Disclosure: Jon Ellis was an employee of Gray Media Group at the time this item was posted. The statements and views expressed in this posting are his own and do not reflect those of Gray Media Group.
Nexstar is selling its TV station in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and documents filed with the FCC indicate the buyer plans to enter into agreements with the company that owns the market’s ABC affiliate.
An asset purchase agreement indicates Nexstar is selling WJMN-TV/3.1 (Escanaba-Marquette) to Sullivan’s Landing LLC for $1.5 million. Sullivan’s Landing is owned by Ralph M. Oakley, the former CEO of Quincy Media.
The FCC filing seeking the transfer of WJMN-TV’s license indicates that Sullivan’s Landing plans to enter into a shared services agreement and a joint sales agreement with Queen Bee’s Knees LLC, which owns ABC affiliate WBUP/10.1 (Ishpeming-Marquette). Queen Bee’s Knees is a subsidiary of Morgan Murphy Media, which bought WBUP last year.
The filing indicates that WBUP will provide news programming to WJMN-TV, making up no more than 15% of WJMN-TV’s weekly broadcast time.
WJMN-TV is a former CBS affiliate which has operated as an Independent/My Network TV station since the CBS affiliation moved to Lilly Broadcasting’s WZMQ/19.2 (Marquette) two years ago. WJMN-TV runs local newscasts at 6 and 10 p.m.
Besides WZMQ, WJMN-TV and WBUP also compete with Gray TV NBC/FOX affiliate WLUC/6.1-6.2 (Marquette). In an unusual situation for a small market, all four stations currently produce local TV newscasts.
WJMN-TV signed on in 1969 as a semi-satellite of WFRV/5 (Green Bay). It launched its own full newscasts in 2014.