Fall 2019 Note: This sale was not completed. The FCC dismissed the application to transfer KQTV’s license in October 2019, and the station remains owned by Heartland Media.
Of note just outside of this site’s usual coverage area is a TV sale that could put all four major network affiliates under common ownership in St. Joseph.
ABC affiliate KQTV/2 was long the only station in the city, which otherwise would have been part of the Kansas City market. KQTV received competition when St. Joseph-based News-Press & Gazette Company, owner of the city’s daily newspaper and TV stations in other markets, launched low-power stations carrying CBS, FOX, NBC, and other networks within the past decade.
Now, NPG has announced plans to buy KQTV from Heartland Media for $13.65 million. The deal likely complies with FCC rules because NPG’s existing low-power stations don’t count toward ownership caps, but the deal could still potentially face a Justice Department review.
The buyer says KQTV and NPG will continue to be “distinct news brands” but did not say whether any jobs would be affected.