Media General Completes Sale of WCWJ in Jacksonville, Fla., to Nexstar Broadcasting
02 May 2009 - 12:38AM
PR Newswire (US)
RICHMOND, Va., May 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Media General, Inc.
(NYSE: MEG) announced today that it has completed the sale of its
CW television station WCWJ in Jacksonville, Fla., to Nexstar
Broadcasting Group, Inc., Dallas. This station is the last to be
sold in a group of five stations. The company completed the sales
of the first four stations in 2008. They were located in Panama
City, Fla., Alexandria, La., Lexington, Ky., and Toccoa, Ga. Gross
proceeds from the sales of all five stations were approximately $95
million, including working capital. The transactions in the
aggregate represent a multiple of 10 times trailing two-year
average broadcast cash flow for the stations. Proceeds from the
prior sales were used to pay down debt as each transaction closed.
Marshall N. Morton, president and chief executive officer of Media
General, said, "We were pleased to complete the sale of WCWJ. For
years this station was one of the highest-rated WB affiliates in
the country, and its strength has continued under the CW brand. We
appreciate the many fine contributions made by the employees of
WCWJ, and we wish them well in the future." Media General acquired
WJKS, the predecessor to WCWJ, in 1982. WCWJ has approximately 25
employees. Banc of America Securities LLC served as a financial
advisor on all five transactions. About Media General Media General
is a leading provider of local news, information and entertainment
over multiple media platforms. The company serves markets primarily
in the Southeastern United States. Media General publishes 21 daily
newspapers, including The Tampa Tribune, Richmond Times-Dispatch,
and Winston-Salem Journal; and community newspapers in Virginia,
North Carolina, Florida, Alabama and South Carolina; plus more than
250 weekly newspapers and other targeted publications. The company
owns and operates 18 network-affiliated television stations that
reach 27.5 percent of the television households in the Southeast
and more than 8 percent of those in the United States. The
company's interactive media operations include Web sites and
portals that are associated with each of its newspapers and
television stations as well as with many specialty publications,
and three growing interactive advertising services companies,
Blockdot, Inc., NetInformer and DealTaker.com. DATASOURCE: Media
General, Inc. CONTACT: Lou Anne J. Nabhan, Investors,
+1-804-649-6103, or Ray Kozakewicz, Media, +1-804-649-6748 Web
Site: http://www.mediageneral.com/
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