 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1995; 30 years ago (1995) |
| Defunct | December 17, 2019; 5 years ago (2019-12-17) |
| Fate | Acquired byCox Media Group |
| Successor | Cox Media Group |
| Headquarters | Okemos, Michigan, U.S. |
Key people | Brian Brady (president & CEO) |
Northwest Broadcasting, Inc. was a television broadcasting company based inOkemos, Michigan, United States, a suburb ofLansing. The broadcasting group owned or operated twelve television stations in six markets, through subsidiaries such asBroadcasting Communications,Mountain Communications,Stainless Broadcasting, andBristlecone Broadcasting.[1]
Northwest Broadcasting was founded in 1995 by Brian Brady to acquire the television stations of Salmon River Communications, includingKAYU-TV inSpokane, Washington,K68EB inYakima, Washington,KBWU-LP in theTri-Cities (Richland-Kennewick-Pasco, Washington), andKMVU inMedford, Oregon.[2] In 1997, Northwest purchased Stainless, Inc. for $17 million; while Stainless was primarily a manufacturer ofbroadcasting towers, the purchase also addedWICZ-TV inBinghamton, New York andKTVZ inBend, Oregon to Northwest's station group.[3][4] Stainless had owned broadcast stations since purchasing WICZ (then known as WINR-TV) in 1971.[5] Though Northwest would sell the Stainless tower company to SpectraSite Holdings in 1999[6] and KTVZ toNews-Press & Gazette Company in 2002,[7] it still owns WICZ-TV under the Stainless Broadcasting Company name.
Brian Brady expanded his broadcast holdings in 2002, when he teamed up withAlta Communications to acquire the K-Six Television stations under the name Eagle Creek Broadcasting;[8] Alta had also invested in Northwest Broadcasting in 1996.[9] Alta divested its interest in Northwest Broadcasting in 2007[10] and in Eagle Creek Broadcasting in 2013.[11] During the 2010s, Brady acquired additional stations through companies such as Blackhawk Broadcasting,[12] Bristlecone Broadcasting,[13] and Cedar Creek Broadcasting.[14] These companies have occasionally made joint filings with Northwest Broadcasting inFederal Communications Commission proceedings under the name "The TV Station Group."[15]
In February 2019,Reuters reported thatApollo Global Management had agreed to acquire the entirety of Brian Brady's television portfolio, which it intends to merge withCox Media Group (which Apollo is acquiring at the same time) and stations spun off fromNexstar Media Group's purchase ofTribune Broadcasting, once the purchases are approved by the FCC.[16] In March 2019 filings with theFederal Communications Commission (FCC), Apollo confirmed that its newly-formed broadcasting group, Terrier Media, would acquire Northwest Broadcasting, with Brian Brady holding an unspecified minority interest in Terrier.[17] In June 2019, it was announced that Terrier Media would instead operate as Cox Media Group, as Apollo had reached a deal to also acquire Cox's radio and advertising businesses.[18] The transaction was completed on December 17.[19]
| Media market | State | Station | Purchased | Sold | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yuma | Arizona | KSWT | 2014 | 2019 | [a] |
| KYMA-DT | 2014 | 2019 | [a] | ||
| Eureka | California | KIEM-TV | 2017 | 2019 | |
| KVIQ | 2016 | 2017 | |||
| KVIQ-LD | 2016 | 2019 | |||
| Pocatello–Idaho Falls | Idaho | KPVI-DT | 2016 | 2019 | |
| Twin Falls | KXTF | 2016 | 2017 | ||
| Bowling Green | Kentucky | WNKY | 1997 | 2003 | [b] |
| Alexandria | Louisiana | KLAX-TV | 2018 | 2019 | |
| KWCE-LP | 2018 | 2019 | |||
| Greenville–Greenwood | Mississippi | WABG-TV | 2016 | 2019 | |
| WFXW | 2016 | 2019 | [c] | ||
| WNBD-LD | 2016 | 2019 | |||
| WXVT-LD | 2017 | 2019 | |||
| Binghamton | New York | WBPN-LP | 2000 | 2019 | |
| WICZ-TV | 1997 | 2019 | |||
| Syracuse | WNYS-TV | 2013 | 2019 | [d] | |
| WSYT | 2013 | 2019 | |||
| Bend | Oregon | KTVZ | 1997 | 2002 | |
| Medford | KFBI-LD | 2013 | 2019 | ||
| KMCW-LP | 2013 | 2016 | |||
| KMVU-DT | 1995 | 2019 | |||
| Corpus Christi | Texas | KZTV | 2002 | 2010 | |
| Laredo | KNEX-LP | 2012 | 2015 | ||
| KVTV | 2002 | 2015 | |||
| Spokane | Washington | KAYU-TV | 1996 | 2019 | |
| Tri-Cities–Yakima | KCYU-LD | 1996 | 2019 | [A] | |
| KFFX-TV | 1999 | 2019 | [e] | ||
| Walla Walla | KBKI | 2001 | 2002 |
…Stainless, which owns UHF stations in Binghamton, N.Y., and Bend, Ore., is being sold to a Detroit-based partnership, Northwest Broadcasting, said Stainless counsel James J. Heffernan of Plymouth Meeting. He said the deal is worth $17 million.