Global Broadcasting
Encyclopedia
Global Broadcasting LLC. was a private broadcasting company in the United States
. Global was a Delaware corporation
based in San Francisco, California
and Providence, Rhode Island
and was founded by Kevin O'Brien and Robinson Ewert. Founded in early 2007, Global owned WLNE-TV
, the ABC
affiliate in Providence from 2007-2011. This was the company's first and only television station, purchased from Irvine, California
-based Freedom Communications
in 2007, who previously owned WLNE since 1983. The owners of Global Broadcasting planned to expand into other regions of the country; however, they were unable to acquire any additional stations.
executive, was named vice president and general manager. Infamous former Providence mayor Vincent "Buddy" Cianci
was brought on as Chief Political Analyst. Allison Alexander was hired from WOIO
in Cleveland, Ohio
as the new main anchor. Also, anchor/reporter Paul Mueller and veteran meteorologist Steve Cascione
returned to the station.
There was also an increase in the hours of news per week. On January 14, 2008, WLNE launched ABC6 News First At Four, the market's first 4 o'clock newscast. It also featured the market's only 3-person anchor team of Allison Alexander, Melissa Mahan, and Paul Mueller, which was later cut down to 2. With the departure of Chief Meteorologist Mark Searles to WJAR
, morning/noon meteorologist Fred Campagna was promoted to Chief, with Steve Cascione taking his place on the re-named Good Morning Providence, which was increased from 1 hour to 2, plus an extra hour on NewsChannel 5, formerly the Rhode Island News Channel (RINC), available only on Cox Cable systems in Rhode Island. Morning anchor John DeLuca was also promoted to co-anchor of the 6 and 11 o'clock newscasts with Alexander. The station's corner "bug"
was updated to include time and temperature and a news ticker
was added to newscasts. In April 2008, new updated graphics were introduced, a music package
from 615 Music
began being used, and Bill Ratner
was added as station voiceover.
Ratings steadily increased. WLNE promoted its news as "New England's Fastest Growing News" and put more emphasis on hard news coverage and feature reporting than ever before. Some argued that the station was putting too much sensationalism
in its news, which was a key factor in Chief Reporter Jim Hummel's decision to leave the station in July 2008 after over a decade with the station. In 2009, the station launched a 10 o'clock Sunday morning newscast in May and a 7 o'clock weeknight newscast in June. They also occasionally aired a 10 o'clock newscast on NewsChannel 5 on nights when sports or other special programming pre-empted the 10 o'clock news on WNAC
. At its peak, the station was offering 37 hours of news per week on both ABC6 and NewsChannel 5.
, Rachael Ray
, Entertainment Tonight
, The Insider
, and Inside Edition
from CBS Television Distribution
. However, in mid-2009, the station was unable to reach a carriage agreement with the syndicator, formerly known as King World. At that time, the station was carrying Dr. Phil, Entertainment Tonight, and Inside Edition. As a result of the situation, the shows were dropped on June 5 and quickly moved to WNAC
. Temporarily put in their place were Cristina's Court, Family Court with Judge Penny
, and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire
. On June 16, CBS filed a lawsuit against Global Broadcasting for failing to fully pay license fees for the shows and a breach of contract
. The syndicator sought $5 million from the company.
On June 23, NewsBlues reported that Global Broadcasting co-owner Robinson Ewert had left the company amidst the dispute with CBS. He was replaced by Rob Holtzer, general sales manager at Sunrise Sports and Entertainment, owner of the NHL's
Florida Panthers
and the BankAtlantic Center
in Sunrise, Florida
. He is also a former national sales manager at the YES Network
in New York.
