WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commission’s Media Bureau has approved the transfer of WLFI-TV, Lafayette, Indiana; WTHI-TV, Terre Haute, Indiana; and WTVA(TV), Tupelo, Mississippi from subsidiaries of Allen Media to Gray Media.

DirecTV, Georgia Cable Association, Illinois Broadband & Cable Association, Indiana Cable and Broadband Association, Tennessee Cable & Broadband Association, Asian Americans Advancing Justice and others have filed papers with the FCC regarding the license transfer of the stations.

On March 23, the Media Bureau issued a letter granting the transfer of three stations. “Based on our own review of the Applications and the record in this matter, we find that the Applications fully comply with the Commission’s rules,” it noted. “In addition, we have not identified any other issues or potential public interest harms that would require further consideration. We therefore conclude that grant of the Applications would serve the public interest.”

The full letter can be found here.

LOS ANGELES—Six years after it began expanding into the TV station business, Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group (AMG) today announced it will put all 28 of its network-affiliated TV stations up for sale, having hired Moelis to advise in the transaction.

AMG says it has invested more than $1 billion in acquiring television stations and is one of the largest independent privately held owners of Big Four affiliares (ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC).

In 2021, the company attempted to expand the reach of its local TV affiliates by launching “Local Now,” a free, ad-supported streaming service that offers local news and premium content from more than 300 channels nationwide. It managed to get Local Now distributed on major smart TV OSs as well as on other station groups’ FAST channels.

The company has accumulated an increased amount of debt over the years, however, and in February, announced that it had successfully refinanced its $100 million revolving credit facility, extending its maturities deadline to 2027.

In an ill-fated effort to cut costs further, the company earlier this year began replacing some of its meteorologists at local stations with personalities from The Weather Channel, which it acquired from NBC for $300 million in 2018. After widespread viewer criticism, the company announced less than a week later that it would abandon that plan.

Launched in 1993 by TV personality Byron Allen, AMG is involved in TV production, syndication and owns a group of digital cable and satellite channels.

Increased support by the Brendan Carr-led Federal Communications Commissions for a relaxation of station ownership rules may have also prompted AMG to put the stations up for sale now. Rick Ducey, managing director at BIA Advisory Services, said he is not surprised at today’s announcement. “We all expected to see the M&A space open up for TV in 2025, and here we go,” he said.

Allen, founder, chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group, said the company has “received numerous inquiries and written offers for most of our television stations and now is the time to explore getting a return on this phenomenal investment. We are going to use this opportunity to take a serious look at the offers, and the sale proceeds will be used to significantly reduce our debt.”

A number of meteorologists have announced their departures from local TV stations owned by Allen Media Broadcasting in recent days, after the station group announced a partnership with The Weather Channel that would replace local weather personnel with TWC forecasters based from its Atlanta headquarters.

As part of the Allen Media Group owned by media personality Byron Allen, AMB owns and operates 28 TV stations nationwide, covering all four commercial networks. AMG acquired The Weather Channel, part of The Weather Group, in a deal worth $300 million in 2018 and the “groundbreaking format” has been in Beta for several years, according to AMG.

“The new format will dramatically improve reporting capabilities, especially in high-stakes weather situations,” AMB said on Saturday. “This initiative aims to transform the way local weather is reported—ensuring the most accurate, timely, and engaging forecasts for communities across the country.”

AMB announced the move on a Saturday—not a typical day to issue such news releases—most likely in response to the number of news personalities who informed their viewers about their pending departures on Friday.

A person familiar with the matter told CNN that the new arrangement “will impact at least 50 meteorologists,” and that some of them will be offered new positions at the The Weather Channel.

On Friday, WTHI-TV news anchor Patrece Dayton and chief meteorologist Kevin Orpur announced their departure from the station in Terre Haute, Indiana. “For those of you who don’t know, both of our positions are being eliminated here at WTHI-TV,” Dayton said. “The television business in general is changing nationwide and budget cuts are happening everywhere.”

Christina Burkhart, meteorologist with ABC affiliate WJRT-TV in Flint, Michigan, put the number of layoffs at 100, announcing on her Facebook page: “Allen Media is laying off all local meteorologists company-wide. This is nearly 100 meteorologists at just over 20 stations across the country.

“Mid-Michigan friends, it breaks my heart to say ABC12 is on this list. Please keep these local meteorologists in your thoughts as they navigate big changes in the coming weeks, and their stations as they learn how to provide coverage without them.

“Weather forecasts will be sent from the weather channel in Atlanta. These will be pre-recorded by regional meteorologists recording hits for each Allen station. Live severe weather coverage will also come from them.”

Spencer Dayton, meteorologist with Gray Media-owned CBS station WVLT Knoxville, Tennessee, panned the new move.

