Cox Media Group


Cox Media Group, Inc. is an American media conglomerate principally owned by Apollo Global Management in conjunction with Cox Enterprises, which maintains a 19.9% minority stake in the company. The company primarily owns radio and television stations—many of which are located in the South, Pacific Northwest, Eastern Midwest, and Northeast, and the regional cable news network Pittsburgh Cable News Channel.
Originally founded in December 2008 by Cox Enterprises through a consolidation of its existing publishing and broadcasting subsidiaries, the current incarnation of Cox Media Group was formed on December 17, 2019 through the acquisition by Apollo of the original Cox Media Group from Cox Enterprises – which transferred a controlling interest in the company to Apollo – and Northwest Broadcasting from Brian Brady.

History

In December 2008, Cox Enterprises created Cox Media Group by merging Cox Newspapers, Cox Radio, and Cox Television into one integrated digital media company. The creation of Cox Media Group was a departure from grouping subsidiaries based solely on publishing medium.
In August 2009, Cox Enterprises realigned its radio, television, newspaper/publishing, and digital assets into the same division. Under the new structure, while the local brands remain independent, they share resources and some management. Dayton, Ohio, was considered the prototype for the media group, where radio, television, newspaper, and direct mail were all in the same market and were combined into a new building. In other markets where the facilities aren't as close together, they do share some senior management; for example Houston & San Antonio Radio and the Austin American-Statesman newspaper all fall under the same regional vice president. In addition to the radio/TV stations and newspapers, Cox Media Group encompasses Cox Digital Solutions, Cox Reps, Kudzu.com, Savings.com, and Valpak direct mail.
CMG introduced a new group buying discount program called DealSwarm in October 2010. DealSwarm provides online discounts at local businesses. The program is active in such Cox Media Group properties as Atlanta, Austin and Dayton.
In July 2012, CMG announced its intention to sell its radio stations in smaller markets: Birmingham, Greenville, Hawaii, Louisville, Richmond, and Southern Connecticut. It also intends to spin off its smaller market television stations in El Paso, Johnstown, Reno, and Steubenville. The company said it intended to focus on larger markets or smaller markets that could be clustered together with other CMG properties.
In April 2013, CMG launched the online-only new site Rare.us as a conservative media source, originally with the tagline “Red is the Center” and more recently “America’s News Feed.” After initially-low audience numbers, the site expanded dramatically following more prominent use of social media and a more diverse range of stories.
On February 12, 2013, CMG announced the sale of the Birmingham, Greenville, Hawaii, Louisville, and Richmond radio stations to SummitMedia, and the southern Connecticut stations to Connoisseur Media; two weeks later, on February 25, the company announced the sale of the four television stations to Sinclair Broadcast Group.
In October 2014, Cox Digital Solutions became Gamut. Smart Media from Cox., offering media solutions to address the evolution of OTT. With this transition, CMG will cover linear television and radio, and Gamut will focus on OTT/CTV.
On July 24, 2018, Cox Enterprises announced that it was "exploring strategic options" for Cox Media Group's television stations, which the company said could involve "partnering or merging these stations into a larger TV company." Cox Media Group's president, Kim Guthrie, subsequently clarified to trade publication Radio & Television Business Report that the company was solely seeking "a merger or partnership" and not an outright sale of the television stations.
On February 15, 2019, Cox announced that Apollo Global Management would acquire a majority interest in the CMG television stations, as well as the Dayton radio stations and Ohio newspapers, forming a new company that retains Cox Media Group's management and operating structure; Cox Enterprises holds a minority stake in this company. Cox's other radio stations, as well as The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, were not included in the deal; Cox had previously said that any deal involving the television stations would not include radio stations or newspapers. In March 2019 filings with the Federal Communications Commission, Apollo disclosed that the new company, tentatively named Terrier Media, would purchase the Cox stations for $3.1 billion.
On March 18, 2019, the Atlanta Business Chronicle reported that Cox Enterprises was "exploring options" for its radio stations. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution would not be included in any potential deal for the stations.
On June 26, 2019, Cox announced that the radio stations, as well as national advertising business – CoxReps, and local OTT advertising agency - Gamut, would also be acquired by the Apollo Global Management-backed company, which concurrently announced that it would retain the Cox Media Group name instead of Terrier Media. As they would no longer be grandfathered, the new company must divest a radio station each in the Orlando and Tampa Bay markets.
Both acquisitions, along with Apollo's concurrent $384 million acquisition of Northwest Broadcasting, were approved by the FCC on November 22, 2019, under conditions imposed after a federal court blocked changes to several FCC ownership policies. To comply with regulations prohibiting the cross-ownership of broadcast stations and daily newspapers, CMG agreed to cut publication of its Ohio newspapers to three days a week within 30 days of the deal's completion; Cox Enterprises also reduced its stake in CMG to a non-attributable interest, eliminating an ownership conflict with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. CMG was also required to surrender the licenses to two of Northwest Broadcasting's stations, in Yuma, Arizona and Syracuse, New York, where Northwest's existing duopolies did not comply with reinstated provisions of the FCC's duopoly rule. Cox announced the closing of the acquisition on December 17, 2019.
On February 10, 2020, Cox Enterprises announced it would repurchase the Dayton Daily News, Journal-News, and Springfield News-Sun from CMG, once again owning a 100% interest in the newspapers; the sale, which reunited the papers with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in Cox Enterprises' newspaper holdings, allowed them to continue daily publication despite the court ruling. The sale was officially closed on March 2.

