Tuesday, June 24, 2014

BREAKING ALERT: KTVU Acquired By Fox; UPDATED: Exclusive Memo From Cox Media President, Bill Hoffman; KTVU Staffers in Oakland 'Boiling Angry'




















 BREAKING! 


KTVU ACQUIRED BY FOX!


**Source: Cox gets Fox Boston station in the deal.
*KTVU Oakland staffers: 'Boiling Angry'


*Rich Lieberman 415 Media Exclusive


*Developing...


UPDATE: 3: 17 PM PT --MEMO--



I wanted to let you all know that an important strategic opportunity has presented itself and Cox Media Group will acquire FOX affiliates WFXT-TV Channel 25 in Boston and WHBQ-TV Channel 13 in Memphis as part of a mutual agreement to exchange stations with FOX Television Stations. In exchange, FOX will acquire KTVU and KICU in the San Francisco Bay area from CMG.
CMG thanks the leaders and employees at KTVU and KICU for the outstanding work they have done in the San Francisco Bay market over the decades to superserve their community with award-winning broadcasting and sales solutions for their advertisers. We’re also glad that KTVU and FOX will continue to serve the market together.
Following the completion of this exchange with FOX, which is expected later this year, CMG will own and operate four FOX affiliates, including:
· WFXT-TV in Boston
· WHBQ-TV in Memphis
· WAWS-TV in Jacksonville
· KOKI-TV in Tulsa
This will be the first time we will have had a media presence in Boston and Memphis, and CMG is excited about the prospects that WFXT-TV and WHBQ-TV bring to our TV portfolio. These new stations fit nicely into CMG’s broadcast portfolio, and we look forward to having a great news presence in these two markets and competing hard with the fine local broadcasters who already reside there. Once complete, CMG will operate 14 broadcast stations and one cable channel in 10 TV markets, including:

· Atlanta (WSB-TV ABC)
· Boston (WFXT-TV FOX)
· Charlotte (WSOC-TV ABC & WAXN-TV Independent)
· Dayton (WHIO-TV CBS)
· Jacksonville (WAWS-TV FOX & WTEV-TV CBS)
· Memphis (WHBQ-TV FOX)
· Orlando (WFTV ABC & WRDQ-TV Independent)
· Pittsburgh (WPXI-TV NBC & PCNC independent cable channel)
· Seattle (KIRO-TV CBS)
· Tulsa (KOKI-TV FOX & KMYT-TV MyNetwork)
Until this exchange is complete, it is business as usual in San Francisco. Our colleagues at KTVU and KICU can continue to expect the same level of service from everyone at Cox and CMG for any business or employment issue. We are confident that they will continue to serve their audiences, advertisers and community with timely, valuable and trustworthy entertainment, news and information.
Thanks for all you do every day to help us be the most essential local media source in our markets, delivering great products that connect with the needs of our customers.
Bill
Description: Description: CMG
Bill Hoffman | President
Cox Media Group | 6205 Peachtree Dunwoody Rd. | Atlanta, GA 30328
Ph: (678) 645-4344 | Fax: (678) 645-5002| Email: bill.hoffman@coxinc.com

















62 comments:

  1. One would think many changes are coming there.

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    1. Anyone with a big-money contract just acquired a great big bullseye on their backs. And anyone who won't agree to slant their coverage the Fox way.

      Truly a sad day. Time to rally the community organizations to file objections with the FCC.

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    2. That's the San Francisco way: stomp your feet like a child whenever it suits you. Having said that, I can tell you the way to combat it most of the time is serious, overwhelming power right up front - fist in the face sort of stuff and don't back down when some over credentialed pampered chickenshit asshole starts crying for the cameras. That means you turn the heat UP, not down.

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    3. "Rally the community"?

      Freedom of speech makes libs nervous and insecure.

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    4. Yeah, Root, that will work.

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    5. I'm a lib and I'll tell you what makes me nervous. Money=Speech.

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    6. > Freedom of speech makes libs nervous and insecure.

      No, lies do.

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  2. Will the graphic say Fux?

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  3. Wonder if Fox will opt to take the MyTv flag away from KRON and toss it over to KICU?

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  4. Things are about to dramatically change at KTVU. Grab the life preserver while you can.

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  5. Why are they boiling angry?

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    Replies
    1. I would think they'd be more nervous than angry.

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  6. Get rid of this multiethnic crap and bring back Elaine Corral !

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    1. Corral is a Spanish surname genius...

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    2. That's not the name she was born with, not that it matters. That's the name of one of her husbands.

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  7. What exactly does that mean? I thought KTVU was already a Fox affiliate.

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    1. An affiliate station is a station that runs network programming but is not owned by that network. In the SF Bay Area, the ABC, CBS, CW and NBC stations are all owned by their respective networks, already (known as "O&O's" for "owned and operated"), KTVU was the only one that wasn't. In most markets, though, stations are affiliates. For example, in the Salinas market, all of the stations are affiliates and none are "O&O's".

