Cox Media Group

Cox Media Group, Inc. (CMG) is an American media conglomerate principally owned by Apollo Global Management in conjunction with Cox Enterprises, which maintains a 19.9% minority stake in the company. The company primarily owns radio and television stations—many of which are located in the South, Pacific Northwest, Eastern Midwest, and Northeast, and the regional cable news network Pittsburgh Cable News Channel (PCNC).

Cox Media Group, Inc.
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryMedia
FoundedDecember 2008 (2008-12)
Headquarters,
Key people
Daniel York
(President & CEO)
ParentApollo Global Management (70.9%)
Cox Enterprises (19.9%)
DivisionsCox Newspapers
Cox Radio
Cox Television
SubsidiariesGamut
Websitecoxmediagroup.com

Originally founded in December 2008 by Cox Enterprises through a consolidation of its existing publishing and broadcasting subsidiaries, the current incarnation of Cox Media Group was formed on December 17, 2019 through the acquisition by Apollo of the original Cox Media Group (along with Cox Enterprises’ advertising subsidiary, Gamut) from Cox Enterprises – which transferred a controlling interest in the company to Apollo – and Northwest Broadcasting from Brian Brady.

History

Former logo, used until May 1, 2020.

In December 2008,[1] Cox Enterprises created Cox Media Group (CMG) by merging Cox Newspapers,[2] Cox Radio, and Cox Television into one integrated digital media company. The creation of Cox Media Group was a departure from grouping subsidiaries based solely on publishing medium.[3]

In August 2009, Cox Enterprises realigned its radio, television, newspaper/publishing, and digital assets into the same division.[4] Under the new structure, while the local brands remain independent, they share resources and some management. Dayton, Ohio, was considered the prototype for the media group, where radio, television, newspaper, and direct mail were all in the same market and were combined into a new building.[5] In other markets where the facilities aren't as close together, they do share some senior management; for example Houston & San Antonio Radio and the Austin American-Statesman newspaper all fall under the same regional vice president. In addition to the radio/TV stations and newspapers, Cox Media Group encompasses Cox Digital Solutions (digital sales for both Cox and non-Cox online and mobile properties), Cox Reps (national TV sales for station groups such as Gray and Gannett), Kudzu.com, Savings.com, and Valpak direct mail.[6]

CMG introduced a new group buying discount program called DealSwarm in October 2010.[7] DealSwarm provides online discounts at local businesses. The program is active in such Cox Media Group properties as Atlanta, Austin and Dayton.

In July 2012, CMG announced its intention to sell its radio stations in smaller markets: Birmingham, Greenville, Hawaii, Louisville, Richmond, and Southern Connecticut. It also intends to spin off its smaller market television stations in El Paso, Johnstown, Reno, and Steubenville.[8] The company said it intended to focus on larger markets or smaller markets that could be clustered together with other CMG properties.

In April 2013, CMG launched the online-only new site Rare.us as a conservative media source, originally with the tagline “Red is the Center” and more recently “America’s News Feed.”[9] After initially-low audience numbers, the site expanded dramatically following more prominent use of social media and a more diverse range of stories.[9]

On February 12, 2013, CMG announced the sale of the Birmingham, Greenville, Hawaii, Louisville, and Richmond radio stations to SummitMedia, and the southern Connecticut stations to Connoisseur Media;[10] two weeks later, on February 25, the company announced the sale of the four television stations (and the local marketing agreement for a fifth) to Sinclair Broadcast Group.[11]

Gamut. Smart Media from Cox. Logo

In October 2014, Cox Digital Solutions became Gamut. Smart Media from Cox., offering media solutions to address the evolution of OTT (over-the-top media). With this transition, CMG will cover linear television and radio, and Gamut will focus on OTT/CTV.[12]

On July 24, 2018, Cox Enterprises announced that it was "exploring strategic options" for Cox Media Group's television stations, which the company said could involve "partnering or merging these stations into a larger TV company."[13] Cox Media Group's president, Kim Guthrie, subsequently clarified to trade publication Radio & Television Business Report that the company was solely seeking "a merger or partnership" and not an outright sale of the television stations.[14]

