Post-Newsweek Buying NBCU's Miami Station

NBC Universal is poised to sell its Miami station, WTVJ-TV, to Post-Newsweek Stations, which already owns the ABC affiliate in the same market. The unusual combination of two major market affiliates would seem to be possible because of the unusually large Spanish-speaking population in southern Florida. Miami, the 16th largest TV market, is competitive given the fact that its large Hispanic population gravitates toward Spanish-language stations. A Federal Communications Commission rule allows a station to buy another station in the same market if "at least one of the stations in the combination is not ranked among the top four stations in terms of audience share," which in most markets, if not all of them, would prohibit a major affiliated station from buying another one. WTVJ is now rated sixth in total-day Nielsen ratings, behind Spanish-speaking Univision and Telemundo outlets.

On July 28, B&C reported that NBC Universal sold its Miami owned TV station, WTVJ, for just $205 million.