Marquee Broadcasting, Inc. has reached an agreement to acquire the assets and operations of television station WMDT, Salisbury (channel 47) from Delmarva Broadcast Service, LLC. The DelmarvaNow website reported the sale price was $9 million.
WMDT-TV, affiliated with the ABC Television Network, broadcasts that network’s programming, along with the station’s news and other local and syndicated programming, on channel 47.1. It is also affiliated with the CW Television Network, and broadcasts CW-Plus programming and local programming on channel 47.2. In addition to its over-the-air high-definition broadcasting, WMDT is also distributed by cable and satellite providers.
The station went on the air in 1980, and has been owned continuously under the control of Delmarva Broadcast Service entities since 1982, initially operated by Joseph and Marion Brechner, and more recently by their son, Berl Brechner. The station has lived in the shadow of WBOC Channel 16 in Salisbury, which has a larger staff and some big-market features, such as a news helicopter. The station is part of the Delmarva holdings of the Draper family.
However, WMDT was able to remain a competitor, since it did not see multiple ownership changes and the associated debt – problems that have affected other media outlets in recent years.
TV stations are being hit by the same forces that have affected newspapers as more people get news and entertainment on the Internet. However, stations have not seen the same percentage of decline in local advertising and have built robust digital news operations. Stations in rural areas also see less penetration from cable TV.
WMDT reaches just south of the C&D Canal to Accomack County, Va. and across the Delmarva Peninsula from the Chesapeake Bay to the Atlantic. WMDT has about 60 employees.
Kathleen McLain has served as general manager for 17 years. The station’s 1,000-foot-tall tower site is northwest of Salisbury. Its studio and offices are on the Downtown Plaza in Salisbury.
“We are thrilled to be entering television broadcasting with the acquisition of WMDT. As 30-year Maryland residents, we are looking forward to serving communities we know in Maryland, Delaware and Virginia,” said Patricia Lane, president of Marquee Broadcasting, who along with her husband, Brian, are the company’s principals. “The station has a strong and dedicated staff, has demonstrated a decades-long record of providing service and information for Delmarva viewers, businesses, and community organizations, and we anticipate building on that legacy.” The Lanes live in Montgomery County, Md.
An application with the Federal Communications Commission for the assignment of the broadcast license to Marquee has been filed with the commission. Final approval of a license assignment from the FCC for this transaction, and closing of the sale, is expected in several months.
