# Multimedia, Inc. > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Multimedia%2C_Inc. > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Multimedia%2C_Inc..md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multimedia%2C_Inc. > Source revision: 1356956299 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|American media company (1968–1995)}} {{Infobox company | name = Multimedia, Inc. | fate = Acquired by [Gannett Co.](/source/Gannett) ([television counterpart](/source/Multimedia_Entertainment) sold to [Universal Studios](/source/Universal_Studios%2C_Inc.) in 1996; cable TV counterpart sold to [Cox Communications](/source/Cox_Communications) in 2000)
Assets now existing as part of USA Today Co. and [Nexstar Media Group](/source/Nexstar_Media_Group) | logo = | type = [Public](/source/Public_company) | founded = {{Start date and age|1968|1|1}} | defunct = {{End date and age|1995|12|4}} | location = [Greenville, South Carolina](/source/Greenville%2C_South_Carolina) | key_people = [Craig A. Dubow](/source/Craig_A._Dubow) ([chairman](/source/Chair_(official)), president & [CEO](/source/Chief_executive_officer)) | revenue = | industry = [Media](/source/Mass_media) | products = [Newspaper](/source/Newspaper)s, [television](/source/television), and [Internet](/source/Internet) media | num_employees = 49,675 | website = }} '''Multimedia, Inc.''' was a [media](/source/Mass_media) company that owned 12 daily [newspaper](/source/newspaper)s, 49 weekly newspapers, two [radio](/source/radio) stations, five [television](/source/television) stations, and a [cable television](/source/cable_television) system division. The company was headquartered in [Greenville, South Carolina](/source/Greenville%2C_South_Carolina). == History == Multimedia's origins can be traced to December 1932, when the News-Piedmont Company of Greenville, which published the [''Greenville News'' and ''Greenville Piedmont''](/source/Greenville_News) newspapers, acquired radio station [WFBC](/source/WYRD_(AM)), only weeks after the station relocated to Greenville from [Knoxville, Tennessee](/source/Knoxville%2C_Tennessee). In November 1953 the News-Piedmont Co. acquired majority ownership of the [''Asheville Citizen'' and ''Asheville Times''](/source/Asheville_Citizen-Times) and its wholly owned radio station, [WWNC](/source/WWNC). WFBC-TV, the ''News'' and ''Piedmont'''s television station, signed on from Greenville at the end of 1953. The News-Piedmont Co. would expand its broadcast holdings with the acquisitions of [WBIR-AM](/source/WIFA_(AM))-[FM](/source/WIMZ-FM)-[TV](/source/WBIR-TV) in Knoxville in 1961, and of the Southeastern Broadcasting Company, which owned [WMAZ-AM](/source/WMAC)-[FM](/source/WDEN-FM)-[TV](/source/WMAZ-TV) in [Macon, Georgia](/source/Macon%2C_Georgia), in 1963. Then, in September 1967 the three commonly owned companies announced that, pending approval by the [Federal Communications Commission](/source/Federal_Communications_Commission) (FCC), they would merge by January 1, 1968, taking on the Multimedia, Inc. name.{{cite news |title=Stockholders Favor Merger Of Papers, TV |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bHMsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vssEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6232%2C2648182 |access-date=October 27, 2024 |work=[The Spartanburg Herald](/source/The_Spartanburg_Herald) |agency=[Associated Press](/source/Associated_Press) |date=September 16, 1967 |page=3}} At the time Multimedia consisted of the Asheville and Greenville newspapers, three television stations and seven radio stations.{{cite news |title=FCC Asked Permission For Merger |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Z3MsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vssEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3901%2C963849 |access-date=October 27, 2024 |work=[The Spartanburg Herald](/source/The_Spartanburg_Herald) |agency=[Associated Press](/source/Associated_Press) |date=September 7, 1967 |page=2}} The company's most significant acquisitions came in 1976, when it purchased several properties from [Cincinnati](/source/Cincinnati%2C_Ohio)-based [Avco](/source/Avco), which was liquidating its media holdings. Multimedia first bought Avco's flagship television station, [WLWT](/source/WLWT) in Cincinnati, and later acquired Avco Program Sales, the [syndication](/source/Broadcast_syndication) division which produced and nationally distributed ''[The Phil Donahue Show](/source/The_Phil_Donahue_Show)'' and a regionally-distributed program produced at WLWT, ''[The Bob Braun 50-50 Club](/source/Bob_Braun)''. This division would be renamed [Multimedia Program Sales](/source/Multimedia_Entertainment).