Baltimore Tv Stations

Syracuse's WSYT-TV and WNYS-TV, Fox and UPN affiliates, respectively, are likely to have new owners within the next few months if the U.S. Justice Department and the Federal Communications Commission approve the move by Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. to purchase the radio and television stations of Max Media Properties, L.L.C. for $255 million in cash.

Sinclair's management expects federal approvals for the deal, to be financed with bank debt, in the second quarter of this year. Sinclair is a publicly traded corporation on NASDAQ (SBGI).

Commenting on the overall strategy of the acquisition, David Smith, CEO of Sinclair Broadcast Group, sees opportunity in the Max Media acquisition: "The television properties will expand our coverage to nearly 20 percent of the United States and will add to our presence in the top 75 markets. In addition, the television stations in the smaller markets have exciting growth prospects. This transaction enhances our radio group as well, adding excellent properties in Norfolk, Va. and Greensboro, N.C

The stations in the top 75 markets include WKEF-TV, the NBC affiliate in Dayton, Ohio, and WSYT-TV and WNYS-TV, he Fox and UPN affiliates in Syracuse. The Dayton media market is ranked 53 and Syracuse is ranked 72. To owners of television stations, media markets are based on the size of the viewing population, and that is used in determining advertising rates for the individual stations.

The other television stations acquired include KBSI-TV and WDKA-TV, the Fox and UPN affiliates in Paducah, Ky. (media market number 79), WEMT-TV, the Fox affiliate located in the TriCities area of Tennessee (93), KETK-TV and KLSB, two NBC affiliates in Tyler-Longview, Texas (107), WMMP-TV, and the UPN affiliate in Charleston, S.C. (117).

The Max Media television stations WKEF-TV and WEMT-TV have overlapping service areas with Sinclair's WSTR-TV in Cincinnati, Ohio, WTTE-TV in Columbus, Ohio, and WLOS-TV in Asheville, N. C. Sinclair will apply for waivers from the FCC to allow Sinclair to own each of these stations. Similarly, in the Norfolk radio market, Sinclair intends to dispose of two of the FM stations it is acquiring as part of the Max Media and Heritage Media acquisitions, to be in compliance with the FCC regulation that prevents owners from having more than four FM stations in certain-sized markets.

After another recent acquisition, Sinclair announced that it would change the affiliation of some of its UPN. stations to the WB Network. The move resulted in a court case in Baltimore, Md., when UPN charged the broadcasting company, failing to give notice of its intention. Judge Joseph H.H. Kaplan of the Circuit Court entered an order granting Sinclair's motion for summary judgment and ruling that Sinclair gave timely and proper notice of its intention not to extend the current UPN affiliation agreements for five stations owned or programmed by Sinclair.

According to Patrick Talamantes, director of corporate financing at Sinclair Broadcasting, the company currently does not have plans to change the affiliation of either of the two Syracuse television stations.

Copyright Central New York Business Journal Jan 05, 1998
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved

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