Gray Television

Last updated

Gray Television, Inc.
FormerlyGray Communications Systems, Inc.
Company type Public
Industry Broadcast television
Predecessor The Herald Publishing Company
Founded1946;78 years ago (1946)
Founder James Gray
Headquarters
Atlanta, Georgia
,
U.S.
Area served
  • United States
  • 113 markets in 39 states
  • Reach: 36%
Key people
  • Hilton H Howell, Jr.
  • (executive chairman, CEO)
  • Pat LaPlatney
  • (president, co-CEO)
Products180 terrestrial TV stations
RevenueDecrease2.svg$3.28 billion USD  (2023)
Decrease2.svg$383 million USD  (2023)
Decrease2.svg$128 million USD  (2023)
Total assets Decrease2.svgUS$10.64 billion USD  (2023)
Total equity Decrease2.svgUS$2.62 billion USD  (2023)
Number of employees
8,018 (2019)
Website gray.tv
Footnotes /references
[1] [2]

Gray Television, Inc. is an American publicly traded television broadcasting company based in Atlanta. Founded in 1946 by James Harrison Gray as Gray Communications Systems, the company owns or operates 180 stations across the United States in 113 markets. Its station base consists of media markets ranging from as large as Atlanta to one of the smallest markets, North Platte, Nebraska.

Contents

History

James H. Gray started his communication business with the purchase of The Herald Publishing Company (a company founded in 1897 to promote The Albany Herald, a newspaper that started publication in 1891), in 1946 after he returned from World War II. The purchase included WALB radio. Gray launched WALB-TV in 1954. In 1960, Gray purchased WJHG-TV in Panama City, Florida, and followed it later in the decade with KTVE serving Monroe, Louisiana and southern Arkansas. [3] [4]

In 1986 Gray died, leaving his 50.5% share of the stock in a trust for his children with stipulation that they run the business together, sell their stock with each other or sell out together. [4] It caused difficulties as two of the three wanted to sell, but the third was against the purchase. In 1991, to break the stalemate, the board of directors had the company purchase 25% of their shares. [3] [4]

Gray Communication Systems

The company was then taken public on NASDAQ's small-cap market in the 2nd quarter 1992. The price per share dropped to $8. The company put itself-or any part up-for sale by the end of 1992. While the board of directors received about 40 offers, Bull Run Corporation eventually stepped in and purchased the remaining shares of the Gray siblings, who as part of the deal resigned from the board. [3] [4]

New management took over all three TV stations. Bull Run Corporation, primarily owned by J. Mack Robinson, decided to make Gray a Southeast regional media company, expanding its focus beyond the state of Georgia. [4] Gray purchased two TV stations (WKYT-TV and WYMT-TV) from the failed and government-seized Kentucky Central Insurance Company in September 1994 after a court challenge to the sale by Kentucky Central builder Garvice Kincaid. [3]

In 1994 and 1995, Gray purchased two newspapers, the Rockdale Citizen (acquired May 31, 1994) and Gwinnett Post-Tribune (acquired January 1995; quickly renamed Gwinnett Daily Post) and seven advertising weeklies. In 1995, the company moved its stock listing to the New York Stock Exchange. By this time, Robinson, directly or through Bull Run, owned 44% of the company's stock. Gray had started to focus on its TV station segment over the newspaper holding while TV produced more income and the newspapers' income were declining. Just months after doubling the Daily Post's staff, one third were laid off and a quarter of The Albany Herald's staff followed in January 1996. Newspaper leaders resigned during this period–from the corporate president in late 1995 to the Citizen's editor and publisher. [3]

Revenue and income (loss), by year
(in millions of US dollars)
Fiscal
year		RevenueNet income (loss) [3] Ref
1994$36.5$2.8
199558.6.9
199679.32.5
1997103.5(1.4) [5]
1998128.841.6 [5]
1999143.9(6.3) [5]
2000120.6(6.2) [6]
2001106.4(13.3) [6]
2002146.7(27.8) [6]
2003243.014.0 [7]
2004293.244.2 [7]
2005261.53.3 [7]
2006332.111.7 [8]
2007307.2(23.1) [8]
2008327.1(202.0) [8]
2009270.3(23.0) [8]
2010346.023.1 [8]
2011307.19.0 [9]
2012404.828.1 [9]
2013346.218.2 [9]
2014508.148.0 [9]
2015597.339.3 [9]
2016812.462.2 [10]
2017882.7261.9 [10]
20181,084.1210.8 [11]

In 1996, Gray added additional TV stations while entering additional communication industry segments. In 1996, Fortune considered the company the nation's 81st fastest growing company, with a 48% percent growth rate, and as if to prove the point, Gray purchased WRDW-TV in January 1996. In September of the same year, a basket purchase from First American Media, Inc. earned the company two more TV stations, (WCTV and WVLT-TV), Satellite and Production Business Services, which was renamed Lynqx Communications and PortaPhone paging business. [3]

