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.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

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. continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

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. continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

“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.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

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.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

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.” continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

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. continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

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. continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

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.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

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.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Fisher, which owns 13 full-power and 7 low-power stations throughout the Northwest including KOMO in Seattle, announced that a decrease in automotive advertising revenue was made up for by an overall increase in core advertising as well as a small boost in retrans revenue.

Excluding political advertising, net revenue for Fisher’s TV stations was up 4% in the second quarter, compared to the same period last year.

Over the last couple of years, Fisher has been expanding its web media holdings through a network of hyper-local sites as well as the recently launched Seattle Pulp culture site and the company is celebrating positive returns from these investments. For the second quarter, internet revenue increased 66% to $1.4 million.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Seattle Pulp will work alongside the website of KOMO, Fisher’s Seattle ABC-affiliate, to provide news and reviews on local culture, technology, and entertainment with a regular “Best Of” the city feature.

“With a more urban, witty and fun voice, Seattle Pulp is aimed at enhancing and complementing the current KOMOnews.com user experience,” Fisher explained in a press release.

Seattle Pulp has assembled a diverse team of local contributors, many of whom have a certain cult status in the area, including Phoenix Jones, an amateur superhero who became an internet celebrity earlier this year. continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Fisher Communications

The company, which owns 20 stations in 10 western markets, announced the final voting results from its recent shareholders’ meeting and a dissident group of investors, backed by the hedge fund FrontFour Capital, was unable to gain enough seats to be able to impose their will on the future of the company.

In April, Fisher was so concerned about a potential takeover that it issued a press release warning that FrontFour, whose co-founder and portfolio manager David Lorber has a seat on the company’s board, was attempting to gain enough board seats so that it could initiate a quick sale of the 100-year-old company.

At the time, Fisher warned that the FrontFour-led group is only “focused on reaping a significant short-term gain.”

Announcing its new batch of board-members this week, Fisher said, “We remain committed to building long-term value for all of our shareholders.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

The Seattle-based company announced that its net TV revenue increased by 9.5%. Excluding political revenue, Fisher saw a 12.3% boost in the quarter, compared to the same period last year.

“Fisher’s successful execution of its strategic plan has continued our business growth by improving ratings, growing revenue share and adding new advertising categories and local solutions,” announced Fisher president and CEO Colleen Brown, who has lately been criticized by investors for her management of the company. continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Officials at Fisher, which owns 20 stations along the west coast including Seattle’s KOMO, sent a letter to shareholders this week urging them to reject the advances of a key investor.  According to the letter, FrontFour Capital Group, whose co-founder and portfolio manager David Lorber currently sits on the Fisher board, is attempting to elbow its way to more seats on the board so that the hedge fund can orchestrate a quick sale of the company.

Pointing out that 90% of FrontFour’s shares have been purchased since last May, Fisher officials stated that the investment group “has not been a long-term significant Fisher shareholder. Instead, it is a hedge fund that is focused on reaping a significant short-term gain.”

Lorber recently submitted a slate of four hand-picked nominees for election to Fisher’s board of directors. Company officials worry that if Lorber’s nominees are elected, FrontFour will gain a dangerous amount of sway over the future of Fisher.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.