 | |
| Industry | Media |
|---|---|
| Founded | Washington, D.C. (1975) |
| Founder | Joe L. Allbritton |
| Defunct | August 1, 2014 |
| Fate | Acquired by Sinclair |
| Successor | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Robert L. Allbritton (CEO) |
| Services | Broadcasting, publishing |
Allbritton Communications Company was an American media company based in Arlington, Virginia. It was the leading subsidiary of Perpetual Corporation, a private holding company owned by the family of company founder and former Riggs Bank president Joe L. Allbritton.[1] Joe’s son, Robert L. Allbritton, was the Chairman and CEO of Allbritton Communications from 2001 to 2014.[2] He is currently the owner of Capitol News Company, the parent company of the political newspaper and website Politico.[3]
Allbritton was the last remaining TV station group, besides network owned-and-operated stations, to have all of its stations affiliated with ABC. It was also the last to have all its stations have an exclusive affiliation deal with one network, rather than affiliations with any of the four major broadcast networks.
Allbritton formerly owned a chain of eight television stations affiliated with ABC, anchored by its flagship station in Washington, DC, WJLA-TV, and NewsChannel 8, a regional cable television network serving the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. In May 2013, the company put all of its stations up for sale, citing a desire to focus exclusively on Politico. The stations were ultimately sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group for $985 million.[4] The FCC approved the sale on July 24, 2014, following a year-long delay to address improper duopolies in certain markets that would have resulted from the purchase.[5]
- ^ O'Brien, Timothy L. (2004-05-09). "Corporate Art Lovers Who Hate That Big Tax Bill". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
- ^ "Company Overview of Allbritton Communications Company". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on November 6, 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
- ^ FCC approves $1B Allbritton TV sale to Sinclair, Politico, 24 July 2014, Retrieved 1 August 2014.
- ^ "Sinclair Buying Allbritton Stations For $985M". TVNewsCheck. 29 July 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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