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Hearst Television, Inc.

Type	Subsidiary
Industry	Broadcast Television Television Production
Founded	1997, by a merger of Hearst Broadcasting and Argyle Television Holdings II
Headquarters	New York City
Area served	United States (Nationwide)
Key people	David J. Barrett, president/chief operating officer
Products	Broadcast television
Revenue	$785.4 million USD (2006)
Operating income	$228.8 million USD (2006)
Net income	$98.7 million USD (2006)
Employees	approx. 3000 (full-time)
Parent	Hearst Corporation
Website	www.hearsttelevision.com

Hearst Television, Inc. (formerly Hearst-Argyle Television) is a broadcasting company in the United States, owned by the New York City-based Hearst Corporation. It holds joint ventures in television production with NBCUniversal Television Distribution (although most of the stations it owns are affiliated with ABC). From 1998 to mid-2009, the company traded its common stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "HTV."

Hearst-Argyle was formed in 1997 with the merger of Hearst Corporation's broadcasting division and stations owned by Argyle Television Holdings II,^[1] which is partially related to the company of the same name who (in 1994) sold its stations to New World Communications, stations that eventually became Fox-owned stations. Hearst's involvement in broadcasting dates to the 1920s.

In terms of audience reach, Hearst is the largest group owner of ABC-affiliated stations, and the second-largest group owner of NBC affiliates. Hearst-owned ABC affiliates in National Football League markets simulcast Monday Night Football games from ESPN that involve these teams - ESPN is 20% owned by Hearst, the rest being owned by ABC's parent, the Walt Disney Company. Other Hearst-owned stations also carry ESPN-aired NFL games, even though they are affiliated with other networks (like WBAL-TV, Baltimore's NBC affiliate).

In June 2009, the Hearst Corporation announced that it would purchase substantially all of the stock not held by Hearst. Hearst-Argyle Television then dropped "Argyle" from its name and became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Hearst Corporation.^[2]

Digital television [edit]

In February 2009 Hearst-Argyle announced that its stations (except for KITV and its satellites in Hawaii, which had already completed their transition to digital, and WPTZ in Plattsburgh, New York and WNNE in Hartford, Vermont, which followed the other Champlain Valley in transitioning on February 17, 2009) would comply with the new DTV transition date of June 12, 2009.

Hearst-owned stations [edit]

Hearst-Argyle Television logo, 2007-2009

Currently, Hearst owns a total of 29 television stations: ten NBC affiliates, thirteen ABC affiliates, two CBS affiliates, two CW affiliates, one MyNetworkTV affiliate, and one independent station. Through digital multicasts, Hearst also operates one additional ABC affiliate and two additional CW affiliates; most of the company's other subchannels broadcast either Me-TV or This TV. The company also owns two radio stations.

All Hearst-owned stations uses "Project Economy" during most business segments. In addition, all Hearst-owned stations also use the "Commitment" banner for all political news coverage leading up to the local, national, and statewide elections in lieu of a localized version of the network's political segment.

Until 2009, three of Hearst's television stations (KCWE, WMOR-TV, and WPBF) and its two radio stations (WBAL radio and WIYY) were owned by Hearst Broadcasting, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of the Hearst Corporation through which Hearst ultimately controlled Hearst-Argyle Television, as opposed to Hearst-Argyle itself; Hearst-Argyle still operated these stations under a management services agreement. These stations were transferred to Hearst Television shortly after its privatization.^[3][4]

Notes:

1) Two boldface asterisks appearing following a station's call letters (**) indicate a station that was built and signed-on by the Hearst Corporation.

Television stations [edit]

Arranged in alphabetical order by state and city of license.

Footnotes:
¹KCWE in Kansas City has been managed by Hearst since its sign-on in 1996.

Radio stations [edit]

Stations formerly owned by Hearst and/or Argyle II [edit]

Television stations [edit]

First Hearst-Argyle Television logo from 1997 to 2007.

Notes:

• ¹ WDTN was an ABC affiliate under Hearst during its ownership; LIN switched the station's affiliation back to NBC in 2004.
• ² WNAC-TV was owned by Argyle, but operated from 1996 to 2001 by Clear Channel Communications under a local marketing agreement (LMA) with WPRI-TV, which Clear Channel owned at the time.

In addition to the above, Hearst-Argyle never owned WZZM or WGRZ. Those two stations were divested by one of the company's predecessors, Argyle Television Holdings II, several months prior to the merger with Hearst Broadcasting. The "years owned" information reflects the years of ownership by Argyle Television Holdings II. And WDTN was the only formerly owned television station that was owned directly by Hearst prior to the merger.

Radio stations [edit]

(a partial listing)

References [edit]

External links [edit]

• Official website