Sinclair Grabs WTTA Tampa for $40 Mil in Addition to Newport TV Six

By Michael Malone
( Broadcasting & Cable )
published

Separate from its deal to acquire six stations from Newport Television for $412.5 million, Sinclair Broadcast Group has entered into an agreement to purchase the assets of Bay Television, Inc., which owns the MyNetworkTV affiliate WTTA Tampa/St. Petersburg for $40 million.

Bay TV is owned primarily by Sinclair's controlling shareholders. Since 1998, Sinclair has operated it via a local marketing agreement, which will be terminated upon closing.

The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2012, subject to FCC approval.

Michael Malone
Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.