FCC Asked to Turn Down Alaska Station Buy

A group of Alaska broadcast television station owners urged the Federal Communications Commission to deny applications by Denali Media Holdings, a subsidiary of General Communication, to buy three TV stations: CBS affiliate KTVA Anchorage (DMA 145) and NBC affiliates KATH-LD Juneau (DMA 201) and KSCT-LP Sitka (in the Juneau DMA).

“Grant of these applications would result in the combination of ownership of television stations in two of the three television markets in Alaska with ownership of the largest, indeed in many cases the exclusive, provider of terrestrial cable and broadband service to much of Alaska’s population,” the broadcasters said in their petition to deny. “GCI officials have boasted to business executives and employees of other television stations that they intend to use their combined assets to restrict competition in Alaska, and to reduce the diversity of news and information sources for Alaskans,” the broadcasters continued. GCI identifies itself as Alaska’s largest telecommunications firm. GCI’s cable plant, which provides voice, video and broadband services, passes 80% of Alaska’s households.