“I don’t think this is a good move and I don’t see it being successful,” he said in a Facebook post. “It may save money in the short term, but takes away value and credibility in the long term. I personally know some in this group that were let go. They are wonderful people, employees and meteorologists.

“WEATHER is the number one reason most people watch a local newscast. These folks are more valuable than some companies realize and I am certain they will land on their feet,” Dayton continued. “I’m employed by Gray Media and we are still hiring, so there are no signs of us doing anything like that anytime soon.”

The new partnership comes after AMG announced a restructuring plan last May that impacted about 12% of its workforce, about 2,500 employees.

Byron Allen has floated a $30 billion bid to buy Paramount Global according to the Allen Media Group, which confirmed the bid to TV Tech. 

The bid includes $14.3 billion to buy all the outstanding shares of Paramount and assume its outstanding debts, which pushes the value of the deal up to about $30 billion.

The news, which was first reported in Bloomberg and Reuters, pushed up the price for Paramount's stock by 7.4% at 12:20 ET, but the stock was still trading below Allen’s offer, which may reflect investor skepticism that he could raise the money to consummate the purchase. 

"Mr. Byron Allen did submit a bid on behalf of Allen Media Group and its strategic partners to purchase all of Paramount Global's outstanding shares,” the Allen Media Group said in an email to TV Tech. “We believe this $30 billion offer, which includes debt and equity, is the best solution for all of the Paramount Global shareholders, and the bid should be taken seriously and pursued."

Some analysts have argued that Allen would sell the Paramount studio and to keep Paramount’s streaming and linear TV assets, which include local stations, the CBS broadcast network, its cable networks and the Paramount+ streaming service. That would reduce the amount of money needed to about $15 billion. 

Media mogul Byron Allen, owner of Allen Media Group, is considering bidding for the Washington Commanders NFL franchise, according to Bloomberg, 

Allen—who, depending on the source is worth between $500-800 million—is working with an investor group, according to confidential sources. If it happens, it would be the second time this year he considered acquiring an NFL team after a similar consideration in February to bid for the Denver Broncos, who were eventually acquired for $4.65 billion by an investor group headed by the Walton family, owners of Wal-Mart. 

If it went through, Allen would be the first black owner of an NFL franchise and could alleviate some concerns over the lack of diversity in the sports’ ranks. In addition to AMG's 27 TV stations, Allen's Entertainment Studios conglomerate also owns cable properties including The Weather Channel and has joint ownership of 21 regional sports networks with Sinclair Broadcast Group. 

The news came the same day current Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder—who is being investigated by Congress for sexual harassment allegations in the organization—announced, along with his wife Tanya, that they had hired Bank of America to lead a possible sale of the franchise. 

The sale would have to be approved by the three quarters (24 of 32 teams) by the full membership, an NFL spokesman said Wednesday. 

Other potential owners' names that surfaced Wednesday include Dallas Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban and former AOL executive Ted Leonsis, who already owns the Washington Wizards NBA, Washington Capitols NHL and Washington Mystics WNBA teams. 

LOS ANGELES—Allen Media Group's African American-focused news, lifestyle, sports and entertainment platform The Grio has announced that it is launching a two hour news block on October 24. 

“The Grio With Eboni K. Williams” and “The Grio With Marc Lamont Hill” will feature news and information in the U.S. and around the world. Reaching over 50 million television households, plus 250 million device users, these two news programs will also be available on demand via the TheGrio Streaming App. 

Eboni K. Williams is an American lawyer, author and television host. She currently hosts and is executive producer of the Warner Music Group podcast.

Marc Lamont Hill is an award-winning journalist, author, scholar, commentator, and television host. 

"Eboni K. Williams and Marc Lamont Hill are extremely talented, very smart, and will bring much-needed new voices to the global conversation," said Byron Allen, founder/chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group. "The Grio News has a strong and trusted relationship with the Black community. Allen Media Group is committed to investing heavily in The Grio, working with the best talent, and increasing our worldwide distribution as we continue to deliver excellence."

"I am thrilled to join The Grio and lead a show that centers Black culture and directly speaks to what our people need to know relating to the American legal system," said host Eboni K. Williams. "We know the system is rigged, but each night I'll give the people what they need to know in order to successfully navigate it and relentlessly pursue justice."

"This is an exciting time to be launching these bold new shows," said Marc Lamont Hill. "Given the current social, political, and economic climate, we have an opportunity to provide programming that informs, inspires, and empowers our community. Our goal is not to play nice, but to tell the truth from our perspective."

LOS ANGELES—The Allen Media Group (AMG) has hired media industry veteran Oliver De La Hoz as its new CFO of its Allen Media Digital. De La Hoz will be based in AMG's Los Angeles headquarters. 

