Lilly Broadcasting

Last updated

Lilly Broadcasting, LLC
Company typeprivate limited liability company
Industry TV broadcasting
FoundedSeptember 1999;24 years ago (1999-09)
Subsidiaries SJL Broadcasting
Website lillybroadcasting.com

Lilly Broadcasting, LLC is a privately owned American broadcasting company owned and operated by the Lilly Brothers.

Contents

The company was founded in September 1999 with the purchase of WENY-TV (ABC) and WENY-FM & AM radio. In 2002, Kevin Lilly purchased WSEE-TV (CBS) in Erie, Pennsylvania and have since added the CBS and The CW affiliates in Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and ABC in the Virgin Islands.

Brian and Kevin Lilly are the sons of George Lilly, whose SJL Broadcast Management (also previously known as the Montecito Broadcast Group) was founded in 1984 and based in Montecito, California. SJL owns WICU-TV in Erie and the two Companies purchased three TV stations from Gateway Communications in 2000, and four stations from Emmis Communications in 2005.

Lilly Broadcasting most recently with Sankaty Advisors purchased KITV (ABC) in Hawaii. Lilly sold the station to Byron Allen's Allen Media Broadcasting in 2021.

History

WJRT-TV was sold to SJL Broadcast Management in 1989. [1] In 1991, a SJL affiliated partnership, [2] Media Communications Partners Limited Partnership, purchased WTVG. [3]

SJL announced the sale of WJRT-TV and WTVG to Capital Cities/ABC for $155 million in October 1994 [lower-greek 1] [5] after CBS signed a long-term deal with Meredith Corporation, owner of Flint's NBC affiliate, WNEM-TV. [6] NBC was rumored to be courting WJRT-TV as a possible replacement for WNEM, [7] prompting Capital Cities/ABC to buy the stations outright. [8] The deal resulted in WTVG converting from an NBC affiliate to ABC. [5]

In 2000, it purchased the Gateway Communications stations for $96 million. [lower-greek 2] [9] In 2002, SJL sold off WOWK-TV to West Virginia Media Holdings for $40.5 million. [lower-greek 3] [10] In April 2006, SJL sold off WBNG-TV to Granite Broadcasting for $45 million, [lower-greek 4] [11] this was followed on July 26, 2006 by selling WTAJ-TV and the licensee assets of WLYH-TV to Nexstar Broadcasting Group for $56 million, [lower-greek 5] completely undoing the Gateway/SJL deal. [12]

On July 24, 2007, Montecito announced the sale of all of its remaining stations except WICU (KHON-TV, KOIN, KSNW and KSNT) to New Vision Television, ending the partnership between SJL and The Blackstone Group. [13] The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted approval of this sale in late-October of that year, and ownership was officially transferred on November 1.

On March 1, 2009, the last station formally owned by SJL, WICU, transferred its copyrights to Lilly Broadcasting when it merged its news operations with crosstown sister station WSEE-TV. Though SJL still technically exists (and still ostensibly owns WICU), its visible operations have now been subsumed by Lilly Broadcasting.

On November 3, 2010, Broadcasting & Cable magazine announced that SJL Broadcasting made an agreement with Disney to buy back WJRT-TV and WTVG, the two smallest stations in ABC's O&O portfolio. [14] The sale was completed on April 1, 2011 with both stations general manager exiting their positions at change of ownership. [15] Lilly announced on July 24, 2014, that it would sell both WJRT and WTVG to Gray Television in a $128 million transaction. [lower-greek 6] [16] In 2016, Gray announced that it would operate its bureau in Washington, DC, in cooperation with Lilly. [17]

On May 13, 2015, Hearst Television announced that it would sell KITV in Honolulu, Hawaii, and its satellites (KHVO in Hilo and KMAU in Wailuku) to SJL; the deal marks the return of the company to Hawaii, following its prior ownership of KHON-TV. [18] The sale was approved by the Federal Communications Commission on July 10, 2015 [19] and completed on September 1, 2015. [20]

Lilly Broadcasting re-entered radio in 2019 by purchasing the three-station cluster in Warren, Pennsylvania, that had previously been owned by Frank Iorio's Radio Partners; Iorio sold off his only other broadcast asset, Pittsburgh's WJAS, to another buyer in 2020. [21] Lilly had previously owned and operated radio stations in Elmira before selling those off a few years after acquiring that cluster. [22]

Stations currently owned or operated by Lilly or SJL

Stations are arranged in alphabetical order by state and city of license.

