News-Press & Gazette has agreed to acquire KMIZ-KQFX
Columbia (Mo.) from JW Broadcasting for $16 million.
News-Press & Gazette (NPG) is based in St. Joseph, Mo.
Columbia-Jefferson City is DMA No. 138; Barrington and the University of
Missouri own the dominant stations there.
"This was a great opportunity to expand our broadcast
division in our home state of Missouri," said David Bradley, chairman and
CEO of News-Press & Gazette. "We look forward to the award winning
broadcast team in Columbia joining our family."
Private equity firm Alta Communications had acquired the
stations, which operate under the name The Networks of Mid-Missouri, in 2003.
KMIZ airs MyNetworkTV and Me-TV on its subchannels.
"Our team in Columbia has done an outstanding job
bringing quality news and entertainment programming to Mid-Missouri," said
Jessica Reed of Alta Communications. "We are excited that the new owners
will be a great fit to continue this mission and take 'The Networks of Mid-Missouri'
to the next level."
The deal is subject to regulatory approval and is expected
to close in November.
