LIN Media has completed its acquisition of the 13 television stations it agreed to purchase in May from New Vision Television.  The acquisition brings the number of stations LIN operates or services to 43.

In a statement, LIN’s president and chief executive officer Vincent Sadusky said, “LIN Media has acquired a terrific collection of broadcast properties with employees that share a similar passion for excellence and growth that have driven our company for the past 50 years. The addition of these television stations further advances our strategy to expand our national footprint and digital media business.”

The deal is worth $342 million, including the assumption of $12 million in debt from New Vision Television.

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LIN Media, which operates or services 32 network affiliates around the country, today reported a 15% increase in revenue for the first quarter, compared to the same period last year.

LIN TV stations brought in $103.2 million in net revenue during the first three months of the year, compared to $89.7 million during last year’s first quarter. Local revenue increased 16% to $67.7 million, and national revenue was up 4% to $23.1 million.

“2012 is off to a great start as a result of strong first quarter results and revenue increases in all areas of our business,” LIN president and CEO Vincent Sadusky said, announcing his company’s financial results. Read more

LIN Media today announced that it has agreed to purchase 13 stations from New Vision Television for $330.4 million and the assumption of $12 million of debt.

New Vision’s 13 network affiliated stations are located in eight markets across the country, including Birmingham, Honolulu, and Portland, OR.

On its website, New Vision Television describes itself as “the future of local TV” but the deal, which is expected to close by the end of the year, means that there will be little future for the company.

“This is a bittersweet development,” New Vision CEO Jason Elkin said today in a statement.  “The decision to sell to LIN Media was not an easy one, but we negotiated a fair price and so decided that now is the right time for me and others at New Vision to begin to look at new opportunities.” Read more

LIN Media, which owns network affiliates in 15 markets across the country, today reported financial results for the fourth quarter, as well as the full year, of 2011.

Like most station groups, LIN experienced a sharp drop in political advertising. Net political revenues for the fourth quarter were $3 million, compared to $23.8 million for the same period the previous year. The dip in political advertising led to an 8% decrease in total revenue for the fourth quarter.

Outside of political advertising, the company saw some significant gains. Local revenue, which includes local advertising, retrans fees, and website revenue, was up 12% for the fourth quarter. Read more

Michael Kelly has been named vice president of sales for LIN Media, the company announced today.

Kelly, a 30-year veteran of the broadcast industry, has been the director of interactive and new media sales since 2008, where he was “instrumental in building a digital culture at each television station and furthering LIN Media’s transformation to a multimedia company,” according to a statement announcing his promotion.

“Mike’s unique blend of sales experience in both television and digital media, innovative multimedia advertising ideas and strong relationships make him an ideal candidate for this position,” Vincent Sadusky, LIN Media’s president and CEO, said in a statement.

LIN Media, which owns, operates, or services 32 stations in 17 markets across the country, today announced a 3% decrease in third quarter revenue, compared to the same period last year.

LIN brought in $100.8 million in Q3–compared to $103.6 million last year–and despite significant increases in retrans fees and digital advertising revenues, the company was unable to overcome a 78% drop in political advertising.

“Our continued digital revenue growth helped offset the decrease in political revenue and current economic challenges,” LIN president and CEO Vincent Sadusky said. “We are encouraged to see positive indicators for the fourth quarter.”

In addition to announced financial results, LIN boasted that 81% of its ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC news stations were ranked number one or two in their local markets based on key demo viewership.

LIN Media, which owns, operates, or services 32 stations across the country including WISH in Indianapolis and KXAN in Austin, reported today that revenue was up 5% for the second quarter, compared to the same period last year.

Net revenues for the station group was $104.1 million in the second quarter, compared to $99.5 million last year.

In announcing the financial results, LIN president and CEO Vincent Sadusky said that the boost was driven by an increase in digital revenues, which includes both internet advertising and retrans fees.

“Our growth in digital is a result of our interactive strategy and ability to secure higher retransmission fees from pay television service providers, which offset the slow economic recovery and auto supply issues,” Sadusky said.

In addition to reporting an uptick in revenue, LIN boasted that 77% of its ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC stations were ranked number one or two in their local markets for May sweeps, based on key demographics.

LIN TV, which manages 32 stations in 17 markets across the country, announced today that its net revenue for the first quarter was $92.6 million, up 1% from the same period last year.

“We delivered another strong performance in the first quarter, in spite of significant uncertainty that continues to weigh on the economy,” said LIN president and CEO Vincent Sadusky, in announcing the financial results.

Sadusky pointed to increased digital revenues, including internet advertising and retrans fees, as the major reason for why the company was able to see a slight boost during the first quarter while lacking the political advertising that it saw in early 2010.

LIN, which aggressively negotiated new retrans deals with DISH and Cox Communications last month, saw digital revenues increase 31% compared to the first quarter of last year.

LIN TV, which has 32 stations in 17 markets, announced today that it saw a 24% increase in net revenue for the fourth quarter of 2010.  The successful end to 2010 also lead to a 24% increase in revenue for the entire year, compared to 2009.

LIN’s net revenue for the final three months of last year was $125.1 million, brining the full year total to $420 million.

“2010 was marked by significant improvement in advertising, despite the economy’s slow rebound, as local TV continued to prove its unparalleled reach and effectiveness,” said Vincent Sadusky, LIN’s president and CEO, in making the announcement.

LIN stations were helped by a major increase in political advertising surrounding November’s elections. The company’s political revenues increased by $19.9 million in the fourth quarter, compared to the same period in 2009. For the full year, LIN brought in $36.2 million more in political revenue than the previous year.

LIN Media stations are back on DISH Network systems this morning as the two companies were able to reach a new retrans agreement over the weekend.

On Sunday, LIN announced that it had entered into a new deal with DISH, ending weeks of intense negotiations as well a black-out that began March 5th.

“We are pleased that our negotiations with DISH Network resulted in a fair resolution,” said Vincent Sadusky, LIN’s president and CEO. “We thank our viewers and our advertisers for their tremendous support.”

In announcing the agreement, DISH said that it “is pleased to have reached a deal” that resumed the carriage of 27 LIN stations in 17 markets. “We sincerely appreciate the patience our customers have shown during this time.” Read more