1 of 1- RadioActive
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Could Buffalo’s 2 Biggest TV Stations Soon Be Under The Same Owner?
That seems likely if a plan by Nexstar becomes a reality. The company already owns two stations in the Buffalo market – WIVB, Channel 4 and WNLO, the CW. But due to a Trump FCC deregulation change, the broadcasting giant is looking at acquiring outlets owned by Tegna – the owner of arch-rival WGRZ-TV.
It means the CBS and NBC stations in the market would be owned by the same company.
Why does this matter? It likely won’t to Toronto viewers. But it might to those in Buffalo. Both stations have significant newsrooms that compete heavily against each other. (WKBW is no longer really a factor.) Would co-ownership mean a lessening of one of the news organizations in the market?
We’ve already seen what’s happened when one owner took over a ton of Buffalo radio stations. They no longer had to compete against each other and all of them were of lesser quality without that extra competitor nipping at their heels.
I’d hate to see this, because I think competition is the only thing that makes all stations better – because they have to be. But as it stands now, if the deal goes through, it will be interesting to see what happens in that market – and others across the U.S.
Either way, it’s a big deal. Nexstar owns or controls 200 TV stations in 116 American markets. Tegna owns 64 of their own.
So this could wind up being a very big change for broadcasting down south.
Report: Nexstar in advance talks to acquire rival Tegna
- RadioActive
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From the Buffalo News, which indicates Tegna pays its news people more than cheapskate Nexstar. What could happen if the two became one?
Nexstar potential acquisition of Tegna could have big impact on top 2 Buffalo stations
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Thread Starter- arc23
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Re: Could Buffalo’s 2 Biggest TV Stations Soon Be Under The Same Owner?
Isn't wutv Fox 29 also owned by one of a shell companies that's already part of next star and the Sinclair media group So that would mean That only ABC would be really separate In The Buffalo Market and the GTA
- mace
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Re: Could Buffalo’s 2 Biggest TV Stations Soon Be Under The Same Owner?
I haven't watched a Buffalo newscast since when Irv Weinstein would nightly report that North Tonawanda was burning brightly and "pistol packing punks" were roaming the streets elsewhere.
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Re: Could Buffalo’s 2 Biggest TV Stations Soon Be Under The Same Owner?
mace wrote:
I haven't watched a Buffalo newscast since when Irv Weinstein would nightly report that North Tonawanda was burning brightly and "pistol packing punks" were roaming the streets elsewhere.
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Thread Starter- ckg927
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Re: Could Buffalo’s 2 Biggest TV Stations Soon Be Under The Same Owner?
Isn't wutv Fox 29 also owned by one of a shell companies that's already part of next star and the Sinclair media group So that would mean That only ABC would be really separate In The Buffalo Market and the GTA
No. WUTV is owned outright by Sinclair, as is its sister station WNYO(MyTV Buffalo).
- arc23
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Aren't Sinclair and next star just two different branches of the same tree I thought they were owned by the same conservative investment media company
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Re: Could Buffalo’s 2 Biggest TV Stations Soon Be Under The Same Owner?
I stand corrected they are two separate companies they just seem so identical It's funny how the conservative media companies are taking over Not just Buffalo but a lot of America Even the news programming seem likes it's just a clone of news nation on WUTV The national desk
- tdotwriter
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I haven't watched a Buffalo newscast since when Irv Weinstein would nightly report that North Tonawanda was burning brightly and "pistol packing punks" were roaming the streets elsewhere.
This was literally a local trope back in the day. When tuning in to a Buffalo evening or nightly newscast, one would almost certainly hear of one or more structure fires that the station(s) news teams had deemed worthy of air time, along with the usual strong-dose crime news.
- ckg927
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Aren't Sinclair and next star just two different branches of the same tree I thought they were owned by the same conservative investment media company
Again, NO.
- ckg927
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Re: Could Buffalo’s 2 Biggest TV Stations Soon Be Under The Same Owner?
The ever-insightful Jim Heaney, head honcho of the Buffalo-based news outlet Investigative Post, weighed in on the Nexstar-TEGNA merger. And, true to form, he pulled few if ANY punches in his weekly newsletter(which will be published on their website Monday): he noted that a downsizing of the combined operations is likely but they will still have separate newsrooms. Oh, yeah, TEGNA pays their employees better than Nexstar does; many a WIVB staffer has departed for jobs either at other stations or stay local but take jobs in other fields.
- mace
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I always remember seeing Irv Weinstein being interviewed about the early days of Ch 7. Two quips he made me chuckle. "More people watch ch 4's test pattern than ch 7's newscast" and "We were the number four station in a three station market"
- RadioActive
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Re: Could Buffalo’s 2 Biggest TV Stations Soon Be Under The Same Owner?
It looks like the answer to the question posed in this thread title is yes. The deal, pending approval which it's likely to get, appears to be done - Nexstar will be getting its hands on Tegna, and own an astounding 256 local stations across the U.S.
I feel sorry for the folks at Buffalo's Channel 2, who are about to be swallowed by a cheapskate corporation with a history of underpaying employees.
Nexstar Seals Merger With Tegna in $6.2 Billion Local TV Mega-Deal
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Thread Starter- RadioActive
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Re: Could Buffalo’s 2 Biggest TV Stations Soon Be Under The Same Owner?
Ever wonder what "the memo" announcing a big change in radio or TV looks like?
Here are both from the parties involved, one from Nextstar, the other from Tegna. Notice neither hints even remotely at a possible loss of jobs, but that almost aways happens during a merger.
The Emails From Nextstar & Tegna CEOs To Their Workers
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Thread Starter- RadioActive
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Here's another "you're all fired but we're not going to admit that yet," memo. It was issued in June 1983 from the now defunct Telemedia, which owned several radio stations across the country, including CJCL 1430. Its attempt to become a music/talk hybrid, with lots of live sports like the Leafs and the Jays, never worked.
So the company (which, in my opinion, destroyed TV Guide Canada, which it also owned) pulled the pin on the format, which was either ill conceived to begin with or simply way too early for the market. In any event, it decided to go back to adult contemporary and then Music Of Your Life. Nothing worked, of course, and today the station is now The Fan 590, switching both formats and frequencies.
Here's the memo from the then exec. V.P. of the chain, a guy named John van de Kamer. He brought in another exec., the late Doug Ackhurst, to do the dirty job and get rid of much of the staff. (I've been told many of those on the chopping block referred to him as Ack-Ack-Ackhurst, imitating a machine gun.)
Note the section where they refer to cutbacks and firings, with "no promises of employment to anyone." Well, at least they were honest!
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