THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, December 3, 1994 TAG: 9412030246
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEPHANIE STOUGHTON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 41 lines
A Baltimore broadcast company said Friday it has agreed to buy Fox affiliate WTVZ-TV for $47 million from Virginia Beach-based Max Television Co.
The buyer is Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc., which owns television stations in Baltimore; Pittsburgh; Milwaukee, Wis.; Columbus, Ohio; and Birmingham, Ala.
Officials from Max Television and Sinclair Broadcast Group did not return telephone calls. Sinclair announced the purchase of Norfolk-based WTVZ-TV in a statement late Friday afternoon.
WTVZ broadcasts on UHF Channel 33 throughout Hampton Roads, which is the 40th-largest television market, according to Sinclair.
It's unclear how Fox employees here will be affected, but a knowledgable source in the broadcast industry indicated that there may be a shakeup in management. The buyout was announced to employees Friday morning.
``It's my understanding that it was a surprise,'' the source said. ``It was a surprise to the staff, and not something that had been rumored in the community.
``They did an exceptionally good job of keeping it quiet.''
Sinclair purchased WTVZ through a wholly-owned subsidiary called Norfolk Acquisition Inc.
In August, Sinclair said it would align five stations that it operates with Paramount's new broadcast network. That network, a joint venture with Chris-Craft Industries Inc., was to begin in January.
Max Television is owned by several locally prominent broadcasting executives, including Aubrey E. ``Gene'' Loving Jr. and John A. Trinder. In addition to WTVZ, Max television owns a Fox affiliate in Syracuse, N.Y., and another in Tennessee. by CNB