Roberts Broadcasting

Roberts Broadcasting filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on October 7, 2011; the company cited the loss of the UPN affiliations for WRBU, WZRB, and WRBJ when that network shut down in favor of The CW in 2006, as much of UPN's programming consisted of minority-targeted programs that Roberts felt were compatible with their stations' target audiences (though the stations have since recovered from this setback; additionally, WAZE had instead affiliated with The WB prior to 2006, as it was owned by South Central Communications until February 2007). The company has also been hit with lawsuits from Warner Bros. Television, Twentieth Television, and CBS Television Distribution over fees for syndicated programming; Roberts eventually settled with Twentieth but lost the Warner Bros. and CBS cases.{{cite news|last=Malone|first=Michael|title=Roberts Broadcasting Files For Bankruptcy|url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/475001-Roberts_Broadcasting_Files_For_Bankruptcy.php|access-date=October 10, 2011|newspaper=Broadcasting & Cable|date=October 10, 2011|archive-date=October 12, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111012171227/http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/475001-Roberts_Broadcasting_Files_For_Bankruptcy.php|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Newkirk|first=Jacob|title=WAZE Owner Roberts Broadcasting files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy|url=http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/oct/10/waze-owner-roberts-broadcasting-files-chapter-11-b/|access-date=October 10, 2011|newspaper=Evansville Courier & Press|date=October 10, 2011|archive-date=October 12, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111012145042/http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/oct/10/waze-owner-roberts-broadcasting-files-chapter-11-b/|url-status=live}}

On March 24, 2011, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) canceled WAZE's license for failure to construct its digital facilities.{{cite web|last=Harding|first=Kevin|title=Re: WAZE-TV, Madisonville, Missouri|url=https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=25217|date=March 24, 2011|work=CDBS Public Access|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|access-date=March 30, 2011|archive-date=October 26, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026054335/http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getimportletter_exh.cgi?import_letter_id=25217|url-status=live}} However, the station continued to broadcast via their analog translator station network of three stations.

On February 20, 2012, Roberts Broadcasting announced it was exploring the possibility of selling one or all four of its television stations in order to raise enough cash to pay off its creditors.[http://www.stltoday.com/business/columns/lisa-brown/roberts-broadcasting-mulls-sale-of-tv-stations/article_cb921586-5bfe-11e1-a475-001a4bcf6878.html "Roberts Broadcasting Mulls Sale of TV Stations"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222232124/http://www.stltoday.com/business/columns/lisa-brown/roberts-broadcasting-mulls-sale-of-tv-stations/article_cb921586-5bfe-11e1-a475-001a4bcf6878.html |date=2012-02-22 }}, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 20, 2012. On October 22, 2012, Roberts announced that it had sold WRBJ to Trinity Broadcasting Network;[http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20121023/BIZ/310230036/Roberts-brothers-TV-station-new-hands?nclick_check=1 "Roberts brothers' TV station in new hands"] from The Clarion-Ledger (October 22, 2012) the deal was approved by a bankruptcy court on January 17, 2013,{{cite news|last=Brown|first=Lisa|title=Roberts Cos.' Mississippi TV station sale approved|url=http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/roberts-cos-mississippi-tv-station-sale-approved/article_c5ded9b7-ad9e-5b80-a3c5-f5985ff2ba77.html|access-date=January 19, 2013|newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch|date=January 18, 2013|archive-date=October 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003033959/https://www.stltoday.com/business/local/roberts-cos-mississippi-tv-station-sale-approved/article_c5ded9b7-ad9e-5b80-a3c5-f5985ff2ba77.html|url-status=live}} and TBN officially took over operational control of WRBJ five months later, on May 24, 2013.{{Cite web |url=http://www.tbn.org/announcements/new-tbn-full-power-station-sign-on |title=NEW TBN FULL-POWER STATION SIGN-ON - Announcements |access-date=2013-06-16 |archive-date=2013-11-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109172243/http://www.tbn.org/announcements/new-tbn-full-power-station-sign-on |url-status=live }} The CW would return to the Jackson area on WJTV-DT2 in September 2013.