De La Hoz has more than two decades of experience in financial accounting, integration, operations and mergers and acquisitions within the entertainment and media industry. He comes into the AMG family from a position as chief financial officer of ITV Studios U.S., where he helped build and manage scripted and unscripted businesses and oversaw the accounting and finance functions of the firm. In addition to serving as a director at PwC’s Financial Due Diligence practice , De La Hoz is a certified public accountant and graduated with a dual degree in Accounting and Finance from Georgetown University. 

The division in which De La Hoz will be financial officer encompasses the company’s streaming AVOD platform Local Now, TheGrio streaming app, HBCU Go, The Weather Channel Streaming App, The Weather Channel en Español, and the company’s recently launched Sports.TV streaming platform.

“Oliver De La Hoz is a great addition to the Allen Media Group family as chief financial officer for Allen Media Digital, where he will be valuable in overseeing all financial planning, accounting and business operations for the division,” said Byron Allen, founder/chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group. “Oliver will now play a vital role in helping Allen Media Group continue to grow our digital streaming platforms and initiatives worldwide."

Allen Media Group--parent company of The Weather Channel television network--has named Tony Leadman Executive Director of International Distribution. Leadman is responsible for developing and leading a business unit that will distribute The Weather Channel's hit original programming worldwide.

"Tony Leadman is highly accomplished and respected in the international broadcast industry," said Byron Allen, Founder/Chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group. "With his extensive experience in media, sales and marketing, we are confident Tony will help us achieve our international programming initiatives and goals."

Prior to joining The Weather Group, Leadman was the architect of CTV and Bell Media's international program distribution business. He was responsible for numerous international co-productions, commissions and licensing deals securing millions in annual revenue. Before his time with CTV and Bell Media, Leadman was the Canadian Executive Manager of MGM Studios television division. During his tenure with the MGM Studios, he managed the distribution business and secured the Canadian financing of the hugely popular Stargate SG-1 series as well as Poltergeist.

"The Weather Group ownership and management consist of hugely talented and committed people. I am absolutely thrilled to be part of this team and to spearhead our international plans," said Leadman. "We intend to form partnerships and supply agreements with the world's major broadcasters and producers. It's exciting to be joining a progressive team as The Weather Channel continues to innovate and adapt their primetime programming."

ATLANTA, Ga.—Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group television network The Weather Channel has launched The Weather Channel en Español, the first 24/7 Spanish-language free-streaming weather news network in the United States. 

The Weather Channel en Español makes its debut on the 40th anniversary of the launch of The Weather Channel television network. It has launched with such major sponsors as Ford, Geico, General Motors, Toyota, Verizon, Walmart and others. 

“The Hispanic marketplace is indexing extremely well with streaming services and is severely underserved,” said Byron Allen, founder, chairman and CEO of The Weather Channel parent company, Allen Media Group. “Our launch of The Weather Channel en Español is historic, and is a recognition of the continued and significant growth of the U.S. Hispanic population and the constant need to keep the entire public informed and safe as multi-billion dollar weather disasters are on the rise – especially in communities where Spanish is spoken as both the primary and secondary language in millions of households throughout America.”

The Weather Channel en Español features a variety of Spanish language weather content, including locally specific forecasting, that will help viewers understand the variation behind weather events, climate science, and its human impact. 

Also, the new free-streaming network will utilize the full resources of The Weather Channel, including the network's multiple Emmy award-winning immersive mixed reality (IMR) technology.  

The first on-camera meteorologists to join The Weather Channel en Español are Albert Martinez, Henry Golac, Milmar Ramirez, Jessica Fernandez, Abel Hernandez and Lorena Lim. 

The Weather Channel en Español is a free streaming service and available across over-the-top streaming platforms and all mobile devices. The content is focused on the U.S., the Caribbean and Latin America. The Weather Channel en Español is also accessible via The Weather Channel app. 

LAS VEGAS—Closing the NAB Show in Las Vegas last week, The Broadcasters Foundation of America honored several industry leaders at its annual breakfast Wednesday morning.

The Leadership Award is presented annually to industry leaders who have made an impact on the broadcast industry and in their local communities.

This year’s honorees are:

• Byron Allen, Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer, Allen Media Group
• Pierre Bouvard, Chief Insights Officer, Cumulus Media
• Ralph Oakley, Retired, President and Chief Executive Officer, Quincy Media
• Christine Travaglini, President, Katz Radio Group
• Dennis Wharton, Retired, Executive Vice President, Media Relations, National Association of Broadcasters

Gordon Smith, former U.S. Senator and Special Advisor to the NAB, was honored with the Lowry Mays Excellence, which is presented annually to a broadcast luminary who has made an impact on the industry through innovation, entrepreneurship, issue advocacy, community service, and philanthropy.

CHICAGO, Ill.—Several companies and networks owned by Byron Allen have filed a civil suit against Nielsen alleging that its “outdated and unreliable” ratings significantly undercounted audiences, particularly for smaller networks, and that Nielsen's inaccurate audience measurement cost media companies “billions of dollars.” 