(Rhode Island's equivalent to bankruptcy
) on July 29, 2010 due to declining advertising revenues. Providence attorney Matthew McGowan was appointed receiver. A month later, the station was put up for sale for the second time in four years. According to The Providence Journal, several groups had expressed interest in purchasing the station and a deal was projected to be reached by the end of the year. On December 13, 2010, rumors surfaced that WLNE would be acquired by A.H. Belo Corp., and that its operations would be merged with those of the The Providence Journal
. However, it was also noted that A.H. Belo Corp. was formed by the spin-off of the non-broadcasting assets of Belo Corporation. Belo itself was considered a likelier candidate due to the strength of its operations in southern and western markets, and its operation of regional news channels much like WLNE's own Newschannel 5.
of Bronxville, New York
was chosen as the stalking horse bid
in the sale of the station with a bid of $4 millon. Five other groups (including one led by former Providence mayor Joseph Paolino) were also interested in purchasing the station and had until March 18 to submit competing bids prior to auction. On March 17, ABC notified potential buyers that WLNE's affiliation with the network beyond March 31, 2011 is not assured, which Global Broadcasting CEO Kevin O'Brien said could depress the final price WLNE is sold for at auction. Some observers feared that this could prompt one or more of the six companies believed to be bidding for WLNE to withdraw from bidding for the station, which may even force it off the air if no sale is made. On March 22, Citadel Communications was approved as the new owner of WLNE by receiver Matthew McGowan. The company met the approval of ABC and took over station operation on May 1 under a local marketing agreement
(LMA) with McGowan and Global as Global Communications LLC. until the sale was approved by the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC), at which point Citadel would assume full ownership. Citadel is unrelated to Citadel Broadcasting
, which owns several radio stations in the Providence market.
CEO Kevin O'Brien tried to appeal the sale of WLNE in court, arguing that attorney McGowan did not try hard enough to achieve a higher sale price for WLNE. However, he did not succeed in his efforts, and on June 1, it was announced that the FCC had approved the license transfer, therefore finalizing the acquisition.
Global Broadcasting was not related to a Canadian
network, the Global Television Network
, or its parent, Canwest Global Communications
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Global was a Delaware corporation
Delaware corporation
The Delaware General Corporation Law is the statute governing corporate law in the state of Delaware. Delaware is well known as a corporate haven. Over 50% of U.S...
based in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
and Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
and was founded by Kevin O'Brien and Robinson Ewert. Founded in early 2007, Global owned WLNE-TV
WLNE-TV
WLNE-TV is the ABC-affiliated television station for Rhode Island and the South Coast of Massachusetts. It is licensed to New Bedford, Massachusetts, but is headquartered in and operates from studios at 10 Orms Street in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. It is one of two major Rhode Island...
, the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
affiliate in Providence from 2007-2011. This was the company's first and only television station, purchased from Irvine, California
Irvine, California
Irvine is a suburban incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28, 1971, the city has a population of 212,375 as of the 2010 census. However, the California...
-based Freedom Communications
Freedom Communications
Freedom Communications, Inc. is a media conglomerate in the United States. It owns approximately 100 daily and weekly newspapers in the US, with a combined daily circulation of nearly one million subscribers, and also operates over seventy local news websites...
in 2007, who previously owned WLNE since 1983. The owners of Global Broadcasting planned to expand into other regions of the country; however, they were unable to acquire any additional stations.
History
When Global took over WLNE, they initiated a major overhaul on the station's lagging news operation. They began by updating the station's logo and construting a new set. They also introduced new faces in talent and management from around the country. Steve Doerr, a former NBC NewsNBC News
NBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
executive, was named vice president and general manager. Infamous former Providence mayor Vincent "Buddy" Cianci
Vincent Cianci
Vincent Albert "Buddy" Cianci, Jr. served as the mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, from 1975 to 1984 and again from 1991 to 2002...
was brought on as Chief Political Analyst. Allison Alexander was hired from WOIO
WOIO
WOIO, virtual channel 19 , is the CBS affiliate in Cleveland, Ohio. It is licensed to the nearby suburb of Shaker Heights. WOIO is owned by Raycom Media and its sister station to MyNetworkTV affiliate WUAB . The two stations share a studio facility in Cleveland and WOIO's transmitter is located in...
in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
as the new main anchor. Also, anchor/reporter Paul Mueller and veteran meteorologist Steve Cascione
Steve Cascione
Steve Cascione was born in Providence, Rhode Island on November 12, 1954. After graduating from Classical High School in Providence, Cascione attended the University of Rhode Island where he graduated in 1977 with a BA degree in Geography and Meteorology. Cascione attended MIT, where he took...
returned to the station.
