illinois. Gray also requests a continuing satellite exception for KPOB-TV, Poplar Bluff, Missouri.
• Allen Media in Evansville DMA: WFIE(TV) and WEVV-TV, Evansville, Indiana.
• Allen Media in Fort Wayne DMA: WPTA(TV), WISE-TV, and WFFT-TV, Fort Wayne, Indiana.
• Allen Media in Montgomery DMA: WSFA(TV) and WCOV-TV, Montgomery, Alabama, and WIYC(TV), Troy, Alabama.
• Allen Media in Lafayette, Louisiana DMA: KATC(TV) and KADN-TV, Lafayette, Louisiana. Allen Media-Gray Applications, Comprehensive Exhibit at 6-7. In the Lafayette, Louisiana DMA where Gray proposes ultimately to operate KATC and KADN-TV, Gray’s planned acquisition of KATC is pending before the Commission in a separate transaction.
• Allen Media in Rockford DMA: WSLN(TV), Freeport, Illinois, and WREX(TV), Rockford, Illinois.

The full filing is available here.

ATLANTA—Gray Media has announced an agreement to acquire the Block Communications-owned television stations for $80 million.

The deal will strengthen Gray’s presence in the Midwest by creating a new Big Four duopoly in one market and by adding top-ranked local news stations in two more Midwestern markets that can support and benefit from our strong local stations in adjacent markets, Gray said.

The deal comes at a time when station merger and acquisition activity has been heating up as the industry continues to aggressively lobby the Federal Communications Commission to relax or eliminate ownership rules on broadcast TV stations.

Gray anticipates closing these transactions in the fourth quarter of this year following receipt of regulatory approval, including certain waivers of the FCC’s current ownership rules, and other customary closing conditions.

The transaction includes WDRB and WBKI, the Fox and The CW affiliates for the Louisville, Kentucky, market (DMA 49), where Gray owns and operates NBC affiliate WAVE-TV. The transaction also includes WAND, the NBC affiliate for the Springfield-Champaign-Decatur, Illinois, market (DMA 92), and WLIO, the NBC affiliate for the Lima, Ohio, market (DMA 190), as well as WLIO’s associated low-power television stations.

WAND and WLIO each had the highest all-day ratings among television households in their markets during 2024, according to Comscore.

Gray and Scripps recently announced plans for a station swap that would also require the FCC to change its ownership rules or grant a waiver.