Fox Selling WUTB to Deerfield Media for $2.7 Million

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Fox Television Stations is selling WUTB Baltimore to
Deerfield Media, while Sinclair Broadcast Group, which is based in Baltimore,
will operate WUTB through a shared-services agreement.

Stephen Mumblow is the sole stockholder in Deerfield.

As a standalone MyNetworkTV station, WUTB wasn't an ideal fit
in the Fox-owned portfolio.

In May, Foxand Sinclair worked out a quirky deal as part of affiliation agreements for
Sinclair's 19 Fox affiliates, in which Sinclair received "an assignable
option to purchase at fair value," WUTB.

That was designed to preserve the Sinclair flagship, Fox affiliate
WBFF.

Sinclair also operates CW affiliate WNUV in Baltimore, which
is owned by Cunningham Broadcasting.

The WUTB acquisition was previously reported in TVNewsCheck.

Michael Malone
Michael Malone

Michael Malone is content director at B+C and Multichannel News. He joined B+C in 2005 and has covered network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television, including writing the "Local News Close-Up" market profiles. He also hosted the podcasts "Busted Pilot" and "Series Business." His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The L.A. Times, The Boston Globe and New York magazine.