Broadcast television station M&A neared $9 billion in 2018, according to Kagan, a unit of S&P Global Market Intelligence, an 8 percent increase over the prior year.

Topping the list of deals is Nexstar’s pending purchase of Tribune Media, a transaction that will create a 216-station powerhouse. The deal, which also includes Tribune’s WGN America cable network, stakes in Food Network and the Chicago Cubs and more than $2 billion in debt, has been valued at about $6.4 billion. Kagan estimated the broadcast portion of the deal to be worth about $3.5 billion.

Next was Gray TV’s purchase of Raycom Media, completed on Jan. 2. Kagan valued the broadcast portion of that $3.6 billion deal at about $3.4 billion.

Other station deals include Cordillera Communications’ sale of 15 full-power and 8 low-power stations to E.W. Scripps Co. for $521.0 million; Quincy Media’s purchase of Cordillera’s NBC affiliate in Tucson, Ariz. (KVOA) for $70 million and its ABC affiliate in Paducah, Ky.-Cape Girardeau, Mo.-Harrisburg-Mt. Vernon, Ill. (WSIL-TV) for $24.5 million; and E.W. Scripps' purchase of independent TV station WHDT in West Palm Beach-Ft. Pierce, Fla., from Marksteiner AG Inc. for $25 million. 

CLEVELAND—NAB and the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) have deployed a fully integrated ATSC 3.0 Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark demo system at the Tribune Broadcasting-owned WJW-TV in Cleveland, the company announced today.

Comark Digital Services (CDS) delivered, installed and activated the ATSC 3.0 demo system after initially integrating it at the company’s lab in Southwick, Mass. The system was shipped to the transmitter site in a short portable “fly-pack” equipment rack.

The demo system, capable of transmitting UHD content from WJW with Comark’s Titan Live HEVC software-based encoder, includes a ROUTE encoder, an Enensys Broadcast Gateway, a Triveni Digital GuideBuilder, an EXACT-V2 DTV exciter and 3.0 test and monitoring equipment. The system drives a Comark DCX-3H three-tube IOT-based transmitter operating on DTV Channel 31 originally deployed in 1999.

“Having already provided ATSC 3.0 solutions to Dish Networks, the OneMedia Dallas SFN and PBS member station WKAR, CDS has been set up with the experience and integration capability just for these types of projects,” says Dick Fiore, Comark president and CEO.

More information is available of the Comark website.

For comprehensive coverage on ATSC 3.0, visit TV Technology's ATSC3 silo.

[Want more information like this? Subscribe to our newsletter and get it delivered right to your inbox.]

HIGH POINT, NC--As the southeast region, and in particular the coastal communities of North Carolina and South Carolina begin the long road to recovery from the devastating effects of hurricane Florence, Tribune Broadcasting’s FOX8/WGHP, will hold an in-studio telethon Wednesday, Sept. 19, from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., to aid in the recovery effort.

All money pledged during the 13-hour phone bank will be processed by the Salvation Army’s national headquarters and distributed to the areas of greatest need.

“We are in a time of dire need, and the people of North Carolina need to come together as one. Now, more than ever, our neighbors need our help.” said FOX8/WGHP General Manager, Jim Himes.

The 13-hour in-studio telethon will be staffed by Salvation Army volunteers, FOX8 staff members, and various community leaders. FOX8 will also use the power of its nearly 800,000 Facebook fans to spread the message on social media, and will link directly to the Salvation Army’s donation page on its own website, www.myfox8.com.