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).
