Nexstar Broadcasting has completed its acquisition of three California stations from Newport Television: NBC affiliate KGET and Telemundo affiliate KKEY in Bakersfield and CBS affiliate KGPE in Fresno.

The $34.5 million transaction will create duopolies for Nexstar in both Fresno and Bakersfield, Calif. Nexstar announced plans to acquire NBC affiliate KSEE in Fresno last month.

“This transaction is consistent with our acquisition criteria as it further diversifies our operations, creates new duopoly markets and is financially accretive,” Nexstar president and CEO Perry A. Sook said in a statement.

Nexstar Broadcasting has entered into definitive agreements to acquire three California stations from Newport Television and two Vermont stations from Smith Media, LLC.

Nexstar will pay Newport $35.4 million for KGPE, the CBS affiliate in Fresno; KGET, the NBC-CW affiliate in Bakersfield; and KKEY, the low-powered Telemundo affiliate in Bakersfield. In Vermont, Nexstar will join with Mission Broadcasting to acquire WFFF and WVNY, the Fox and ABC affiliates in Burlington, for $17.1 million.

“These transactions are consistent with our criteria for acquisitions that further strategically diversify our operations, create or present opportunities for virtual duopoly markets and which are financially accretive,” Nexstar chairman Perry Sook said in a statement.

WFXG vice president and general manager Barry Barth will retire at the end of the year after more than 50 years in the television business.

Barth has been VP-GM of WFXG, Raycom’s Fox affiliate in Augusta, since 2003. He has also worked as VP-GM of KREM in Spokane and KGPE in Fresno. He began his career as a switchboard operator and runner at WNDU in South Bend when he was 15. His son, Kevin Barth, is the vice president and director of sales at WCBS, the CBS O&O in New York City.

“Barry has worked tirelessly on behalf of Raycom and for the people of the Greater Augusta Area,” Leon Long, Raycom’s senior vice president of television, said in a statement. “We wish him well as he begins the next chapter in his life.”  Read more

Fresno CBS-affiliate KGPE had a representative from a local animal shelter onto its morning show Tuesday and she brought along a cat who did not respond well to anchor Jenny Toste.

Toste was holding the cat in her arms, listening to the shelter representative talk about how friendly it was, when the animal began to swipe at her face. As Toste attempted to regain control of the cat after the warning shot, it launched into a full-blown attack (video after the jump). Read more

Anchor Alicia Coates (pictured) and reporter Steve McCarron have left Fresno CBS-affiliate KGPE, the Fresno Bee reports.

Coates, the weekend anchor, has left KGPE to join KFMB, the CBS-affiliate in San Diego. Coates, who joined KGPE in 2009, will be a reporter and fill-in anchor at KFMB.

Also gone is McCarron, who has joined KPTV, the Fox-affiliate in Portland. McCarron had been a reporter and producer at KGPE for five years.

The Fresno Bee reports the station is currently searching for replacements. For now, Lemor Abrams will report for KGPE on a freelance basis. Abrams was most recently a freelance reporter at rival KMPH.