Subsidiaries

Gamut

Gamut is a Cox Media Group company that specializes in local over-the-top video advertising solutions, whereas Cox Media Group focuses on linear television and radio. Headquartered in New York, NY, Gamut has eight offices in the US. Gamut’s core product, Gamut TOTAL®, places OTT advertising campaigns directly through publishers' ad servers, including Discovery Inc.’s networks.

Cox Newspapers

Current holdings

The following newspapers were at one time owned by subsidiary Cox Newspapers Inc. or CMG:

Daily newspapers

Cox Media Group owns, operates or provides sales and marketing services to 57 stations in 20 markets. This radio portfolio includes 15 AM stations and 71 FM stations.
Cox Radio became a public company, majority owned by Cox Enterprises, in 1996. Around April 2009, Cox Enterprises proposed a US$69-million takeover offer of Cox Radio. The offer expired on May 1, 2009. The offer was later raised to $4.80 a share, and the expiration was pushed to May 13. The offer was accepted, and the acquisition was completed on June 1.

Talk shows

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Current
MarketStationOwned SinceCurrent Format
JacksonvilleWOKV 6902000Sports
JacksonvilleWAPE-FM 95.12000Contemporary hit radio
JacksonvilleWOKV-FM 104.52000News/talk
JacksonvilleWJGL 96.92000Classic hits
JacksonvilleWEZI 102.92000Soft adult contemporary
JacksonvilleWXXJ 106.52006Alternative rock
Miami - Fort Lauderdale - Hollywood, FLWEDR 99.12000Urban contemporary
Miami - Fort Lauderdale - Hollywood, FLWFLC 97.3 **1946Contemporary hit radio
Miami - Fort Lauderdale - Hollywood, FLWFEZ 93.12000Soft adult contemporary
Miami - Fort Lauderdale - Hollywood, FLWHQT 105.11992Urban adult contemporary
OrlandoWDBO 5801997Sports
OrlandoWCFB 94.51997Urban adult contemporary
OrlandoWOEX 96.51997Spanish-language contemporary hits
OrlandoWMMO 98.91997Classic hits
OrlandoWPYO 95.31999Contemporary hit radio
OrlandoWWKA 92.31997Country
Tampa - St. Petersburg - Clearwater, FLWDUV 105.51999Soft adult contemporary
Tampa - St. Petersburg - Clearwater, FLWHPT 102.51999Hot talk
Tampa - St. Petersburg - Clearwater, FLWPOI 101.51999Contemporary hit radio
Tampa - St. Petersburg - Clearwater, FLWSUN 97.11999Alternative
Tampa - St. Petersburg - Clearwater, FLWWRM 94.91993Adult contemporary
Tampa - St. Petersburg - Clearwater, FLWXGL 107.31988Classic hits
AtlantaWSB 7501939News/talk
AtlantaWALR-FM 104.12000Urban adult contemporary
AtlantaWSBB-FM 95.51999simulcasts WSB
AtlantaWSB-FM 98.5 **1948Adult contemporary
AtlantaWSRV 97.12000Classic hits
