{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2023}} {{Short description|American media company}} {{Infobox company |name = Smith Media |image = Smith Media logo.png |founded = {{Start date and age|1985}} (as Smith Television) |defunct = {{End date and age|2014|3|20}} |fate = Dissolved; television stations sold to various companies |founder = Bob Smith |successor = LIN Media <br> Heartland Media }} '''Smith Media, LLC''', successor to '''Smith Television''' aka '''Sunrise Television''', was a broadcasting group co-based in Los Angeles, California and St. Petersburg, Florida, that formerly owned and operated several television stations across the United States. In 1986, Smith bought three smaller television stations from publishing company Times Mirror Company.<ref>[https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/85-OCR/BC-1985-09-30-OCR-Page-0109.pdf "Changing hands: Proposed."] ''Broadcasting'', September 30, 1985, pg. 109.</ref> In 2002, Sunrise sold six of the stations to LIN Television.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Meikle|first=Brad|date=May 13, 2002|title=LIN TV Tunes In To Public Market -|url=https://www.buyoutsinsider.com/lin-tv-tunes-in-to-public-market/|access-date=September 6, 2021|website=Buyouts|url-access=subscription|language=en-US|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210906003551/https://www.buyoutsinsider.com/lin-tv-tunes-in-to-public-market/|archive-date=September 6, 2021}}</ref>
Smith Television became Smith Media, LLC in 2004 at the death of Bob Smith, head of the family run organization. The family decided to re-capitalize their stations and sold the stations to '''Boston Ventures''', which created Smith Media.<ref>[http://www.allbusiness.com/banking-finance/financial-markets-investing/5589836-1.html Boston Ventures and Smith Television Group Complete Recapitalization. | North America > United States from AllBusiness.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20041118005490/en/Boston-Ventures-Smith-Television-Group-Complete-Recapitalization|title=News}}</ref> The similarities in names have created much confusion.
During the early 2010s, Smith Media sold off its stations; on October 1, 2013, Smith Media reached a deal to sell its last remaining station, WKTV in Utica, New York, to Heartland Media, a company owned by former Gray Television executive Bob Prather, pending FCC approval.<ref name=tvbr-saletoheartland>{{cite news|last=Seyler|first=Dave|title=Prather resurfaces in upstate New York|url=http://rbr.com/prather-resurfaces-in-upstate-new-york/|accessdate=October 21, 2013|newspaper=Television Business Report|date=October 21, 2013}}</ref><ref>[http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1579195&Service=DT&Form_id=314&Facility_id=60654 Application For Consent To Assignment Of Broadcast Station Construction Permit Or License ], Federal Communications Commission, October 21, 2013</ref> The sale was completed on March 20, 2014.<ref>[http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1630687&Service=DT&Form_id=905&Facility_id=60654 Consummation Notice], ''CDBS Public Notice'', Federal Communications Commission, Retrieved March 21, 2014.</ref>
== Former stations == Stations are arranged alphabetically by state and by city of license. * With the exception of KATN, KEYT, KJUD, KYUR, WFFF, & WKTV, the second incarnation of Smith Media never owned these stations. Smith Media, LLC was successor to Smith Television, Inc. who owned the following:
{| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Media market ! State ! Station ! Acquired ! Sold ! Notes |- | Anchorage | rowspan="3" | Alaska ! KIMO | 1995 || 2010 || |- | Fairbanks ! KATN | 2001 || 2010 ||{{efn-ua|Semi-satellite of KIMO.|name=KIMO}} |- | Juneau ! KJUD | 2001 || 2010 ||{{efn-ua|name=KIMO}} |- | rowspan="2" | Santa Barbara | rowspan="3" |California ! KEYT-TV | 1987 || 2012 || |- ! KSBY | 1995 || 1996 ||{{efn|Acquired along with KSBW but divested almost immediately due to Smith's ownership of KEYT.}} |- | Monterey–Santa Cruz ! KSBW | 1995 || 1998 || |- | Dodge City | rowspan="4" | Kansas ! KBSD-TV | 1989 || 1992 ||{{efn-ua|Satellite of KWCH-TV.|name=KCWH}} |- | Goodland ! KBSL-TV | 1989 || 1992 ||{{efn-ua|name=KCWH}} |- | Hays ! KBSH-TV | 1989 || 1992 ||{{efn-ua|name=KCWH}} |- | Wichita ! KWCH-TV | 1989 | 1992 | |- | Flint | Michigan ! WEYI-TV | 1997 | 2002 | |- | Reno | Nevada ! KOLO-TV | 2000 | 2002 | |- | Binghamton | rowspan="7" | New York ! WBGH-LP | 1997 | 2000 |{{efn|Operated on channel 8 under Smith's ownership.}} |- | Buffalo ! WGRZ-TV | 1986 | 1988 | |- | Elmira ! WETM-TV | 1986 | 2004 |{{efn|From 2000-2004, The Ackerley Group, and later Clear Channel Communications would operate this station through a LMA.}} |- | Rochester ! WROC-TV | 1996 | 1999 | |- | Utica ! WKTV | 1993 | 2014 | |- | rowspan="2"|Watertown ! WWTI-TV | 1990 | 2000 | |- ! WNYF-LP | 1995 | 2002 |{{efn|Operated by United Communications under a LMA from 2001 to 2002.}} |- | Bismarck | rowspan="5" | North Dakota ! KFYR-TV | 1997 | 2002 | |- | Dickinson ! KQCD-TV | 1997 | 2002 |{{efn-ua|Satellite of KFYR-TV.|name=KFYR}} |- | Minot ! KMOT | 1997 | 2002 |{{efn-ua|name=KFYR}} |- | Williston ! KUMV-TV | 1997 | 2002 |{{efn-ua|name=KFYR}} |- | Fargo ! KVLY-TV | 1997 | 2002 | |- | Dayton | rowspan="3" | Ohio ! WDTN | 1998 | 2002 | |- | Steubenville ! WTOV-TV | 1996 | 2000 | |- | Toledo ! WUPW | 1999 | 2002 | |- | Harrisburg | rowspan="2" | Pennsylvania ! WHTM-TV | 1986 | 1994 | |- | Johnstown ! WJAC-TV | 1996 | 2000 | |- | rowspan="2"| Providence | rowspan="2" | Rhode Island ! WPRI-TV | 2001 | 2002 | |- ! WNAC-TV | 1997 | 2001 | |- | Abilene | rowspan="2" | Texas ! KRBC-TV | 1998 | 2002 || |- | San Angelo ! KACB-TV | 1998 | 2002 || |- | rowspan="3"|Burlington | rowspan="4" | Vermont ! WPTZ | 1998 | 1998 || |- ! WFFF-TV | 1999 | 2013 ||{{Efn|From 1998 to 1999, Smith operated WFFF through an LMA until purchasing it outright in 1999.}} |- ! WVNY | 2005 | 2013 ||{{Efn|Owned by Lambert Broadcasting, operated by Smith through an LMA.}} |- | Hartford ! WNNE | 1998 | 1998 ||{{efn-ua|Semi-satellite of WPTZ.}} |} {{notelist-ua}} {{notelist}}
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == * [https://web.archive.org/web/20130109075451/http://www.bvlp.com/portfolio/media/smith-media-llc/ Smith Media via Boston Ventures site] * [http://www.smithmedia-tv.com/ Smith Media]
Category:Defunct television broadcasting companies of the United States Category:Mass media companies disestablished in 2014 Category:Companies disestablished in 2014 Category:Companies based in St. Petersburg, Florida Category:Companies based in Los Angeles