JSAs are Bustin' Out all Over for Pax

-- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/15/2001

Paxson Communications continued to rack up joint sales agreements with NBC affiliates, entering into four such pacts last week with the Dispatch Broadcast Group and E.W. Scripps Co. The deal brings to 33 the number of joint sales agreements between Paxson and NBC stations-13 in top 20 markets.

The deal between Paxson and Scripps will link Paxson's WPXP-TV with Scripps' WPTV-TV in West Palm Beach, Fla.; Paxson's KPXE-TV with Scripps' KSHB-TV in Kansas City, Mo., and Paxson's KPTX-TV with Scripps' KJRH-TV in Tulsa, Okla. The NBC affiliates will provide a sales and marketing infrastructure for the local Pax stations and Pax will re-broadcast the NBC affiliates' local newscasts. A similar deal was reached earlier in the week for sales, marketing and news with Dispatch-owned NBC affiliate WTHR-TV Indianapolis. Rich Pegram, senior vice president and general manager of WTHR , said, "Partnerships like this between Pax TV, the NBC network, and strong local affiliates have proven to be successful for all three. I believe this will be true in Indianapolis as well."

Dean Goodman, president of Pax TV, said: "This long-term strategic partnership will have a strong impact on our sales performance and revenue and help reinforce our market presence in all three key markets..[T]his agreement also presents us with a compelling opportunity to continue our overall growth strategy of expanding our JSA territory to include all Pax-owned-and-operated stations by the end of the year.'' Jim Hart, senior vice president of the Scripps television station group, called the deal "an excellent opportunity for business growth. It illustrates our company's willingness to take advantage of nontraditional revenue streams."