Athens, GAWGAU 13402008News/talk
Athens, GAWRFC 9602008Sports
Athens, GAWGMG 102.12008Adult contemporary
Athens, GAWNGC 106.12008Country
Athens, GAWPUP 100.12008Contemporary hit radio
Athens, GAWXKT 103.72008Classic rock
Nassau - Suffolk, NYWBAB 102.31998Classic rock
Nassau - Suffolk, NYWBLI 106.11998Top 40
Nassau - Suffolk, NYWHFM-95.31998simulcasts WBAB
Tulsa, OklahomaKRMG 7401997News-talk
Tulsa, OklahomaKJSR 103.31997Classic rock
Tulsa, OklahomaKRMG-FM 102.31999simulcasts KRMG
Tulsa, OklahomaKRAV-FM 96.51996Hot adult contemporary
Tulsa, OklahomaKWEN 95.51997Country
Dayton, OhioWHIO 1290 **1935News-talk
Dayton, OhioWHIO-FM 95.71998simulcasts WHIO
Dayton, OhioWHKO 99.1 **1946Country
Dayton, OhioWZLR 95.31998Classic hits
Houston - Galveston, TXKHPT 106.92000simulcasts KGLK
Houston - Galveston, TXKGLK 107.52000Classic Rock
Houston - Galveston, TXKKBQ 92.92000Country
Houston - Galveston, TXKTHT 97.12000Classic country
San AntonioKKYX 6801997Classic country
San AntonioKONO 8601998Oldies
San AntonioKCYY 100.31997Country
San AntonioKISS-FM 99.51997Active rock
San AntonioKONO-FM 101.11998Classic hits
San AntonioKTKX 106.71997Classic rock
San AntonioKSMG 105.31997Hot adult contemporary

Former
MarketStationCurrent ownership status
BirminghamWAGG 610Owned by SummitMedia
BirminghamWENN 1320Owned by SummitMedia
BirminghamWBHJ 95.7Owned by SummitMedia
BirminghamWBHK 98.7Owned by SummitMedia
BirminghamWBPT 106.9Owned by SummitMedia
BirminghamWZNN 97.3WPYA, owned by SummitMedia
BirminghamWZZK-FM 104.7Owned by SummitMedia
Bridgeport, ConnecticutWEZN-FM 99.9Owned by Connoisseur Media
New Haven, ConnecticutWPLR 99.1Owned by Connoisseur Media
Stamford - Norwalk, ConnecticutWFOX 95.9Owned by Connoisseur Media
HonoluluKKNE 940Owned by SummitMedia
HonoluluKRTR 650KPRP, owned by SummitMedia
HonoluluKCCN-FM 100.3Owned by SummitMedia
HonoluluKINE-FM 105.1Owned by SummitMedia
HonoluluKPHW 104.3Owned by SummitMedia
HonoluluKRTR-FM 96.3Owned by SummitMedia
LouisvilleWRKA 103.9Owned by SummitMedia
LouisvilleWQNU 103.1Owned by SummitMedia
LouisvilleWSFR 107.7Owned by SummitMedia
LouisvilleWVEZ 106.9Owned by SummitMedia
Greenville - SpartanburgWHZT 98.1Owned by SummitMedia
Greenville - SpartanburgWJMZ-FM 107.3Owned by SummitMedia
RichmondWHTI 100.9Owned by SummitMedia
RichmondWKHK 95.3Owned by SummitMedia
RichmondWKLR 96.5Owned by SummitMedia
RichmondWURV 103.7Owned by SummitMedia

Cox Television

Cox Television-owned television stations

Stations are listed in alphabetical order by state and city of license.
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