“Based on Nielsen’s false representations, half-truths, and concealment, Nielsen received millions in fees per year to provide fundamentally unreliable and flawed services,” from networks owned by Allen, the suit alleges. 

The Civil lawsuit was filed by Byron Allen’s CF Entertainment, Inc., Entertainment Studios Networks, Inc., Weather Group, LLC, and Weather Group Television, LLC. in Circuit Court Of Cook County, Illinois, County Department, Law Division.

The lawsuit argues that “Nielsen’s panel system [for audience measurement] may have worked decades ago when there were a handful of networks that could be viewed only over the air on a television set. With changes in the television industry, viewers now have hundreds of channels to choose from. They can watch video by subscribing with distributors, such as satellite or cable providers, or stream over the Internet through services and apps that can be viewed on Smart TVs, computers, cell phones and tablets.”

This audience fragmentation makes Nielsen’s ratings for smaller networks particularly unreliable, the suit said, citing widespread industry criticism of Nielsen’s ratings during the pandemic by the MRC, the VAB and a number of media companies. 

Moreover Nielsen’s position as a “monopoly” provider of industry-wide currency for ad sales allowed it to delay reforms, the suit claims. 

“Nielsen has known about the problems for years but has not invested to make its ratings system reliable and up-to-date,” the suit said. 

“This monopoly position allowed Nielsen to dominate the market without developing new and improved ratings services to keep up with the rapidly changing market for  television networks and programming,” the suit alleges. 

“Nielsen knew that, based on the limitations of its panel system and the increased  fragmentation of television viewership, it could not reliably rate smaller networks,” the suit said.

Nielsen “concealed this highly material fact from Entertainment Studios” in “2017 when Nielsen caused Entertainment Studios to pay Nielsen to rate the networks,” owned by Allen’s Entertainment Studios. “Nielsen also made false promises and told half-truths to obtain millions in fees to rate The Weather Channel,” which is also owned by Allen. 

“Plaintiffs are not alone,” the suit claimed. “Many other media companies have been led astray and have paid millions of dollars to Nielsen in exchange for unreliable and flawed services. It is estimated that Nielsen caused these media companies billions of dollars in damages.”

The suit also claims that “Nielsen’s inability to reliably rate Entertainment Studios’ networks was well known within Nielsen. On information and belief, Nielsen employs teams of statisticians who keep track internally of statistical data that can affect the accuracy and reliability of Nielsen’s data. Through these internal reviews, Nielsen knew that its ratings services were unreliable, especially for networks like those owned by Entertainment Studios. Nielsen knew that,  when distribution for a network is limited in the number of subscribers, the sample errors in  Nielsen’s reports increase dramatically making the service fundamentally unreliable.”

The suit did not list a specific amount for damages. 

LOS ANGELES—Allen Media Group’s (AMG) free-streaming digital platform HBCU Go has completed a multi-year deal with the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) that will give HBCU Go cable, linear, streaming, broadcast, VOD, and pay-per-view rights to premier NCAA Division I HBCU conference sporting events.

"Some of the world's greatest athletes have come from, and continue to play and coach for, these excellent Historically Black Colleges and Universities [HBCU],” said Byron Allen, founder/chairman/CEO of HBCU Go’s parent company Allen Media Group. “These HBCUs will continue to deliver historic events such as sports icon and coach Deion Sanders signing the number one overall prospect in the class of 2022--five-star cornerback Travis Hunter--making this a truly amazing league. I appreciate SWAC Commissioner Dr. Charles McClelland for partnering with us to deliver over 2,000 sporting events and engaging content on every device 24/7 worldwide."

Beginning with the fall 2022-23 season, the free-streaming digital platform HBCU Go will distribute programming for the SWAC across all sports, including football, basketball, volleyball, and Olympic sports. The partnership will include live coverage of over 2,000 SWAC games and events. Some of these games and events will also air on AMG's free-streaming digital platforms theGrio, Local Now, and Sports.TV.

"We're extremely excited to partner with the Allen Media Group and HBCU Go," said SWAC Commissioner Dr. Charles McClelland. "This partnership will be a game-changer for our league along with the 12 member institutions that we serve. The ability to showcase our sports programs across such a wide variety of multimedia and digital platforms will undoubtedly take SWAC sports programming to the next level while providing our fans and supporters with unprecedented access to SWAC events in all the sports that our league currently offers."

ATLANTA—Allen Media Group has signed an agreement with PBS Digital Studios to offer viewers curated PBS Digital Studios content on its streaming platform Local Now. 

The content became available on March 3 and includes such PBS Digital Studios series as “Be Smart,” “Eons,” “Sound Field” and others. 

