Allbritton Communications

The company was formed in 1975 when Joe Allbritton bought a controlling interest in The Washington Star Company, including its television and radio stations–WMAL-AM-FM-TV in Washington; WLVA-AM-WSET-TV in Lynchburg; and WCIV in Charleston. As a condition of the purchase, the Federal Communications Commission required him to sell off either the newspaper or the broadcast properties in Washington. At this time, the FCC had tightened its rules on cross-media ownership and had all but banned one person from owning newspapers and broadcast properties in the same market, while grandfathering existing combinations. However, because of the way Allbritton's takeover of the Star was structured, the FCC considered it an ownership change and stripped the WMAL stations of their grandfathered protection. Allbritton chose to sell the Star Company's non-television assets. WMAL-TV and WLVA-TV changed their call letters to WJLA-TV and WSET-TV, respectively in 1977, due to FCC rules at the time that prohibited TV and radio stations in the same market, but with different ownership, from sharing the same call letters.

In May 1994, Birmingham ABC affiliate WBRC was sold to New World Communications, which signed an affiliation agreement with eleven other stations that would become Fox affiliates. WBRC, along with Piedmont Triad ABC affiliate WGHP, were placed in a blind trust in the fall of 1994, as the FCC prohibited a company from owning more than twelve television stations at the time.{{cite web|title=Fox et al. to buy three stations; affiliation shuffle continues|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-15738628.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160109123708/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-15738628.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 9, 2016|author=Geoffrey Foisie|author2=Julie A. Zier|periodical=Broadcasting & Cable|publisher=Cahners Business Information|date=August 22, 1994|accessdate=December 5, 2015}}{{cite web|title=The FCC last week approved New World's plans to transfer WGHP-TV Greensboro, N.C., and WBRC-TV Birmingham, Ala., into a trust for eventual sale to Fox|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-16799904.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016073449/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-16799904.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 16, 2015|author=Kim McAvoy|periodical=Broadcasting & Cable|publisher=Cahners Business Information |date=April 10, 1995|accessdate=December 5, 2015}} Both stations were sold to Fox directly in July 1995, but Fox was forced to run WBRC as an ABC affiliate for over a year after the sale, as WBRC's affiliation contract with ABC did not expire until August 1996. Before WBRC became a Fox owned-and-operated station, Allbritton purchased WCFT-TV and WJSU-TV, and made them full power satellites of WBMA-LD; this prompted Allbritton to sign a groupwide affiliation deal with ABC which caused WCIV and Brunswick sister station WBSG-TV (now Ion Television O&O WBSG) to become ABC affiliates. The latter had joined ABC as a semi-satellite of WJXX, which replaced WJKS as Jacksonville's ABC affiliate upon its 1997 sign-on).{{cite web|title=Allbritton Communications Co. and ABC have signed a 10-year affiliation agreement|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-18220783.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160109123708/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-18220783.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 9, 2016|periodical=Broadcasting & Cable|publisher=Cahners Business Information|date=April 22, 1996|accessdate=November 30, 2015}}{{cite news|title=Jags fans in lather over TV|url=http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/082197/2a1tv_25.html|author=Charlie Patton|newspaper=The Florida Times-Union|publisher=Morris Communications|date=August 21, 1997|accessdate=May 20, 2011}}

In June 1998, ABC parent The Walt Disney Company entered into negotiations to purchase the eight Allbritton stations and its local marketing agreements involving fellow ABC affiliates WJSU-TV (now WJSU-TV) in Anniston and WJXX in Jacksonville, for a reported offer totaling more than $1 billion. The latter two stations had been involved in an affiliation deal between Allbritton and ABC that was reached in response to the May 1994 affiliation deal between New World Communications and Fox that affected WBRC in Birmingham.{{cite web|title=Disney in Talks to Buy WJLA; ABC Would Take Over Allbritton's Television Empire|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-652595.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114093338/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-652595.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 14, 2012|author=Jerry Knight|author2=Paul Farhi|newspaper=The Washington Post |date=June 17, 1998|access-date=December 12, 2017}}{{cite web|title=ABC dealing for Allbritton's TVs|url=http://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/98-OCR/BC-1998-06-22-OCR-Page-0014.pdf|author=Sara Brown|periodical=Broadcasting & Cable|publisher=Cahners Business Information|via=World Radio History|page=12|date=June 22, 1998|access-date=December 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170811055640/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-20849938.html|archive-date=August 11, 2017}} Negotiations between Disney and Allbritton broke down when the former dropped out of discussions to buy the stations the following month.{{cite web|title=Disney Ends Talks to Buy WJLA|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-667225.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808120029/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-667225.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 8, 2014|author=Paul Farhi|newspaper=The Washington Post |date=July 25, 1998|access-date=December 12, 2017}}