{{cite news|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1976/1976-05-10-BC.pdf|title=Fates and Fortunes: Programming|newspaper=Broadcasting|date=May 10, 1976|accessdate=October 25, 2022}} The company was involved in one of the more unusual media transactions in history. In 1983, it sold its flagship television station, WFBC-TV in Greenville (now [WYFF](/source/WYFF)) and [WXII-TV](/source/WXII-TV) in [Winston-Salem, North Carolina](/source/Winston-Salem%2C_North_Carolina), to [Pulitzer, Inc.](/source/Pulitzer%2C_Inc.) In return, Multimedia received Pulitzer's former flagship television station, [KSDK](/source/KSDK) in [St. Louis](/source/St._Louis). Multimedia used its new purchase as the testing ground for a [new show](/source/Sally_(1983_TV_series)) hosted by [Sally Jessy Raphael](/source/Sally_Jessy_Raphael). [General Electric](/source/General_Electric)'s [NBC](/source/NBC) unit considered buying the company in 1995, but a deal never materialized.{{cite news|last=Carter|first=Bill|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/13/business/the-media-business-nbc-group-is-set-to-bid-for-the-assets-of-multimedia.html|title=THE MEDIA BUSINESS; NBC Group Is Set to Bid For the Assets of Multimedia|newspaper=The New York Times|date=June 13, 1995|accessdate=July 2, 2021}} Instead, on July 24, 1995, the [Gannett Company](/source/Gannett) announced that it had entered into an agreement to acquire Multimedia for $1.7 billion, plus $539 million in long-term debt.{{cite news|last=Fabrikant|first=Geraldine|title=THE MEDIA BUSINESS; Expanding in TV, Gannett Agrees to Buy Multimedia|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/25/business/the-media-business-expanding-in-tv-gannett-agrees-to-buy-multimedia.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=July 25, 1995|accessdate=July 2, 2021}}{{cite news|last=Farhi|first=Paul|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1995/07/25/gannett-co-to-purchase-media-firm/d14d32df-c1e1-43e8-bfb4-0af47d09984d/|title=GANNETT CO. TO PURCHASE MEDIA FIRM|newspaper=[The Washington Post](/source/The_Washington_Post)|date=July 25, 1995|accessdate=July 2, 2021}}{{cite news|last=Jones|first=Tim|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1995-07-25-9507250264-story.html|title=GANNETT WIDENS SCOPE, ACQUIRING MULTIMEDIA|newspaper=[Chicago Tribune](/source/Chicago_Tribune)|date=July 25, 1995|accessdate=July 2, 2021}}{{cite press release|url=https://www.tegna.com/gannett-multimedia-announce-merger-agreement|title=Gannett, Multimedia announce merger agreement|publisher=Gannett|date=December 4, 1995|accessdate=July 2, 2021|via=[Tegna Inc.](/source/Tegna_Inc.)}}{{cite news|url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1995/07/25/gannett-agrees-to-buy-multimedia-inc/|title=Gannett agrees to buy Multimedia Inc.|newspaper=[Tampa Bay Times](/source/Tampa_Bay_Times)|date=July 25, 1995|accessdate=July 2, 2021}} The merger was approved by the FCC in November 1995 and was completed a month later, on December 4.{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/1995/tv/features/fcc-approves-buy-of-multimedia-by-gannett-99123668|title=FCC Approves Buy Of Multimedia By Gannett|website=[Variety](/source/Variety_(magazine))|date=December 3, 1995|accessdate=July 2, 2021}}{{cite news|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1995/12/04/Multimedia-deal-closes/3720818053200/|title=Multimedia deal closes|work=[United Press International](/source/United_Press_International)|date=December 4, 1995|accessdate=July 2, 2021}} In November 1996, Gannett sold Multimedia Entertainment to [MCA](/source/MCA_Inc.) subsidiary of [Seagram](/source/Seagram).{{cite news|last=Fabrikant|first=Geraldine|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/26/business/unit-of-mca-is-acquiring-talk-shows.html|title=Unit of MCA is Acquiring Talk Shows|newspaper=The New York Times|date=November 26, 1996|accessdate=July 2, 2021}}{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-11-26-fi-3181-story.html|title=MCA to Buy Syndicator of 'Sally', 'Jerry' Shows|newspaper=[Los Angeles Times](/source/Los_Angeles_Times)|date=November 26, 1996|accessdate=July 2, 2021}}{{cite news|last=McClellan|first=Steve|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/96-OCR/BC-1996-12-02-OCR-Page-0041.pdf|title=MCA buys Multimedia shows|periodical=[Broadcasting & Cable](/source/Broadcasting_%26_Cable)|date=December 2, 1996|accessdate=July 10, 2021}} In July 1999, the cable television division, Multimedia Cablevision -- serving 522,000 customers across Kansas, Oklahoma and North Carolina -- was sold for $2.7 billion in cash to [Cox Communications](/source/Cox_Communications).