River City Broadcasting

Last updated

River City Broadcasting L.P. was a major television and radio station operator in mid-sized markets in the United States, based in St. Louis, Missouri.

Contents

Overview

The firm was formed in 1989 as a partnership between Barry Baker and Larry Marcus, both former executives of Koplar Communications in St. Louis who had unsuccessfully tried to buy Koplar's KPLR-TV there. [1] Through a series of acquisitions between 1989 and 1995, River City amassed eight television stations and 29 radio stations in a total of 15 medium-sized markets, but most notably, in 1994, it bought out three network-affiliated TV stations and another four radio stations that were owned by Continental Broadcasting, formerly Anchor Media, including KOVR, WLOS, and WSYX. [2] [3] In the summer of 1994, River City and ABC reached an agreement to renew its existing contracts in Columbus and Asheville, while agreeing to affiliate its flagship at that time, and lame duck Fox affiliate KDNL-TV in St. Louis with ABC. [4] The acquisition of Keymarket Communications in 1995 added additional radio stations in the Buffalo, Los Angeles, Memphis, Nashville, New Orleans, and Scranton–Wilkes-Barre markets. [5] [6]

In May 1996, River City sold its stations to the Sinclair Broadcast Group for $1.2 billion. [7] [8] The merger moved Sinclair into the top 25 owners of broadcast properties in the United States. [9] Sinclair had to wait to close on some of the purchases; the Upstate South Carolina radio cluster was not acquired until 1998 because it overlapped with WLOS in Asheville, North Carolina, which serves the region. [10]

Former stations

Television

TV stations owned by River City Broadcasting
City of license / Market StationChannelYears ownedCurrent ownership status
Sacramento–Stockton–Modesto, CA KOVR 131994–1997 CBS owned-and-operated (O&O)
Bloomington–Indianapolis, IN WTTV 41991–1997CBS affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group
Kokomo, IN WTTK [lower-alpha 1] 291991–1997CBS affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group
Des Moines–Ames, IA KDSM-TV 171991–1997 Fox affiliate owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group
St. Louis, MO KDNL-TV 301989–1997 ABC affiliate owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group
Columbus, OH WSYX 61994–1997ABC affiliate owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group
Asheville, NC–Greenville–Spartanburg, SC WLOS 131994–1997ABC/MyNetworkTV affiliate owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group
WAXA/
WFBC-TV [lower-alpha 2] 		401994–1997 Dabl affiliate WMYA-TV, owned by Cunningham Broadcasting [lower-alpha 3]
San Antonio, TX KABB 291989–1997Fox affiliate owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group

Radio

AM StationFM Station
City of license / MarketStationYears ownedCurrent ownership status
Santa Monica–Los Angeles, CA KBLA 15801995–1996 Multicultural Broadcasting
New Orleans, LA WWL 8701995–1996 Audacy, Inc.
WSMB 13501995–1996 WWWL; Audacy, Inc.
WLMG 101.91995–1996Audacy, Inc.
KMEZ 102.91995–1996 Cumulus Media
St. Louis, MO WVRV 101.11990–1996 WXOS; Hubbard Broadcasting
KPNT 105.7–1996Hubbard Broadcasting
Albuquerque, NM KZSS 6101994–1996 KNML; Cumulus Media
KZRR 94.11994–1996 iHeartMedia
KLSK 104.11994–1996 KTEG; iHeartMedia
Buffalo, NY WBEN 9301995–1996Audacy, Inc.
WWKB 15201995–1996Audacy, Inc.
WKSE 98.51995–1996Audacy, Inc.
WMJQ 102.51995–1996 WBKV; Educational Media Foundation
Wilkes-Barre–Scranton, PA WGBI 9101995–1996 WAAF; Audacy, Inc.
WILK 9801995–1996Audacy, Inc.
WKRZ 98.51995–1996Audacy, Inc.
WGGY 101.31995–1996Audacy, Inc.
Greenville–Spartanburg, SC WORD 9101995–1998 WOLI; Norsan Media LLC
WSPA 9501995–1998 WORD; Audacy, Inc.
WFBC 13301995–1998 WYRD; Audacy, Inc.
WFBC-FM 93.71995–1998Audacy, Inc.
WSPA-FM 98.91995–1998Audacy, Inc.
Memphis, TN WJCE 6801995–1996 WMFS; Audacy, Inc.
WOGY 94.11995–1996 WLFP; Audacy, Inc.
WRVR 104.51995–1996Audacy, Inc.
Nashville, TN WLAC 15101995–1996iHeartMedia
WJCE-FM 101.11995–1996 WUBT; iHeartMedia
WLAC-FM 105.91995–1996 WNRQ; iHeartMedia

