Shifts affiliation to a KMOV subchannel; future of current affiliate KDNL unknown Just hours after Nexstar announced it was dropping CBS from six of its stations comes word that ABC is looking to make an affiliation change in St. Louis as the network reportedly agreed to take over the 4.2 channel of CBS affiliate KMOV starting Sept. 1, taking over […]
Cities include Albuquerque, Birmingham Editor’s Note: This post was updated on July 24 to clarify the channel position of each new CBS station and again on August 2 as The CW won’t move to WIAT until September 1. In news that was first reported by The Desk, Nexstar Media Group renewed its CBS affiliations in 36 markets, but is parting […]
Currently at 39 percent; radio is likely next In news that will certainly prompt a legal challenge, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced Wednesday morning the agency will vote on August 6 to eliminate the 39 percent national television ownership cap, despite Congress having the final say on whether or not to do so. Instead of relying on the cap, the […]
ABC 7 takes fight with the agency to the public The fight between The Walt Disney Co.’s ABC and the FCC escalated Monday, with the network urging to write and contact the FCC in support of The View and its eight owned-and-operated stations, including ABC 7 Chicago (WLS-TV) here. Two issues are in play: whether or not The View is […]
Says it violates federal antirust law A federal judge blocked the $6.2 billion merger between Nexstar Media Group and Tegna Friday evening, setting the stage for a long and perhaps costly court battle. As first reported by The Desk, U.S. District Judge Troy Nunley in Sacramento issued the 52-page injunction, stating the mega-merger violates antitrust laws, and declared it illegal, […]
A headline you thought you would never see. But here we are. If I were to tell you three years ago that Byron Allen would replace Stephen Colbert in late-night, you’d be questioning my sanity. But he we are, and that’s exactly what’s happening. In a signal that linear TV is on its deathbed, CBS announced Monday it was replacing […]
Approved despite lawsuits by states, DirecTV In a historic move, the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice approved the $6.2 billion merger between Irving, Tex.-based Nexstar and McLean, Va.-based Tegna, despite a lawsuit filed by eight state attorneys general and DirecTV. The deal officially closed Thursday night. The FCC granted waivers to Nexstar despite the national ownership cap […]
Comes after WGN layoffs [Editor’s Note: This post was updated on March 7 at 10:30 a.m.] As reported by the Sun-Times Thursday night, Fox-owned WFLD-TV/Fox 32 parted ways with anchor Scott Schneider after a decade, and executive news producer Marissa Rubino. Schneider has co-anchored the 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. newscasts with Dawn Hasbrouck since late 2023, succeeding the now-retired […]
WPIX New York and KTLA Los Angeles also hit with staff cuts, drawing the attention of SAG-AFTRA Fresh off of laying off nine employees at WGN-TV Monday, Nexstar made even more cuts on Wednesday, announcing layoffs at its KTLA Los Angeles and WPIX New York (which it operates through Mission Broadcasting) KTLA laid off five on-air personnel, including longtime meteorologist […]
Sean Lewis and Ray Cortopassi among those cut on the same day four Black lawmakers announced their opposition to Tegna deal Editor’s Note: This story was updated on February 24 at 11:10 a.m. Nexstar-owned WGN-TV announced Monday night it has laid off nine on-air anchors and reporters from its Bradley Place headquarters. The biggest name laid off was WGN evening […]
Also: Court TV sold; Trump endorses Nexstar-Tegna deal Super Bowl LX wasn’t much to look at on the field, but it still drew a large crowd. Ratings released by Nielsen Tuesday showed the game between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks averaged a 39.4 household rating and 79 share and drew 124.9 million viewers across all platforms for NBC, […]
Show to last only 15 minutes [Editor’s Note: This article has been updated on January 27.] Nexstar’s WGN-TV announced Wednesday it is launching a new, weeknight political show called The Point, anchored by political editor Tahman Bradley. But in an unorthodox move, the program will air weeknights from 6:45 p.m to 7:00 p.m. starting January 26 for only fifteen minutes, […]
Stunning deal builds streaming’s clout and is a huge blow to linear TV In a stunning deal with The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences – and one that could be the death knell to linear TV, Google’s YouTube – yes, the video portal where you can watch anything from cat videos to old commercials, has landed the Oscars […]
I Beats Paramount and Comcast in bidding Deal includes HBO and HBO Max; does not include WBD’s cable networks, which will be spun off Passing regulatory tests could be difficult In a move that gained steam in the 24 hours before it was announced, Netflix is buying Warner Bros. Discovery for $82.7 billion, closing a period during which two other […]
Comes after Trump expresses disdain The bid to increase scale in local television has turned into an arms race. Sinclair is the latest to make a bid to acquire a rival, this time Cincinnati-based E.W. Scripps, a company that was founded in 1878 as a newspaper chain. If successful, Sinclair would own and/or operate around 250 stations in the […]
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