[https://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/stories/1999/07/26/daily8.html "Multimedia Cable TV acquired,"] July 26, 1999, ''[The Business Journals](/source/The_Business_Journals),'' retrieved April 6, 2026 The North Carolina systems were resold to [Suddenlink Communications](/source/Suddenlink_Communications) in 2006.{{cn|date=April 2026}} The Multimedia name lives on as a holding company and licensee within what is now [Nexstar Media Group](/source/Nexstar_Media_Group)'s corporate structure (after its acquisition of [Tegna Inc.](/source/Tegna_Inc.) in 2026). Productions under Multimedia Entertainment continued on into [NBCUniversal Syndication Studios](/source/NBCUniversal_Syndication_Studios), and are now controlled and distributed by NBCUniversal. == Former stations == * Stations are arranged in alphabetical order by state and [city of license](/source/city_of_license). * Two boldface asterisks appearing following a station's call letters ('''**''') indicate a station built and signed on by a predecessor company of Multimedia. {| class="wikitable sortable" |+ Stations owned by Multimedia ! scope="col" | [Media market](/source/Media_market) ! scope="col" | State ! scope="col" | Station ! scope="col" | Purchased ! scope="col" | Sold ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes |- | rowspan="2" | [Little Rock](/source/Little_Rock%2C_Arkansas) || rowspan="2" | [Arkansas](/source/Arkansas) ! scope="row" | [KAAY](/source/KAAY) | 1975 || 1985 || |- ! scope="row" | [KLPQ-FM](/source/KKPT) | 1976 || 1985 || |- | rowspan="3" | [Macon](/source/Macon%2C_Georgia) || rowspan="3" | [Georgia](/source/Georgia_(U.S._state)) ! scope="row" | [WMAZ](/source/WMAC) | 1963 || 1995 || |- ! scope="row" | [WMAZ-FM](/source/WDEN-FM) | 1963 || 1995 || {{Efn|Known as WAYS from 1984 onward.}} |- ! scope="row" | [WMAZ-TV](/source/WMAZ-TV) | 1963 || 1995 || |- | rowspan="2" | [Louisville](/source/Louisville%2C_Kentucky) || rowspan="2" | [Kentucky](/source/Kentucky) ! scope="row" | [WAKY](/source/WKRD_(AM)) | 1975 || 1985 || |- ! scope="row" | [WVEZ](/source/WVEZ) | 1980 || 1985 || |- | rowspan="2" | [Shreveport](/source/Shreveport%2C_Louisiana) || rowspan="2" | [Louisiana](/source/Louisiana) ! scope="row" | [KEEL](/source/KEEL) | 1975 || 1994 || |- ! scope="row" | [KMBQ-FM](/source/KXKS-FM) | 1975 || 1994 || {{Efn|Known as KITT from 1986 onward.}} |- | [St. Louis](/source/St._Louis) || [Missouri](/source/Missouri) ! scope="row" | [KSDK](/source/KSDK) | 1983 || 1995 || |- | [Asheville](/source/Asheville%2C_North_Carolina) || rowspan="2" | [North Carolina](/source/North_Carolina) ! scope="row" | [WWNC](/source/WWNC) | 1953 || 1987 || |- | [Winston-Salem](/source/Winston-Salem%2C_North_Carolina) ! scope="row" | [WXII-TV](/source/WXII-TV) | 1972 || 1983 || |- | [Cincinnati](/source/Cincinnati) || rowspan="2" | [Ohio](/source/Ohio) ! scope="row" | [WLWT](/source/WLWT) | 1976 || 1995 || |- | [Cleveland](/source/Cleveland) ! scope="row" | [WKYC-TV](/source/WKYC-TV) | 1990 || 1995 || |- | rowspan="3" | [Greenville](/source/Greenville%2C_South_Carolina) || rowspan="4" | [South Carolina](/source/South_Carolina) ! scope="row" | [WFBC](/source/WYRD_(AM)) ** | 1932 || 1995 || |- ! scope="row" | [WFBC-FM](/source/WFBC-FM) ** | 1947 || 1995 || |- ! scope="row" | [WFBC-TV](/source/WYFF) ** | 1954 || 1983 || |- | [Spartanburg](/source/Spartanburg%2C_South_Carolina) ! scope="row" | [WORD](/source/WORD_(AM)) | 1989 || 1994 || |- | rowspan="3" | [Knoxville](/source/Knoxville%2C_Tennessee) || rowspan="4" | [Tennessee](/source/Tennessee) ! scope="row" | [WBIR](/source/WIFA_(AM)) | 1961 || 1980 || |- ! scope="row" | [WBIR-FM](/source/WIMZ-FM) | 1961 || 1980 || |- ! scope="row" | [WBIR-TV](/source/WBIR-TV) | 1960 || 1995 || |- | [Nashville](/source/Nashville%2C_Tennessee) ! scope="row" | [WZTV](/source/WZTV) | 1979 || 1988 || |- | [Milwaukee](/source/Milwaukee) || [Wisconsin](/source/Wisconsin) ! scope="row" | [WEZW](/source/WXSS) | 1978 || 1994 || |} {{notelist}} == References == {{Reflist}} {{NXST TV}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Multimedia (Media Company)}} Category:Defunct broadcasting companies of the United States Category:Defunct mass media companies of the United States Category:Companies based in Greenville, South Carolina Category:Defunct companies based in South Carolina Category:Nexstar Media Group Category:1968 establishments in South Carolina Category:1995 disestablishments in South Carolina Category:1995 mergers and acquisitions Category: Companies formerly listed on the New York Stock Exchange --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Multimedia, Inc.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multimedia%2C_Inc.) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multimedia%2C_Inc.?action=history)). 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