| Heritage Media Corporation | |
| Type: | Public |
| Traded As: | NYSE HTG |
| Predecessor: | Heritage Communications |
| Industry: | Television, radio, marketing |
| Hq Location City: | Dallas, Texas |
| Hq Location Country: | United States |
| Area Served: | United States (nationwide) |
| Revenue: | $10 billion USD (1996) |
Heritage Media Corporation (NYSE: HTG) was a media company which owned television and radio stations across the United States, as well as in-store and direct marketing companies. It was based in Dallas, Texas, from 1987 to 1997.
Heritage Media was founded in August 1987[1] by a group of Heritage Communications executives to acquire the company's television and radio stations.[2] The sale coincided with Heritage Communications' merger with Tele-Communications Inc.;[2] at the time, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations did not allow a company to own both a television station and a cable system in a market.[3] Heritage Communications had acquired the stations through the 1985 purchase of Dakota Broadcasting[4] and the 1986 acquisitions of Rollins Communications[5] and six LIN Broadcasting radio stations.[6] Heritage Media's president and chief executive officer, James M. Hoak Jr., held the same positions with Heritage Communications; the company's headquarters were located in Des Moines, Iowa (where Heritage Communications was based), until later in 1987, when it relocated to Dallas, Texas.[7]
Heritage Media managed its television stations with more of an emphasis on cash flow than ratings, and focused its radio group on stations that it felt needed a turnaround (for instance, it had acquired KKSN AM-FM in Portland, Oregon, out of bankruptcy). To implement this strategy, the company's stations operated with large sales staffs but were otherwise staffed sparingly. Heritage Media went public in September 1988, trading on the American Stock Exchange. By then, it had invested in POP Radio, an in-store radio company, and Du-Kross Media, which sold advertisements on shopping carts.[1] In 1989, Heritage Media purchased Actmedia, a in-store marketing company.[8] In 1996, the company merged with DIMAC Corporation, a direct marketing services company.[9] On July 15, 1996, Heritage Media moved its stock listing to the New York Stock Exchange.[10]
News Corporation announced on March 17, 1997, that it would acquire Heritage Media for $754 million. The purchase was mainly for the Actmedia and DIMAC subsidiaries, and News Corporation immediately announced its intention to sell Heritage Media's broadcast properties; News Corporation's Fox Television Stations subsidiary was already at Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ownership limits, and the company had no interest in operating radio stations.[11] On July 16, 1997, Sinclair Broadcast Group announced that it would acquire the Heritage Media stations for $630 million.[12] The sale to News Corporation was completed on August 20, 1997;[13] Heritage Media's stations were then transferred to a trustee, with Sinclair assuming control of the stations in stages from January 29, 1998,[14] to July 1998.[15] Actmedia was folded into News Corporation's News America Marketing subsidiary.[16]
Stations are arranged alphabetically by state and by city of license.
| City of license / Market | Station | Channel | Years owned | Current status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile, AL–Pensacola, FL | WEAR-TV | 3 | 1987–1997 | ABC affiliate owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group | |
| WFGX | 35 | 1995–1997 | MyNetworkTV affiliate owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group | ||
| Plattsburgh, NY–Burlington, VT | WPTZ | 5 | 1987–1997 | NBC affiliate owned by Hearst Television | |
| WFFF-TV | 44 | 1997 | Fox affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group | ||
| Hartford, VT–Hanover, NH | WNNE | 31 | 1990–1997 | The CW affiliate owned by Hearst Television | |
| Oklahoma City, OK | KAUT-TV | 43 | 1987–1991 | The CW owned-and-operated station owned by Nexstar Media Group | |
| KOKH-TV | 25 | 1991–1997 | Fox affiliate owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group | ||
| Rapid City, SD | KEVN-TV | 7 | 1987–1996 | ABC affiliate KOTA-TV, owned by Gray Television | |
| Lead, SD | KIVV-TV | 5 | 1987–1996 | ABC affiliate KHSD-TV, owned by Gray Television | |
| Sioux Falls, SD | KDLT | 46 | 1987–1994 | NBC affiliate owned by Gray Television | |
| Charleston–Huntington, WV | WCHS-TV | 8 | 1987–1997 | ABC affiliate owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| AM Station | FM Station |
|---|
| City of license / Market | Station | Years owned | Current status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Monica–Los Angeles, CA | KDAY 1580 | 1987–1991 | KBLA, owned by Multicultural Broadcasting |
| New Orleans, LA | WBYU 1450 | 1997 | Defunct, license cancelled in 2012 |
| WEZB 97.1 | 1997 | Owned by Audacy, Inc. | |
| WRNO-FM 99.5 | 1997 | Owned by iHeartMedia | |
| Kansas City, MO | KCAZ 1480 | 1997 | KCZZ, owned by TBLC Holdings |
| KXTR 96.5 | 1997 | KRBZ, owned by Audacy, Inc. | |
| KQRC-FM 98.9 | 1997 | Owned by Audacy, Inc. | |
| KCFX 101.1 | 1992–1997 | Owned by Cumulus Media | |
| KCIY 106.5 | 1995–1997 | WDAF-FM, owned by Audacy, Inc. | |
| St. Louis, MO | WIL/WRTH 1430 | 1987–1997 | Defunct, license revoked as KZQZ in 2020 |
| WIL-FM 92.3 | 1987–1997 | owned by Hubbard Broadcasting | |
| KRJY/KIHT 96.3 | 1994–1997 | WFUN-FM, owned by Audacy, Inc. | |
| Rochester, NY | WBBF 950 | 1987–1997 | WROC, owned by Audacy, Inc. |
| WBEE-FM 92.5 | 1987–1997 | Owned by Audacy, Inc. | |
| WQRV 93.3 | 1997 | WFKL, owned by Stephens Media Group | |
| WKLX 98.9 | 1993–1997 | WBZA, owned by Audacy, Inc. | |
| Fairfield–Cincinnati, OH | WOFX/WVAE 94.9 | 1992–1997 | WREW, owned by Hubbard Broadcasting |
| Portland, OR | KKSN 910 | 1988–1997 | KMTT, owned by Audacy, Inc. |
| KKSN-FM 97.1 | 1988–1997 | KYCH-FM, owned by Audacy, Inc. | |
| KXYQ-FM/KKRH 105.1 | 1995–1997 | KRSK, owned by Audacy, Inc. | |
| Knoxville, TN | WWST 93.1 | 1996–1997 | WNOX, owned by SummitMedia |
| WMYU 102.1 | 1996–1997 | WWST, owned by SummitMedia | |
| Norfolk–Virginia Beach–Newport News, VA | WGH 1310 | 1997 | Owned by Max Media |
| WGH-FM 97.3 | 1997 | Owned by Max Media | |
| WVCL 95.7 | 1997 | WVKL, owned by Audacy, Inc. | |
| Seattle, WA | KRPM/KULL 770 | 1988–1995 | KTTH, owned by Bonneville International |
| KRPM 1090 | 1995–1997 | KPTR, owned by iHeartMedia | |
| KRPM-FM/KCIN-FM/KBKS 106.1 | 1988–1997 | Owned by iHeartMedia | |
| Milwaukee, WI | WEMP 1250 | 1988–1997 | WSSP, owned by Audacy, Inc. |
| WMYX-FM 99.1 | 1988–1997 | Owned by Audacy, Inc. | |
| WEZW/WAMG 103.7 | 1994–1997 | WXSS, owned by Audacy, Inc. |