In August and September 1996, Gray raised additional operating funds by various means. On August 20, KTVE was sold for cash and accounts receivable. The company issued and sold Class B common stock (through a public offering), senior subordinated notes and preferred stock in September. Also, a new bank credit facility was arranged. This brought the company total to $534.5 million in available funds with $409.5 million directly available. [3]

Also in September 1996, Ralph Gabbard, the newly named president and CEO, died from a heart attack at age 50. Robinson, Bull Run's chair, took over as interim CEO and president with Bull Run CEO Robert Prather as interim executive vice-president, acquisitions. [3]

With its additional funds, Gray continued purchasing in 1997 with two announcements in January and February. The company bought Gulflink Communications, Inc., a transportable satellite uplink business based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in April 1997 to go along with Lynqx. With Raycom Media acquiring a station from AFLAC Broadcast Group, Inc., forcing them to sell WITN-TV to Gray, which was finalized on August 1, 1997. The Gwinnett Daily Post increased circulation in 1997 through a deal with Genesis Cable Communications to provide the paper to its metro Atlanta subscribers at Genesis's expense. [3]

In 1998, Gray started to expand beyond its Southeast region. As the company agreed to purchase the Busse Broadcasting Corporation, which owned KOLN, KGIN-TV and WEAU. Gray's ownership of a newspaper and TV station in Albany, Georgia, while grandfathered was examined under the Media cross-ownership rule of the FCC due to this potential purchase. [3] WALB was thus sold to Liberty Corp.'s Cosmos Broadcasting in August 1998. [4] [12]

In 2002, Robinson became chairman and CEO, his son-in-law Hilton Howell vice chairman, Prather president/COO and Jim Ryan senior vice president. They had Gray purchase 14 Benedek Broadcasting stations while that company was in bankruptcy. [13]

Gray Television

Congressmember Mike Rogers being interviewed by Gray Television's Peter Zampa in 2020 Mike Rogers interviewed by Peter Zampa.jpg
Congressmember Mike Rogers being interviewed by Gray Television's Peter Zampa in 2020

In 2006, the company spun off its five daily newspapers and wireless messaging business into the newly formed Triple Crown Media, [4] [14] later (in 2010) renamed Southern Community Newspapers. [15] A new strategy of purchasing stations in college towns or capitals was put into place by. [13]

The company had overpaid for a pair of stations and was over leveraged like many other station groups entering the Great Recession. Advertising revenues dropped. The twin problems caused its shares to trade at its lowest at 16 cents in 2008, thus the NYSE indicated they might delist the company. Loan covenants could have forced the company into default. [13] Robinson stepped down with Howell replacing him in 2008. [13]

On July 30, 2009, Gray was awarded a contract to manage seven Young Broadcasting-owned stations. Through December 31, 2012, Gray would earn $2.2 million and an opportunity to earn additional specified incentive fees if certain performance targets were exceeded. [16] [17] [18]

Prather left the company in 2013 and Howell took over the president title. [13] On November 4, 2013, Gray Television announced that it would purchase Yellowstone Holdings for $23 million, adding local stations: KGNS-TV, KGWN, KCWY, and KCHY-LP. [19] Three weeks later, on November 20, Gray announced it would purchase Hoak Media and Parker Broadcasting for $335 million, and North Dakota's Fox affiliate KNDX/KXND for $7.5 million. As part of the deal, stations KAQY, KHAS-TV, and KXJB, were proposed to be sold to Excalibur Broadcasting and operated by Gray under a "local marketing agreements". [20] On December 19, it was announced that stations KREX-TV and WMBB would be sold to Nexstar Broadcasting Group, while KFQX would be sold to Mission Broadcasting. [21] On March 25, 2014, Prime Cities Broadcasting, owner of KNDX/KXND, requested that the FCC dismiss the sale of KNDX/KXND to Excalibur. [22]

The sale was completed on June 13, 2014. However, some stations were forced to go off the air and their programming was moved to a multicast stream on adjacent channels, due to some stations being unable to receive regulatory approval, after the FCC's ruling on joint sales agreements. Those silent stations would then be sold off to minority interest, pending FCC approval. [23] [24]

On July 24, 2014, SJL Broadcasting announced that it would sell WJRT-TV and WTVG to Gray, for $128 million. [25] [26] The sale was completed on September 15. [27]

In July 2015, Gray closed its accounting and human resources offices in Albany (housed in the same building as The Albany Herald), combining them with the corporate offices in Atlanta. [4]

In September 2015, Gray announced that it would acquire the television and radio stations of Schurz Communications for $442.5 million. [28] [29] It also purchased KCRG-TV in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, from the locally owned Gazette Company, who owned the station from its sign-on in 1953. [30] [31]

In January 2016, Gray Television opened a national news bureau in Washington, D.C., led by former APTV journalist Jacqueline Policastro. The bureau was designed to provide enhanced coverage of national political issues for Gray's local stations. [32] [33]