In May 2013, reports surfaced that Allbritton was planning to sell its television stations; the move came as a result of the increasing success of Politico, which "continues to carry no debt, funds all investment with operating income and will still turn a profit, again, in 2013."{{cite news|last=Wemple|first=Erik|title=Allbritton exploring sale of TV assets|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2013/05/01/allbritton-exploring-sale-of-tv-assets/|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=2 May 2013}}{{cite news|title=Allbritton to sell its TV holdings, including WJLA and NewsChannel 8|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/wjla-and-newschannel-8-up-for-sale/2013/05/01/90252b72-b27a-11e2-bbf2-a6f9e9d79e19_story.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609182649/http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-05-01/lifestyle/38950561_1_allbritton-communications-stations-media|url-status=live|archive-date=2013-06-09|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=5 May 2013|first1=Paul|last1=Farhi|first2=Thomas|last2=Heath|date=2013-05-02}} On July 29, 2013, the Baltimore-based Sinclair Broadcast Group announced that it would acquire all of Allbritton's stations for $985 million.{{cite news|last1=Heath|first1=Thomas|last2=Wilgoren|first2=Debbi|title=Allbritton selling eight TV stations, including WJLA, to Sinclair for $985 million|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/allbritton-to-sell-stations-to-sinclair-broadcast-group/2013/07/29/0ee746f2-f858-11e2-afc1-c850c6ee5af8_story.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=2013-07-29|access-date=2014-04-10}}{{cite news| url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/01/allbritton-sale_n_3192668.html | work=Huffington Post | first=Michael | last=Calderone | title=Politico Owner Considers Sale Of TV Stations | date=2013-05-01}}{{cite news|last1=Stelter|first1=Brian|last2=Kaufman|first2=Leslie|title=Sinclair Group Is Buying 7 Allbritton TV Stations|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/30/business/media/sinclair-to-buy-tv-stations-from-allbritton.html|work=The New York Times|date=2013-07-29|access-date=2014-04-10}} Sinclair was particularly interested in using WJLA's NewsChannel 8 as a base to launch a national cable news channel.{{cite news|last=Eggerton|first=John|title=Sinclair Buying NewsChannel 8 in D.C.|url=http://www.multichannel.com/finance/sinclair-buying-newschannel-8-dc/144634|access-date=July 29, 2013|newspaper=Multichannel News|date=July 29, 2013}}{{cite news|last=Malone|first=Michael|title=Sinclair Plans National Rollout for Allbritton Cable Channel|url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/494781-Sinclair_Plans_National_Rollout_for_Allbritton_Cable_Channel.php|access-date=July 30, 2013|newspaper=Broadcasting & Cable|date=July 30, 2013}}

The planned acquisition was impacted by conflicts between already Sinclair-owned or controlled stations in Allbritton's markets, and the FCC's recent actions involving local marketing agreements (LMAs) and joint sales agreements. Sinclair would have sold its existing stations in several Allbritton markets—WABM and CW in Birmingham, Alabama and WHP-TV in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to Deerfield Media, and WMMP in Charleston, South Carolina to Howard Stirk Holdings, a company owned by conservative talk show host Armstrong Williams. The stations would have remained operated by Sinclair under a local marketing agreement. In December 2013, FCC Video Division Chief Barbara Kreisman sent a letter demanding information from Sinclair Broadcast Group on the financial aspects of its "sidecar" operations, and warned that in these three markets, "the proposed transactions would result in the elimination of the grandfathered status of certain local marketing agreements and thus cause the transactions to violate our local TV ownership rules." It was asserted that the deal might be legal only if the affected stations were operated under shared services agreements.{{cite news | url=https://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303722104579242653224582292 | title=FCC Asks Sinclair to Revise Plans to Use 'Sidecar' Companies | publisher=Dow Jones & Company | work=The Wall Street Journal | date=December 6, 2013 | access-date=December 7, 2013 | author=Hagey, Keach}}{{cite web | url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/72517/fcc-targets-sinclair-sidecar-deals-in-3-mkts | title=FCC Targets Sinclair Sidecar Deals In 3 Mkts. | publisher=NewsCheckMedia | work=TVNewsCheck | date=December 6, 2013 | access-date=December 7, 2013 | author=Halonen, Doug}}

