By Bill O'Brien
TRAVERSE CITY -- The local ABC television affiliate is being sold to a broadcast group that also owns TV 7&4.
Max Media of Traverse City LLC is selling television station TV 29&8 to Illinois-based Barrington Broadcasting Group LLC for $10 million, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Barrington will assign the station's broadcast license to Phoenix-based Tucker Broadcasting to comply with Federal Communication Commission rules that prohibit ownership of two television stations in small media markets.
Ben Tucker, head of Tucker Broadcasting, is a media consultant and former CEO of Fisher Communications in Seattle, where he operated 13 television stations and 30 radio stations. Tucker wouldn't comment on possible changes to TV 29&8 operations until the sale is approved by the FCC -- a process that could take up to six months.
"I really can't tell you at this point what all is going to be changed," Tucker said. "We'll start to peel the onion back over the next 30 to 60 days."
Tucker said the station may increase its local news content. It's been without a news department for more than 20 years and carries limited news, weather and sports reports in the mornings and at 11 p.m. The station was launched in 1971.
"I do think there's an opportunity with local news," he said.
Under a joint sales agreement with Tucker, Barrington Group will provide up to 15 percent of TV 29&8's weekly programming and sell local advertising for the station on a commission basis.
Barrington purchased TV 7&4, the NBC affiliate for northern Michigan, in early 2006 when it paid Raycom Media Inc. $262 million for a dozen television stations in nine media markets around the country.
TV 29&8 is the second northern Michigan television station to be sold this year. The local Fox affiliate, WFQX-TV (Fox 33) in Cadillac, and its various satellite stations were sold in the spring by SDR Rockfleet Holdings LLC to Cadillac Telecasting Co. for a reported $11 million. Cadillac Telecasting is based in Arizona and its president is Alexander Bolea.
The new Fox 33 owner entered a "shared services agreement" with Heritage Broadcasting Co., owners of 9 & 10 News in Cadillac, the local CBS affiliate, to operate the local Fox channel. Such "duopoly" agreements are becoming more common to comply with FCC ownership rules.
