Portland-based WPXT-TV to be acquired by Hearst
Media conglomerate Hearst is acquiring WPXT-TV, a Portland-licensed television station affiliated with the CW Television Network and potentially the second Hearst-owned station in Maine.
The company will purchase WPXT from Ironwood Communications for an undisclosed amount and subject to regulatory approval, according to a Hearst news release.
If the sale goes through, WPXT will become the sixth New England station to be acquired by Hearst. In 2004, it bought Poland Spring-based WMTW-TV, the ABC network affiliate for the Portland-Auburn television market, the country’s 79th-largest. Hearst also owns WCVB-TV in Boston; WMUR-TV, Manchester, N.H.; WNNE-TV, Montpelier, Vt.; and WPTZ-TV, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
“WMTW has shown strong commitment to serving the Portland/Auburn community and we believe it will make for an outstanding partner for WPXT as that station continues to grow,” Hearst Television President Jordan Wertlieb said in the release.
Nationwide, Hearst owns and operates 31 television stations, and serves TV and radio markets in 39 states. The company also owns newspapers, magazines and cable networks.
In addition to programming from CW, WPXT carries content as an affiliate of the MeTV and MyNetworkTV networks. WPXT, which first aired in 1986 as Maine’s only independent TV station, operates from studios in Westbrook and appears as channel 51 on many cable systems. WMTW, which dates to 1954, broadcasts as channel 8 on most systems.
Most Recent
Most Recent
Comments