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Start Free Trial NowTitle: Channel 31 to be sold
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Channel 31 to be sold i! • <w By MARY MORGAN NEWS STAFF REPORTER Ownership changes are afoot at WBSX-TV 31 in Ann Arbor, spelling a likely programming shift from home shopping to infomercials and entertainment. Paxson Communications Corp., a media company based in West Palm Beach, Fla., has offered to buy the television station from its current owner, Blackntar L.L.C., for $35 million. The deal is pending approval from the Federal Communications Commission. WBSX has been an affiliate of the Home Shopping Network for 10 years and runs nearly 24 hours worth of TV shopping programs. The station also airs locally produced two-minute spots on health, safety or educa tion issues. WBSX ■ Paxson Communications Corp. will buy WBSX TV-31 in a $35 million deal, pending regulatory approval. « ■ Programming likely will change ‘ from TV shopping to infomercials and * entertainment programs, including more shows produced locally ■ The station (channel 31 UHF, channel 16 cable) has about eight workers incomes in a Labor of benefits January, was the that April the week. The home-shopping fo cus will change when the acquisition closes, some time between October and March 1998. As a Paxson station, WBSX will run half-hour infomercials from Pax- son’s Infomall TV Net work as its primary pro gramming, General Man ager Chris Webb said. Paxson also is negotiat ing with national pro gram syndicators, net works and production studios in hopes of launching prime-time en tertainment programs, Webb said. He said local ly produced programs might increase as well. Blackstar, based in Washington, D C., bought WBSX in 1989. It also owns Home Shopping Network affiliates in Melbourne. Fla. and Salem, ©re and a Fox affiliate in Rapid City, S.D. The Home Shop ping Network holds a minority stake in Blackstar. I'.. The Home Shopping Network has strong ties to Pax son Communications. The Florida firm was founded bv its chairman and chief executive officer, Lowell "Bud” Paxson, who also founded the Home Shopping Net work, which he left in the early 1990s. Paxson owns about 50 TV stations, more than 40 ra dio stations, and six radio networks, primarily in Flori da and other southern states. The publicly traded firm acquiring stations aggressively in major markets, an nouncing the purchase of a Pittsburgh station oartftr this month and bidding for a New York City station, (go The purchase of WBSX gives Paxson Communiea tions entree into Detroit, the nation’s ninth-largest TV market. Discussions between Blackstar and Paxson Commu nications began in February, Webb said, and a contract was signed in early March to acquire WBSX. To obtain FCC approval. Paxson Communicatiohs must sell the station it owns in Battle Creek. WJUB>TV 43, because that station’s signal overlaps with WB8K. Webb said. Typically, the FCC gives companies in-this situation 12 to 18 months to find a buyer, he added Paxson owns no other properties in Michigan The Web site for Paxson Communications 4s http://www.paxson.com.
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Clipped 1 month ago
- Ann Arbor News
- Ann Arbor, Michigan
- May, 1 1997 - Page 46