Editor still alive!
December 4, 2018It’s been a busy Fall at the PBRTV World HQ as HQ2 and HQ3 (my workplaces) have kept me busier than usual. Perhaps a little too busy. I have been wanting to address a few things, but time and the resulting health-induced sleepiness wouldn’t let me.
Cox Media Group – The announcement of who Cox intends to sell its 14 TV stations – including WPXI – will apparently come this month. We know it won’t be Nexstar who just announced the purchase of Tribune Media. We’ve heard (and subsequently announced) Hearst, but that could be problematic in at least Pittsburgh, Boston, and Orlando where both own properties and Hearst would likely have to spin off. With Sinclair’s failed attempt at the Tribune purchase, it doesn’t seem wise for them to go after Cox. So, let’s play wait and see.
Sally Wiggin – Speaking of Hearst, we wish Sally the best in retirement. Her official retirement date was November 30 although we do hear that she has one more official appearance with the station’s quarterly “Chronicle” program. Sally approached me at a recent SPJ panel discussion and while we chatted about several things, we talked about doing a PBRTV Podcast in 2019. Stay tuned!
This site’s 20th Anniversary passed quietly on October 21 and I realize that I had several goals to meet by that date. I didn’t! Oh well. So let’s reissue the goals – we are at 868 Likes on Facebook. Let’s make it 1000! I see some of you are just “Following” us on Facebook which is not the same as a “Like”… (insert eye roll emoji here) … … … so could you please upgrade us to a Like so Facebook doesn’t yell at me to tell you to do such? (Note: I don’t cow-tow to Facebook, but their reminders are annoying!
The other goal is getting the rest of the info updated on currently hidden pages and get it back up.
Okay, back to twiddling my thumbs at HQ3… over and out!
While I would tend to agree that it would not be wise for Sinclair to try to acquire Cox, it would have an interesting dynamic here in Pittsburgh, where Cox produces a 10 o’clock newscast for the Sinclair stations and the resulting merger would require a spinoff of at least one of three TV properties (though for many intents and purposes Sinclair has a lock on three TV properties in Altoona-Johnstown-State College).