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    2. Affiliate is just that, affiliate. The networks have contracts with all the stations that carry their affiliation. Of course when you own and operate your affiliate, it's a different ballgame. The FCC allows I believe for the networks to own and operate 10 stations. Affiliations can change hands when contracts expire or in ownership exchanges. Being an affiliate does not mean a station is owned by that network, it just has the contract to carry that network's programs.

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    3. It is a FOX affiliate. Now, KTVU 2 will be owned by FOX, as will KICU (independent). The deal now brings Cox four FOX affiliates to add to its portfolio of 15 TV and independent cable channels that include mostly ABC stations (including WSB in Atlanta,) several CBS affiliations, (including KIRO in Seattle,) an NBC affiliation (WPXI , Pittsburgh) and cable channels.

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    4. The cap is based on penetration, not the number of stations.

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    5. A single company can own stations not exceeding coverage of over 39% of the nationwide market. UHF stations count less than VHF stations against that total (however that rule pre-dates the digital conversion, so it's probably up to interpretation as to whether that's virtual channels in the VHF band (2-13) & UHF band (14 and above) or actual channels. In the digital world, most stations are located in the UHF band, now, regardless of their "virtual" channel number (for example, KTVU is on channel 44 but virtual channel 2)

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  8. First move by FOX, get rid of Dave "drama queen" Clark

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    1. Dave "sing songy" Clark? Yes X 1000

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    2. Why is he a drama queen?

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    3. 6:38, his (beyond sing song) delivery, for one...

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  9. Now what? What can be done to fix this mess in the Bay Area?

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  10. Good bye news set, hello green screen.

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  11. 2nd move by FOX, get rid of the News Director immediately

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    Replies
    1. Read Rich's next post... ;-)

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    2. 3rd move by FOX, get rid of the weather Clown.

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  12. Whatever happened to independent stations?

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    1. Take a look at KRON. They're as independent as they come.

      Independent doesn't seem to work anymore in media.

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  13. Let's cut to the chase. FOX just bought the TV rights to 49ers. This is strictly about football. FOX is buying stations with teams in the NFC. They are buying football.

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    1. Umm, Fox already has the TV rights to the 49ers via FOX sports.

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    2. Don't be so short-sighted. They now get whatever money KTVU makes off showing the 49er games. And that's a pretty good chunk of change. The NFL is big bucks. That money now goes right into the FOX bank account. It's called getting a return on your investment.

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    3. CBS did that a few years ago when THEY had the NFC teams on their network Sunday broadcasts. They even had an O&O in Green Bay.

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    4. For as long as FOX has had the NFC rights, FOX got their "ROI" for them through the over-the-top ad rates for ALL NFC games they carry all over -- not for any one team and not down to the station level. Being an O&O, now, they get both -- FOX Sports for the actual game ads nationally and the local O&O (KTU) gets only the local avails at the high rates they charge. They are two separate businesses. -- being the network owning the NFC rights and being the owned and operated station in any given market. KTVU does not make a "residual" for being a FOX affiliate. They get paid "carriage fee agreement" money from cable companies (Comcast) that carry the station based on subscribers and their local market advertising. The days of affiliate "compensation" stopped many years ago when carriage fees via cable coverage become the norm. If a home game was not sold out, KTVU would still have to adhere to the antiquated "black out rules" which would prevent the game being shown locally. KTVU as a station doesn't pay for "rights" like a KNBR does for radio, because it's entirely a network (FOX) feed, not a local feed for KTVU. They show the Niners because they are the regional market team and Fox owns the station that broadcasts them. Now, any "extra" local programming regarding the Niners is up to KTVU and is all their money. The same could be said for KGO, KRON anyone in the market willing to do a contracted show with the Niners. The difference is that a separate "show" adds costs and compensation requirements to the team, where at KTVU, they are guaranteed to show each and every game. So, it's not worth it to other stations to do because KTVU is, essentially, the "flagship" station.

      Additionally, the station can't just arbitrarily "plug" in a show from FOX or the station risks lots of problems for replacing "content" that is FOX owned by not run on the station. You can bet than anything aired by FOX nationally is aired on KTVU. The 7-8 "access hour" is the station's to buy and sell, as is 10 pm, late night (for now) and a lot of room in the daytime. Did the sale mean "buying football?" No. It already had the affiliation, but only benefited from the local advertising. Now, FOX controls where local money goes because it owns it, or will soon.
      .

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  14. At long last that god-awful "2" logo will be gone...thank the baby Jesus!

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    1. It's historical. It would be a shame to lose it.

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  15. Fox is a good match for Claudine Wong. I am sure that she will go beyond the bay area.

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  16. Bingi! 5:27 actually knows something, So, Root, make sure u remember that when you call in special forces w their camo-covered fists. ROFL at Root. Ho Lee FOX

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  17. There some benefits to being in the FOX TV group... Contrary to popular belief, the local stations don't spew right wing poison. The company doesn't use consultants. They expect their management to be able run stations on their own and know what works in their community. The folks at KTVU might welcome that. They also don't like to rock the boat. If a station is succe$$ful, they leave it alone.

    The bad... FOX does NOT like to spend money. The company is run like a government bureaucracy. Every dollar spent has to be approved by the bean counters in NYC… and nothing gets by them.