On January 3, 2013, the repeater network of WAZE ceased operations, with WTVW hurriedly joining the CW at the end of the month to maintain the network in the Evansville area.[http://jakesdtvblog.blogspot.com/2013/01/breaking-waze-tv-translators-shut-down.html Jake's DTV Blog: "WAZE-TV translators shut down", January 3, 2013.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131218140530/http://jakesdtvblog.blogspot.com/2013/01/breaking-waze-tv-translators-shut-down.html |date=December 18, 2013 }} In April 2013, WRBU dropped MeTV as a sub-channel; that network now airs in St. Louis on a KMOV sub-channel.

On December 2, 2013, Roberts filed to sell WZRB to Radiant Light Ministries, a subsidiary of Tri-State Christian Television, for $2 million.{{cite web|title=APPLICATION FOR CONSENT TO ASSIGNMENT OF BROADCAST STATION CONSTRUCTION PERMIT OR LICENSE (WZRB)|url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1599575&Service=DT&Form_id=314&Facility_id=136750|work=CDBS Public Access|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|access-date=December 4, 2013|date=December 2, 2013|archive-date=December 7, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131207051033/http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1599575&Service=DT&Form_id=314&Facility_id=136750|url-status=live}} On December 4, Roberts also filed to sell WRBU to TCT for $5.5 million.{{cite web|title=APPLICATION FOR CONSENT TO ASSIGNMENT OF BROADCAST STATION CONSTRUCTION PERMIT OR LICENSE (WRBU)|url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1605318&Service=DT&Form_id=314&Facility_id=57221|work=CDBS Public Access|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|access-date=December 9, 2013|date=December 4, 2013|archive-date=December 12, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212012735/http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1605318&Service=DT&Form_id=314&Facility_id=57221|url-status=live}} However, on December 11, the United States bankruptcy court gave initial approval for a plan by Roberts' creditors to instead transfer WRBU, WZRB, and the WAZE repeaters to a trust with Ion Media Networks (a creditor in Roberts' Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings) as its beneficiary, with Roberts' attorney subsequently stating that Ion would purchase the stations for $7.75 million. {{cite news|last=Mueller|first=Angela|title=Judge approves creditors' proposal in Roberts Broadcasting bankruptcy|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/blog/2013/12/judge-approves-creditors-proposal-in.html?page=all|access-date=December 11, 2013|newspaper=St. Louis Business Journal|date=December 11, 2013|archive-date=December 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131221044938/http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/blog/2013/12/judge-approves-creditors-proposal-in.html?page=all|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Brown|first=Lisa|title=Roberts' TV stations to be sold|url=http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/roberts-tv-stations-to-be-sold/article_6dbc41fa-08af-5618-97d4-33b7acf750d0.html|access-date=December 11, 2013|newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch|date=December 11, 2013|archive-date=March 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150301125124/http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/roberts-tv-stations-to-be-sold/article_6dbc41fa-08af-5618-97d4-33b7acf750d0.html|url-status=live}} Roberts had earlier proposed an alternate plan that would have had only the WAZE repeaters be transferred to the trust, which would have allowed the sale of WRBU and WZRB to TCT. The FCC approved the deal on February 2, 2014, and both WZRB and WRBU became Ion Television O&O afterwards. WZRB would keep carrying CW as second affiliate, but WKTC announced that they would become a CW affiliate on March 17.

(*)Lease Agreement with Gateway Creative Broadcasting, Inc.

{{Reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110724172952/http://www.michaelvroberts.com/ Michael V. Roberts]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110724173028/http://www.michaelvroberts.com/robertscompanies/robertsbroadcastingcompany.html Roberts Broadcasting]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20090122070731/http://www.roberts-companies.com/ Roberts Companies]

Category:Companies based in St. Louis

Category:Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2011