On February 15, 2019, Cox announced that Apollo Global Management would acquire a majority interest in the CMG television stations, as well as the Dayton radio stations and Ohio newspapers (whose operations are integrated with WHIO-TV), forming a new company that retains Cox Media Group's management and operating structure; Cox Enterprises holds a minority stake in this company.[15][16] Cox's other radio stations, as well as The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, were not included in the deal;[15] Cox had previously said that any deal involving the television stations would not include radio stations or newspapers.[13] In March 2019 filings with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Apollo disclosed that the new company, tentatively named Terrier Media, would purchase the Cox stations for $3.1 billion (reduced by the value of Cox's equity stake in Terrier).[17]

On March 18, 2019, the Atlanta Business Chronicle reported that Cox Enterprises was "exploring options" for its radio stations. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution would not be included in any potential deal for the stations.[18]

On June 26, 2019, Cox announced that the radio stations, as well as national advertising business – CoxReps, and local OTT advertising agency - Gamut, would also be acquired by the Apollo Global Management-backed company, which concurrently announced that it would retain the Cox Media Group name instead of Terrier Media. As they would no longer be grandfathered, the new company must divest a radio station each in the Orlando and Tampa Bay markets.[19]

Both acquisitions, along with Apollo's concurrent $384 million acquisition of Northwest Broadcasting, were approved by the FCC on November 22, 2019, under conditions imposed after a federal court blocked changes to several FCC ownership policies. To comply with regulations prohibiting the cross-ownership of broadcast stations and daily newspapers (which the FCC had sought to repeal), CMG agreed to cut publication of its Ohio newspapers to three days a week within 30 days of the deal's completion; Cox Enterprises also reduced its stake in CMG to a non-attributable interest, eliminating an ownership conflict with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. CMG was also required to surrender the licenses to two of Northwest Broadcasting's stations, in Yuma, Arizona and Syracuse, New York, where Northwest's existing duopolies did not comply with reinstated provisions of the FCC's duopoly rule.[20][21] Cox announced the closing of the acquisition on December 17, 2019.[22]

On February 10, 2020, Cox Enterprises announced it would repurchase the Dayton Daily News, Journal-News, and Springfield News-Sun from CMG, once again owning a 100% interest in the newspapers; the sale, which reunited the papers with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in Cox Enterprises' newspaper holdings, allowed them to continue daily publication despite the court ruling.[23] The sale was officially closed on March 2.[24]

Subsidiaries


Gamut

Gamut is a Cox Media Group company that specializes in local over-the-top (OTT) video advertising solutions, whereas Cox Media Group focuses on linear television and radio. Headquartered in New York, NY, Gamut has eight offices in the US. Gamut’s core product, Gamut TOTAL, places OTT advertising campaigns directly through publishers' ad servers, including Discovery Inc.’s networks.[25][26][27]

Cox Newspapers

Current holdings

Former holdings

The following newspapers were at one time owned by subsidiary Cox Newspapers Inc. or CMG:

Daily newspapers

Weekly newspapers

Cox Radio

Cox Media Group owns, operates or provides sales and marketing services to 57 stations in 20 markets. This radio portfolio includes 15 AM stations and 71 FM stations.[28]

Cox Radio became a public company, majority owned by Cox Enterprises, in 1996. Around April 2009, Cox Enterprises proposed a US$69-million takeover offer of Cox Radio. The offer expired on May 1, 2009.[29] The offer was later raised to $4.80 a share, and the expiration was pushed to May 13.[30] The offer was accepted, and the acquisition was completed on June 1.[31]

Talk shows

Cox Radio-owned radio stations

Note:

  • (**) — indicates a station built and signed on by Cox.
AM Station FM Station

Current

Market Station Owned Since Current Format
Jacksonville WOKV 690 2000 Sports (ESPN Radio)
WAPE-FM 95.1 2000 Contemporary hit radio
WOKV-FM 104.5 2000 News/talk
WJGL 96.9 2000 Classic hits
WEZI 102.9 2000 Soft adult contemporary
WXXJ 106.5 2006 Alternative rock
Miami - Fort Lauderdale - Hollywood, FL WEDR 99.1 2000 Urban contemporary
WFLC 97.3 ** 1946 Contemporary hit radio
WFEZ 93.1 2000 Soft adult contemporary
WHQT 105.1 1992 Urban adult contemporary
Orlando WDBO 580 1997 Sports (ESPN Radio)
WCFB 94.5 1997 Urban adult contemporary
WOEX 96.5 1997 Spanish-language contemporary hits
WMMO 98.9 1997 Classic hits
WPYO 95.3 1999 Contemporary hit radio
WWKA 92.3 1997 Country
Tampa - St. Petersburg - Clearwater, FL WDUV 105.5 1999 Soft adult contemporary
WHPT 102.5 1999 Hot talk
WPOI 101.5 1999 Contemporary hit radio
WSUN 97.1 1999 Alternative
WWRM 94.9 1993 Adult contemporary
WXGL 107.3 1988 Classic hits
Atlanta WSB 750 1939 News/talk
WALR-FM 104.1 2000 Urban adult contemporary
WSBB-FM 95.5 1999 simulcasts WSB (AM)
WSB-FM 98.5 ** 1948 Adult contemporary
WSRV 97.1 2000 Classic hits
Athens, GA WGAU 1340 2008 News/talk
WRFC 960 2008 Sports
WGMG 102.1 2008 Adult contemporary
WNGC 106.1 2008 Country
WPUP 100.1 2008 Contemporary hit radio
WXKT 103.7 2008 Classic rock
Nassau - Suffolk, NY WBAB 102.3 1998 Classic rock
WBLI 106.1 1998 Top 40
WHFM-95.3 1998 simulcasts WBAB
Tulsa, Oklahoma KRMG 740 1997 News-talk
KJSR 103.3 1997 Classic rock
KRMG-FM 102.3 1999 simulcasts KRMG (AM)
KRAV-FM 96.5 1996 Hot adult contemporary
KWEN 95.5 1997 Country
Dayton, Ohio WHIO 1290 ** 1935 News-talk
WHIO-FM 95.7 1998 simulcasts WHIO (AM)
WHKO 99.1 ** 1946 Country
WZLR 95.3 1998 Classic hits
Houston - Galveston, TX KHPT 106.9 2000 simulcasts KGLK
KGLK 107.5 2000 Classic Rock
KKBQ 92.9 2000 Country
KTHT 97.1 2000 Classic country
San Antonio KKYX 680 1997 Classic country
KONO 860 1998 Oldies
KCYY 100.3 1997 Country
KISS-FM 99.5 1997 Active rock
KONO-FM 101.1 1998 Classic hits
KTKX 106.7 1997 Classic rock
KSMG 105.3 1997 Hot adult contemporary

Former

Market Station Current ownership status
Birmingham WAGG 610 Owned by SummitMedia
WENN 1320 Owned by SummitMedia
WBHJ 95.7 Owned by SummitMedia
WBHK 98.7 Owned by SummitMedia
WBPT 106.9 Owned by SummitMedia
WZNN 97.3 WPYA, owned by SummitMedia
WZZK-FM 104.7 Owned by SummitMedia
Bridgeport, Connecticut WEZN-FM 99.9 Owned by Connoisseur Media
New Haven, Connecticut WPLR 99.1 Owned by Connoisseur Media
Stamford - Norwalk, Connecticut WFOX 95.9 Owned by Connoisseur Media
Honolulu KKNE 940 Owned by SummitMedia
KRTR 650 KPRP, owned by SummitMedia
KCCN-FM 100.3 Owned by SummitMedia
KINE-FM 105.1 Owned by SummitMedia
KPHW 104.3 Owned by SummitMedia
KRTR-FM 96.3 Owned by SummitMedia
Louisville WRKA 103.9 Owned by SummitMedia
WQNU 103.1 Owned by SummitMedia
WSFR 107.7 Owned by SummitMedia
WVEZ 106.9 Owned by SummitMedia
Greenville - Spartanburg WHZT 98.1 Owned by SummitMedia
WJMZ-FM 107.3 Owned by SummitMedia
Richmond WHTI 100.9 Owned by SummitMedia
WKHK 95.3 Owned by SummitMedia
WKLR 96.5 Owned by SummitMedia
WURV 103.7 Owned by SummitMedia

Cox Television

Cox Television-owned television stations

Stations are listed in alphabetical order by state and city of license.

