FTC Has No Problem With WTVJ Sale To Post-Newsweek

The Federal Trade Commission has cleared the sale of NBC Universal's WTVJ Miami to Post-Newsweek, which already owns ABC affiliate WPLG-TV there. That leaves the sale in the hands of the Federal Communications Commission, whose approval is still pending. The deal, which was announced in July, was required to be submitted for Justice and FTC approval per a Hart-Scott-Rodino antitrust review, for which there is a set waiting period before the transaction can proceed. But the parties can request that the waiting period be terminated early. The FTC's granting of that request signals that neither it nor Justice plans to take any antitrust enforcement action against the sale.