KRON San Francisco will move in with KGO, the ABC-owned station in the market. KRON parent Media General has agreed to sublease space for KRON, while insisting “KRON will remain an independent station with its own staff and separate broadcast facilities.” The relocation is expected to be completed in the next six to nine months.
KRON was acquired by Young Broadcasting for $823 million in 2000; the high price—and KRON losing its NBC affiliation—was a prime factor in Young entering bankruptcy years later. Young and Media General merged late last year.
KRON is a MyNetworkTV affiliate that produces 56 ½ hours of news a week. George L. Mahoney, president and chief executive officer of Media General, praised the KRON operation after visiting and said the station is profitable.
Media General said the KGO building is “ideally suited to meet the technical needs of a television station," and said no staffing changes are expected as a result of the move.
Media General plans to put KRON’s building, at 1001 Van Ness Avenue, up for sale.
“When Media General learned of the available space in the building occupied by KGO, we determined that subleasing the space was an ideal solution to our need to make better use of the significant excess capacity in KRON’s existing building,” said Mahoney. “We see this move as an excellent opportunity to invest in KRON’s future and its ability to even better serve the San Francisco market with outstanding local news.”
KRON's move was first reported in the Rich Lieberman 415 Media blog. Lieberman suggested a shared services agreement may take place between the two stations, which Media General has denied.
The new space will provide a separate studio that Mahoney called “a significant upgrade from our current studio,” and said the setup will better foster staffer collaboration.
