JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—The Federal Communication Commission’s Media Bureau has approved the transfer of the license of television station WJAX-TV from Hoffman Communications, Inc. to Cox Television Jacksonville, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CMG Media Corporation.
In making the decision, the regulator denied a petition from DirecTV seeking to block the deal.
CMG had operated the station under a broadcast service agreement. The license transfer means that CMG would own two television stations in the Jacksonville Nielsen Designated Market Area (DMA).
In denying the DirecTV petition to block the transfer, the FCC noted that rulings in the Zimmer Radio of Mid-Missouri, Inc. v. FCC et al. case voiding the old Top-Four prohibition means that ownership of two affiliate stations in the same market is now legal.
While the FCC ruled that DirecTV had standing to move that the transfer be blocked, the agency ruled that “the proposed transaction fully complies with the Commission’s rules, including the post-Zimmer Radio Local Television Ownership Rule, and that there are no issues or potential public interest harms identified in the record that would require further consideration…Accordingly, we conclude that grant of the Application will result in public interest benefits and serve the public interest, convenience, and necessity.”
A letter detailing the FCC decision can be found here.
