Calkins Sells Three Stations to Raycom

Raycom Media has acquired a trio of stations in its southeastern stronghold, with Calkins Media offloading WAAY Huntsville, WWSB Sarasota and WTXL Tallahassee to Raycom and its duopoly partner, American Spirit Media.

Mark Contreras, Calkins CEO, was the point-man on the sale for Calkins. He did not return a call for comment.

All three stations are ABC affiliates. Terms of the deal, which is subject to regulatory approval, were not divulged.

Established in 1937 and based in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Calkins Media has daily newspapers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and a weekly newspaper and digital site in Florida. The three ABC stations represent the extent of Calkins’ broadcast operations.

Raycom, based in Montgomery, Alabama, is a Top 20 broadcast company with 58 stations in 40 markets.

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.