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Satellite of WTTV.
  2. ↑ WAXA was a full-time satellite of WLOS for most of its ownership by River City until being spun out as independent station WFBC-TV in September 1995.
  3. ↑ Operated through a LMA by Sinclair Broadcast Group.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KDNL-TV</span> ABC-affiliated television station in St. Louis, Missouri

KDNL-TV is a television station in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, affiliated with ABC. Owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, the station maintains studios on Cole Street in the Downtown West section of St. Louis, and its transmitter is located in Shrewsbury, Missouri.

WMYA-TV is a television station licensed to Anderson, South Carolina, United States, broadcasting the digital multicast network Dabl to Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina. It is owned by Cunningham Broadcasting and operated under a local marketing agreement (LMA) by Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of Asheville, North Carolina–based ABC/MyNetworkTV affiliate WLOS. However, Sinclair effectively owns WMYA-TV, as the majority of Cunningham's stock is owned by the family of deceased group founder Julian Smith. The nominal main studio for WMYA-TV is the WLOS office in Greenville, South Carolina; WMYA-TV's transmitter is located in Fountain Inn, South Carolina.

KTVI is a television station in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside CW owned-and-operated station KPLR-TV. Both stations share studios on Ball Drive in Maryland Heights, while KTVI's transmitter is located in Sappington, Missouri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KMOV</span> CBS affiliate in St. Louis

KMOV is a television station in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, affiliated with CBS and MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Gray Television alongside low-power Circle owned-and-operated station KDTL-LD. The two stations share studios at the Gateway Tower on Memorial Drive in Downtown St. Louis, near the Gateway Arch; KMOV's transmitter is located in Lemay, Missouri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KPLR-TV</span> CW TV station in St. Louis

KPLR-TV is a television station in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, serving as the market's outlet for The CW. It is owned and operated by network majority owner Nexstar Media Group alongside Fox affiliate KTVI. Both stations share studios on Ball Drive in Maryland Heights, while KPLR's transmitter is located in Sappington, Missouri.

WRBU is a television station licensed to East St. Louis, Illinois, United States, broadcasting the Ion Television network to the St. Louis, Missouri area. Owned and operated by the Ion Media subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company, the station has offices on Richardson Road in Arnold, Missouri, and its transmitter is located near Missouri Route 21 and East Four Ridge Road in House Springs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tribune Broadcasting</span> American television and radio broadcast company (1924–2019)

Tribune Broadcasting Company, LLC was an American media company which operated as a subsidiary of Tribune Media, a media conglomerate based in Chicago, Illinois. The group owned and operated television and radio stations throughout the United States, as well as full- or partial-ownership of cable television and national digital subchannel networks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLOS</span> ABC affiliate in Asheville, North Carolina

WLOS is a television station licensed to Asheville, North Carolina, United States, broadcasting ABC and MyNetworkTV programming to Western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group in an effective duopoly with WMYA-TV in Anderson, South Carolina. WLOS maintains studios on Technology Drive in Asheville and a transmitter on Mount Pisgah in Haywood County, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fox Television Stations</span> Television station division of Fox

Fox Television Stations, LLC, also known as FTS and Fox Television Stations Group, LLC, is a group of television stations in the United States owned-and-operated by the Fox Broadcasting Company, a subsidiary of the Fox Corporation.

KMYS is a television station licensed to Kerrville, Texas, United States, serving the San Antonio area as an affiliate of the digital multicast network Dabl. It is owned by Deerfield Media, which maintains joint sales and shared services agreements (JSA/SSA) with Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of dual NBC/CW affiliate WOAI-TV and Fox affiliate KABB, for the provision of certain services. The stations share studios between Babcock Road and Sovereign Drive in northwest San Antonio, while KMYS's transmitter is located in rural southeastern Bandera County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WDAF-TV</span> Fox affiliate in Kansas City, Missouri

WDAF-TV is a television station in Kansas City, Missouri, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. The station is owned by Nexstar Media Group, and maintains studios and transmitter facilities on Summit Street in the Signal Hill section of Kansas City, Missouri.