There was also an increase in the hours of news per week. On January 14, 2008, WLNE launched ABC6 News First At Four, the market's first 4 o'clock newscast. It also featured the market's only 3-person anchor team of Allison Alexander, Melissa Mahan, and Paul Mueller, which was later cut down to 2. With the departure of Chief Meteorologist Mark Searles to WJAR
WJAR
WJAR is the NBC-affiliated television station for the state of Rhode Island and Bristol County, Massachusetts licensed to Providence. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 51 from a transmitter in Rehoboth, Massachusetts...
, morning/noon meteorologist Fred Campagna was promoted to Chief, with Steve Cascione taking his place on the re-named Good Morning Providence, which was increased from 1 hour to 2, plus an extra hour on NewsChannel 5, formerly the Rhode Island News Channel (RINC), available only on Cox Cable systems in Rhode Island. Morning anchor John DeLuca was also promoted to co-anchor of the 6 and 11 o'clock newscasts with Alexander. The station's corner "bug"
Digital on-screen graphic
A digital on-screen graphic is a watermark-like station logo that many television broadcasters overlay over a portion of the screen-area of their programs to identify the channel...
was updated to include time and temperature and a news ticker
News ticker
A news ticker resides in the lower third of the television screen space on television news networks dedicated to presenting headlines or minor pieces of news. It may also refer to a long, thin scoreboard-style display seen around the front of some offices or public buildings...
was added to newscasts. In April 2008, new updated graphics were introduced, a music package
Television news music
Television news music is used by television stations to brand their news operations. Each television station uses an identifiable news theme; some themes are used by multiple stations while others are composed specifically for a certain station....
from 615 Music
615 Music
615 Music is a broadcast production music company based in Nashville, Tennessee. 615 Music composes television news music packages and custom image campaigns for many television networks around the world. 615 Music also operates out of Los Angeles...
began being used, and Bill Ratner
Bill Ratner
Bill Ratner is an American voice actor. He is best known for being the voice of G.I. Joe's Flint. He is the movie trailer voice for Will Ferrell's Talladega Nights and Blades of Glory, Kung Fu Panda, Tenacious D, Mike Myers's The Love Guru, Monsters vs...
was added as station voiceover.
Ratings steadily increased. WLNE promoted its news as "New England's Fastest Growing News" and put more emphasis on hard news coverage and feature reporting than ever before. Some argued that the station was putting too much sensationalism
Sensationalism
Sensationalism is a type of editorial bias in mass media in which events and topics in news stories and pieces are over-hyped to increase viewership or readership numbers...
in its news, which was a key factor in Chief Reporter Jim Hummel's decision to leave the station in July 2008 after over a decade with the station. In 2009, the station launched a 10 o'clock Sunday morning newscast in May and a 7 o'clock weeknight newscast in June. They also occasionally aired a 10 o'clock newscast on NewsChannel 5 on nights when sports or other special programming pre-empted the 10 o'clock news on WNAC
WNAC
WNAC may refer to:*WNAC-TV, a television station licensed to Providence, Rhode Island, United States*WHDH-TV, a television station licensed to Boston, Massachusetts, United States, which used the call sign WNAC-TV from August 1948 to May 1982*WRKO, a radio station licensed to Boston,...
. At its peak, the station was offering 37 hours of news per week on both ABC6 and NewsChannel 5.