Television

City of license / Market Station
Owned sinceNetwork affiliation
Tamuning, GU KTGM 14 (7)2023 [lower-alpha 1] ABC
KEQI-LD 21 (6)2023 [lower-alpha 1] Fox
Marquette, Michigan WZMQ 19 (19)2017
Elmira, NY WENY-TV 36 (35)2000
Ithaca, NY W07BJ36 (34)2018 [lower-alpha 2] FWW [lower-alpha 3]
Erie, PA WICU-TV 12 (12)1996 NBC
WSEE-TV 35 (16)2002 [lower-alpha 4]
Christiansted, USVI WCVI-TV 23 (23)2019
    1. 1 2 Owned by Sorensen Media Group.
    2. ↑ Operated by WENY as NY Local Ithaca. [23]
    3. 1 2 First Warning Weather, a mostly locally originated loop of local weather forecasts. The WSEE First Warning Weather feed also brands as "Erie News Now Plus" in addition to the First Warning Weather brand.
    4. ↑ Operates under a shared services agreement with WICU.

    Radio

    AM StationFM Station
    City of license/MarketStationOwned sinceCurrent format
    Warren, PA WICU 13102019 Contemporary hit radio
    WNAE 104.32019 Country
    WRRN 92.32019 Classic hits
    Erie, PA WICU-FM 92.72019 Contemporary hit radio

    Cable

    Former stations

    City of license / Market StationChannelYears ownedCurrent status
    San Luis Obispo, CA KSBY 61996–2002 NBC affiliate owned by the E. W. Scripps Company
    Honolulu, HI KHON-TV 22006–2007 Fox affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group
    KITV 42015–2021 ABC affiliate owned by Allen Media Broadcasting
    Hilo, HI KHAW-TV [upper-alpha 1] 112006–2007Fox affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group
    KHVO [upper-alpha 2] 42015–2021ABC affiliate owned by Allen Media Broadcasting
    Maui–Wailuku, HI KAII-TV [upper-alpha 1] 72006–2007Fox affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group
    KMAU [upper-alpha 2] 42015–2021ABC affiliate owned by Allen Media Broadcasting
    Kauai, HI K55DZ [upper-alpha 1] 552006–2007Defunct, license cancelled in 2013
    Pittsburg, KS–Joplin, MO KOAM-TV 71991–1995 CBS affiliate owned by Morgan Murphy Media
    Topeka, KS KSNT 271988–1995;
    2006–2007    		NBC affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group
    Wichita–Hutchinson, KS KSNW 31988–1995;
    2006–2007    		NBC affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group
    Garden City–Dodge City, KS KSNG [upper-alpha 3] 111988–1995;
    2006–2007    		NBC affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group
    Great Bend–Hays–Salina, KS KSNC [upper-alpha 3] 21988–1995;
    2006–2007    		NBC affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group
    McCook, NE–Colby–Goodland, KS KSNK [upper-alpha 3] 81988–1995;
    2006–2007    		NBC affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group
    Flint, MI WJRT-TV 121989–1995;
    2011–2014    		ABC affiliate owned by Allen Media Broadcasting
    Billings, MT KTVQ 21984–1994CBS affiliate owned by the E. W. Scripps Company
    Butte, MT KXLF-TV 41984–1986CBS affiliate owned by the E. W. Scripps Company
    Great Falls, MT KRTV 31984–1986CBS affiliate owned by the E. W. Scripps Company
    Missoula, MT KPAX-TV 81984–1986CBS affiliate owned by the E. W. Scripps Company
    Binghamton, NY WBNG-TV 122000–2006 [lower-alpha 1] CBS affiliate owned by Gray Television
    Buffalo, NY WGRZ-TV 21986–1988NBC affiliate owned by Tegna Inc.
    Syracuse, NY WSTM-TV 31986–1992NBC affiliate owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group
    Toledo, OH WTVG 131991–1995;
    2011–2014    		ABC affiliate owned by Gray Television
    Portland, OR KOIN 62006–2007CBS affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group
    Altoona–State College–Johnstown, PA WTAJ-TV 10 (33)2000–2006 [lower-alpha 1] CBS affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group
    Lancaster–Harrisburg–York–Lebanon, PA WLYH-TV15 (21)2000–2006 [lower-alpha 1] [lower-alpha 2] TBD affiliate, WXBU, owned by Howard Stirk Holdings
    Huntington–Charleston, WV WOWK-TV 13 (13)2000–2002 [lower-alpha 1] CBS affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group
    1. 1 2 3 Satellite of KHON-TV.
    2. 1 2 Satellite of KITV.
    3. 1 2 3 Satellite of KSNW.
    1. 1 2 3 4 Acquired from Gateway Communications.
    2. ↑ Owned by SJL, but operated by Clear Channel Communications under a time shared agreement.