WYCW is a television station licensed to Asheville, North Carolina, United States, serving as the CW outlet for Western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina. It is owned and operated by network majority owner Nexstar Media Group alongside Spartanburg, South Carolina–licensed CBS affiliate WSPA-TV. WYCW and WSPA-TV share studios on International Drive in Spartanburg; through a channel sharing agreement, the two stations transmit using WSPA-TV's spectrum from an antenna on Hogback Mountain in northeastern Greenville County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTVZ-TV</span> MyNetworkTV affiliate in Norfolk, Virginia

WTVZ-TV is a television station licensed to Norfolk, Virginia, United States, serving the Hampton Roads area as an affiliate of MyNetworkTV. Owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, the station maintains studios on Clearfield Avenue in Virginia Beach, and its transmitter is located in Suffolk, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WRLH-TV</span> Fox/MyNetworkTV affiliate in Richmond, Virginia

WRLH-TV is a television station in Richmond, Virginia, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. Owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, it has studios on Westmoreland Street in the North Side area of Richmond, and its transmitter is located at Bon Air near the studios of PBS member stations WCVE-TV and WCVW.

WYRD-FM is a talk radio station licensed to Spartanburg, South Carolina, and covering the Upstate region, including Greenville as well as part of North Carolina. It is owned by Audacy, Inc., with studios on Garlington Road in Greenville. WYRD-FM has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000 watts, the maximum for most FM stations. The transmitter is on Hogback Mountain Road in Landrum.

KZQZ was a commercial radio station that was licensed to serve St. Louis, Missouri at 1430 AM, and broadcast from 1922 to 2020. As WEB it was one of the first radio stations to have been established and licensed in the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area, and was known for most of its life as WIL. The Federal Communications Commission revoked the license for the station and its three co-owned stations in March 2020 after discovering that a convicted felon had effective control of the stations in their last years; despite the revocation, KZQZ and KQQZ continued to broadcast without a valid license into April 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WUBT</span> Radio station in Russellville, Kentucky

WUBT is an American mainstream urban radio station broadcasting in the Nashville, Tennessee market, under ownership of iHeartMedia. Though the station is licensed to Russellville, Kentucky, its studios are located in Nashville's Music Row district and the transmitter site is in White House, Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cunningham Broadcasting</span> American media company

Cunningham Broadcasting Corporation is an owner of broadcast television stations in the United States. The company currently owns fifteen stations – eight affiliated with Fox, three affiliated with The CW, two affiliated with ABC, and two affiliated with MyNetworkTV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1994–1996 United States broadcast television realignment</span> Television station affiliation switches

Between 1994 and 1996, a wide-ranging realignment of television network affiliations took place in the United States as the result of a multimillion-dollar deal between the Fox Broadcasting Company and New World Communications, announced on May 23, 1994. Unprecedented in the broadcast industry, the deal resulted in twelve stations owned by, or in the process of being purchased by New World, switching network affiliations to Fox over the course of a two-year period when existing contracts expired. These stations were long-standing affiliates of the traditional "Big Three" television networks—CBS, NBC, and ABC—in some of the country's largest markets, with the majority having been aligned with CBS individually for over 40 years.

References

  1. ↑ McWhorter, Darrell (October 11, 1990). "KSTZ's Buyers Put Faith In New Partner". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 7E. Retrieved March 17, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ "Continental drifts to River City" (PDF). Broadcasting . May 16, 1994. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  3. ↑ Berger, Jerry (May 10, 1994). "Broadcast Firm Expanding With 7-Station Deal". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, Missouri. p. 6C. Retrieved March 17, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Changing partners in Sacramento". Broadcasting & Cable . August 29, 1994.
  5. ↑ Zier, Julie A. (April 3, 1995). "River City buys Keymarket" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. p. 75.
  6. ↑ "The Year's Biggest Deals" (PDF). Radio & Records. February 2, 1996. p. 12.
  7. ↑ Jacobson, Gianna (April 12, 1996). "Sinclair Buys Radio and TV Stations for $1.2 Billion". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  8. ↑ Smith Amos, Denise (April 12, 1996). "River City Broadcasting Is Sold". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, Missouri. p. 8C, 10C . Retrieved March 17, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ Jensen, Elizabeth (April 12, 1996). "Little-known Sinclair Broadcast to buy River City, jumping into big league". The Wall Street Journal . p. B5. ProQuest   398506207.
  10. ↑ Franco, José (August 11, 1998). "Upstate radio stations have new owner". Spartanburg Herald Journal. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
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.