Dispute with CBS Television Distribution
For many years, WLNE carried the syndicated shows Dr. PhilDr. Phil (TV series)
Dr. Phil is a reality/talk television show hosted by Phil McGraw. After McGraw's success with his segments on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil debuted on September 16, 2002...
, Rachael Ray
Rachael Ray (TV series)
Rachael Ray, also known as The Rachael Ray Show, is a talk show starring Rachael Ray that debuted in syndication in the United States and Canada on September 18, 2006....
, Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight is a daily tabloid television entertainment television news show that is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution throughout the United States, Canada and in many countries around the world. Linda Bell Blue is currently the program's executive producer...
, The Insider
The Insider (TV series)
The Insider is an American tabloid television news program covering events and celebrities. It debuted on September 13, 2004 as a spinoff of Entertainment Tonight and started as a popular segment that took viewers "behind closed doors" and gave them "inside" information...
, and Inside Edition
Inside Edition
Inside Edition is a thirty-minute American television syndicated news program, first aired on CBS on October 9, 1988. It was originally similar to the programs Hard Copy and A Current Affair, but now more closely resembles a condensed version of breakfast television, exclusively with pre-recorded...
from CBS Television Distribution
CBS Television Distribution
CBS Television Distribution is a global television distribution company, formed from the merger of CBS Corporation's two domestic television distribution arms CBS Paramount Domestic Television and King World Productions, including its home entertainment arm CBS Home Entertainment...
. However, in mid-2009, the station was unable to reach a carriage agreement with the syndicator, formerly known as King World. At that time, the station was carrying Dr. Phil, Entertainment Tonight, and Inside Edition. As a result of the situation, the shows were dropped on June 5 and quickly moved to WNAC
WNAC-TV
WNAC-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for the state of Rhode Island and Bristol County, Massachusetts licensed to Providence. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 12 from a transmitter on Homestead Avenue in Rehoboth, Massachusetts...
. Temporarily put in their place were Cristina's Court, Family Court with Judge Penny
Family Court With Judge Penny
Family Court with Judge Penny is a syndicated judicial show hosted by former judge and lawyer Penny Brown Reynolds. The half-hour program premiered September 8, 2008. It is produced by 44 Blue Productions and distributed by Program Partners in the United States and Canada and being shown on Pick TV...
, and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (US game show)
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is an American television quiz show which offers a maximum prize of $1,000,000 for correctly answering 14 consecutive multiple-choice questions of random difficulty. Until 2010, the format required contestants to correctly answer 15 consecutive questions of increasing...
. On June 16, CBS filed a lawsuit against Global Broadcasting for failing to fully pay license fees for the shows and a breach of contract
Breach of contract
Breach of contract is a legal cause of action in which a binding agreement or bargained-for exchange is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract by non-performance or interference with the other party's performance....
. The syndicator sought $5 million from the company.
On June 23, NewsBlues reported that Global Broadcasting co-owner Robinson Ewert had left the company amidst the dispute with CBS. He was replaced by Rob Holtzer, general sales manager at Sunrise Sports and Entertainment, owner of the NHL's
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
Florida Panthers
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in Sunrise, Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They play their games at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise and are the...
and the BankAtlantic Center
BankAtlantic Center
The BankAtlantic Center is an indoor arena located in Sunrise, Florida, a suburb of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and adjacent to the popular Sawgrass Mills Mall.The arena features 70 suites & 2,623 club seats.The arena is directly accessible from the Sawgrass Expressway...
in Sunrise, Florida
Sunrise, Florida
-Overview:Sunrise is a city in southwestern Broward County, Florida, United States. It was incorporated in 1961 by Norman Johnson – a developer whose World Famous Upside-Down House attracted buyers to what was then a remote area...
. He is also a former national sales manager at the YES Network
YES Network
The Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network is a New York City-based, regional cable television channel; it broadcasts a variety of sports events, with an emphasis on New York Yankees baseball games, and New Jersey Nets basketball games. YES made its debut on March 19, 2002...
in New York.
