Granite, Malara Sale of Seven Licenses to Quincy, Sagamore Hill Approved

The FCC Media Bureau approved the sale of seven TV licenses by Granite Broadcasting and Malara Broadcast to Quincy Newspapers, Sagamore Hill of Indiana and Sagamore Hill of Duluth, Minnesota, said a letter issued Tuesday. The approval also includes a nine-month waiver of local ownership rules to allow Quincy to unwind joint sales agreements in three markets, the order said. An existing JSA between Granite and Malara will be assumed by Quincy and Sagamore Hill after the deal, but converted into an shared services agreement that complies with FCC rules for sharing advertising sales. The licenses in the deal are in Binghamton, New York; Duluth; Fort Wayne, Indiana; Peoria, Illinois; and Superior, Wisconsin.