Can Erie TV Be Poised For Growth?

At last, one major acquirer of local TV stations says “absolutely.”

New Vision Television, which last week purchased WKBN and WLFX in Youngstown to add to its new and growing stable of stations, is on an ambitious program to acquire even more.

According to a July 13, 2005 MediaVillage.com interview with one of the dynamic duo of New Vision John Heinen, his company is on a quest to convince investors that there is still plenty of profit in local television with a major potential for more.

Heinen explains, “Right now," he adds, "TV stations are getting 250 horsepower from 400 horsepower engines. There is no reason we can't make these engines better tuned. These are big engines that have won a lot of races and still have a tremendous drive chain. They control valuable real estate in the digital band and good real estate investments are always winner.”

The Team at EMGR has learned that New Vision has done a very creditable job of convincing investors and financial concerns of the profit potential in the new digital bands for TV. They can strut a little taller and boast of their plans to acquire more stations for good reason. Informed sources tell EMGR that their checkbook balance has swollen to nearly 700 million for new acquisitions and plant improvements.

"Anybody who looks at TV stations as dinosaurs assumes they will stick with the way the industry operated 25 years ago. That's not the case. TV stations are poised to be better business enterprises. Stations on the leading edge that accept interactive and are creative in presenting advertisers with something new and fresh beyond how many spots they get, can significantly increase revenues and margins,” said Heinen.

I personally believe that Erie can match that potential if given a chance and a few decent creative operators who have “Vision.”