Media General will pay a $700,000 FCC settlement for its attempt to stop Schurz Communications’ sale of Augusta, Ga. NBC affiliate WAGT to preserve a JSA agreement, according to The Augusta Chronicle.
Media General, which owns ABC affiliate WJBF, had filed a suit to stop Schurz from selling its affiliate to Gray Television unless the new owner agreed to accept all the terms of the JSA. The sale was part of Schurz’s sale of 24 stations and 13 radio stations to Gray, the owner of CBS-affiliate WRDW, for $442 million.
However, the FCC had already approved the sale, which included Gray’s plan sell WAGT’s license in the spectrum auction, breaking the operating agreement with Media General.
The feds got involved in the case in March after it moved through local and state courts.
Media General agreed with the government that an investigation would be time-consuming and expensive for both sides, according to the consent decree released Wednesday, The Chronicle reports.
The decree gives Media General 30 days to pay the government $700,000.
(Photo via Pictures of Money's Flickr. Image taken on Sept. 17, 2015 and used per Creative Commons 2.0 license. The photo was cropped to fit 3x4 aspect ratio.)