“PBS has been an excellent staple in American households for decades, so we are excited, as well as honored to have PBS Digital Studios as part of the Local Now stellar lineup,” said Byron Allen, founder, chairman and CEO of Local Now parent company Allen Media Group. “This partnership furthers our core mission of delivering premium, free content that entertains, educates and enriches our viewers and their families.” 

PBS Digital Studios offers original series and short-form content that explores science, arts, culture and more. PBS Digital Studios is a leader in online content creation with five programs on YouTube’s “Top 20 U.S. Education Creators” list and three programs on YouTube’s “Top 20 U.S. Science & Tech Creators” list, both based on average monthly views. Each month, PBS Digital Studios averages over 29 million users and 50 million views on YouTube.

Local Now offers more than 420 free streaming channels, including a Local Now channel in every DMA in the country, as well as more than 12,000 movies, TV shows, and documentaries. The Local Now app is available on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Xfinity, Vizio, Samsung, Android, and IOS devices.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The 2022 NAB Show has announced that media entrepreneur Byron Allen and Gordon Smith, special advisor to the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), will engage in a candid conversation about their unique careers and roles in the broadcast industry during a fireside chat on the Main Stage of NAB Show on April 27, 2022, at 9:15 a.m. in Las Vegas, Nev.

Allen, the founder, chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group / Entertainment Studios and Smith, the former president and CEO of NAB, will discuss the steps in their professional careers that helped them achieve success. During the NAB Show Executive Leadership Series session, Allen and Smith will also address their respective roles as advocates and leaders in the broadcast industry and the enduring value of local television in an ever-changing marketplace.

After starting his career as a comedian, Allen founded his media company in 1993, which now owns and operates 27 television stations in 21 markets, as well as 12 24-hour HD television networks and several streaming OTT/Mobile APPS including LocalNow. Allen also partnered with Sinclair Broadcast Group in 2019 to acquire 21 Regional Sports Networks (RSNs).

Allen’s Entertainment Studios produces and distributes Emmy Award-winning and nominated shows, as well as sells advertising for 67 broadcast and cable television programs. 

The company is also the first African-American owned multi-platform media studio producing and distributing wide-release motion pictures and content for all platforms and owns TheGrio, a digital, video-centric news platform devoted to providing compelling entertainment, news and lifestyle content for African-Americans.

Smith was NAB’s president and CEO from November 2009 to the end of 2021, when he transitioned into a senior advisor role. He previously served two terms as U.S. senator representing Oregon. He will receive NAB’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award, at the 2022 NAB Show.

More information about the NAB Show, held April 23 – 27, 2022, in Las Vegas, is available here: www.nab show.com.

LOS ANGELES & SUNNYVALE, Calif.—Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group (AMG) and Google have announced a new multi-year and multi-platform agreement that will help AMG expand and improve its digital operations with technologies from Google Cloud and give AMG networks additional carriage on YouTube TV. 

As part of the agreement, Google Cloud will provide its cloud infrastructure for AMG’s digital operations and provide technologies that will help AMG speed up the process of building apps, improve its decision-making process and help AMG better connect to its audiences using Google Cloud’s data analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning capabilities.

AMG will also expand its YouTube TV carriage in 2022, initially with The Weather Channel and select Allen Media Group Networks. Additional nets will launch at a later date, the companies said. 

Additionally, Allen Media Digital and Google will continue to work together to bring AMG’s streaming offerings to more consumers on the devices of their choice via Google Play to Android phones and tablets, as well as Google TV and other Android TV OS devices.

“All of our Allen Media Group properties are growing at an unprecedented rate, and our partnership with Google is a key step in our continued global transformation," said Byron Allen, founder, chairman, and CEO of Allen Media Group. “By leveraging Google's technology, distribution, marketing, ad sales platforms, enormous capital support, and expertise, Allen Media Group will seamlessly build and enhance our reach and revenue worldwide."

“Allen Media Group’s vast portfolio of properties represents a tremendous opportunity to engage audiences worldwide,” says Don Harrison, president of Global Partnerships, Google. “We’re thrilled to partner with Allen Media Group to offer Google’s secure technology solutions, data analytics and distribution platforms as it continues to transform its business digitally and connect with more viewers globally.”

LOS ANGELES—Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group newly-created Allen Media Digital division has launched a new free-streaming platform Sports.TV. The service aggregates sports, news, movies, documentaries, and entertainment networks, as well as local broadcast television stations.

The Sports.TV initial line-up features more than 60 free channels, including: Pac12 Insider, HBCUGo.TV, World Poker Tour, Pursuit Up TV, Swerve Sports, SportsGrid, For the Fans, Fight Network, Impact Wrestling, Black Belt TV, MMA TV, Campus Lore, Allied Esports, Outside TV, Horse & Country, NHRA TV, Racing America, and many more to come. 

The company said that Sports.TV will provide subscribers the ability to transact as it launches regional sports networks, pay-per-view, ticket sales, merchandise sales, and sports betting on the platform throughout 2022.

