Skip to main content
Free TrialTry 7 days free
Sign in

3 Montana TV stations to be sold

•
The Billings Gazette Saturday, Sept. 20, 1986 7-A: 3 Montana TV stations to be sold A South Carolina media company plans to buy three Montana television stations. The stations - KXLF in Butte, KRTV in Great Falls and KPAX in Missoula - are to be sold to Evening Post Publishing Co. of Charleston, S.C. The three stations, part of the Montana Television Network, are now owned by George Lilly of Billings. The fourth MTN station, KTVQ-TV in Billings, is not included in the sale. All are CBS affiliates. Applications to transfer the three stations' licenses were filed Sept. 12 with the Federal Communications Commission, according to an FCC spokeswoman in Washington, D.C. Ivan "Andy" Anderson, Evening Post executive vice president, confirmed the sale plan. He said officials hope to complete the sale by the end of the year. The purchase price was not disclosed. The sale is subject to FCC approval. The MTN stations share news and public-af- min MONTANA TELEVISION NETWORK fairs programming through a microwave system. The arrangement is expected to continue with the new owners. Lilly did not return telephone calls from The Gazette. Evening Post 1 Publishing, publisher of morning and afternoon newspapers in Charleston, S.C., operates television stations in Pueblo, Colo., and Nampa, Idaho. The company also owns newspapers in South Carolina, Maryland and Buenos Aires, Argentina. Lilly paid about $19 million for the four MTN stations in 1984, according to statistics compiled by Broadcasting magazine. The network was owned by Joe Sample of Billings. Lilly told the Great Falls Tribune earlier this year that he had fielded unsolicited inquiries from companies about buying one or more of the MTN stations. A change in FCC ownership rules last year increased to 12 the number of TV and AM and FM broadcasting licenses that can be owned by any company. The rule change has boosted buyer interest in television stations. "Hardly a month goes by that somebodydoesn't take a pass at us," said Jack Rosenthal, president of Harriscope Broadcasting's broadcast division. Harriscope's KULR-TV in Billings and KTWO-TV in Casper, Wyo., have been rumored as buyout targets, but Rosenthal said no sales are pending.
•
CLIPPED BY
sammibrie

Loremipsumdolorsitametconsecteturadipiscingelitseddoeiusmodtemporincididuntutlabore

Utenimadminimveniamquisnostrudexercitationullamcolaborisnisiutaliquipexeacommodo

Duisauteiruredolorinreprehenderitinvoluptatevelitessecillumdoloreeufugiatnullapariatur

Get started searching Newspapers by searching a keyword, name, or phrase…

PeopleTopicsLocationsOther
View All Clippings