Comcast will not ask for an FCC waiver to run three Los Angeles DMA television stations to enable an orderly attempt to sell one, and instead will make sure to divest independent Spanish-language KWHY-TV one way or the other. They expect to be able to sell it promptly, leaving the merged entity with two Los Angeles television stations.
Los Angeles easily passes the independent media voice threshold to allow a television duopoly, but in no market is a triple-header permissible without some kind of special FCC arrangement.
The other NBCU properties in town are iconic NBC O&O KNBC-TV and KVEA-TV, which airs programming from NBCU’s Hispanic Telemundo network.
According to reports, there is as yet no buyer lined up, but it the company promising either a sale or divestiture into a trust.
Typically, whenever a group transaction is proposed, any local combinations that are in place thanks to an FCC waiver or grandfathered status are given renewed scrutiny.
RBR-TVBR note: Now available RBR-TVBR’s ‘2010’ new guide to help chart a course through the treacherous waters of buying, owning and selling radio or television stations.
Click to purchase: “Profitably Buying and Selling Radio Stations,” or 1-800-288-4677, ext. 5022 for $49.95, paperback, $39.95, e-book.