On May 13, 2016, Gray announced that it would acquire WDTV and WVFX in Clarksburg, West Virginia, from Withers Broadcasting for $26.5 million. [34] On June 3, 2016, it was announced that Gray would acquire two stations that were spun-off from the Nexstar-Media General merger; KWQC-TV in Davenport, Iowa, and WBAY-TV in Green Bay, Wisconsin, for $270 million. [35] [36] On February 16, 2017, Gray announced that it would acquire WABI-TV in Bangor, Maine, and WCJB-TV in Gainesville, Florida, from Diversified Communications for $85 million. [37] On May 4, 2017, Gray announced its intent to acquire WCAX-TV in Burlington, Vermont, from Mount Mansfield Television for $29 million. [38] [39]

In April 2017, Gray Television filed a lawsuit against Nick Prueher and Joe Pickett, founders of the Found Footage Festival, for fraud and copyright infringement, after having booked an appearance on the morning show of a Gray station as a fake strongman act, "Chop and Steele", and utilizing the footage during their show. The parties later agreed to a settlement. [40] [41]

On May 21, 2018, Gray Television entered into an agreement to acquire KNHL from Legacy Broadcasting for $475,000. Gray intended to turn KNHL into a satellite of its NBC affiliate KSNB-TV. [42]

On June 25, 2018, Gray Television announced its intent to acquire Raycom Media for $3.65 billion, pending regulatory approval. The combined company would be led by Raycom's current president and CEO Pat LaPlatney, with current Gray CEO Hilton Howell acting as executive chairman and co-CEO. The acquisition, which Gray expected to close in late 2018, would give Gray 142 stations in 92 markets, making Gray the third-largest owner of television stations in the United States, with a total market share of 24%. [43] [44] [45]

Although Gray foresaw that the acquisition would receive regulatory approval quickly, due to limited market overlap between the two companies and its still-relatively low total market reach post-acquisition. Gray would divest nine stations in markets where Gray and Raycom both already owned stations, including WTNZ, WTOL, KXXV, WTXL, WFXG, KWES-TV, WPGX, WSWG, and WDFX-TV. [45] The sale was approved by the FCC on December 20, 2018. [46] [47] [48] The deal was completed on January 2, 2019. [49] [50]

Gray announced on April 24, 2019, a joint venture with Grand Ole Opry Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of Ryman Hospitality Properties, a former owner of The Nashville Network. The services would consist of a broadcast diginet and an OTT streaming platform. The joint venture is based in Nashville under general manager Drew Riefenberger. Gray contributed distribution and marketing capabilities, multicast knowledge and affiliate Gray TV stations. [51] The Circle TV network made its launch on January 1, 2020. [52]

On February 1, 2021, Gray Television announced its intent to acquire all Quincy Media's broadcasting properties for $925 million in cash. To comply with federal regulators, Gray would divest Quincy stations in Tucson; Harrisburg, Illinois; Waterloo/Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and Madison, La Crosse, and Wausau in Wisconsin over to Allen Media Group. [53] Gray's acquisition of Quincy Media was completed on August 2. [54]

In March 2021, Gray Television revealed plans to purchase a shuttered General Motors plant in Atlanta suburb Doraville, Georgia, and transform the site into a media production community called Assembly. [55] [56] The "studio city" is set to include multiple film studios, as well as apartments, townhomes, a hotel, corporate offices, restaurants and retail space. In September 2021, Gray Television purchased Doraville-based Third Rail Studios for $27.5 million. [57]

On May 3, 2021, Gray announced plans to buy the television division of Meredith Corporation for $2.7 billion. If approved, Gray would sell WJRT-TV to acquire competing station WNEM-TV, owned by Meredith. [58] It is revealed that Allen Media Group would purchase WJRT-TV in Flint for $70 million. [59] The sale was completed on December 1. [60]

On September 18, 2021, Gray launched InvestigateTV, a weekly program featuring investigative stories from a national team and Gray local investigations to a national audience. [61] The program draws from an investigative unit formed at WVUE under Raycom ownership. [62]

On September 28, 2022, Gray announced its intent to purchase WBQC-LD for $2.5 million. [63] The sale was completed on November 21, making WBQC-LD a sister station to WXIX-TV. [64]

On September 11, 2023, InvestigateTV+, a weekday expansion of the InvestigateTV franchise, launched on all Gray television stations and is syndicated to stations outside of a Gray market. [65]

On October 1, 2023, the Peachtree Sports Network will launch in Georgia, focusing on live, local sports programming all year long. The broadcast network will launch in Atlanta but will soon air on Gray-owned over-the-air channels in Albany, Augusta, Columbus, Macon, and Savannah in the coming months. [66]

