FCC OKs SALE OF BANKRUPT PHILLY STATION

The FCC announced today that it has approved the sale of bankrupt WTVE Philadelphia to WRNN-TV Associates for $13.5 million.

WRNN-TV currently operates WRNN New York, an independent TV station serving the Hudson Valley north of Manhattan. It enjoys cable carriage throughout the tri-state market.

Billed as the Regional News Network, WRNN offers a mix of news and paid programming.

Richard French, a principal in the station and an on-air political commentator, declined to comment on the deal or his plans for the WTVE prior to the closing.

Operating on analog channel 51, WTVE has been in Chapter 11 bankruptcy and managed by a trustee, George Miller.

For digital broadcasting on channel 25, Miller opted to build a cutting edge distributed transmission system. Such systems employ a network of low-power transmitters scattered throughout the coverage area rather than a single high-power transmitter.

According to an FCC filing, the system became operational on Nov. 14, 2007.

WTVE is in the Philadelphia DMA, the nation’s fourth largest, but licensed to Reading, Pa., which is west of the city.