FCC Extension Aids Cox/Apollo Deal

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A 60 Day Extension has been granted for Cox Media Group (CMG) to continue publishing their daily Ohio newspapers. CMG was facing a deadline January 16 to reduce its publication schedule of its daily newspapers in Dayton, Hamilton, Middletown and Springfield.


Cox and Apollo Global Management completed a deal last year as reported by RBR-TVBR to sell it’s Dayton media assets including WHIO-AM, WHIO-TV, WHKO-FM, and WZLR-FM.

In September the Third Circuit Court of Appeals re-instated a 1975 FCC rule that bans cross ownership of newspapers and radio and television outlets.

“We applaud the decision by the FCC and are grateful for the extension,” said Cox Media Group CEO Kim Guthrie. “News does not conveniently schedule itself three days a week and we felt a reduced print schedule would negatively and severely impact the newspapers, our employees and the communities we serve. CMG and Apollo have been pushing for this outcome because we feel that maintaining a daily publication schedule is the absolute best way to continue to produce the solid and timely journalism that our readers deserve.”

The extension until March 16, 2020 will give CMG added time to find a buyer for the newspapers.