For now, the biggest impact of the announced $18.7 billion sale of Clear Channel Communications to an investment group will be on WKRC-TV, and not the eight radio stations the company owns here.
The San Antonio-based company also announced Thursday plans to sell its 42-station television group, which includes Channel 12 and the digital CINCW (Channe 12.2). Clear Channel also will sell 448 of its 1,150 radio stations. All are located outside the top 100 markets. (
Associated Press reports than an investor group led by Thomas H. Lee Partners LP and Bain Capital Partners LLC is paying $37.60 in cash for each share of Clear Channel, a 10.2 percent premium over its closing price on Wednesday. The buyers are also assuming about $8 billion in debt in the deal.
The company’s directors has approved the agreement, with the board insiders recused from the vote. The company is run by the Mays family, with Lowry Mays serving as chairman and his two sons, Mark and Randall, as CEO and chief financial officer, respectively. (Not Helen Mays, who sometimes calls Bill Cunningham?)
Channel 12 has been the market’s No. 1 news station at
John Kiesewetter files news, comments and observations on the world of local and national TV.
Allllll depends on the new buyer. Someone like Gray or Sinclair will probably dump the higher-priced talent. But I wouldn't be surprised if Media General bought them to go with their Columbus NBC purchase. They like having regions of stations.
ReplyDeleteWhoever buys them is sure to cut the fat. It spells big changes at a station that's falling behind in more ways than one.
ReplyDeleteIsn't Scripps Howard said to be considering the sale of its TV stations?
ReplyDelete12 won't be sold to Sinclair - it's too expensive.
ReplyDeleteWLW will be hit by the Clear Channel layoff machine next month. Pain is coming.
ReplyDeleteI felt that Jacor/Clear Channel pain 9 years ago, so I have no sympathy for those on the chopping block.
ReplyDeleteMost won't deserve it, but that's show-biz.
I'll bet whoever takes over Channel 12 gets rid of the main players and brings in low price talent like Rich Appuzo and Bill Meyers!
ReplyDeleteHeck, maybe Edie Magnus will come back and Dan Brady.
How about Dan Royal and George Chiccarone?
I want the good ole days!
Very interesting... maybe the alliance of WLW back to WLWT was a sign or maybe just coincidence.
ReplyDeleteMaybe, but I think 5's owner is more interested in buying Tribune's newspapers at this point.
12 will likely go to a major owner when the whole deal is said and done. It has a strong prime time following.
ReplyDeleteclear channel has cut hundreds of radio jobs around the country. on-air personalities and people behind the scenes alike. is this why it was easy to let go of furman?
ReplyDeleteThey let go of Furman because "someone" in the building couldn't protect him any longer.
ReplyDeleteI'll say that the entire Cincinnati cluster of radio AND TV stations will be purchased by a group. Radioactive?
ReplyDeleteWith the pending sale...what does this do to WKRC's attempted coup on ICRC in the suburbs?
Fox Network is said to be one of the first in line for a look at 12 and a handful of other clear channel TV stations. Could there be another affiliate switch?
ReplyDeleteCBS already got hosed by Fox before back in the 90s. It'd be a hoot to see them have to change to WXIX.
ReplyDeleteWow - Fox buys 12 and XIX goes to CBS!?!
ReplyDeletePurple is a good color.
ReplyDeleteThere are no more fish in the market.
ReplyDeleteblogs - can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em
ReplyDeleteChannel 5 is reporting that 12 will be the new anchor store at kenwood mall
ReplyDeletethere's a sale on dopplers!
ReplyDeleteRumor from San Antonio is that Clear Channel wants to sell the stations to a single group.
ReplyDeleteThat's not really a rumor. The CEO and the news release both said clear channel want to sell the tv stations as a group. It probably won't happen that way, though.
ReplyDeleteCincy cluster going to a Cincy group.
ReplyDeleteI'll say that the entire Cincinnati cluster of radio AND TV stations will be purchased by a group.
