Updated: 9:30 PM 12/23/2008
Breaking news: Announced late on the WTVJ 6PM news by Joel Connable. The sale of WTVJ, an NBC O&O station, has been called off by Post Newsweek.
In a joint statement issued today:
“The Washington Post company and NBC Local Media today announced that the intended sale of WTVJ to the Washington Post company 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 the end of 2008.”
This is great news for the folks against the sale of WTVJ, and it’s long history. There is no word yet if NBC will put WTVJ back up on the market, or retain it as an NBC O&O station. Tips have been coming in for about a week now, hinting that Post Newsweek would back out of the sale, thanks to a delayed FCC hearing… and today, it looks like they did. We’ll pass on the info as we receive it.
(Click Below For Updates! Last update: 9:30 PM 12/23/2008)
Update: In an alleged meeting after the 6PM news, WTVJ’s news director was crying while expressing how poorly NBC handled the sale. She was allegedly angry because NBC didn’t tell WTVJ first, and many people left for other jobs out of state. For those asking about the future of WTVJ, no one knows. Will NBC keep it O&O? Will WTVJ be the newest content center?… or will NBC sell WTVJ to one of the other bidders. We’re back to the “wait and see” game.
Update: WTVJ was apparently kept out in the dark as well. Allegedly finding out about PN backing out from the wires, and from businessjournal.com.
Update: Apparently, Mr. DeMarco Morgan wants back at WTVJ now that things are looking up.
Lastly, i have an educated guess for you as of the future of NBC6. I think, NBC will put WTVJ back up for sale. Then, when they realize there’s not a shot in hell of them getting the amount of money they’re asking for, they will pull WTVJ off the market and turn them into the newest NBC content center. Just a guess…
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63 Responses to Breaking News: Post Newsweek Backs Out of WTVJ Deal
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News Freak, we already have a TV Station like that. A few actually. We call them WTVJ and WSVN.
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News freak….
Brilliant satirical analysis. You know most of the so called “journalists”, especially the more dull minded TV strain, have no clue how they are really perceived by the public. They don’t seem to realize that TV news in this market has zero credibility anymore and they have no one to blame but themselves. Describing all the stupid stunts they do illustrates TV news will do just about anything but real reporting in order to get viewers.
We watch local TV news for entertainment now more than for information. Who doesn’t want to see a stupid reporter standing on the beach in a hurricane take a board or a stop sign to the head?
We all do. These “reporters” are just court jesters, they are not journalists.
In its current state, TV news just can’t be taken seriously on anything.
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I only watch SVN for their fancy Quantel graphics; the music, after a while, sounds the same (sucks); it’s almost as if they hired someone who only knows how to play on the black keys, and couldn’t read a piece of sheet music if a gun was pointed at him/her. It’s easy to hold down a chord on a fancy keyboard because the arpeggiator (and software like Fruity Loops) does all the work, and is not original music, but the idiotic public doesn’t know any better. I wonder if SVN ever paid the musical group “Tangerine Dream” royalties for some of the music used OTA.
Rosh Lowe sounds like he just stepped out of a 1940′s film, with his half-opened eyes, and his dramatic delivery. He might as well be wearing a fedora. It’s almost as if he’s mocking the story, rather than reporting it. Seriously, all of his reports should be done in black and white, and he should have a cigarette half in his mouth when he’s covering a story. I can see him behind a typewriter in a smoke-filled room talking about dames and gams (or fellas – who knows…wink). When he’s covering something tragic, using his disingenuous delivery, I just want to shake him like a rubber chicken.
I felt genuine pity one morning for that pretty weather gal Durduh, who’s on in the morning on SVN. She either has Spasmodic dysphonia, stage fright, or there was an earthquake in the studio that morning.
Seriously, after a while of hearing the words “cop car” and “chopper,” it makes you want to reach through the tv and strangle someone; the retardedness of it all makes me change the channel. The previous post about “Tuckson,” Arizona is a perfect example of what I’m talking about.
When dumbed-down SVN starts to get to me, I switch over to FOR. PLG has always tried to package themselves as the most reputable news team in town, and that arrogance is unacceptable (heh). Forget about TVJ; they’re a joke.
FOR is the underdog, and they take the high road in my humble opinion. I don’t feel talked down to, and the fact they keep people like Al Sunshine and Dave Game on staff is a testament to their pursuit of quality news over fluffy shit.
You say “in its current state, TV news just can’t be taken seriously on anything;” you can apply that to the Miami Herald as well. A friend who works there told me the highest selling copy of the Herald had Jennifer Lopez on the cover. They need to bring Tropic Magazine back.
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