The Washington Post Company and NBC Local Media announced that the intended sale of WTVJ to The Washington Post Company’s Post-Newsweek Stations division will not move forward. “Given the current economic environment, and the delay in receiving the necessary regulatory approval, the deal has been terminated. The purchase of WTVJ was scheduled to close by end of 2008.”
The proposed sale, which would have created a rare big-four duopoly with ABC WPLG-TV, also generated quite a bit of protest. So much so that the FCC put the proceeding on a permit-but-disclose basis to accommodate more commentary. Among the opponents of the $205M were three members of the US House of Representatives, Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Ron Klein (D-FL), and Kendrick B. Meek (D-FL). The FCC permit-but-disclose arrangement allows ex parte presentations on the matter to be made part of the record without having to serve every single party who has engaged in the matter.