“After many years, we have successfully combined the world’s two favorite words--sports and free,” said Byron Allen, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Allen Media Group. “Advertisers spend more than $50 billion per year to reach this highly-coveted sports demographic, and I’m happy to announce that Sports.TV has already received enormous ad support. Sports.TV is an innovative free-streaming service connecting sports fans to their favorite sports content, giving our subscribers complete access to all of their favorite teams and players on every device 24/7 for free.”

Sports.TV is now available for streaming on Apple iOS/iPhone/iPad, Android, Fire TV, and Android TV, as well as worldwide web, and with launches on Roku and Apple TV digital platforms coming soon.

LOS ANGELES—Allen Media Broadcasting, a division of Byron Allen's Allen Media Group, has inked a purchase agreement to acquire the Montgomery, Alabama broadcast television station WCOV-TV Fox affiliate (UHF digital channel 22) from David Woods and his Woods Communications Corporation for $28.5 million in cash. 

This acquisition is expected to close in 2022.

Upon closing, Allen's acquisition of WCOV-TV will increase the number of broadcast television stations owned and/or operated by his Allen Media Broadcasting to 36 stations across 21 U.S. broadcast television markets. The WCOV-TV digital signal is multiplexed, with channel 20.1 designated as Fox, channel 20.2 designated as Antenna TV, and channel 20.3 designated as THIS TV (acquired by Allen Media Group from MGM in October, 2020).

Allen Media Broadcasting's purchase agreement for WCOV-TV also includes these additional television station assets and their respective digital subchannel affiliates: Troy, Alabama-licensed Cozi TV affiliate WIYC/channel 48 (48.1: Cozi TV, 48.2: MyNetworkTV, 48.3: Heroes & Icons, 48.4: Court TV/Mystery, 48.5: TBD, 48.6: Comet, and 48.7: Charge!) and Montgomery, Alabama-licensed WALE/channel 17 (17.1: True Crime Network, 17.2: Laff, 17.3: Court TV, 17.4: Jewelry Television, 17.5: Movies!, 17.6: Heroes & Icons, and 17.7: Comet).

"WCOV-TV is an excellent asset and has been extremely well-managed for decades by the Woods family, who I've known for over 35 years," said Byron Allen, founder, chairman, and CEO of Allen Media Group. "Over the past two years, we've invested approximately $1 billion to acquire best-in-class, top-tier, Big 4 broadcast network affiliates and we plan to invest significantly more to acquire additional ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox television stations with the goal of being the largest broadcast television group in America. All of our media assets work in concert to amplify our free-streaming services theGrio.TV, Sports.TV, HBCUGo.TV, The Weather Channel en Español, and Local Now."   

LOS ANGELES—Byron Allen's Allen Media Group, LLC (AMG) has acquired the streaming network HBCUGo.TV from Symonds-Evans Media, LLC.

The acquisition of the streaming service includes the acquisition of HBCUGO.TV’s large content library of more than 5,000 hours and a first-ever partnership with the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), the nation's oldest historically Black athletic conference, to broadcast 44 Black college games during the current football season, and the men's and women's basketball seasons. These broadcasts featuring all CIAA institutions will be featured on the HBCUGo.TV streaming platform throughout the season.

HBCUGo.TV is the latest in a series of purchases by AMG geared to the African American market. AMG recently launched the over-the-air broadcast network theGrio.TV -- and owns the free streaming app and web digital platform theGrio.com -- to bring news, politics, health, entertainment, and relevant original content to viewers worldwide.

The current HBCUGo.TV management team, who has strong relationships with the schools, sports conference commissioners, HBCU presidents, and governing boards will continue to manage the HBCUGo.TV platform.

"The HBCU brand represents over 184 years of historic excellence, dating back to 1837, which helped cultivate some of the world's greatest minds and talent, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Spike Lee, Alice Walker, Samuel L. Jackson, Earl Graves, Oprah Winfrey, Chadwick Boseman, Justice Thurgood Marshall, Common, Booker T. Washington, Taraji P. Henson, Judge Kevin Ross, Langston Hughes, Katherine Johnson, Kenya Barris, and Vice President Kamala Harris, to name a few," said Byron Allen, Founder, chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group. "HBCUGo.TV positions us to speak to the heart and soul of Black America 24/7, and helps us stay strongly connected with one of the most valuable, untapped audiences in the world."

"We are thrilled to be a part of Byron Allen's Allen Media Group and his vision to make HBCUGo.TV the ultimate destination celebrating the excellence of HBCUs and their alumni," said HBCUGo.TV co-founder and CEO Curtis Symonds. "Our pioneer platform offers a global audience all aspects of the HBCU culture and positions the millions of brilliant young minds and alumni throughout the HBCU universe to help change the world for the greater good."