Sinclair restructured the deal in March 2014, choosing to sell its existing stations in Harrisburg (WHP-TV), Charleston (WCIV) and Birmingham (WABM) and terminate an SSA with the Cunningham-owned Fox affiliate in Charleston to acquire Allbritton's WCIV, WHTM-TV, and WBMA-LD, while also creating a new duopoly between the WBMA-LD and CW affiliates in Birmingham), as well as foregoing any operational or financial agreements with the buyers of the stations being sold to other parties.{{cite web | url=http://www.mediabistro.com/tvspy/sinclair-offers-to-sell-stations-ahead-of-fcc-decision_b117802 | title=Sinclair Offers to Sell Stations Ahead of FCC Decision | publisher=Mediabistro | work=TVSpy | date=March 21, 2014 | access-date=July 26, 2014 | author=Eck, Kevin | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140702133045/http://www.mediabistro.com/tvspy/sinclair-offers-to-sell-stations-ahead-of-fcc-decision_b117802 | archive-date=July 2, 2014 | url-status=dead }}{{cite press release | url=https://www.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20140320-913206.html | title=Sinclair Proposes Restructuring of Allbritton Transaction in Order To Meet Objections of the Federal Communications Commission | via=The Wall Street Journal | work=PR Newswire | date=March 20, 2014 | access-date=July 26, 2014 | location=Baltimore}} However, in May 2014, Sinclair disclosed in an FCC filling that it was unable to find buyers for the three affected stations, requiring changes to its transaction.{{cite web | url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/76663/sinclair-giving-up-3-stations-to-appease-fcc | title=Sinclair Giving Up 3 Stations To Appease FCC | publisher=NewsCheckMedia | work=TVNewsCheck | date=May 29, 2014 | access-date=May 30, 2014 | author=Jessell, Harry A.}} In Harrisburg, Sinclair chose to retain WHP-TV, and instead sell WHTM to Media General.{{cite news|title=Media General Buying WHTM For $83.4M|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/77239/media-general-buying-whtm-for-834m|access-date=June 23, 2014|work=TVNewsCheck|publisher=NewsCheckMedia|date=June 23, 2014}} However, in Charleston and Birmingham, the company proposed to shut down stations entirely so it could maintain legal duopolies, surrendering the licenses for WCIV and the full-powered repeaters of WBMA-LD (WJSU and WCFT), and moving their ABC programming to Sinclair's existing stations WMMP and WABM respectively. These stations would shift their existing MyNetworkTV programming to digital subchannels and since move ABC affiliation to digital subchannel.{{cite journal | url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/washington/sinclair-proposes-surrendering-three-licenses-get-allbritton-deal-done/131458 | title=Sinclair Proposes Surrendering Three Licenses to Get Allbritton Deal Done | publisher=NewBay Media | journal=Broadcasting & Cable | date=May 29, 2014 | access-date=May 30, 2014 | author=Eggerton, John}} After nearly a year of delays, Sinclair's deal to acquire Allbritton was approved by the FCC on July 24, 2014.{{cite web|url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/washington/fcc-approves-sinclairallbritton-deal/132692|title=FCC Approves Sinclair/Allbritton Deal|last=Eggerton|first=John|date=24 July 2014|work=Broadcasting & Cable|publisher=NewBay Media|access-date=24 July 2014}} Sinclair completed the acquisition on August 1; WHTM would be operated under a "hold separate agreement" until the sale of that station was completed to Media General on September 2.[http://broadcastingcable.com/news/local-tv/sinclair-s-deal-allbritton-closes/132894 Sinclair's Deal For Allbritton Closes], Broadcasting & Cable, 1 August 2014, Retrieved 4 August 2014.

Allbritton launched Politico, a political news website and newspaper on 2007,{{Cite news|last1=Heath|first1=Thomas|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/allbritton-to-sell-stations-to-sinclair-broadcast-group/2013/07/29/0ee746f2-f858-11e2-afc1-c850c6ee5af8_story.html|title=Allbritton selling eight TV stations to Sinclair for $985 million|date=2013-07-29|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=2020-04-30|last2=Wilgoren|first2=Debbi|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonian.com/2016/07/17/politico-breakup-vandehei-allbritton-allen/|title=The Inside Story of the Politico Break-Up|date=2016-07-17|website=Washingtonian|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-30}} the day of the 2007 State of the Union Address. It was spun out to Capitol News Company, a company separately and still owned by Allbritton, in 2009.

Allbritton launched Washington-area local news web site TBD in 2010. The site merged the web pages of the company's television stations, WJLA-TV (Channel 7) and its cable sibling, NewsChannel 8. Jim Brady, a former Washington Post editor, ran the site.{{Cite web|url=https://tbd.com/|title=TBD - Home|website=TBD: What’s Next}}{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/28/AR2009102804473.html | newspaper=The Washington Post | first=Howard | last=Kurtz | title=Allbritton Communications will debut this spring a new web site on local news in D.C | date=2009-10-29}} Allbritton shut down TBD in 2012.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2019/11/13/politico-owner-rolls-out-new-tech-focused-media.html|title=Politico owner rolls out new tech-focused media venture|website=www.bizjournals.com|access-date=2020-04-30}}

Allbritton owned the Washington Evening Star from 1975 to 1978 when Time Inc. purchased the paper from Allbritton. The paper shut down in 1981 (the "Evening" part of the name was removed by the end of the 1970s).

• Stations are arranged in alphabetical order by state and city of license.
• Two boldface asterisks appearing following a station's call letters (**) indicate a station built and signed on by either Allbritton Communications or predecessor The Washington Star Company.

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Category:Sinclair Broadcast Group

Category:Companies based in Virginia

Category:Defunct broadcasting companies of the United States

Category:American companies disestablished in 2014

Category:Mass media companies disestablished in 2014

Category:2014 mergers and acquisitions