FCC Okays Scripps/Journal Merger

The Federal Communications Commission's Media Bureau has approved the license transfers in the Scripps/Journal Communications deal to merge their broadcast station groups and spin off their newspaper holdings into a separate company. The deal requires the divestiture of two Journal stations, a radio and TV, and for the FCC to extend a failing station waiver, which the FCC will do. Journal will have to sell one of its FM stations in Wichita (KS), whose ownership had been grandfathered.