Raycom Grabs Lincoln Financial Stations

Raycom Media has agreed to acquire Lincoln Financial Group’s television operations, which includes three stations, as well as Lincoln Financial Sports, for $583 million. The stations are WBTV Charlotte, WWBT Richmond and WCSC Charleston (SC).

Lincoln Financial Sports broadcasts live sports, such as ACC and SEC college football and basketball.

Alabama-based Raycom currently owns or operates 42 stations. President/CEO Paul McTear (who was recently inducted into the B&C Hall of Fame), said the deal allowed Raycom to move into an “exceptionally attractive group of markets, exactly the kind of markets where we excel as an industry leader in building revenue and viewership.” McTear added that the stations are “well-known and respected in our industry for their superior news products.”

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.