On November 7, 2023, Gray, Warner Bros. Discovery and Lionsgate teamed up to form Free TV Networks, a new company to be led by broadcasting veteran Jonathan Katz, with presence in both broadcast networks and FAST streaming channels. The company will launch broadcast and FAST streaming versions of The365, a channel for African-American audiences, and Outlaw, a network for Western programming, as well as FAST channels VCR Action and VCR Haha, under the joint venture on January 1, 2024. [67] Later, on November 10, 2023, it was announced that Circle would cease its broadcast operations on December 31, 2023, with plans on transitioning to FAST streaming and other avenues, as well as a likely chance for the broadcast operations of Circle to be replaced by one of two channels of the new Free TV Networks company. [68]

On February 1, 2024, it was announced that Marquee and Gray Television had reached agreements to swap television stations in Wyoming and Utah. As part of the swap Marquee will end up with KCWY-DT in Casper, Wyoming; KGWN-TV in Cheyenne, Wyoming; KSTF in Scottsbluff, Nebraska; and KNEP in Sydney, Nebraska. At the same time Gray will get Marquee’s FCC permit authorizing construction of a new and currently unbuilt TV station KCBU in Salt Lake City. [69]

On February 14, 2024, Gray Television and Syncbak launched Zeam, a free ad-supported steaming service that features local news, local sports, and local weather. [70]

Staff

Under the direction of executive chairman and CEO Hilton Howell, Gray Television was one of the first broadcasters to implement a COVID-19 vaccination mandate. He has said he is "proud" of the corporate culture he has helped create. Howell says he supports media consolidation and opposes an FCC cap on ownership. [71] In their 2022 environmental, social, and governance (ESG) report, Howell noted he was committed to "improving our gender and racial diversity in leadership, our business ethics and compliance policies, our training and development, and our responsible energy use". According to the report, under Howell's leadership, the company aired a six-month series on health and wellness in Appalachia, known as "Bridging the Great Health Divide", expanded their relationship with Telemundo to provide additional Spanish-language content in the United States, highlighted stories about historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), aired and produced content about Pride Month and Hispanic Heritage Month in local markets, and aired and produced two climate change series, Troubled Water, a documentary about the water crisis, and Coast & Climate, a series about the impact of climate change in Louisiana. [72] Howell is a donor to the Republican Party. [73]

Assets

Current

Gray Television has an investment in broadcasting company Sarkes Tarzian, Inc. [75]

Stations

Management of Young Broadcasting stations

On July 22, 2009, a New York bankruptcy judge approved a plan transferring ownership of Young Broadcasting and its stations to the company's secured lenders. The plan included Gray Television coming in as an outside party to advise on the operations of Young-owned stations in seven markets through December 2012. The new Young Broadcasting still held the final say on overall operations for their stations, including programming and personnel. [16] [18]

The former Young-owned stations managed by Gray Television include:

Young Broadcasting would retain ownership of all its stations, including three stations that Gray would not operate: KRON-TV in San Francisco, California, WATE-TV in Knoxville, Tennessee, and WLNS-TV in Lansing, Michigan, the last two due to Gray already owning stations in those markets. Gray considered the possibility of purchasing the Young stations if the group went on the market. [76]

The agreement ended without any further extensions on December 31, 2012, and Young agreed to a merger with Media General in mid-2013. Gray would eventually purchase KWQC and WBAY outright when Nexstar Broadcasting Group acquired Media General in 2017, as Nexstar already owned WHBF-TV and WFRV-TV in each market. [35] [36] At that time, Gray had already acquired Sioux Falls rival station KSFY. Gray would also re-enter the Richmond market when it bought WWBT in 2019, following its merger with Raycom Media, and would also re-enter the Nashville market in 2021 with WSMV-TV after acquiring the television assets of Meredith Corporation. [45]

Washington News Bureau

By January 20, 2016, Gray had set up their Washington news bureau by Jacqueline Policastro to enable stations to get interviews with U.S. Senators and Representatives serving their communities. The bureau cooperates with Lilly Broadcasting's Washington bureau, previously started by Policastro, and is located at the NBC News Capitol Hill bureau, 400 N. Capitol Street. [33] In February 2019, Gray announced that journalist Greta Van Susteren joined the company as its Chief National Political Analyst. Gray then announced in April 2019 Greta Van Susteren as host of a Sunday morning syndicated show, Full Court Press with Greta Van Susteren, which was launched in September 2019. [77] Van Susteren departed the company for Newsmax TV in late 2022.