Note:

  • (**) - Indicates a station built and signed on by Cox.
  • (††) - Indicates a station that was acquired by Cox from Newport Television in 2012.
  • (ƒ) - Indicates a station that was acquired by Cox from Fox Television Stations in 2014.
  • (¤¤) - Indicates a station that was owned by Northwest Broadcasting prior to its acquisition by CMG in 2019.

Current

City of license / Market Station Channel
TV (RF)
Owned since Network affiliation
Yuma, Arizona - El Centro, California KYMA-DT ¤¤ 1 13 (13) 2019 CBS
NBC (DT2)
Eureka, California KIEM-TV ¤¤ 3 (3) 2019 NBC
KVIQ-LD ¤¤ 14 (14) 2019 CBS
Jacksonville WFOX-TV †† 30 (32) 2012 Fox
WJAX-TV 2 47 (19) 2012 CBS
Orlando - Daytona Beach WFTV 9 (35) 1985 ABC
WRDQ 27 (27) 2001 Independent
Atlanta WSB-TV ** 2 (32) 1948 ABC
Pocatello - Idaho Falls, Idaho KPVI-DT ¤¤ 6 (23) 2019 NBC
Alexandria, Louisiana KLAX-TV ¤¤ 31 (31) 2019 ABC
KWCE-LP ¤¤ 27 2019 MeTV
Boston WFXT ƒ 25 (34) 2014 Fox
Greenville - Greenwood, Mississippi WABG-TV ¤¤ 6 (32) 2019 ABC
Fox (DT2)
WNBD-LD ¤¤ 33 (33) 2019 NBC
WXVT-LD ¤¤ 17 (17) 2019 CBS
Binghamton, New York WICZ-TV ¤¤ 40 (8) 2019 Fox
WBPN-LP ¤¤ 10 (40.2) 2019 MyNetworkTV
Syracuse, New York WSYT ¤¤ 68 (14) 2019 Fox
MyNetworkTV (DT3)
Charlotte WSOC-TV 9 (19) 1959 ABC
WAXN-TV 64 (32) 2000 Independent
Dayton, Ohio WHIO-TV ** 7 (33) 1949 CBS
Tulsa, Oklahoma KOKI-TV †† 23 (22) 2012 Fox
KMYT-TV †† 41 (34) 2012 MyNetworkTV
Medford, Oregon KMVU-DT ¤¤ 26 (26) 2019 Fox
KMCW-LD ¤¤ 14 2019 Sonlife
KFBI-LD ¤¤ 48 (19) 2019 MyNetworkTV
Pittsburgh WPXI 11 (23) 1964 NBC
Memphis WHBQ-TV ƒ 13 (13) 2014 Fox
Seattle - Tacoma KIRO-TV 7 (23) 1997 CBS
Spokane, Washington KAYU-TV ¤¤ 28 (28) 2019 Fox
Tri-Cities - Yakima, Washington KFFX-TV ¤¤ 11 (11) 2019 Fox
KCYU-LD ¤¤
(Semi-satellite of KFFX-TV)
41 (29) 2019 Fox

Notes:


Former

City of License / market Station Channel
TV (RF)
Years owned Current ownership status
Yuma, Arizona - El Centro, California KYMA-DT ¤¤ 11 (11) 2019–2020 1 defunct, license surrendered in 2020 1
Oakland - San Francisco - San Jose KTVU 2 (44) 1963–2014 Fox owned-and-operated (O&O)[32][33]
KICU-TV 36 (36) 2000–2014 Independent station owned by Fox Television Stations[32][33]
Miami - Fort Lauderdale WCKT ** 7 (7) 1956–1962 2 Fox affiliate, WSVN, owned by Sunbeam Television
Detroit WKBD-TV 50 (14) 1984–1993 The CW owned-and-operated (O&O)
Greenville - Greenwood, Mississippi WFXW 15 (15) 2019–2020 3 Tri-State Christian Television owned-and-operated station (O&O)
St. Louis KDNL-TV 30 (31) 1982–1989 ABC affiliate owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group
Reno, Nevada KRXI-TV 11 (44) 1995–2013 4 Fox affiliate owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group
KAME-TV 21 (20) MyNetworkTV affiliate, KNSN-TV, owned by Deerfield Media
(operated under an SSA by Sinclair Broadcast Group)
Syracuse, New York WNYS-TV ¤¤ 43 (44) 2019–2020 defunct, license surrendered in 2020
Steubenville, Ohio - Wheeling, W.V. WTOV-TV 9 (9) 2000–2013 NBC affiliate owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group
Johnstown - Altoona, Pennsylvania WJAC-TV 6 (34) 2000–2013 NBC affiliate owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group
El Paso KFOX-TV 14 (15) 1996–2013 Fox affiliate owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group
Tacoma - Seattle KSTW 11 (11) 1997 The CW owned-and-operated (O&O)

Notes:

  • 1 Owned by CMG, News-Press & Gazette Company operated KYMA via a shared services agreement. In January 2020, CMG surrendered the license of KYMA, and moved its NBC programming to a subchannel to KSWT (which the callsign was subsequently changed to KYMA).
  • 2 Co-owned with Knight Newspapers until 1962 in an equally-divided joint venture.
  • 3 Owned by John Wagner; CMG operated WFXW under a shared services agreement.
  • 4 KAME-TV owned by Ellis Communications, Cox operated this station, along with sister-station KRXI-TV.

Cox Television-owned cable channels

References

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  2. "Cox Newspapers, Inc. profile and media properties". Archived from the original on June 14, 2011. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
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  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-30.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-03-24. Retrieved 2015-03-30.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-03-27. Retrieved 2015-03-30.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. "The DealSwarm Arrives in Atlanta, Austin, Dayton, Seattle with O". Cox Media Group. 2010-10-12. Archived from the original on 2012-03-26. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. Retrieved 2012-12-18.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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  10. Carlton, Bob (February 12, 2013). "Cox Media sells Kiss, Jamz, WZZK, other Birmingham radio stations to group that includes David DuBose". The Birmingham News. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  11. Malone, Michael (February 25, 2013). "Sinclair to Acquire Five Cox Stations". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  12. "Cox Launches Gamut, a New Company Addressing Evolving Needs". Digital Content Next. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  13. Simon, Mollie (July 24, 2018). "Cox Enterprises looks to sell its TV stations". Atlanta Business Chronicle. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  14. Jacobson, Adam (July 24, 2018). "Cox On The Block: TV 'Merger or Partnership' Confirmed". Radio & Television Business Report. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  15. Trubey, J. Scott (February 15, 2019). "Cox Enterprises to sell majority stake in TV stations to Apollo". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  16. Gnau, Thomas (February 15, 2019). "Cox, Apollo agree to form private company". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  17. Jessell, Harry A. (March 6, 2019). "Cox TV Valued At $3.1 Billion In Apollo Acquisition". TV News Check. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
  18. Allison, David (March 18, 2019). "Cox Enterprises exploring options for its radio stations". Atlanta Business Chronicle. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
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  23. Kiesewetter, John (February 10, 2020). "Cox Keeps Dayton, Butler County And Springfield Newspapers In The Family". WVXU. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
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  25. "Discovery, Inc. Partners with Gamut to Bring Lifestyle Packages to OTT". YAHOO Finance. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  26. "Discovery, Inc. Partners with Gamut to Bring Lifestyle Packages to OTT". NASDAQ. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
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  31. "Cox Radio now part of Cox Enterprises". Louisville Business First. 2009-06-01. Retrieved 2018-09-11.
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