What this means to the viewers in the Anchorage television market is that all of the resources of our combined staffs will provide more local news coverage and locally originated programming in the very near future, said Ric Gorman, CEO of GOCOM Broadcasting of Anchorage, LLC. KTVA has dramatically increased the quality of its news product over the past couple of years, and we are very excited about teaming up with them to bring another first to the Anchorage TV market. According to Gorman, plans are underway to launch the market’s first 9 pm newscast. Combined, the FOX and CBS affiliates will reach more TV viewers than any other local source.
It’s a huge win for advertisers in the market as they can now package the two different stations’ programs and reach distinctly different viewers while dealing with only one sales team, according to Laurie Austin Taylor, who will continue to serve as the Vice President/General Manager of KTBY, which will be providing the services under the agreements with KTVA.
Jerry Bever will serve as Station Manager of KTBY and play a key role in the combined operation.
While the stations will be combining much of their staffs, including the sales teams, the programming will be independently determined by the licensees of each station.
We acquired KTVA just eleven months ago, representing our foray into television, and are pleased with the progress made to date, said Jody Lodovic, President of MediaNews Group, the Denver based owner of KTVA. The association between KTVA and KTBY makes us even more excited about the future, added Lodovic. KTVA has made a significant investment in its local news product over the last several years, and we now have the ability to provide that product to a new audience. Anchorage viewers and advertisers alike will benefit from this alliance.
