Deals made as CBS sitcom wraps up five-season run In a move that was expected given it was approaching the five-season mark, Warner Bros.’ sitcom Bob Hearts Abisola was sold in broadcast off-network syndication to several station groups this fall with 92 episodes available to air, announced last week. Warner did not announce what percentage of the country is cleared, […]
Owner of rival Ion couldn’t agree on new deal with Nexstar-owned network [Editor’s Note: This post was updated April 25.] Seven Scripps stations currently affiliated with The CW will not be in September as the broadcaster and the network couldn’t agree on terms to renew their deal, as first reported by The Desk Friday. Of the seven, two are in […]
Also: Chicago Blackhawks add animated alternative broadcast; FCC fine won’t affect WADL sale; Caps/Wizards move to Virginia scuttled In another blow to the long-running Chicago Tonight, anchor and co-host Paris Schutz announced Tuesday he is leaving the WTTW show after a twenty-year run, departing on April 12. Some personal news: Nearly 20 years ago, I walked into WTTW as a […]
Must also sell station in twelve months In a decision that could have ripple effects for local television, the FCC has fined both Nexstar and Mission Broadcasting over their relationship with one another regarding WPIX in New York City, the market’s CW affiliate. The FCC has also ordered Mission to sell the station in the nation’s largest media market. The […]
NAACP, Operation PUSH urge sale of WADL The saga involving Detroit’s WADL has taken another turn with the owner getting support from unlikely sources. Chicago-based Rainbow PUSH Coalition and the NAACP have each sent a letter of support of Kevin Adell to the FCC in his efforts to sell his WADL to Mission Broadcasting. The Rev. Jesse Jackson sent a […]
Also: Bally Sports facing eventual end; SiriusXM goes through an extensive overhaul; Detroit CW battle heats up After a years-long wait, Chicago TV stations will finally launch the next generation of over-the-air signals. Named ATSC 3.0, the new technology enables viewers to watch shows in 4k (2160p) definition, superb Dolby Atmos sound, and in HDR (high dynamic range.) The signals […]
Five-year deal comes as Smackdown heads back to cable Finally….the WWE has come back to The CW! But it’s not the show you think. World Wrestling Entertainment announced Tuesday afternoon its NXT franchise, which showcases up-and-coming wrestling talent, is moving to The CW next fall after a long run at NBCUniversal’s USA Network, who’ll regain Smackdown this fall after five […]
Also: Lakers and Spectrum announce DTC option; record set for shortest affiliation deal; Too much Judy? Have Chicagoans had enough of the Bears? An interesting take surfaced Monday as Chicago’s radio ratings were released. Radio Insight noted most cities’ sports talkers went up at the dawn of the NFL season – with the exception of Chicago’s 670 The Score/WSCR , […]
Impasse lasted 77 days [Editor’s Note: This article was originally published a day earlier. It has been slightly re-written to reflect updated news.] In news that broke overnight Sunday (and I do mean literally), the signal for Nexstar stations returned this morning to DirecTV, DirecTV Stream, and U-Verse after 77 days under an interim agreement, leading to a more concrete […]
Comes a day after a former Nexstar exec says it could happen [Editor’s Note: This story has been updated.] News of a potential ABC sale picked up Thursday after Bloomberg reported The Walt Disney Co. was in talks for either Nexstar or Allen Media Group (led by Byron Allen) to purchase ABC and its owned eight stations, after a Deadline […]
Also: WBD inching closer to exiting RSN business; WGN to air ACC Football through The CW [Editor’s Note: The second item in this post has been updated.] We have another local TV personality announcing his retirement – this time it’s Jim Rose, the longtime ABC 7 (WLS-TV) sports anchor, who announced Monday he was stepping down from the station after […]
Nexstar’s ties to Mission and White Knight Broadcasting once again in question In the latest retrans battle, we have one company whose Grand Rapids station recently was involved in a controversy over giving voice to ‘the other side’ during Pride month vs. one who shoved commercials down our throats last fall featuring Real Housewives cast members, a show known for […]
Also: NBA, Stanley Cup Final earns mixed ratings numbers; Nexstar moves CW affiliations to its owned stations in three markets; “Velma” renewed for season two Usually, trades are reserved for sports teams though this one could be compared to the Chicago White Sox trading a player to the Minnesota Twins. Cumulus Media announced Tuesday the appointment of James Kurdziel from […]
Also: “You Bet Your Life” latest victim of Writer’s Strike; Detroit independent likely to become CW after it’s bought by a Nexstar affiliate; CW cuts off LIV Golf before end It was Chicago’s turn to stage some writer’s strike action this week as picketers descended on the NBC Tower Wednesday afternoon. The tower is home to NBC-owned WMAQ-TV and Telemundo’s […]
Saturday evening, Nexstar and Comcast came to terms on an agreement to keep their stations and cable news network NewsNation on their systems nationwide. Nexstar owns WGN-TV in Chicago while Comcast is the metro area’s largest subscription TV provider. A blackout could have hurt WGN’s ratings, as it regularly tops the weekday morning news race in the adult 25-54 demo […]
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