Receivership
Global Broadcasting filed for receivershipReceivership
In law, receivership is the situation in which an institution or enterprise is being held by a receiver, a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights." The receivership remedy is an equitable remedy that emerged in...
(Rhode Island's equivalent to bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
) on July 29, 2010 due to declining advertising revenues. Providence attorney Matthew McGowan was appointed receiver. A month later, the station was put up for sale for the second time in four years. According to The Providence Journal, several groups had expressed interest in purchasing the station and a deal was projected to be reached by the end of the year. On December 13, 2010, rumors surfaced that WLNE would be acquired by A.H. Belo Corp., and that its operations would be merged with those of the The Providence Journal
The Providence Journal
The Providence Journal, nicknamed the ProJo, is a daily newspaper serving the metropolitan area of Providence, Rhode Island and is the largest newspaper in Rhode Island. The newspaper, first published in 1829 and the oldest continuously-published daily newspaper in the United States, was purchased...
. However, it was also noted that A.H. Belo Corp. was formed by the spin-off of the non-broadcasting assets of Belo Corporation. Belo itself was considered a likelier candidate due to the strength of its operations in southern and western markets, and its operation of regional news channels much like WLNE's own Newschannel 5.
Sale of WLNE, Demise
On February 10, 2011, Citadel CommunicationsCitadel Communications
Citadel Communications Ltd. is a Bronxville, NY-based private broadcasting company that operates 5 full-power television stations and 1 low-power station...
of Bronxville, New York
Bronxville, New York
Bronxville is an affluent village within the town of Eastchester, New York, in the United States. It is a suburb of New York City, located approximately north of midtown Manhattan in southern Westchester County. At the 2010 census, Bronxville had a population of 6,323...
was chosen as the stalking horse bid
Stalking horse offer
A stalking horse offer, agreement, or bid is an attempt by a debtor to test the market in advance of an auction. The intent is to maximize the value of its assets as part of a bankruptcy court-approved auction process.- Procedure :...
in the sale of the station with a bid of $4 millon. Five other groups (including one led by former Providence mayor Joseph Paolino) were also interested in purchasing the station and had until March 18 to submit competing bids prior to auction. On March 17, ABC notified potential buyers that WLNE's affiliation with the network beyond March 31, 2011 is not assured, which Global Broadcasting CEO Kevin O'Brien said could depress the final price WLNE is sold for at auction. Some observers feared that this could prompt one or more of the six companies believed to be bidding for WLNE to withdraw from bidding for the station, which may even force it off the air if no sale is made. On March 22, Citadel Communications was approved as the new owner of WLNE by receiver Matthew McGowan. The company met the approval of ABC and took over station operation on May 1 under a local marketing agreement
Local marketing agreement
In U.S. and Canadian broadcasting, a local marketing agreement is an agreement in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another licensee...
(LMA) with McGowan and Global as Global Communications LLC. until the sale was approved by the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC), at which point Citadel would assume full ownership. Citadel is unrelated to Citadel Broadcasting
Citadel Broadcasting
Citadel Broadcasting Corporation was a Las Vegas, Nevada-based broadcast holding company. Citadel owned 243 radio stations across the United States and was the third-largest radio station owner in the country...
, which owns several radio stations in the Providence market.
CEO Kevin O'Brien tried to appeal the sale of WLNE in court, arguing that attorney McGowan did not try hard enough to achieve a higher sale price for WLNE. However, he did not succeed in his efforts, and on June 1, it was announced that the FCC had approved the license transfer, therefore finalizing the acquisition.
Global Broadcasting was not related to a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
network, the Global Television Network
Global Television Network
Global Television Network is an English language privately owned television network in Canada, owned by Calgary-based Shaw Communications, as part of its Shaw Media division...
, or its parent, Canwest Global Communications
CanWest Global Communications
Canwest Global Communications Corporation, which operated under the corporate brand Canwest, was a major Canadian media company based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with its head offices at Canwest Place...
.