Equity channels sold.....will leave satellite...now gone

[Joe Capitano]

TVNewsday.com is reporting the following from the Equity Bankruptcy Auction:

Marcus & Joni Lamb's Word of God Fellowship, aka Daystar, snatched up 16 outlets for $7.4 million. Among them: WNGS Buffalo, WNYI Syracuse, KQUP Spokane-Pullman-Coeur d'Alene, KWBM Springfield MO, KCBU & KNBX Salt Lake City and WBIF Panama City.

The Fox Montana block goes to Max Media. $1.3 million for the bunch. Cheap.

All of the above are subject to approval - and possible upbids - in Little Rock Bankruptcy Court next Friday. Stations elsewhere are still up for bids.

 

[Mr Tony]

Marcus & Joni Lamb's Word of God Fellowship, aka Daystar, snatched up 16 outlets for $21.3 million. Among them: WNGS Buffalo, WNYI Syracuse, KQUP Spokane-Pullman-Coeur d'Alene, KWBM Springfield MO, KCBU & KNBX Salt Lake City and WBIF Panama City.

Most of these will probably be upgrades from Translator stations in the market

The Fox Montana block goes to Max Media. $1.3 million for the bunch. Cheap.

Max Media owns the ABC's in Montana so its a good fit. Now they have a spot to put Bobcat football (the non conference) games like KPAX (CBS) does with Grizzly football. KPAX puts them on the co-owned CW stations. Normally non-conference games were tape delayed

Only ones in Minneapolis are low powered Univision (WUMN) and Teleftutura)

 

[Joe Moll]

This is the second time that MAX media is trying to buy these stations. The FCC said no because you can't have two stations in the same market. The CW stations in Montana are secondary digital stations. If the FCC does approve the sale to MAX media, then the FOX stations in Montana will be leaving the satellite.

 

[Dishman Dan]

I read that some stations were pulled from the auction. I also read that the ones not sold yet plus the ones "sold" (pending approval) could still be bought or go higher. Could this mean that Equity might survive with some stations or is this still a chapter 7 total liquidation? Does this mean the "dark ages" for 123 or is someones crystal ball saying something else?

 

[Joe Capitano]

Chapter 11 according to the article. And, yes, some stations were pulled - specifically Kansas City, Mo., L.A., Ft. Smith, Vegas, Cheyenne, Waco, Amarillo and Wichita Falls, Texas.

(BTW: Amended Daystar's purchase price above)

 

[eurosport]

As long as RetroJams stays on 123w, I'll keep a dish pointed at it. If it goes away for good, the dish gets moved to another bird.

 

[Mr Tony]

This is the second time that MAX media is trying to buy these stations. The FCC said no because you can't have two stations in the same market.

true. But there is a loophole. max Media will probably create some "shell" company and buy them and then tell "Max Media" to run them.

When I lived in Duluth, MN they did the same thing. Some guy bought up CBS and turned around and asked NBC to run it (Duluth only has Big 4 + PBS). NBC basically owns it unless its tax time or the FCC comes a knockin

If the FCC does approve the sale to MAX media, then the FOX stations in Montana will be leaving the satellite.

Anything approved will leave satellite

 

[Tron]

Anything approved will leave satellite

This is terrible... It probably spells the end of the programming we enjoy on G-18

 

[mjs812]

This is terrible... It probably spells the end of the programming we enjoy on G-18

They will pop up somewhere else, wont they?

 

[Mr Tony]

They will pop up somewhere else, wont they?

not necessarily. The Daystar ones will just become affiliates and there is Daystar on about 3 or 4 satellites.

Assuming Max Media can buy up the Fox stations they already have an infrastructure built in Montana with the ABC stations so they'll just piggyback off that.

 

[Mr Tony]

This is terrible... It probably spells the end of the programming we enjoy on G-18

this wouldnt be the first time the whole "Equity at G10/18 leaves" rears its ugly head. They've been doing this for 4 years now...will they leave or not?

So I guess as I posted the last time (January when Luken/RTN/Equity split) this little tidbit of a line

"So lets not complain on who did what and who stabbed whom in the back. Lets enjoy the programming we have to watch now...because it may not be there tomorrow"

http://www.satelliteguys.us/1650975-post9.html

 

[BurlesonBlue]

Well, let's look on the bright side here. Even if all of those Equity stations go off G18, we'll still have:

-KTWO - Casper, Wyoming- ABC- Silverton Broadcasting Company, LLC
-KARZ- Little Rock, Arkansas- My Network TV- Nexstar Broadcasting Group
-University of Washington TV
-Research Channel

 

[N5XZS]

I am wondering where This-TV network stations will go? We don't get This-TV subchannels here in Albuquerque TV market.

I have only KU-band dish, no C-band dish......

Our local stations are too lazy to add anything on OTA digital stream.....

 

[Mr Tony]

Well, let's look on the bright side here. Even if all of those Equity stations go off G18, we'll still have:

-KTWO - Casper, Wyoming- ABC- Silverton Broadcasting Company, LLC
-KARZ- Little Rock, Arkansas- My Network TV- Nexstar Broadcasting Group
-University of Washington TV
-Research Channel

KARZ use to be an equity station so that will go too.

 

[Mr Tony]

I am wondering where This-TV network stations will go? We don't get This-TV subchannels here in Albuquerque TV market.

I have only KU-band dish, no C-band dish......

gotta upgrade

Our local stations are too lazy to add anything on OTA digital stream.....

same here in Minneapolis.
PBS & Ion have subchannels
ABC & NBC have 24/7 weather/news
the rest have SD counterparts

 

[BurlesonBlue]

KARZ use to be an equity station so that will go too.

Dang. Then that means that there will only be two terrestrial tv stations left on ku band (KTWO and KUIL). At least there will still be many left on C-Band (KCWY, KEPR, KIMA, KCSG). Besides, there's still plenty of great programming to be had out there on both Ku Band (Biography Channel, History Channel, Montana PBS, ABC News Now) and C-Band (Sportstime Ohio, Bloomberg, BYU TV, Texas Cable News)

 

[N5XZS]

Iceberg,

Can't upgrade to C-band dish at my townhouse in a yucky HOA rule, but at least they allow my 2 dishs, Directv and FTA 90 CM Fortec dish.

I miss the good old days, with a 10 foot c-Band dish that my Dad used to have!!

It's was a TV DXer's dream.......:

 

[spacebug42]

not good

It really makes me sad to learn that several stations will be eventually be pulled off G10/18 - just as I had set up my FTA dish last weekend. As Iceberg had put it, enjoy them while you can. You never know what might happen. There might be some new stations that will pop up and the other stations might stay on, but we'll see what happens.

 

[Dishman Dan]

I guess we should try to be optimistic. I mean .

We thought that RTN was lost for good but the FTA gods provided!

This Equity soap opera has been going on for a while like Iceberg said but in other words. What happens to the stations that are bought (pending approval) will be seen soon. The ones that were pulled out of the auction got me wondering and hoping for something good!

 

[gillham]

I guess we should try to be optimistic. I mean .

Heck yeah, there is still going to be some FREE TV on that satellite.