Block Communications

{{short description|American media holding company}}

{{Prose|date=May 2022}}

File:Block Communications Inc logo.jpg

Block Communications Inc. (also known as Blade Communications) is an American privately held holding company of various assets, mainly in the print and broadcast media, based in Toledo, Ohio. The company was founded in 1900 in New York City when Paul Block, a German-Jewish immigrant who came to the United States in 1885, formed an ad representation firm for newspapers. The Block empire grew to encompass many newspapers on the east coast of the US, however with the Great Depression in the 1930s came the loss of all but three properties: the ad representation firm, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and the Toledo Blade (where Block eventually settled the company upon its purchase in 1927). After Block's death in 1941, his children took over the company. They eventually passed it on to their grandchildren, who continue to operate it to this day. In May 2024, a lawsuit to stop the sale of the company, and over control it, revealed that Allan Block and John Block each own 25%, while the other 50% is owned by family trusts that benefit family members.{{cite web

| title = Lawsuit seeks to stop potential sale of Toledo Blade, Buckeye Broadband

| url = https://www.13abc.com/2024/05/08/lawsuit-seeks-stop-potential-sale-toledo-blade-buckeye-broadband/

| date = 2024-06-15

| archiveurl = https://archive.today/20240615083612/https://www.13abc.com/2024/05/08/lawsuit-seeks-stop-potential-sale-toledo-blade-buckeye-broadband/

| archivedate = 2024-06-15 }}{{cite news |last1=Batz Jr |first1=Bob Batz |last2=Mellon |first2=Steve |title=Pittsburgh news strike leader reacts to PG co-owner's family lawsuit |url=https://www.unionprogress.com/2024/05/10/pittsburgh-news-strike-leader-reacts-to-pg-co-owners-lawsuit-vs-his-family/ |access-date=15 June 2024 |work=Pittsburgh Union Progress |date=10 May 2024}}{{cite news

| title = Ohio Media Executive Allan Block Fired by Family After Lawsuit to Stop Sale

| newspaper = Bloomberg

| url = https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-05-21/ohio-media-executive-fired-by-family-after-lawsuit-to-stop-sale

| date = 2024-05-21

| archiveurl = https://archive.today/20240521010424/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-05-21/ohio-media-executive-fired-by-family-after-lawsuit-to-stop-sale

| archivedate = 2024-05-21 }}

Company holdings

=Newspapers=

=Television=

==Broadcast==

Louisville, Kentucky

Lima/Findlay, Ohio

  • WLIO (NBC/Fox)
  • WOHL-CD (ABC/CBS) – the first single operator in a market to have all four major networks under one roof.{{cite news|url=http://www.rbr.com/tv-cable/tv_deals/11550.html|title=Phipps flips Lima low-power cluster|date=November 29, 2008|work=Television Business Report|access-date=December 1, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090601041600/http://www.rbr.com/tv-cable/tv_deals/11550.html|archive-date=June 1, 2009}}{{cite news|url=http://www.limaohio.com/news/wlio_31503___article.html/buys_company.html|title=WLIO owner buys Fox affiliate, other stations for $2.4 million|last=Sowinski|first=Greg|date=December 2, 2008|work=The Lima News|access-date=December 2, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206175323/http://www.limaohio.com/news/wlio_31503___article.html/buys_company.html|archive-date=2008-12-06|url-status=dead}}[https://www.hometownstations.com/site/about.html About us – Hometown Stations.com]
  • WPNM-LD Leipsic, Ohio*
  • WAMS-LD Minster, Ohio*

(*) – Serve as translators for WOHL to expand its coverage across the West Ohio TV market

Other markets

==Cable==

  • Buckeye CableSystem, Inc. [https://web.archive.org/web/20061004005652/http://buckeyecablesystem.com/ Buckeye Cable] (systems in Toledo, Ohio and Sandusky, Ohio, latter officially known as Erie County Cablevision)
  • Buckeye Express (High Speed Internet) [https://web.archive.org/web/20061004065011/http://buckeye-express.com/ Buckeye Express]
  • Buckeye Cable Sports Network
  • HomeFinder Channel 100 cable; (Operated by Block property Buckeye Cablevision)

=Online=

  • Buckeye Broadband (formerly Buckeye Cablesystem)
  • MaxxSouth Broadband (Started in 2014 after purchase of Harron Communications LP., added Ripley Video Cable in 2017)[https://www.toledoblade.com/Retail/2017/09/07/Block-Communications-to-purchase-Mississippi-cable-provider.html]
  • Telesystem (formerly Buckeye Telesystem) [http://www.ttusttelesystem.com]
  • Block Line Systems[https://www.trusttelesystem.com/block-line-systems] (Acquired July 2014 and now a division of Telesystem) [http://www.telesystem.us/newsroom/press-releases/block-communications-agrees-to-acquire-line-systems/ Block acquires Line Systems - TeleSystem.us]

=Non-Media=

  • Metro Fiber & Cable Construction Company (a Toledo-based contractor of fiber optic installation)

Former properties

References

{{Reflist|2}}