ATLANTA, Ga.—Gray Television, Inc. has reached an agreement to divest WJRT-TV, its ABC affiliate for the Flint-Saginaw, Michigan, television market, to Byron Allen’s Allen Media Broadcasting, LLC for $70 million dollars in cash.

Gray’s sale of WJRT-TV facilitates regulatory approvals for its pending acquisition of the Local Media Group division of Meredith Corporation by removing the only market overlap between the respective television station portfolios of Gray and Meredith, Gray noted in announcing the deal. 

The closing for the sale of WJRT-TV is expected to occur in the third or fourth quarter of 2021 prior to the closing of the Gray/Meredith transaction. 

WJRT-TV General Manager Pete Veto will remain with Gray after the closing of this sale in a new position that Gray will announce at a later date.

The deal is part of Allen Media’s efforts to expand its TV station holdings. 

“Over the past year-and-a-half, we've invested close to $1 billion to acquire best-in-class, top-tier, broadcast network affiliates and we plan to invest approximately ten billion dollars to acquire more ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX television stations over the next two years with the goal of being the largest broadcast television group in America,” Byron Allen, founder, chairman, and CEO of Allen Media Group. "All of our media assets will work in concert to amplify our free-streaming service, Local Now.”

Upon closing, Allen Media will own and operate twenty-four local television stations in twenty markets, as well as twelve television networks including The Weather Channel and the free-streaming service Local Now. 

On April 29, 2021, Gray and Allen Media Group announced that Allen Media Group would acquire ten television stations currently owned by Quincy Media, Inc. for $380 million upon Gray’s anticipated acquisition of Quincy in the third quarter.

“Having to divest WJRT-TV, which we have proudly owned for the past seven years, in order to facilitate our purchase of Meredith’s television stations is bittersweet,” said Gray’s executive chairman and CEO Hilton H. Howell. “The wonderful WJRT-TV staff has done an exemplary job serving the Flint-Saginaw community, and we are disappointed to lose them. Nevertheless, we are excited that Byron Allen and his team will follow us as the next dedicated stewards of this fine television station.”

Upon the closing of its acquisitions of Quincy Media, Inc. and the television stations of Meredith Corporation, Gray will become the nation’s second largest television broadcaster, with television stations serving 113 markets that reach approximately 36 percent of US television households. The pro forma portfolio includes 79 markets with the top-rated television station and 101 markets with the first and/or second highest rated television station according to Comscore’s audience measurement data. 

Wells Fargo Securities, LLC served as financial advisor to Gray.

LOS ANGELES—Another streaming service has hit the market, this one from Byron Allen. Local Now is a free, ad-supported streaming service that offers local news and premium content, using proprietary software and artificial intelligence to curate content based on the user’s zip code.

“Local Now is the most localized news and entertainment free-streaming service on the planet,” claims Allen, founder, chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group, Local Now’s parent company.

The streaming service has more than 300 free-streaming channels, including a Local Now channel in every zip code in the country, as well as additional local channels and content from the likes of Allen Media Broadcasting, News 12, E.W. Scripps, Meredith Broadcasting and Cox Media Group. Genre-based channels are also available from Allen Media Group, The Weather Channel, Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures, Lionsgate, Cinedigm, Gravitas and more.

Premium channels are also available, including Yahoo! Finance, Court TV, Newsy, Black News Channel, Bloomberg, Cheddar, People TV and more.

Per Allen, the Local Now software and A.I. produces, aggregates, curates and streams local news, weather, sports, traffic, movies, TV shows and more in real time, all based on the user’s zip code.

The user interface for Local Now puts local content out front. Users can create a “My Stream” channel for greater localization and personalization. 

Local Now is now available on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Xfinity, Vizio, Samsung, Hisense, Android and iOS devices. It is also available on YouTube TV, Sling, Xuomo, fuboTV and Dish.

For more information, visit www.localnow.com.  

WASHINGTON—Results of the 2021 NAB Television and Radio Board elections have been announced, which included Byron Allen, founder, chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group/Entertainment Studios, as a newly elected board member.

Allen was one of six individuals elected to the NAB TV Board, with the other five re-elected, as they are currently serving on the board. This includes Chris Ripley, president and CEO of Sinclair Broadcast Group; David Bradley, chairman and CEO of News-Press & Gazette Co.; David Hanna, president Lockwood Broadcasting; Chris Cornelius, vice president, Business Development, at Morgan Murphy Broadcasting; and Robert Hubbard, president/CEO, Hubbard Television Group, and vice president of Hubbard Broadcasting Inc.

