Emmis, H-A deal

Hearst-Argyle Television has agreed to pay $185 million for ABC affiliate WMUR-TV Manchester, N.H./Boston. The deal will give H-A a TV duopoly in Boston, where it already owns WCVB-TV, also an ABC affiliate. Under the terms of the deal,

H-A first will swap three radio stations in Phoenix to Emmis Communications. Emmis then will pay the bulk of wmur-tv's purchase price-$160 million-to seller Imes Communications, which has owned the station since 1986.

Besides reaching Boston, WMUR-TV covers all of New Hampshire and parts of Maine and Vermont via four signals, two of which carry FOX programming, according to H-A. At ch. 9, WMUR-TV is the state's only VHF station. The deal is expected to close in first quarter 2001.