Local News Live

Originating from Gray's Washington bureau is Local News Live, a hosted service of live breaking news and events from the 113 Gray television markets across the country, similar to LiveNOW from Fox (produced by Fox Television Stations) and The National Desk (produced by Sinclair Broadcast Group). The channel operates from 7 a.m. to midnight Eastern, (with paid programing vacating their spots), features live newscasts at 7 a.m., 2 p.m., and 8 p.m. Eastern time, and repeats throughout the day when no breaking news is occurring. In addition to live events, the anchors interview reporters and use footage not otherwise seen on broadcast. Local News Live airs on Gray television live streams between local newscasts and as a separate option on Gray station websites. [78]

Sports programming

Since 2023, Gray has created several over-the-air regional sports networks; including Arizona's Family Sports, Gulf Coast Sports & Entertainment Network, Matrix Midwest, Peachtree Sports Network and Silver State Sports & Entertainment Network, Palmetto Sports & Entertainment and Rock Entertainment Sports Network (a joint venture with Rock Entertainment Group). [79] [80] [81]

Nationally, Gray holds the rights to the Arena Football League, [82] American Association of Professional Baseball, [83] and Fight Sports. [84]

Related Research Articles

In North American broadcasting, a local marketing agreement (LMA), or local management agreement, is a contract in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another party. In essence, it is a sort of lease or time-buy.

KGMB is a television station in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, serving the Hawaiian Islands as an affiliate of CBS. It is owned by Gray Television alongside dual NBC/Telemundo affiliate KHNL and Kailua-Kona–licensed KFVE, which relays KHNL's second and sixth digital subchannels. The stations share studios on Waiakamilo Road in Honolulu's Kapālama neighborhood; KGMB's transmitter is located in Akupu, Hawaii.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KHII-TV</span> TV station in Honolulu

KHII-TV is a television station in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, serving the Hawaiian Islands as an affiliate of MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside dual Fox affiliate/CW owned-and-operated station KHON-TV. The two stations share studios at the Haiwaiki Tower in downtown Honolulu; KHII's main transmitter is located in Akupu, Hawaii.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nexstar Media Group</span> American media company

Nexstar Media Group, Inc. is an American publicly traded media company with headquarters in Irving, Texas, Midtown Manhattan, and Chicago. The company is the largest television station owner in the United States, owning 197 television stations across the U.S., most of which are affiliated with the four "major" U.S. television networks and MyNetworkTV in markets as large as New York City and as small as San Angelo, Texas. It also operates all of the stations owned by affiliated companies, such as Mission Broadcasting and Vaughan Media, under local marketing agreements to satisfy existing regulations set in place by the Federal Communications Commission. In addition, Nexstar owns one radio station, WGN in Chicago, and operates major TV network the CW through a 75-percent majority stake where all CW affiliates are directly owned-and-operated stations (O&O), two terrestrial television networks airing classic shows, Antenna TV and Rewind TV, one FAST streaming channel airing sports programming, SportsGrid, and has full or partial ownership stakes in three pay television networks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTVR-TV</span> TV station in Richmond, Virginia

WTVR-TV is a television station in Richmond, Virginia, United States, affiliated with CBS and owned by the E. W. Scripps Company. Its studios are located on West Broad Street on Richmond's West End, and its transmitter is located in Bon Air near the studios of PBS member stations WCVE-TV and WCVW. WTVR-TV's former transmitter is located behind the station's studio, and only WTVR-FM broadcasts from that tower today. It still remains as part of WTVR-TV's history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WVUE-DT</span> Fox affiliate in New Orleans

WVUE-DT is a television station in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. Owned by Gray Television, the station maintains primary studios on Norman C. Francis Parkway in the city's Gert Town section, with a secondary studio within the Benson Tower in downtown New Orleans; its transmitter is located on Magistrate Street in Chalmette, Louisiana.

Raycom Media, Inc. was an American television broadcasting company based in Montgomery, Alabama. Raycom owned and/or provided services for 65 television stations and two radio stations across 44 markets in 20 states. Raycom, through its Community Newspaper Holdings subsidiary, also owned multiple newspapers in small and medium-sized markets throughout the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTVM</span> ABC affiliate in Columbus, Georgia

WTVM is a television station in Columbus, Georgia, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by Gray Television, which provides certain services to dual NBC/CW+ affiliate WLTZ and Fox affiliate WXTX under separate shared services agreements (SSAs). WTVM and WXTX share studios on Wynnton Road in the Dinglewood section of Columbus; WTVM's transmitter is located in Cusseta, Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTVG</span> TV station in Toledo, Ohio

WTVG is a television station in Toledo, Ohio, United States, affiliated with ABC and The CW. Owned by Gray Television, the station maintains studios on Dorr Street in Toledo, and its transmitter is located on Stadium Road in Oregon, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KFDA-TV</span> TV station in Amarillo, Texas

KFDA-TV is a television station in Amarillo, Texas, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Gray Television alongside Borger-licensed Telemundo affiliate KEYU. The two stations share studios on Broadway Drive in northern Amarillo, where KFDA's transmitter is also located.

KSWO-TV is a television station licensed to Lawton, Oklahoma, United States, serving the western Texoma area as an affiliate of ABC and Telemundo. It is owned by Gray Television, which maintains a shared services agreement (SSA) with American Spirit Media, owner of Wichita Falls, Texas–licensed CBS affiliate KAUZ-TV, for the provision of certain services. KSWO-TV's studios are located on 60th Street in southeastern Lawton, and its transmitter is located near East 1940 and North 2390 Roads in rural southwestern Tillman County, Oklahoma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WFXG</span> Fox affiliate in Augusta, Georgia

WFXG is a television station in Augusta, Georgia, United States, affiliated with the Fox network and owned by Lockwood Broadcast Group. The station's studios are located on Washington Road/GA 104 in the Lamkin section of Martinez, and its transmitter is located in Beech Island, South Carolina's Spiderweb section.

