The Boston Globe, citing an “executive involved in the deal”, says Sunbeam TV is in negotiations to buy WLVI Channel 56 in Boston. The station is owned by Tribune and is now the CW affiliate in the market.
Boston Globe
Miami owner of WHDH in talks to acquire WLVI
I’m not happy about WLVI trying to be picked up by Ed Ansin. I hope it doesn’t happen.
I’m aware that FOX has expressed interest in WSVN becoming a FOX O&O station. I believe NBC is expressing interest in WDHD becoming a NBC O&O station. It would appear that Ed Ansin doesn’t want WHDH and WSVN becoming network O&O stations. Now, he wants to snatch WLVI from Tribune.
I could see CBS Corporation acquiring ownership of WLVI; however, I doubt that CBS would be interested in giving up ownership of WSBK anytime soon.
I could see FOX Television Stations acquiring ownership of WLVI. WLVI becoming the only FOX owned CW affiliate… Boston becoming a FOX duopoly market. That would mean FOX dumping the 10pm newscast on WLVI for an 11pm newscast, or dumping the news from WLVI completely. Probably not a good idea.
WLVI becoming a Hearst-Argyle O&O… who knows?
WLVI becoming a Sunbeam O&O… that would be a travesty. I’m hoping that Tribune will keep WLVI, and not sell it to Sunbeam.
Just my 2 cents.
You just now realised Ansin doesn’t want his stations to be run by corporate cooks? Come on … 😉
If the rumors are true the guy was offered some good money years ago by NBC and FOX for WSVN/WHDH and he turned them down. Allegedly.
WHy would Sunbeam owning WLVI be a travesty? You think any of the other execs would walk in with catering food and be all giddy wanting to give some cash away!?! They are ALL going to merge operations and fire people if they have another station in town. It’s a duopoly no one with 2 stations in a market would keep 2 staffs, 2 newsroom, 2 of everything … unless they are really stupid.
I belive WHDH and WSVN would do great as network O&O stations. I can see that Ed Ansin isn’t interested NBCU acquiring WHDH, and Newscorp acquiring WSVN.
In 2005… CBS acquired KOVR from the “lost cause” Sinclair. It took CBS nearly a year to un-Sinclairize KOVR, and move KMAX to the KOVR facility. CBS went with 1 newsroom; however, kept both the KOVR and KMAX news staff.
In WLVI’s situation. They’ve offered the 10pm newscast for well over 20 years. Unless their news product has seen years of little or no impact. With Ansin wanting to acquire ownership of WLVI, viewers are now speculating the fate of the CW affiliates 10pm newscast.
The News Corporation is a little bit over the FCC’s ownership cap. If WSVN were to become a network O&O station, Rupert Murdoch would have to dump ownership of several FOX O&O stations. Here recently, NBC-Universal sold 4 of its former O&O stations to Media General. MG acquired WTVM as 1 of the former NBC O&O stations, meaning WIAT had to be sold. (Unrelated to the WHDH, WLVI, and WSVN situation) I belive WIAT would do great as a CBS O&O station, because I believe CBS would continue to restructure this low-rated CBS affiliate, which has seen years of little or no impact. Instead, MG sold WIAT to New Vision, and I felt like MG made a mistake. Just some thoughts.
Eric,
The main reason people don’t want WHDH and WSVN owned by the networks is because all the network-owned stations (especially NBC and Fox) tend to look EXACTLY the same. Same colors. Same graphics. Same franchises. WSVN and WHDH are extremely strong stations with pioneering, industry-leading presentation. Whether you like what they do or not, at least it’s different than the boring, monotonous stuff the other guys are doing. WHDH would end up looking like WTVJ if NBC owned it, and that would be truly sad.
KOVR is not a fair comparison. KOVR was owned by a big corporation (Sinclair) which happened to be notorious as possibly the worst media company out there. That company was super cheap, and you could tell by watching the product. Sunbeam is super cheap, but you’d never know it by watching the product.
WSVN revolutionized TV after losing its NBC affiliation January 1, 1989, and it continues to lead the industry in many ways. If it was bought by one of the networks or any of the other big media companies (Hearst, etc), it would probably quickly become just another big-market station.
And oh yeah… personally I don’t like duopolies because I like having as many different, independent voices in any given town as possible. That said, I don’t necessarily see Sunbeam owning WLVI to be any worse than anyone else who already has a station in Boston.
The people who will really suffer are those working for WHDH, whom I suspect will suddenly have to start producing a lot more news than they already do.
Why should Ansin ownany stations? He runs cheapskate operations, he’s a chiseler and zero as a broadcaster. I oppose duopolies too, but I doubt a CW affiliate would have much of a news operation on its own, even in a big market. Most importantly, if I live in South Florida, why should I care what happens in Boston? I’ll buy Ansin the bus ticket to move there, and let New England deal with a full dose of Rick Sanchez and Sally Fitz types, i.e., dummies who work cheap. Riddle me this, who’s more miserable–Ansin or Sumner Redtsone? They’re both rich and constipated. Hope if I ever get rich I’ll be happier about it.
This deal is now done, more details on BTVN.net.