ReplyDeleteThe radio stations in Cincinnati are not for sale, so if your prediction comes true, I'll be forced to eat not just my hat, but yours as well. ;-)
What if the new owners don't like their agreement with CBS? What if they dropped the affiliation? It would be funny to see CBS on another station like WSTR or WBQC.
ReplyDeleteThe earlier comments about Fox seeking 12 would make sense. As strongly identified as Fox is with 'XIX, they've always sought to upgrade to a better channel position when the time is right.
ReplyDeleteSinclair buying 12 would also make sense in that they could consolidate business operations of both stations, and use 64 as the go-to for network pre-emptions and local sports packages (a model used in other markets).
Randy Michaels - would he buy TV?
ReplyDeleteRandy Michaels is in serious talks to buy 700 WLW & WEBN from Clear Channel. My sources tell me it could be a done deal within the next 2 weeks.
ReplyDeleteWhat if the new owners don't like their agreement with CBS? What if they dropped the affiliation? It would be funny to see CBS on another station like WSTR or WBQC.
ReplyDeleteNot unheard of. In Detroit, CBS is on channel 63, if I recall correctly. In Atlanta, it's on 46. Both places had Fox buying the CBS stations and taking the affiliation. Neither stations news has ever recovered (I'm not certain the Detroit station does news)
Going to 19 wouldn't be so bad if it happened, but if they had to jump much further up the dial, it might go badly.
I think the new buyer/owner should make Channel 12 go back to "A New Generation of News" and get rid of the "Local" stuff ... Those were the days when Ch. 12 was really the BEST
ReplyDeleteAs for the comments on Randy Michaels buying 700 WLW and WEBN - doubtful. By shedding all the small market radio stations and their TV operations, Clear Channel is signaling they are focusing on their core business - RADIO. I cannot imagine them turning around and selling off two of their biggest stations in one of their biggest revenue-generating markets in the country. It would shake up their strategic positioning on the dial here, and cost them money.
ReplyDeleteA few months ago, the Post reported that Scripps was looking to sell its tv stations, including channel 9. Is TV too expensive to operate these days?
ReplyDeleteDetroit CBS is an O&O and its on 62, and yeah its not a player at all. No newscast.
ReplyDeleteI am pretty sure Raycom can't afford to buy any of these stations cause they just spent like 900 million on the Liberty stations.
ReplyDeleteCarl Lindner may be interested in his old station.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of FOX buying WKRC is interesting... a lot of the New Wolrd stations that FOX picked up in the early '90s were former Taft Broadcasting stations - so 12 would come full circle. It would also mean the end of news on 64 - again - since 12 would have to air a 10pm newscast.
ReplyDelete12's 10pm news came within a hair of beating 19's last night.
ReplyDeleteThat wouldn't be too hard. 19 needs to hire a couple of true news people (Terry Thill and Peg Rusconi would be good)....
ReplyDeleteand they need to rehire Dan Hoard, who brought maturity and class to sports reporting (and could bring along his wife as a news reporter to boot - see above).
Pet Rusconi used to work at 12. She was good, but she would probably want to work at 12 again.
ReplyDeleteWhatever happened to Barney the dinosaur?
ReplyDeleteI can't see why CBS wouldn't work just as well on WXIS or WSTR as WKRC. All they don't have that WKRC has is a good local news organization.
ReplyDeleteI might have bought the Fox argument a few years ago, but what good would 12's VFH signal do over 19's UHF signal, when both go away in a few years anyway? I'm not sure if the same will hold true for the digial signals. And most people watch the locals over cable anyway.
ReplyDeleteI think Barney and Randy Michaels are the same being.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever seen the two of them together in the same place?
WKRC could not handle the demands of the local programming that WXIX does. WKRC has been under the ABC and then CBS leash forever and would not know how to program there own stuff. WXIX could not handle the news load that WKRC does; doesn't seem like a good fit. WKRC lame attempt to help WSTR weak ratings would not make their owner intereted in buying them. I would look for an outside buyer that can afford a network.
ReplyDeleteAny chance of a Gannett buying WKRC? I am guessing the station will go for a good chunk of change.
ReplyDelete