    As for talent, FOX pays well. The company likes talent that delivers and wants to win. They pay top dollar if they feel they will get a return on their investment…Frank Sommerville will be fine. If they feel they aren’t getting their money’s worth (you will know who you are) you will likely be sent packing. FOX likes to consolidate… graphics and master control are hubbed in Vegas and Tampa so you can expect those jobs to eventually go away.

    As someone who would know, my advice to the staff: FOX likes team players. Be resistant and you will have a target on your back. You will have the freedom to be creative and won’t have to adhere to a consultants bulls**t playbook. The FOX way of business can be a little difficult for management types so expect changes in that department. FOX will probably bring in their own people at the top levels. Lastly, and maybe most importantly, don’t waste FOX’s money. Money is what matters most…

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    1. I can get two Fox O&Os. There's not sign of any spin that I can see.

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  18. A few weeks ago I mentioned to a friend that I tend to gravitate towards KTVU for my local news on TV. My friend exclaimed, "But that's a FOX station." As you may have guessed, our politics are anything but right-wing. I explained that KTVU was not owned by FOX, and therefore I felt confident that their news was not similar to FOX's "fair and balanced' bullshit (or whatever FOX News currently claims to be).

    I just changed channels forever for my local TV news.

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  19. I use the Over The Air broadcasts around here. Yesterday the broadcast for KTVU stopped. No signal. Is this a local thing? Anyone else have their KTVU signal stop?

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    1. This happened about a month and a half ago. The 10 O'Clock went off the air and no one at the station knew about it till I called--45 mins later. They don't seem to monitor their own program, and being that it's so pathetic who can blame them?

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  20. They have 2 signals. They are on channel 48 from Monument Peak and channel 44 from Sutro. Both are still on, last I checked.

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    1. Still nothing. (I'm honestly not up on the PSIP/virtual stuff) With my attenae Ch. 44 is KBCW-DT, Ch 42 is nothing. KTVU is on channel two.

      I'm in Oakland Jack London Sq about 1000 feet from the KTVU studios with a clear shot at Sutro.

      As of yesterday I'm still getting KRON/KPIX/KQED/etc etc. about 40 OTA channels. But, "2" KTVU is snow.

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  21. That poll was in reference to the Fox News Channel, and is irrelevant to KTVU, which already runs "straight news stories" from Fox News national reporters.

    It's not surprising that Fox News Viewers would think that the Fox News Channel is "the most reliable" since several other polls on viewers' knowledge of current events show that FNC viewers are the least well informed. Also, they tend to never change the channel since that would require finding the remote buried somewhere under their colostomy bag.

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  22. Why are KTVU staffers "Boiling Angry?"

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  23. Best news I have heard all day!
    Memo to all liberal producers and news anchors at Channel 2. (this includes the Weatherman)
    You are hereby terminated. Effective immediately.
    We've been waiting a long time for this.
    First KGO and now Channel 2. No more liberal garbage!

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  24. Fox said to Cox give us KTVU or we're pulling your affiliation and buying KRON. Cox had no choice. It got Boston and Memphis as consolation prizes. It's all about football and national sales of local ads. I wouldn't expect a right-wing tilt of local news because they don't want a backlash and they want to sell ads.

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  25. On another perspective...If Fox had brought KRON in SF, then KTVU would have lost its affiliation with one of the big 4 networks. It would forced Ch. 2 to go back to the independent route. Then, KTVU would have to survive with no network backing or just be a My Network affiliate. There wouldn't be any money with that outcome. Imagine losing highly rated, sports programming.

    Of course, there will be changes as with any ownership change. This could be a good thing in the long run. The long respected KTVU News has survived over the years...even though it had some black eyes as of late. Regular viewers won't noticed much of change.

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  26. 7:03pm is right about the News Corp / Fox model.

    Biggest risk - the central graphics and music are a turn-off in this market. Too bold and Fox News like. They would be wise to avoid that, otherwise it gives credence to the suspicion that there is a national Fox News connection.

    This market more than any other is keenly sensitive to that. And the cost save would likely more than be offset by lost viewers and revenue if the local flavor is tampered with.

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  27. For the one who posted "At long last that god-awful "2" logo will be gone...thank the baby Jesus!", don't be so sure: Take a look at all of FOX's other O&O's branding. Most of them incorporated the station's heritage channel logo and standardized it into a hybrid FOX ID format. I would bet that the same will happen for the KTVU "2" as well. Love it or hate it, that "2" has a long & storied brand in the Bay Area market and still carries clout today...

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  28. 10:22

    So...now the Liberal Garbage will be replaces...with Conservative Garbage??

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    1. By even acknowledging 10:22 you are assuming he or she actually has a brain. I seriously doubt it!

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  29. I would feel very confident in saying the KTVU "deal" played out similar to a deal about a year ago in Charlotte when FOX went in there. Only this time Cox gave in and didn't hold out like the Charlotte FOX affiliate. And I would be willing to bet that we will see FOX now go after KCPQ in Seattle. It will happen and it will happen very soon.

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  30. Is Sum Ting Wong with this change of ownership?

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