RadioTVDeals.com notes a full power TV for sale at $3 million in an Iowa market rated 51-100 http://www.radiotvdeals.com/m8/1421--iowa-full-power-tv-station-only-3-million.html
Now to cross-reference the FCC's incentive auction estimates, #72 Des Moines-Ames is at $13m / $8 m (m = millions, maximum / median), #90 Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-et al is at $21m / $13m and #100 Davenport, IA-Rock Island-Moline, IL is at $22m / $20m. It's all about proximity to larger metros, in this case Chicago.
If someone was wanting to sell a station for just $3 million in these markets, they either need cash quick or feel the FCC estimates are wildly optimistic.
Some station in one of those three markets needs the money pretty bad, or they'd wait for the incentive auction. I'm going to speculate it's a station that has 10 of its 13 tower lights dark on its 1400 foot tower: KWKB-20 Iowa City.
There was some merit in the Iowa City location when OTA was bigger...serve most of two markets from one transmitter. But now, the Quad Cities (aka Davenport et al) has their own CW affiliate, and their own IPTV/PBS affiliate, plus another independent PBS station on the IL side. CW in Cedar Rapids - Waterloo could easily go on a subchannel, perhaps ION's KPXR-48 Cedar Rapids.
Some speculator could snatch up channel 20, run it bare bones until the auction and net a handsome pay day.
Now to cross-reference the FCC's incentive auction estimates, #72 Des Moines-Ames is at $13m / $8 m (m = millions, maximum / median), #90 Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-et al is at $21m / $13m and #100 Davenport, IA-Rock Island-Moline, IL is at $22m / $20m. It's all about proximity to larger metros, in this case Chicago.
If someone was wanting to sell a station for just $3 million in these markets, they either need cash quick or feel the FCC estimates are wildly optimistic.
Some station in one of those three markets needs the money pretty bad, or they'd wait for the incentive auction. I'm going to speculate it's a station that has 10 of its 13 tower lights dark on its 1400 foot tower: KWKB-20 Iowa City.
There was some merit in the Iowa City location when OTA was bigger...serve most of two markets from one transmitter. But now, the Quad Cities (aka Davenport et al) has their own CW affiliate, and their own IPTV/PBS affiliate, plus another independent PBS station on the IL side. CW in Cedar Rapids - Waterloo could easily go on a subchannel, perhaps ION's KPXR-48 Cedar Rapids.
Some speculator could snatch up channel 20, run it bare bones until the auction and net a handsome pay day.