    Notes

    1. ↑ equivalent to $318,630,445in 2023 [4]
    2. ↑ equivalent to $169,850,435in 2023 [4]
    3. ↑ equivalent to $68,606,475in 2023 [4]
    4. ↑ equivalent to $68,012,545in 2023 [4]
    5. ↑ equivalent to $84,637,834in 2023 [4]
    6. ↑ equivalent to $164,741,074in 2023 [4]

    Related Research Articles

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">KHON-TV</span> Fox/CW affiliate in Honolulu

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

    KITV is a television station in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, serving the Hawaiian Islands as an affiliate of ABC. It is owned by Allen Media Group alongside multicultural independent station KIKU. The two stations share studios on South King Street in downtown Honolulu; KITV's main transmitter is located atop the Ala Moana Hotel in Honolulu. Rebroadcasters on the islands of Maui and Hawaii extend the station's signal.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">WNWO-TV</span> NBC affiliate in Toledo, Ohio

    WNWO-TV is a television station in Toledo, Ohio, United States, affiliated with NBC. Owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, the station maintains a transmitter on Cousino Road in Jerusalem Township. Its studios are located on South Byrne Road in Toledo.

    WICU-TV is a television station in Erie, Pennsylvania, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by SJL Broadcasting, which maintains a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Lilly Broadcasting, owner of CBS/CW+ affiliate and company flagship WSEE-TV, for the provision of certain services. The two stations share studios on State Street in downtown Erie; WICU-TV's transmitter is located on Peach Street in Summit Township, Pennsylvania.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">WJRT-TV</span> ABC affiliate in Flint, Michigan

    WJRT-TV is a television station licensed to Flint, Michigan, United States, serving as the ABC affiliate for northeastern Michigan. Owned by Allen Media Broadcasting, the station maintains studios on Lapeer Road in Flint, with offices and a second newsroom for the Tri-Cities in Saginaw. Its transmitter is located on Burt Road in Albee Township, Michigan.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">WTVG</span> ABC/CW affiliate 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">KSNK</span> NBC affiliate in McCook, Nebraska

    KSNK is a television station licensed to McCook, Nebraska, United States, affiliated with NBC and Telemundo. Owned by Nexstar Media Group, the station maintains an advertising sales office on US 36 in northwestern Oberlin, Kansas, and its transmitter is located along U.S. 36 in rural northwestern Decatur County.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">WENY-TV</span> ABC/CBS/CW affiliate in Elmira, New York

    WENY-TV is a television station in Elmira, New York, United States, affiliated with ABC, CBS and The CW Plus. Owned by Lilly Broadcasting, the station has studios on Old Ithaca Road in Horseheads, and its transmitter is located on Higman Hill in Corning.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Block Communications</span> American media holding company

    Block Communications Inc. is an American privately held holding company of various assets, mainly in the print and broadcast media, based in Toledo, Ohio. The company was founded in 1900 in New York City when Paul Block, a German-Jewish immigrant who came to the United States in 1885, formed an ad representation firm for newspapers. The Block empire grew to encompass many newspapers on the east coast of the US, however with the Great Depression in the 1930s came the loss of all but three properties: the ad representation firm, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and the Toledo Blade. After Block's death in 1941, his children took over the company. They eventually passed it on to their grandchildren, who continue to operate it to this day.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">KSNT</span> NBC affiliate in Topeka, Kansas

    KSNT is a television station in Topeka, Kansas, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside low-power, Class A Fox affiliate KTMJ-CD ; Nexstar also provides certain services to dual ABC/CW+ affiliate KTKA-TV under joint sales and shared services agreements (JSA/SSA) with Vaughan Media, LLC. The stations share studios on Northwest 25th Street, near the unincorporated community of Kiro, where KSNT's transmitter is also located.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">WCVI-TV</span> CBS/ABC affiliate in Christiansted, U.S. Virgin Islands

    WCVI-TV is a television station serving the United States Virgin Islands that is licensed to Christiansted, Saint Croix, and affiliated with CBS and ABC. Owned by Lilly Broadcasting, the station maintains transmitter facilities on Estate Princess Hill.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">WSEE-TV</span> CBS/CW affiliate in Erie, Pennsylvania

    WSEE-TV is a television station in Erie, Pennsylvania, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW Plus. It is the flagship television property of locally based Lilly Broadcasting, and is a sister station to NBC affiliate WICU-TV, to which Lilly provides certain services under a local marketing agreement (LMA) with SJL Broadcasting. The two stations share studios on State Street in downtown Erie; WSEE-TV's transmitter is located on Peach Street in Summit Township, Pennsylvania.