Lockwood Broadcast Group is a television broadcasting company that owns stations in several markets. The company's main offices are located in Richmond, Virginia, with operational headquarters in Hampton, Virginia.

KOSA-TV is a television station licensed to Odessa, Texas, United States, serving as the CBS affiliate for the Permian Basin area. It is owned by Gray Television alongside MyNetworkTV affiliate KWWT, Big Spring–licensed CW+ affiliate KCWO-TV, Telemundo affiliate KTLE-LD and The365 affiliate KMDF-LD. The five stations share studios inside the Music City Mall on East 42nd Street in Odessa, with a secondary studio and news bureau in downtown Midland; KOSA-TV's transmitter is located on FM 866 west of Odessa. The station is relayed on low-power translator K31KJ-D in Big Spring.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KGBT-TV</span> TV station in Harlingen, Texas

KGBT-TV is a television station licensed to Harlingen, Texas, United States, serving the Lower Rio Grande Valley as a primary Antenna TV owned-and-operated station and a secondary MyNetworkTV affiliate. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside Brownsville-licensed dual NBC/CBS affiliate KVEO-TV. The two stations share studios on West Expressway in Harlingen; KGBT-TV's transmitter is located in La Feria, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hoak Media</span> American broadcast media company

Hoak Media Corporation was a broadcast media company based in Dallas, Texas. Hoak once owned eighteen television stations, all in medium and small-markets, mostly in the Great Plains states and Colorado. Hoak Media was established in August 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KEYU (TV)</span> TV station in Borger, Texas

KEYU is a television station licensed to Borger, Texas, United States, serving the Amarillo area as an affiliate of the Spanish-language network Telemundo. It is owned by Gray Television alongside CBS affiliate KFDA-TV. The two stations share studios on Broadway Drive in northern Amarillo; KEYU's transmitter is located on Dumas Drive and Reclamation Plant Road in rural unincorporated Potter County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Spirit Media</span> United States broadcasting company

American Spirit Media, LLC is a broadcasting company based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Founded by Thomas B. Henson in 2003 as Ottumwa Media Holdings, it owns television stations in several cities in the Southeastern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KTLE-LD</span> Telemundo affiliate in Odessa, Texas

KTLE-LD is a low-power television station licensed to Odessa, Texas, United States, affiliated with the Spanish-language network Telemundo. It is owned by Gray Television alongside CBS affiliate KOSA-TV, MyNetworkTV affiliate KWWT, Big Spring–licensed CW+ affiliate KCWO-TV, and Midland-licensed low-power The365 affiliate KMDF-LD. The five stations share studios inside the Music City Mall on East 42nd Street in Odessa, with a secondary studio and news bureau in downtown Midland; KTLE-LD's transmitter is located on US 385 just north of downtown Odessa.

Heartland Media, LLC is an American media company that owns television stations in smaller markets in the United States, though as of 2023 it currently only owns stations based St. Joseph, Missouri and the Utica–Rome metropolitan area in New York. The company is based in Atlanta, Georgia. It operates the television broadcasting companies, USA Television Holdings, LLC and USA Television MidAmerica Holdings, LLC as a joint venture alongside MSouth Equity Partners. The company is run by Bob Prather, a former CEO of Gray Television, whose philosophy of station acquisitions, acquired during his time at Gray, is centered on "acquiring No. 1-rated stations, Big Four affiliates with strong local news operations targeting university towns and state capitols that are deeply ingrained in the fabric of their communities".

