Fisher Communications’ total television net revenue was $32.6 million in the first quarter of 2013. The 12% increase on the year-ago quarter was attributed to strong growth in the automotive, financial services and retail categories

The station group, which Sinclair Broadcast Group is in the process of acquiring, reported retransmission consent revenue increased 82% to $6.5 million in the first quarter. TV cash flow was $7 million, an increase of 33% on the year-ago quarter.

“2013 is off to a strong start, led by the continued market share growth among our broadcast stations,” Fisher president and CEO Colleen B. Brown said in a statement. “This momentum reflects the quality and value of our local brands and is the direct result of solid execution across our group of broadcast stations.”

As we told you yesterday, Sinclair Broadcast Group is paying $373 million for Fisher Communications, the Seattle-based owner of 20 television stations and 3 radio stations. The Seattle Times notes “local media ownership takes a hit” with the merger:

When KOMO-TV owner Fisher Communications becomes part of the much larger Sinclair Broadcast Group of Baltimore this fall, Seattle will lose its last locally owned network television station. It also will lose a corporate name that played a prominent part in the region’s economy for just over a century.

[...] Fisher has about 775 employees nationally and does not disclose how many are at its Seattle headquarters. Asked whether those core employees will keep their jobs, a Fisher spokesman said, “It is premature to speculate about integration planning.”

Sinclair’s hometown newspaper, The Baltimore Sun, reports the company — which will reach 34 percent of the airwaves after the FCC’s approval of the sale — has no plans to stop expanding:

But during a conference call with analysts, [Wells Fargo senior analyst Marci] Ryvicker questioned whether Sinclair’s acquisitions would soon be limited by Federal Communications Commission rules saying a single owner’s group of stations cannot reach more than 39 percent of all TV households.

“Now that [stations] cover 34 percent of the country, how much more can you do?” she asked.

“We can do a lot more,” responded [Sinclair CEO David] Smith, explaining that the percentage of household coverage, as calculated by the FCC, would be far below 34 percent because the FCC counts UHF stations, or Ultra High Frequency, as half of a non-UHF station. Read more

Sinclair Broadcast Group is buying Fisher Communications for $373.3 million, the two companies announced Thursday.

Fisher owns 20 television stations in eight markets, reaching 3.9% of U.S. TV households (full list is after the jump). The transaction also includes three radio stations in Seattle. As part of the terms of the agreement, Fisher will provide “certain operating services” for three TV stations in Eugene, Ore. –  KMTR, KMCB and KTCW — after the transaction is approved by the FCC.

TVNewsCheck reports Sinclair won a bidding war with LIN Media for the station group “in a deal finalized in the wee hours of Tuesday night.”

“Sinclair is the largest independent TV broadcaster in the country, and we believe its commitment to the industry — along with its greater scale and sizable resources — will provide our stations, team members and business partners with new opportunities to flourish,” Fisher president and CEO Colleen B. Brown said in a statement. Read more

Fisher Communications is exploring “potential strategic alternatives,” including a sale, the company announced Thursday.

“The Company has not made a decision to pursue any specific strategic transaction or any other strategic alternative, and there is no set timetable for the strategic review process,” Fisher said in a statement.

Fisher is the owner of 13 stations across the Pacific Northwest. Reuters reports the sale is being explored “under pressure from billionaire investor Mario Gabelli.”

Fisher Communications reported television segment revenue of $36.4 million on Thursday, an increase of +13% from $30.5 million in the third quarter of 2011.

The company reported a +285% increase in political ad revenue — $6.3 million for Q3 2012 compared to $947,000 for Q3 2011. Net television revenue, excluding political revenue, increased +5; television cash flow increased +55%.

“Fisher’s positive momentum continued throughout the third quarter, led by the strength of our stations, strong political spending and new retransmission agreements,” Fisher president and CEO Colleen Brown said in a statement. ”Our stations delivered audience share and revenue growth, as we continue to leverage the company’s key set of multiplatform offerings to our competitive advantage.”

Fisher Communications brought in $29.2 million in television revenue in the first quarter of 2012, essentially flat compared to the $29.1 million in the first quarter of 2011.

Television revenue declined due to lower national advertising revenue in the pharmaceutical, financial services and tourism categories, according to the company. The decline was balanced by increases in retail and automotive categories.

“We believe Fisher remains well positioned for strong station performance and audience share growth,” president and CEO Colleen Brown said in a statement. “These are the fundamentals that differentiate Fisher from its competitors and will continue to make the Company a leader in redefining the future of local media.” Read more

Fisher Communications today announced financial results for the fourth quarter of 2011 as well as for the full-year.  The Seattle-based station group emphasized notable growth in core advertising, excluding political.

Making a point not to include the effect of a cyclical decrease in political advertising in announcing its financial results, Fisher reported a 9% increase in net TV revenue, excluding political, for the fourth quarter and an 8% increase in net TV revenue, again excluding political, for the full-year.

Fisher saw a 14% increase in retrans revenue for the fourth quarter as well as a 19% increase in automotive advertising during the period, compared to the final three months of 2010. Read more

The KCBY evening news will be anchored by David Walker from the KVAL studios, beginning March 12th, as longtime KCBY reporter and anchor Tim Novotny departs the station.

Both KCBY and KVAL are owned by Fisher Communications.  KVAL is a CBS-affiliate based in Eugene, and KCBY operates as a satellite station in Coos Bay.

Walker was the news director at KCBY before becoming an anchor at KVAL in 1999.  Novotny succeeded Walker as KCBY’s news director and has anchored the station’s local news for the past decade. Read more

Fisher Communications has completed the sale of Fisher Plaza, the Seattle building that serves as the company’s headquarters and houses ABC-affiliate KOMO.

Fisher will remain the building’s largest tenant under the new owners, Hines Global REIT, Inc., who purchased the building for $160 million in cash.  The $160 million figure is 30% more than the building was valued at a year ago.

Fisher has been considering a sale of Fisher Plaza, which was built in 2001  and has served as the exterior for the hospital on “Grey’s Anatomy,” since 2008.  Negotiations began ramping up in March and a deal with Hines Global REIT was struck last month.

Fisher now has a 12-year lease in the building.

Fisher Communications is expanding Pulp, its local culture brand, to Portland.

Earlier this summer, Fisher launched Seattle Pulp as a complement to KOMO‘s web presence and now the company is doing the same for KATU, its Portland station.

“The content created by Portland Pulp writers will reflect how diverse and original this city is,” Pulp editor Shane Mehling said.  “Portlanders know they live in a truly unique place, and we plan to complement that by showing them hotspots and happenings they never knew existed that emphasize what makes Portland truly great.”

Fisher expects Portland Pulp to raise KATU’s profile among the 18-49 demographic.