TV News

Tegna sells off 2 Dallas TV stations including WFAA to new owners

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Two TV stations in Dallas, including WFAA, have a new owner. As part of a $5.4 billion deal announced February 22, five TV stations in Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, and Houston previously owned by Tegna will be under new ownership.

According to a release, Standard General — a hedge fund founded in 2007 by Soohyung "Soo" Kim and Nicholas Singer — is acquiring Tegna, a media company with 64 television stations in 51 U.S. markets.

Once that deal closes, Standard General plans to sell its Dallas, Austin, and Houston stations to Atlanta-based Cox Media Group.

The stations involved in Standard General’s deal with Cox Media Group are:

WFAA, the ABC affiliate in Dallas-Fort Worth, and KMPX, the Estrella affiliate in DFW
KVUE, the ABC affiliate in Austin
KHOU, the CBS affiliate in Houston, and KTBU, the Quest affiliate in Houston

Those five stations will be Cox Media Group's only TV stations in Texas. Among its current lineup of 33 TV properties are stations in Atlanta, Boston, Pittsburgh, and Seattle.

Cox Media Group president and CEO Dan York says in a statement that acquiring the Dallas, Austin, and Houston stations complements the company's existing core strengths.

In 2015, media giant Gannett announced the spinoff of its TV stations as a new company called Tegna. In an interesting twist, Gannett now owns the Austin American-Statesman, which Cox sold in 2018 to GateHouse Media. A year later, Gannett merged with GateHouse, with the combined company retaining the Gannett name.

This week's hot headlines

Deep Ellum bar's closure leads this week's 5 most-read Dallas stories

On Premise

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Editor's note: Two big closures rocked the Dallas restaurant and bar scene this week. There was also an intriguing home for sale on Dallas' ritziest road, a new barbecue joint with an unusual focus, and more. Here's a look back at the top stories of the week. Looking for the best things to do this weekend? Those are here.

1. Dallas bar closes after surviving a decade in Deep Ellum. A Dallas bar that opened 10 years ago in Deep Ellum has closed its doors: On Premise, which rode a decade-long wave in the often-turbulent neighborhood, closed on October 31.

2. Authentic upscale Mexican restaurant at Turtle Creek Dallas closes. In major bummer Dallas restaurant news, authentic Mexican restaurant Jalisco Norte has closed: The upscale restaurant and bar at Turtle Creek Village clocked out after seven years.

3. Dallas and Austin are facing the same kind of housing issues. The state’s housing crisis is effectively a new problem for state and local leaders — mainly because, for the longest time, Texas used to be cheap. "YIMBY" activists in Dallas have pushed local leaders, with mixed results, to embrace the idea that the country’s ninth-largest city should make it easier to build homes besides standalone single-family homes on large lots and big apartment buildings.

4. 50s Dallas home for sale on swanky Strait Lane still has pink bathroom. A house on Dallas' Strait Lane that is possibly home to the last '50s-era pink bathroom on the tony thoroughfare is up for sale. The bathroom's days are probably numbered — but maybe in this one case, it's not a bad thing.

5. Barbecue spot Kafi BBQ coming to Irving will be smoking halal Wagyu. A barbecue restaurant with an unusual focus is coming to Irving: Kafi BBQ, which specializes in halal Wagyu beef, will open at 8140 N. MacArthur Blvd. #100, Valley Ranch, in the former Rafikiz Bar and Grill.