References

  1. ↑ "Gray Television, Atlanta". TV News Check. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Gray Television SEC Filing". Gray Television.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Gray Communications Systems, Inc. History". International Directory of Company Histories. St. James Press. 1999. Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Gray Television consolidating offices, leaving Albany". The Albany Herald. July 7, 2015. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 "SEC Filing 10-K (1999)" . Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 "SEC Filing 10-K (2002)" . Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 "SEC Filing 10-K (2005)" . Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "SEC Filing 10-K (2010)" . Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 "SEC Filing 10-K (2015)" . Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  10. 1 2 "SEC Filing 10-K (2017)" . Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  11. ↑ "SEC Filing 10-K (2018)" . Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Company Briefs". The New York Times . August 4, 1998. Archived from the original on March 5, 2017. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 Colman, Price (January 19, 2016). "Gray: Strong Stations, Smart Operations". TV News Check. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original on May 13, 2018. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Atlanta-based TV-station operator to spin off newsletter, wireless units". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. August 4, 2005. Archived from the original on June 10, 2014. Retrieved August 9, 2013– via HighBeam Research.
  15. ↑ "Daily Post's parent company changes name". Gwinnett Daily Post. March 5, 2010. Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  16. 1 2 "Banks' Bid on Young Stations Clears Hurdle" Archived June 23, 2010, at the Wayback Machine . Broadcasting & Cable . July 22, 2009.
  17. ↑ "Gray to manage most Young stations" Archived July 30, 2009, at the Wayback Machine . Radio & Television Business Report. July 22, 2009.
  18. 1 2 Who's Really Running Young Broadcasting?". TV News Check. February 1, 2011.
  19. ↑ "Gray Buying Yellowstone Stations". TV News Check. Archived from the original on November 4, 2013. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
  20. ↑ "Gray Buying Hoak, Prime Stations For $342.5M". TV News Check. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  21. ↑ Gray Sell Grand Junction Duop To Nexstar Archived December 19, 2013, at the Wayback Machine , "TV News Check". December 19, 2013
  22. ↑ Paxson, Ann Thomas (March 25, 2014). "Re: Prime Cities Broadcasting, Inc. Request for Dismissal of Group Application for Assignment of Broadcast Station License(s)…". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Archived from the original on March 27, 2014. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
  23. ↑ Gray closes Hoak deal; completes refinancing. Archived July 29, 2014, at the Wayback Machine . Radio & Television Business Report. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
  24. ↑ Press Release Archived July 14, 2014, at the Wayback Machine . Gray Television. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
  25. ↑ "Gray Buys Stations in Flint, Toledo For $128M". TV News Check. July 24, 2014. Archived from the original on July 30, 2014. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  26. ↑ Baird, Kirk (August 29, 2014). "TV in the news Channels 24, 13 expanding newscasts; CW13 to replace WT05". The Toledo Blade. Archived from the original on September 5, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  27. ↑ Gray Closes on Flint, Toledo Station Buys Archived September 16, 2014, at the Wayback Machine . TV News Check. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  28. ↑ "Schurz Communications to sell WSBT and other TV, radio stations". South Bend Tribune . September 14, 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  29. ↑ Kuperberg, Jonathan (September 14, 2015). "Gray Acquiring TV, Radio Stations from Schurz for $442.5 Million". Broadcasting & Cable . Archived from the original on September 17, 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  30. ↑ "Press Releases". Gray Television. Archived from the original on May 28, 2016.
  31. ↑ "KCRG-TV9 sold to Gray Television", KCRG.com, September 1, 2015, archived from the original on September 3, 2015, retrieved September 1, 2015
  32. ↑ "Gray TV Launches DC News Bureau". Adweek. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  33. 1 2 McAdams, Deborah D. (February 2, 2015). "Gray Opens Washington, D.C. News Bureau". TVTechnology. Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  34. ↑ "Gray Buying WDTV-WVFX Clarksburg, WV". TV News Check. May 13, 2016. Archived from the original on May 13, 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
  35. 1 2 "Gray Buying Two Nexstar Spinoffs For $270M". TV News Check. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  36. 1 2 Marszalek, Diana (June 3, 2016). "Gray Buys Nexstar Stations in Green Bay, Davenport". Broadcasting & Cable . Archived from the original on June 5, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  37. ↑ Marszalek, Diana (February 16, 2017). Gray Buys Diversified's Stations in Bangor, Gainesville [ permanent dead link ] Broadcasting & Cable .
  38. ↑ "Gray Buying CBS Affil WCAX Burlington, Vt". TV News Check. Archived from the original on August 3, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  39. ↑ "WCAX sold to Gray Television". WCAX.com. Archived from the original on May 8, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  40. ↑ Saul, Emily (April 13, 2017). "Pranksters sued by TV company over morning show antics". New York Post . Archived from the original on April 10, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  41. ↑ "Meet the comedy duo who got sued for pranking the news". VICE News. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  42. ↑ Jacobson, Adam (September 14, 2018). "Gray's Legacy Grows In Nebraska". Radio & Television Business Report. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  43. ↑ Hufford, Austen (June 25, 2018). "Gray TV to Buy Raycom in $3.65 Billion Deal". The Wall Street Journal . ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  44. ↑ Hayes, Dade (June 25, 2018). "Gray Acquiring Raycom For $3.65B, Forming No. 3 Local TV Group". Deadline. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  45. 1 2 3 "Gray To Buy Raycom For $3.6 Billion". TV News Check. