Another Sinclair? .. Piedmont Broadcasting.. Need help with info

[KelleyKramer]

parently Sinclair is not the only conglomerate that banned the Nightline show.

My local station banned it too and after a phone call to them, just found out that they are owned by Piedmont Broadcasting. The nitetime news chief said this was not their choice, it was a 'management' decision made by their owner.

I did several google searches and came up with nothing but non-descript fcc legal pages and garbage.. No website for them, no contact info, nothing.

Does anyone know anything about Piedmont Broadcasting?

All I have so far is they are based out of North Carolina, and it looks like they operated as Gocom Communications a few years ago.

Any help would be much appreciated,

Kelley

[LastDemocratInSC]

1. The only references I see are in Danville, VA, and only for radio

Where are you, Kelley? That would help.

[KelleyKramer]

2. Is that 1330 radio?

I saw that in several places.

There are a few news articles that mention Piedmont owns at least a dozen tv stations.. But there is nothing that lists everything, and no links to a company website at all.

Its almost like they are invisible.

Seems like I remember a website where you could look up companies and their holdings..

Anybody know about that or have a link?


Thanks
Kelley

[KC]

3. Kelley....Maybe this will help a little

Paul Brissette
Brissette, Piedmont's chairman and one of its major investors, is legendary for his cost-cutting at other stations. He did not return calls seeking comment on the WKBN dispute.

In a May 2003 interview, Brissette said Piedmont Broadcasting had secured a new $100 million line of credit and would be seeking another $700 million from investors and lenders to finance station acquisitions. Piedmont had just been offered $260 million for its 13 stations, he related, but the company was not for sale.In 2001, Piedmont, then called Gocom Communications

snip
http://www.business-journal.com/mediascope/MediamFeb04.html

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snip
At the time, Brissette was visiting the two Youngstown television stations, WKBN and WYFX, that his North Carolina company operates. He had just completed a $100 million refinancing of Piedmont Broadcasting Co., and was figuring on raising as much as $700 million from investors and lenders to finance additional station acquisitions.Two months before, Brissette says he turned down a $260 million offer for Piedmont's 13 television stations. The unsolicited offer, from a buyer Brissette declined to identify, was just the latest in "many big offers" that had come his way.Then came what Brissette did not anticipate -- new media ownership rules handed down June 2 by the Republican-controlled Federal Communications Commission that gave big market operators and networks virtually everything they wanted and small-market operators almost nothing.

snip

And so, Brissette, a conservative Republican who gives generously to the G.O.P. and the president's campaign committee, finds himself opposed to the FCC's action June 2

snip

http://www.business-journal.com/mediascope/Aug03mscope.html

[KelleyKramer]

4. Still cant find much

Thanks for the info, I ran a search for Paul Brissette and didn’t get much at all.

Also checked the Charlotte BBB for Piedmont Communications and they are not members.

This is pretty surprising for a company that owns so many 'public' tv stations.