Super Bowl Update

Sinclair Broadcast Group reported Thursday that net broadcast revenues from continuing operations were $226.4 million for the three months ended Sept. 30, an increase of 49% versus the prior year period result of $151.9 million.

The company had operating income of $78.6 million in the quarter, as compared to $52.4 million in the prior year period. Net income was $26.2 million, versus $19.2 million a year ago.

Political revenues were $27.8 million in the third quarter, versus $2.4 million in the third quarter of last year.

"We are very pleased with our results for the third quarter, which were driven by increased advertising spending by the political and automotive categories, as well as higher retransmission revenues," said David Smith, Sinclair's president and CEO. "Despite increased demand for air-time by politicians and political action groups, the core business showed solid growth. On a same station basis, excluding political, net broadcast revenues grew 6.9% in the third quarter."

Smith continued, "In an extraordinary, value-creation action and in anticipation of a potential increase in dividend tax rates in 2013, the board of directors decided to return approximately $81.2 million of value to our shareholders in the form of a $1 per share special cash dividend, in addition to our regular $0.15 per share quarterly dividend."

Dish Network and Sinclair Broadcast Group announced this morning that they have reached an agreement in principle for Dish to continue carrying Sinclair's television stations, including KBSI-Fox 23 (Cape Girardeau, Mo.), WDKA-My49 (Paducah, Ky.), KDNL-ABC30 (St. Louis), and the Nashville Fox-MyNetwork TV-CW trio of WZTV, WUXP and WNAB.

There will be no station blackout for Dish's subscribers.

While the details of that new agreement are hammered out, an extension has been put in place and the old deal will carry forward.

As the deadline for Dish Network and Sinclair Broadcast Group to reach a new carriage deal looms ever closer, tempers are beginning to flare.

On Monday, Sinclair warned viewers that they could lose its stations, including several in Paducah, Cape Girardeau, St. Louis and Nashville - the opening salvo in what could be a prolonged battle.

Then Dish fired a volley of its own, claiming that Sinclair's demands for its channels simply aren't reasonable. "We carry more than 1,800 local broadcast stations nationwide. Sinclair is asking for more than any other station anywhere in the country," said Dave Shull, Dish's senior VP of programming. "This goes beyond pure corporate greed - it's profoundly insensitive to the needs of the public."

That was enough for Sinclair, and the company this afternoon replied that Dish isn't telling the whole truth. Here's part of the company's rather lengthy statement:

The prospects of a new deal look pretty dim at this point.

UPDATE, 6:25 p.m.: Customers of Wabash Independent Networks (WIN) in part of Southeastern Illinois would lose St. Louis ABC affiliate KDNL if Sinclair pulls its stations from Dish Network.  This is because WIN gets its local channels from the satellite provider.  WIN's subscribers in Clay and Marion counties as well as the cities of Flora and Xenia will be affected if no new agreement is reached.  Customers in the other WIN service areas receive ABC affiliates from either Terre Haute or Evansville.

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PREVIOUSLY: Sinclair Broadcast Group has begun informing its viewers that it does not expect Dish Network to continue to carry any of its stations - including those in Paducah/Cape Girardeau, St. Louis and Nashville - after Sinclair's existing carriage agreement with Dish ends on Wednesday.

Although Dish and Sinclair have been negotiating for quite some time in an effort to reach a new agreement, at this time it does not appear that these efforts will be successful.

"We are very sorry that we have not been able to reach agreement with Dish and regret the inconvenience this will cause to Dish subscribers who want to continue to watch the extremely popular programming that airs on our stations," Sinclair said in a statement Monday afternoon. "We wish to remind these subscribers that numerous other means exist for receiving our stations, including your local cable provider, DirecTV, and in some markets either Verizon FiOS or AT&T U-verse, as well as over-the air."

Sinclair owns and operates several stations in this part of the country, including two in the Paducah/Cape Girardeau area (KBSI-Fox 23 and WDKA-My49), one in St. Louis (KDNL-ABC30) and three in Nashville (WZTV-Fox 17, WUXP-My30 and WNAB-CW58).

Get ready, folks:  Bill Cunningham is coming to your TV screen.

The attorney and conservative talk radio host, whose Sunday night radio program, Live on Sunday Nights It's Bill Cunningham, is distributed nationally to over 300 radio stations, is bringing his TV talk show to the CW television network and its more than 200 affiliates nationwide beginning Sept. 17.

The Bill Cunningham Show debuted last fall on Tribune Broadcasting's TV stations throughout the country as well as two Local TV, LLC-owned stations and Raycom's WXIX in Cincinnati (Cunningham's hometown).  The expansion to the CW stations means that viewers in the Tri-State will now get to experience what's been described as a traditional conflict-resolution style tabloid show with Cunningham's viewpoints blended in.

Stations which will carry the show in and around the Tri-State include WAZE-LP (Evansville); WQWQ, WQTV and KFVS 12.2 (Paducah/Murray/Cape Girardeau); WBKO 13.3 (Bowling Green); WBKI and WMYO 58.3 (Louisville); KPLR (St. Louis*) and WNAB (Nashville).  In the Indianapolis market, WXIN-Fox 59 carried the show last season, and it's not yet known if it will remain there or be moved to its sister station, WTTV/WTTK, which can be seen in Terre Haute and nearby communities.

“We are very pleased to add The Bill Cunningham Show to our weekday afternoon block,” said John Maatta, chief operating officer at the CW, when the network announced Cunningham's addition earlier this year. “Bill is a talented host with a fascinating program, and we know he’ll be a terrific asset for the CW and our affiliated stations.”

Local air times for the show have not yet been announced; I'll bring you those in early September when they become available.