Citadel Communications Ltd.
TypePrivate
IndustryBroadcast Television
Television Production
Founded1982
Defunct2023
FateLast remaining station sold to Nexstar Media Group
HeadquartersBronxville, New York
Area served
 United States (Southeast)
Key people
Philip J. Lombardo, Founder/CEO
Ray Cole, President/COO
Jeffrey Lombardo, Vice President
ProductsBroadcast television
Websitewww.citadelltd.com

Citadel Communications Ltd. was an American private broadcasting company. It was based in Bronxville, New York and most recently owned 1 low-power television station on which it operated a regional 24-hour cable news channel. The company was founded in 1982 by former National Association of Broadcasters joint board chairman and current Broadcasters Foundation of America chairman Phil Lombardo.[1]

Upon completion of the Digital TV transition in 2009, Citadel's stations at that time returned their digital broadcasts to their former analog channel assignments in the VHF spectrum. As a result of poor propagation characteristics for digital TV in the VHF bands, these stations now operate low-power digital fill-in translators in the UHF band to improve coverage in their communities of license. See the digital TV section on the WHBF-TV entry for further information on the Citadel stations' post-transition digital signals.

In February 2009, Phil Lombardo became an investing partner in LDB Media, LLC., owners of the Suncoast News Network, a regional cable news channel in Sarasota, Florida.[2] In January 2014, Lombardo and Citadel purchased a majority interest in the company.[3] As a result, Citadel took over broadcast operations of SNN and integrated the channel with its other stations.

On September 16, 2013, Citadel announced that it would sell WOI-DT, KCAU-TV, and WHBF-TV to the Nexstar Broadcasting Group for $88 million. Nexstar immediately took over the stations' operations through a time brokerage agreement.[4] The deal followed Phil Lombardo's decision to "slow down," as well as a desire by Lynch Entertainment to divest its investments in WOI and WHBF. Citadel continued to own KLKN, WLNE-TV, and its Sarasota properties.[5] On March 5, 2014, the Federal Communications Commission approved the sale of these stations to Nexstar outright and the deal was completed on March 13.

On May 16, 2019, it was announced that Standard Media, led by former Young Broadcasting and Media General executive Deb McDermott, would acquire Citadel's WLNE and KLKN for $83 million.[6] The sale was completed on September 5.[7][8]

On May 19, 2023, Citadel Communications COO Ray Cole announced that WSNN-LD would be sold to Nexstar Media Group (owner of local NBC affiliate WFLA-TV and MyNetworkTV affiliate (now CW O&O) WTTA in the Tampa Bay Area) for $1 million.[9][10] The sale was completed on July 20, completing the wind-down of its operations outside remaining SEC and IRS disclosures.[11]

Former stations

City of license / Market Station Channel Years owned Current status
Rock Island, IL–Quad Cities WHBF-TV 41987–2014CBS affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group
Ames–Des Moines, Iowa WOI-DT 51994–2014ABC affiliate owned by Tegna Inc.
Sioux City, IA KCAU-TV 91985–2014ABC affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group
New Bedford, MA–Providence, RI WLNE-TV 62011–2019[12]ABC affiliate owned by Standard Media
Lincoln, NE KLKN 81986–2019ABC affiliate owned by Standard Media
Albion, NE KLKE[lower-alpha 1] 241996–2003Defunct, went silent in 2003
Binghamton, NY WMGC-TV 341986–1996ABC affiliate WIVT, owned by Nexstar Media Group
Buffalo, NY WUTV 291984–1990Fox affiliate owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group
Burlington, VT–Plattsburgh, NY WVNY 221982–1996ABC affiliate owned by Mission Broadcasting[lower-alpha 2]
Sarasota–Tampa, FL WSNN-LD 392011–2023[13][11]MyNetworkTV affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group
  1. ↑ Satellite of KLKN.
  2. ↑ Operated under an SSA by Nexstar Media Group.

References

  1. ↑ "NABEF Board of Directors: Philip J. Lombardo". National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
  2. ↑ Hielscher, John (February 25, 2009). "SNN set to return to the air Thursday". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Lombardo acquires majority stake in SNN". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. January 1, 2014. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  4. ↑ Malone, Michael (September 16, 2013). "Nexstar to Acquire Citadel's Iowa Stations for $88 Million". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
  5. ↑ Hicks, Lynn (September 16, 2013). "Nexstar buys WOI, other Citadel TV stations in Iowa". Des Moines Register. Archived from the original on September 16, 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
  6. ↑ "McDermott In The Station Game With WLNE, KLKN". TVNewsCheck. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Consummation Notice", CDBS Public Access, Federal Communications Commission, Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Consummation Notice", CDBS Public Access, Federal Communications Commission, Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  9. ↑ "WFLA-TV & WTTA-TV to expand leading local news presence in 3-county region with Nexstar's acquisition of WSNN-LD in Sarasota". WFLA.com. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Station Trading Roundup: 1 Deal, $1,000,000". TVNewsCheck. News Check Media. May 31, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  11. 1 2 "Notification of Consummation". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Citadel Communications LLC, New Owner of WLNE-TV/ABC6". abc6.com. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  13. ↑ "MMTC spinning another donated low power television". RBR.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
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