    WJET-TV is a television station in Erie, Pennsylvania, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which provides certain services to Fox affiliate WFXP under a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Mission Broadcasting. The two stations share studios on US 19/Peach Street in Summit Township, where WJET-TV's transmitter is also located.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">KSNC</span> NBC/Telemundo affiliate in Great Bend, Kansas

    KSNC is a television station licensed to Great Bend, Kansas, United States, affiliated with NBC and Telemundo. Owned by Nexstar Media Group, the station maintains a news bureau, advertising sales office and transmitter along US 281, three miles (5 km) north of Great Bend.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">KSNG</span> NBC/Telemundo affiliate in Garden City, Kansas

    KSNG is a television station licensed to Garden City, Kansas, United States, affiliated with NBC and Telemundo. The station is owned by Nexstar Media Group, and maintains a news bureau and advertising sales office on Fulton Street in southwestern Garden City; its transmitter is located east of US 83 in rural southwestern Finney County.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">WFXP</span> Fox affiliate in Erie, Pennsylvania

    WFXP is a television station in Erie, Pennsylvania, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. It is owned by Mission Broadcasting, which maintains a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Nexstar Media Group, owner of ABC affiliate WJET-TV, for the provision of certain services. The two stations share studios on US 19/Peach Street in Summit Township, where WFXP's transmitter is also located.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">WICU (AM)</span> Radio station in Warren, Pennsylvania

    WICU is a radio station broadcasting a contemporary hit radio format. Licensed to Warren, Pennsylvania, United States, the station is a simulcast of Erie-based WICU-FM (92.7); its programming is also heard on translator station W244DY. WICU is owned by Lilly Broadcasting.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">WNAE (FM)</span> Radio station in Clarendon, Pennsylvania

    WNAE is an FM radio station broadcasting a country music format. WNAE is licensed to serve Clarendon, Pennsylvania, United States. The station is owned by Lilly Broadcasting and features programming from Westwood One.

    ABC Owned Television Stations is a division of Disney Entertainment operated by Disney Networks Group that oversees the owned-and-operated stations of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), a division of The Walt Disney Company. The division also operates the Localish network.

    WICU-FM is a contemporary hit radio-formatted radio station in Erie, Pennsylvania, licensed to Lawrence Park, Pennsylvania, under the ownership of SJL Broadcasting. It uses the moniker "Happi 927". WICU-FM is simulcast in Warren on Lilly-owned WICU.

    References

    1. ↑ "WJRT". Station Listings. Michiguide.com. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
    2. ↑ Report No. MM 95-60
    3. ↑ WTVG TV Channel 13 Toledo, OH. Michigan Television Dial Guide. Michiguide.com. Retrieved on July 17, 2013.
    4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–" . Retrieved February 29, 2024.
    5. 1 2 "Capital Cities-ABC Completes Buy of Two TV Stations". Associated Press News. August 30, 1995. Archived from the original on January 1, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
    6. ↑ Mattern, Hal (June 30, 1994). "Eye say! Channel 5 called up to majors: Homeless CBS picks longtime independent". The Arizona Republic. pp. A1, A7. Archived from the original on June 30, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
    7. ↑ Pullen, Doug (September 2, 1994). "Channel 5 Adds Weathercaster; Channel 25 Focuses On Health". Flint Journal. Flint, Michigan. pp. C16, C25. Archived from the original on April 29, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2023– via GenealogyBank.
    8. ↑ "Notes: Scramble for affiliates". The Journal Times Spectrum Sunday. Racine, Wisconsin. October 16, 1994. p. 2. Archived from the original on April 29, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
    9. ↑ Holmes, Alisa; A. Rathburn, Elizabeth (September 18, 2000). "Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable . Retrieved October 27, 2021.
    10. ↑ "Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting . March 4, 2002. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
    11. ↑ "Granite closes on Southern Tier TV station". Buffalo Business First. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
    12. ↑ "Nexstar completes station purchase". Dallas Business Journal. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
    13. ↑ New Vision Buys Montecito Stations Archived 2008-08-04 at the Wayback Machine Broadcasting & Cable July 24, 2007
    14. ↑ Grego, Melissa (November 3, 2010). "EXCLUSIVE: Disney to Sell Two Stations". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
    15. ↑ Exclusive: New GMs For Former ABC O&Os in Flint, Toledo Broadcasting & Cable. March 31, 2011.
    16. ↑ "Gray Buys Stations in Flint, Toledo for $128M," from TVNewsCheck, 7/24/2014
    17. ↑ McAdams, Deborah D. (February 2, 2015). "Gray Opens Washington, D.C. News Bureau". TV Technology. NewBay Media. Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
    18. ↑ Engle, Erika (May 13, 2015). "Local TV station sold". Hawaii Star-Advertiser . Retrieved May 14, 2015.
    19. ↑ "Assignment of License". Federal Communications Commission . July 10, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
    20. ↑ "Consummation Notice". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. September 10, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
    21. ↑ "WJAS/Pittsburgh Sold; Price for WFUN-F/St. Louis Spin-Off $8 Million".
    22. ↑ Venta, Lance (April 12, 2019). "LILLY BROADCASTING ACQUIRES NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA TRIO". RadioInsight.com. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
    23. ↑ "New local television station opens in Downtown Ithaca". November 17, 2018.
    24. ↑ "Erie News Now & WNY News Now Partner, Strengthening Regional Coverage". July 12, 2021.
    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.