In addition, the NAB Radio Board held elections for its odd-numbered districts. The elected board members include Allen Power (District 1 - New England), Collin Jones (District 3 - Pa.), Mike Tarter (District 5 - WVa., Ky.), David Hoxeng (District 7 - Fla., Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands), Nick Martin (District 9 - Ga., Ala.), Matt Mnich (District 11 - Ohio), Chris Ornelas (District 13 - Mich.), Bradford Caldwell (District 15 - Tenn., Ark.), Dana Withers (District 17 - Ill.), Roger Harris (District 19 - Okla., Northern Texas), Carolyn Becker (District 21 - Minn., N.D., S.D.) and Trila Bumstead (District 23 - Ore., Wash.).

David Bevins, COO of Connoisseur Media, was also appointed to a designated seat on the NAB Radio Board.

All elected board members will begin a two-year term in June 2021.

LOS ANGELES—The Allen Media Group, which is owned by Byron Allen, has announced that its 24/7 broadcast TV network This TV is now being distributed on eight ABC-owned TV station subchannels. This TV launched on these subchannels as of April 1.

The eight markets include New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, Fresno, Calif., and Raleigh-Durham, N.C. These ABC-owned TV stations represent 27 million U.S. TV households, according to Allen Media Group.

This TV, which Allen Media Group acquired from MGM in October 2020, is a free premium network that offers original programming, movies, retro TV series, documentaries and event specials. It is now available to 86 million U.S. households through over-the-air, cable and online platforms, per Allen Media Group.

“Allen Media Group's over-the-air broadcast television network This TV is now well-positioned for greater success with the addition of these eight phenomenal ABC owned and operated broadcast television stations," said Byron Allen, founder/chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group/Entertainment Studios. "As we continue to invest substantial amounts of capital into the programming, marketing and distribution of This TV and our portfolio of 11 networks, we remain strong believers in over-the-air broadcasting and free-streaming direct-to-consumer platforms.”

For more information, visit www.entertainmentstudios.com.  

WASHINGTON—Byron Allen, the founder, chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group/Entertainment Studios, has been announced as the opening keynote speaker for CultureX Conversations, a virtual conference produced by TV Tech, B+C, Next|TV and Multichannel News that will discuss diversity and inclusion efforts in the TV and media industries.

Allen founded the Los Angeles-based Entertainment Studios in 1993. Today, he owns and operates one of the largest cable network portfolios in the industry. 

For his keynote, Allen will share his road to success and identify his process for ensuring inclusion on screen, behind the scenes and in the audience. He’ll also review recent shifts in what audiences demand from TV and digital networks, and what sponsors are seeking in today’s culturally dynamic market.

CultureX Conversations offers a unique breakthrough conference for television industry and media leaders who are engaged in diversifying their workplace and ensuring that the service and content they provide to customers is inclusive of those who identify by their ethnicity, nationality, language, special needs or sexual orientation.

The virtual conference will feature 10 sessions, including keynote and panel discussions and case study presentations that demonstrate best practices for diversity and inclusion in the TV industry.

CultureX Conversations will take place virtually on March 16. Allen’s keynote will be at 12:05 p.m. ET.

For more information, or to register for CultureX Conversations, visit the website. 

LOS ANGELES—Entertainment Studios, an independent producer and distributor of films and TV owned by Byron Allen, has announced an acquisition of 11 broadcast television stations from USA Television for $290 million.

The following stations will now fall under Entertainment Studios’ Allen Media Broadcasting division:

• WAAY/WAAY-D2 (ABC/ION) - Huntsville, Decatur and Florence, Ala.
• WFFT (Fox) - Ft. Wayne, Ind.
• KEZI/KEZI-D2/KEZI-D3 (ABC/ION/METV) - Eugene, Ore.
• KNVN/KNVN-DT2 (NBC/Telemundo) & KHSL/KHSL-D2/KHSL-D5 (CBS/CW/ION) - Chico and Redding, Calif.
• WTVA/WTVA-D2 (NBC/ABC) & WLOV (Fox) - Columbus, Tupelo and West Point, Miss.
• KDRV/KDRV-D2 (ABC/Antenna TV) - Medford and Klamath Falls, Ore.
• KIMT/KIMT-D2/KIMT-D3 (CBS/MYTV/ION) - Rochester, Minn., Manson City, Iowa, and Austin, Minn.
• WTHI/WTHI-D2/WTHI-D3 (CBS/Fox/MYTV/CW) - Terre Haute, Ind.
• WLFI/WLFI-D2/WLFI- D3 (CBS/CW/ION) - Lafayette, Ind.

“These stations are dedicated to their local communities and this transaction will enable them to become even stronger on both their broadcast and digital platforms,” said USA Television CEO Robert S. Prather Jr.

With these new stations and the four acquired this past July from Bayou City Broadcasting for $165 million, Allen Media Broadcasting’s group of television stations is now at 15 across 11 markets. Allen also partnered with the Sinclair Broadcast Group to acquire 21 regional sports networks from Walt Disney/Fox for $10.6 billion in August.

Allen says that his company will continue to “aggressively look” for other opportunities for growth.