Heritage Media Corporation (NYSE: HTG) was a media company which owned television and radio stations across the United States, as well as in-store and direct marketing companies. It was based in Dallas from 1987 to 1997.
History Heritage Media was founded in August 1987 by a group of Heritage Communications executives to acquire the company's television and radio stations. The sale coincided with Heritage Communications' merger with Tele-Communications Inc.; at the time, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations did not allow a company to own both a television station and a cable system in a market. Heritage Communications had acquired the stations through the 1985 purchase of Dakota Broadcasting and the 1986 acquisitions of Rollins Communications and six LIN Broadcasting radio stations. Heritage Media's president and chief executive officer, James M. Hoak Jr., held the same positions with Heritage Communications; the company's headquarters were located in Des Moines, Iowa (where Heritage Communications was based), until later in 1987, when it relocated to Dallas, Texas.
Heritage Media managed its television stations with more of an emphasis on cash flow than ratings, and focused its radio group on stations that it felt needed a turnaround (for instance, it had acquired KKSN AM-FM in Portland, Oregon, out of bankruptcy). To implement this strategy, the company's stations operated with large sales staffs but were otherwise staffed sparingly. Heritage Media went public in September 1988, trading on the American Stock Exchange. By then, it had invested in POP Radio, an in-store radio company, and Du-Kross Media, which sold advertisements on shopping carts. In 1989, Heritage Media purchased Actmedia, a in-store marketing company. In 1996, the company merged with DIMAC Corporation, a direct marketing services company. On July 15, 1996, Heritage Media moved its stock listing to the New York Stock Exchange.
News Corporation announced on March 17, 1997, that it would acquire Heritage Media for $754 million. The purchase was mainly for the Actmedia and DIMAC subsidiaries, and News Corporation immediately announced its intention to sell Heritage Media's broadcast properties; News Corporation's Fox Television Stations subsidiary was already at FCC ownership limits, and the company had no interest in operating radio stations. On July 16, 1997, Sinclair Broadcast Group announced that it would acquire the Heritage Media stations for $630 million. The sale to News Corporation was completed on August 20, 1997; Heritage Media's stations were then transferred to a trustee, with Sinclair assuming control of the stations in stages from January 29, 1998, to July 1998. Actmedia was folded into News Corporation's News America Marketing subsidiary.
Former stations Stations are arranged in alphabetical order by state and city of license.
+ Stations owned by Heritage Media Media market State Station Purchased Sold Notes Los Angeles California KDAY 1987 1991 Pensacola Florida WEAR-TV 1987 1997 WFGX 1995 1997 New Orleans Louisiana WBYU 1997 1997 WEZB 1997 1997 WRNO-FM 1997 1997 Kansas City Missouri KCAZ 1997 1997 KCFX 1992 1997 KCIY 1995 1997 KQRC-FM 1997 1997 KXTR 1997 1997 St. Louis KIHT 1994 1997 WIL-FM 1987 1997 WRTH 1987 1997 Plattsburgh New York WPTZ 1987 1997 Rochester WBBF 1987 1997 WBEE-FM 1987 1997 WKLX 1993 1997 WQRV 1997 1997 Cincinnati Ohio WVAE 1992 1997 Oklahoma City Oklahoma KAUT-TV 1987 1991 KOKH-TV 1991 1997 Portland Oregon KKRH 1995 1997 KKSN 1988 1997 KKSN-FM 1988 1997 Lead South Dakota KIVV-TV 1987 1996 Rapid City KEVN-TV 1987 1996 Sioux Falls KDLT 1987 1994 Knoxville Tennessee WMYU 1996 1997 WWST 1996 1997 Burlington Vermont WFFF-TV 1997 1997 Hartford WNNE 1990 1997 Norfolk–Virginia Beach–Newport News Virginia WGH 1997 1997 WGH-FM 1997 1997 WVCL 1997 1997 Seattle–Tacoma Washington KBKS 1988 1997 KRPM 1995 1997 KULL 1988 1995 Charleston–Huntington West Virginia WCHS-TV 1987 1997 Milwaukee Wisconsin WAMG 1994 1997 WEMP 1988 1997 WMYX-FM 1988 1997
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