New Vision Television

American broadcasting company

New Vision Television was a broadcast company based in Los Angeles, California. Throughout its two decade plus history, the company owned or managed over 20 television stations in large and medium sized markets.

Formed by Jason Elkin in 1993 in Atlanta, GA, New Vision Television began its ownership in local television by acquiring the assets of News Press & Gazette Company in December 1993 for $110 million. The deal included television stations in Jackson, MS (WJTV, including semi satellite WHLT in Hattiesburg); Wilmington, NC (WECT), Savannah, GA (WSAV TV), Sioux Falls, SD (KSFY and satellites KABY and KPRY), and Tucson, Arizona (KOLD). New Vision I sold its assets to Bert Ellis and Ellis Communications in 1995 for $230 million. (Most of them initially went to Raycom Media, but some had to be traded to Media General and KSFY was sold to Hoak Media.)

New Vision Television CEO Jason Elkin and COO John Heinen started a new company, New Vision Television II, that capitalized with $200 million and owned a maximum of four network affiliates. (Elkin had bought the stations from NPG that were sold to Ellis.) New Vision II owned KSBY in Santa Barbara, California; KVII TV in Amarillo, Texas; WISE TV in Fort Wayne, Indiana; and KDLH in Duluth, Minnesota. In 2005, New Vision II sold all of its stations at the time to Cordillera Communications, Barrington Broadcasting, and Granite Broadcasting.

New Vision III was a restart of the company with new stations. On August 1, 2006, New Vision announced an agreement to acquire CBS affiliates WIAT in Birmingham, Alabama and KIMT in Mason City, Iowa from Media General for $35 million. The acquisition was finalized on October 12 of that year. On November 15, New Vision announced an agreement to acquire CBS affiliate WKBN TV and sister Fox affiliate WYFX LP in Youngstown, Ohio for undisclosed terms, and signed a shared services agreement to operate Youngstown ABC affiliate WYTV for owner Parkin Broadcasting (later named PBC Broadcasting). New Vision subsequently launched the My Valley branding for several services offered by WKBN, WYFX, and WYTV. In September 2007, New Vision acquired Savannah, Georgia ABC affiliate WJCL TV from Piedmont Television; in November, it acquired all of the assets of Montecito Broadcasting: KOIN TV in Portland, Oregon; KHON TV in Honolulu, Hawaii and satellites; KSNW TV in Wichita, Kansas and satellites; and (in a related stock transaction) KSNT TV in Topeka, Kansas. In 2008, New Vision bought KTMJ CA and repeaters in Topeka (co managed with KSNT) and announced plans to convert KBNZ LD in Bend, Oregon (which has since been sold) from a translator of KOIN to its own station. In 2009, New Vision Television received a $28 million line of credit during its bankruptcy proceedings. New Vision, doing business as NV Broadcasting, filed for Chapter 11 after reaching an agreement with first and second lien debt holders that converts $400 million in debt to equity in the reorganized company. On May 7, 2012, LIN Media acquired the 13 television stations owned by New Vision Television. The sale provided a significant gain in equity for New Vision’s investors. The sales agreement included operational control of the three PBC Broadcasting owned stations (KTKA, WTGS and WYTV) involved in shared service agreements with New Vision owned stations in Topeka, Savannah and Youngstown (the licenses of the PBC stations are being transferred to Vaughan Media as part of the deal). The FCC approved the deal on October 2, 2012, and was completed on October 12, 2012. LIN was itself absorbed by Media General in late 2014; Media General would then be absorbed to Nexstar Media Group in 2017.

Stations are arranged in alphabetical order by state and city of license. City of license / Market Station Channel Years owned Current status Birmingham–Tuscaloosa–Anniston, AL WIAT 42 2006–2012 CBS affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group Tucson, AZ KOLD TV 13 1993–1995 CBS affiliate owned by Gray Television San Luis Obispo, CA KSBY 6 2002–2004 NBC affiliate owned by the E. W. Scripps Company Savannah, GA WSAV TV 3 1993–1995 NBC affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group WJCL 22 2007–2012 ABC affiliate owned by Hearst Television WTGS 28 2007–2012 Fox affiliate owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group Honolulu, HI KHON TV 2 2007–2012 Fox affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group Hilo, HI KHAW TVSatellite of KHON TV. 11 2007–2012 Fox affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group Wailuku, HI KAII TVname=KHON 7 2007–2012 Fox affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group Kauai, HI K55DZTranslator of KHON TV. 55 2007–2012 Defunct, license cancelled in 2013 Fort Wayne, IN WISE TV 33 2003–2005 The CW affiliate owned by Gray Television Mason City, IA–Rochester, MN KIMT 3 2006–2012 CBS affiliate owned by Allen Media BroadcastingTopeka, KS KSNT 27 2007–2012 NBC affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group KTMJ CD 43 2008–2012 Fox affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group KTKA TV 49 2011–2012 ABC affiliate owned by Vaughan Media Wichita, KS KSNW 3 2007–2012 NBC affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group Garden City, KS KSNGSatellite of KSNW. 11 2007–2012 NBC affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group Great Bend, KS KSNCname=KSNW 2 2007–2012 NBC affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group Salina, KS KSNL LDname=KSNW 47 2007–2012 NBC affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group McCook, NE KSNKname=KSNW 8 2007–2012 NBC affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group Duluth, MN KDLH 3 2003–2005 The CW affiliate owned by Gray Television Jackson, MS WJTV 12 1993–1995 CBS affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group Hattiesburg, MS WHLTSemi satellite of WJTV. 22 1993–1995 CBS affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group Wilmington, NC WECT 6 1993–1995 NBC affiliate owned by Gray Television Youngstown, OH WYFX LD 19 2007–2012 Fox affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group WKBN TV 27 2007–2012 CBS affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group WYTV 33 2007–2012 ABC affiliate owned by Vaughan Media Portland, OR KOIN 6 2007–2012 CBS affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group Bend, OR KBNZ LDSatellite of KOIN. 7 2007–2010 CBS affiliate owned by Zolo Media Sioux Falls, SD KSFY TV 13 1993–1995 ABC affiliate owned by Gray Television Aberdeen, SD KABY TVSatellite of KSFY TV. 9 1993–1995 Defunct, license cancelled in 2018 Pierre, SD KPRY TVname=KSFY 4 1993–1995 ABC affiliate owned by Gray Television Amarillo, TX KVII TV 7 2002–2005 ABC affiliate owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group Clovis, NM KVIH TVSatellite of KVII TV. 12 2002–2005 ABC affiliate owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group