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  46. ↑ "Memorandum Opinion and Order", Media Bureau, Federal Communications Commission. December 20, 2018. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  47. ↑ "FCC OK with Gray/Raycom Merger". Broadcasting & Cable . December 20, 2018. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  48. ↑ "FCC Approves Gray-Raycom Merger", TV News Check, December 20, 2018, Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  49. ↑ "Gray Receives Regulatory Approvals for Raycom Media and Divestiture Transactions", Gray Television, December 20, 2018, Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  50. ↑ "Gray Completes Acquisitions for Raycom Media and Related Transactions", Gray Television. January 2, 2019. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  51. ↑ Jessell, Harry A. (April 24, 2019). "Gray Teams With Grand Ole Opry On TV Network". TV News Check. Archived from the original on April 27, 2019. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  52. ↑ Hudak, Joseph (December 11, 2019). "Circle TV Network Lineup Announced: Opry Live, Elizabeth Cook Series - Rolling Stone". TV News Check. Archived from the original on December 11, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  53. ↑ Goldsmith, Jill (February 1, 2021). "Gray Television Acquires Quincy Media For $925 Million In Cash". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  54. ↑ "Gray Television Closes Quincy Acquisition", Gray Television. August 2, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  55. ↑ Green, Josh (March 31, 2021). "Gray TV company to remake former GM plant into Georgia's largest 'Studio City'". Urbanize Atlanta. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  56. ↑ "Former GM plant set to transform into massive film production site". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. March 31, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  57. ↑ "Gray Television purchases Doraville's Third Rail Studios for $27.5 million". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. March 31, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  58. ↑ Cynthia Littleton (May 3, 2021). "Gray Television to Acquire Meredith TV Stations for $2.7 Billion". Variety.
  59. ↑ Hayes, Dade (July 14, 2021). "Allen Media Group Pays $70M To Acquire Gray Television's WJRT, An ABC Affiliate In Michigan". Deadline. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  60. ↑ "Gray Television Closes On Acquisition of Meredith Corporation’s Local Media Group". Gray Television. December 1, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  61. ↑ "InvestigateTV – Season 1: Episode 1". InvestigateTV. September 18, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  62. ↑ Barron, Alicia (December 1, 2018). "InvestigateTV's bet: If you build it, they will come". Cronkite News Lab. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  63. ↑ "Assignments". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. September 28, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  64. ↑ "Notification of Consummation", Licensing and Management System, Federal Communications Commission. November 21, 2022, Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  65. ↑ Miller, Mark (April 18, 2023). "News Magazine Program 'InvestigateTV+' Debuts In Fall". TV News Check. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  66. ↑ Murphy, Adam (September 25, 2023). "Peachtree Sports Network launches statewide on Gray Television stations". Atlanta News First. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  67. 1 2 Hayes, Dade (November 7, 2023). "Warner Bros. Discovery, Lionsgate And Gray Television Team With Free TV Networks, A New Programmer With A Presence On Broadcast TV And Streaming". Deadline. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  68. 1 2 Bouma, Luke (November 10, 2023). "The OTA TV Network Circle Is Shutting Down & Will Be Replaced By Warner Bros. Discovery's New Network". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  69. ↑ "Gray and Marquee Broadcasting Swap Television Station Assets". February 1, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  70. 1 2 Cheng, Roger (February 14, 2024). "Zeam, a Free Streaming Service Featuring Local News, Travel and Sports Content, is Now Live". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  71. ↑ "Gray's Howell: 'It Is Past Time For Us To Get Back To Business'". TVNewsCheck . November 17, 2021.
  72. ↑ "Gray Television 2022 ESG Report". Gray Television. pp. 1-23.
  73. ↑ Legg, Heidi (September 8, 2021). "Media moguls and political donations: We tracked where news executives give their money". USA Today. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  74. ↑ Moses, Lucia (February 1, 2024). "300 local TV news stations are teaming up to launch a streaming service to capture shifting audiences and ad dollars". Business Insider. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  75. ↑ "Gray Television, Inc. 2018 Form 10-K". Gray Television, Inc. December 31, 2018. p. 69.
  76. ↑ "Gray Sees Young Stations As Possible Buy". TV News Check. March 1, 2011.
  77. ↑ Johnson, Ted (April 8, 2019). "Greta Van Susteren to Launch 'Full Court Press' for Gray Television". Variety. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  78. ↑ Miller, Mark (May 19, 2023). "Talking TV: Gray TV's Local News Live Upgrades To 2.0". TV News Check. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  79. ↑ Lafayette, Jon (August 1, 2024). "Gray Media Launches Palmetto Sports & Entertainment Network on South Carolina Stations". Next TV. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  80. ↑ Clinkscales, Jason (July 25, 2024). "Dan Gilbert's REG, Gray Media Form Rock Entertainment Sports Net". Sportico. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  81. ↑ Clark, Christian (September 17, 2024). "The Pelicans officially have a new TV broadcast home. Here's how you can watch it". NOLA.com. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  82. ↑ "Gray Television partners with revamped Arena Football League to bring game to viewers over-the-air". Atlanta News First. March 28, 2024. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  83. ↑ "Gray Television Partners with American Association of Professional Baseball to Bring Summer Baseball to Viewers Free Over-The-Air". American Association of Professional Baseball. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  84. ↑ Bresaola, Riccardo (May 20, 2024). "Fight Sports expands reach with Gray Television". SportCal. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.