NEW YORK—After receiving all the required regulatory approvals, Hearst has announced that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of WBBH-TV from Waterman Broadcasting Corporation.
Hearst did not release financial terms but the deal has been reported to be worth about $220 million.
The NBC-affiliated television station is the market leader serving the Fort Myers and Naples, Florida, DMA. WBBH-TV also broadcasts the Heroes & Icons network on a digital sub-channel.
Under the transaction, Hearst assumes Waterman Broadcasting’s programming relationship with Montclair Communications, Inc., owner of WZVN-TV, the market’s ABC affiliate. WZVN-TV also broadcasts the MeTV and Dabl networks on its digital sub-channels.
“The Waterman family has served southwest Florida with unparalleled community service and outstanding journalism,” said Jordan Wertlieb, executive vice president and COO of Hearst. “We at Hearst are steadfast in this commitment to local broadcasting as we have been throughout Florida for over 25 years.”
Longtime Waterman Broadcasting executive and WBBH-TV vice president and station manager Darrel Lieze-Adams will continue in this role and succeed Steve Pontius, who recently announced his retirement, with market oversight.
“Darrel has a passion for WBBH and has served the station and southwest Florida for 26 years as news director and station manager,” Hayes said. “We are eager to join him to continue the outstanding work being done.”
In addition to WBBH-TV, Hearst Television’s Florida stations include WESH-TV and WKCF-TV, the NBC and CW affiliates in Orlando; WPBF-TV, the ABC affiliate serving West Palm Beach; and WMOR-TV, an independent television station in Tampa-St. Petersburg. Hearst Television reaches nearly one out of every five households in the U.S.
WBBH-TV and WZVN-TV have earned multiple awards for compelling and in-depth journalism and for service to the Fort Myers and Naples communities. Collectively, the stations earned three national Edward R. Murrow Awards in 2022 from the Radio Television Digital News Association.
Fort Myers/Naples is the 55th largest television market in the United States. The acquisition adds a 12th NBC affiliate to the Hearst station group. Hearst will now operate two NBC and two ABC stations in the state of Florida.
WBBH-TV went on the air in December 1968 as the market’s NBC affiliate. Waterman Broadcasting Corporation was founded by Bernard Waterman in 1956 when he purchased WAAB-AM in Worcester, Massachusetts. WBBH and what is now WZVN began a programming relationship in 1994.
