Don Day brings some well-deserved attention to Journal Broadcast Group’s planned purchase of KNIN/Channel 9 in a blog post at Idaho Radio News.
He asks an important question: How will Journal Broadcast Group gain FCC approval of the $8 million sale?
Journal Broadcast Group, based in Milwaukee, owns a number of entities in Boise, including TV station KIVI/Channel 6 as well as radio stations KJOT/J-105, KQXR/100.3, KTHI/107.1, KRVB/94.9, KGEM/1140 AM and KCID/1490 AM.
Channel 9, a CW affiliate, is owned by Banks Broadcasting of Winnetka, Ill.
Day wonders how Journal Broadcast Group will get around the FCC’s “eight voices” rule, which says that a market must have at least eight remaining TV broadcasting voices after a merger.
Boise currently has six: KBCI-2, KAID-4, KIVI-6, KTVB-7, KNIN-9 and KTRV-12.
Thus, Day writes, Journal Broadcasting would have to seek a waiver under the “failing station” clause of FCC rules. It would have to prove four things about Channel 9, including negative cash flow over the past three years and less than 4 percent audience share.
“So JBG’s buying a failing station? $8 million for a station that doesn’t make money?” he writes. “Synergy. And for the employees of KNIN, the synergy won’t likely seem like a good thing. The station will probably unload most of its staff and combine job functions with KIVI.”
One commenter on the blog, RadioActive, notes: “Don- Thanks for covering this story …I doubt if the ‘local’ paper or any other media will cover it… and these are very important issues that the general public should be made aware of…..Maybe BOISE WEEKLY or the Idaho Business Review might put some resources into it.”
Duly noted, RadioActive. We’ll be taking a closer look at this.
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