ACME Communications

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ACME Communications Inc.
Public (OTC Pink: ACME)
Industry Television Broadcasting & Production
Headquarters Santa Ana, CA, USA
Key people
 Jamie Kellner (Chairman)
Doug Gealy (President/CEO)
John Hannon(EVP)
Stan Gill (COO)
Number of employees
 141[1]
Website ACMECommunications.com

ACME Communications is a moribund United States-based broadcasting company that was involved in operations of television stations and programming from the late 1990s until 2013.

Company profile

ACME Communications was co-founded by Chairman and original CEO Jamie Kellner, who previously served as a Fox Television Network executive and was founding CEO of The WB Television Network. Kellner used the name ACME as a play on the fictitious Acme Corporation featured in Warner Bros.' Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner animated film series and other animated Warner media.

The ownership portfolio of ACME Communications included television stations generally located in medium-sized US media markets, all of which ACME obtained through acquisitions (save for one station in Knoxville that the company built from the ground up). All but one of ACME's stations were affiliated with The WB Television Network or converted to WB affiliation at purchase, likely playing on Kellner's previous relationship with that network. The ACME WB stations were among the first to line up affiliations with The CW Television Network when The WB and UPN amalgamated in 2006;[2] the stations have continued affiliations with The CW to this day. ACME's station portfolio reached a peak of 11 stations in the early 2000s, at which time ACME also ventured into program production with the 2002 debut of The Daily Buzz, a syndicated daily morning news and information program that reaches 180 markets as of Spring 2013.[3]

During the early 2010s, ACME set forth on cost-cutting efforts involving its assets and an admitted "exit strategy" from the television business,[4] including the following:

  • A licensing and consulting agreement with Fisher Communications for The Daily Buzz, announced in April 2010, that would see Fisher handle production of Buzz.[5]
  • A June 2010 agreement with LIN TV Corporation (with intent to purchase) involving stations in 2 markets where the companies had common ownership (Dayton, and Green Bay-Fox Cities), where the LIN stations would provide operational, administrative, and joint sales services for the ACME stations. At the same time, LIN TV also entered into an agreement to provide some services (including third-party accounting) for ACME's duopoly in Albuquerque.[6]
  • A reduction and restructuring of its corporate staff, set forth in July 2010, that would see Jamie Kellner remain as company chairman but Doug Gealy taking over Keller's titles of President and CEO.[7]
  • The sales of its last remaining stations: single stations in Dayton, Green Bay, Knoxville (all 3 in sales consummated in Spring 2011), [8][9][10] and Madison (a February 2012 sale);[11][12] as well as an Albuquerque/Santa Fe duopoly (September 2012).[13]
  • The sale of The Daily Buzz to Mojo Brands Media in April 2013,[3] which left ACME with no remaining broadcast assets and put the company into a closedown mode; ACME will officially fold operations once it closes its outstanding accounts.[14] The Daily Buzz itself was abruptly canceled April 17, 2015 when a Mojo Brands investor pulled their funding for the series.[15]

Formerly owned assets

Programming

  • The Daily Buzz, a 3-hour-per-weekday morning news and information program geared toward a young adult audience. The show launched in 2002 from the studios of ACME-owned WBDT in Dayton, and since 2007 originates from the studios of Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. The show was sold to Mojo Brands Media in April 2013. It was canceled April 17, 2015.[16][14][3]

Television stations

Note: With one exception, all the below listed stations were affiliates of The CW Television Network or its predecessor, The WB, during ACME Communications' ownership. The exception, KASY-TV, was affiliated with UPN and MyNetworkTV (and was briefly an independent), and was located in a market where ACME already owned the WB/CW affiliate.

City of license / Market Station Channel
TV (RF)		 Years Owned Current Ownership Status
Fort Myers - Naples, FL WTVK 46 (45) 1998-2007 The CW affiliate, WXCW, owned by Sun Broadcasting, Inc.
Decatur - Champaign/Urbana - Springfield, IL WBUI 23 (22) 1999-2007 The CW affiliate owned by GOCOM Media, LLC
(Operated through a LMA by Sinclair Broadcast Group)
St. Louis, MO KPLR-TV 11 (26) 1997-2003 The CW affiliate owned by Tribune Broadcasting
Albuquerque - Sante Fe - Roswell, NM KWBQ 19 (29) 1999-2012 The CW affiliate owned by Tamer Media, LLC
(Operated through a SSA by Media General)[13]
KASY-TV 50 (45) 2000-2012 MyNetworkTV affiliate owned by Tamer Media, LLC
(Operated through a SSA by Media General[13]
Roswell, NM KRWB-TV
(Satellite of KWBQ)		 21 (21) 1999-2012 The CW affiliate owned by Tamer Media, LLC
(Operated through a SSA by Media General)[13]
Springfield - Dayton, OH WBDT 26 (26) 1999–2011 The CW affiliate owned by Vaughan Media, LLC
(Operated through a SSA by Media General)
Salem - Portland, OR KWBP 32 (33) 1997–2003 The CW affiliate, KRCW-TV, owned by Tribune Broadcasting
Crossville - Knoxville, TN WBXX-TV 20 (50) 1997–2011 The CW affiliate owned by Gray Television
Ogden - Salt Lake City, UT KUWB 30 (48) 1999–2006 The CW affiliate, KUCW, owned by Nexstar Broadcasting Group
Suring - Green Bay - Appleton - Fox Cities, WI WIWB/WCWF 14 (21) 1999–2011 The CW affiliate owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group
Janesville - Madison, WI WBUW 57 (32) 2002–2012 The CW affiliate owned by Byrne Acquisition Group, LLC

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Source: 3/9/2006 press release by ACME Communications posted on NASDAQ GlobeNewsWire
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ "ACME 3Q Station Revenue Falls 9%," from TVNewsCheck, 12/9/2011
  5. ↑ Source: ACME Communications press release dated 4/21/2010
  6. ↑ Source: ACME Communications press release dated 6/4/2010
  7. ↑ "Acme Restructures, Moves Toward Exit Plan", from Broadcasting & Cable, 6/17/2010
  8. ↑ Source: FCC Daily Digest of 4/7/2011
  9. ↑ "Acme 4Q Station Revenue Rises 7%," from TVNewsCheck, 4/19/2011
  10. ↑ Source: Press Release from ACME Communications, dated 5/24/2011
  11. ↑ "Byrne Grabs Acme's Madison CW Station," from Broadcasting & Cable, 12/13/2011
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 "Acme Sells Albuquerque Stations to Viall for $17.3 Million," from Broadcasting & Cable, 9/11/2012
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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