Telemundo Station Group today announced that it has completed the acquisition of its Philadelphia affiliate, WWSI-TV (Channel 49), from ZGS Communications.
Telemundo paid ZGS $19 million for the station, according to a filed FCC application. The transaction was completed yesterday, July 1, and the station group now takes control of the full-power station. ZGS sold the station to lower its debt load.
Effective September, WWSI-TV will relocate to share facilities and resources with NBC10 Philadelphia/WCAU, the NBC-owned station in the Philadelphia market.
Among the near future plans for the station: launching a local Spanish-language newscast in January 2014. This announcement is line with what station group President Manuel Abud told Media Moves during a May interview.
Telemundo Station Group is also in the process of acquiring a new antenna that will generate greater signal coverage effective December 1, 2013. Last, but not least, and as part of the efforts to provide an expanding, interactive experience, the station group will launch Telemundophiladelphia.com, a new branded, localized, full-service website serving the Hispanic community in that market.
With this purchase, Telemundo Station Group now owns 16 full-power stations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
According to Nielsen, the Philadelphia DMA, which includes South Jersey, parts of Delaware and Philadelphia, ranks #18 in the market and Hispanics comprise 10 percent of its total population. WWSI-TV is available on all major cable and satellite systems in the region.