FCC gives Gannett time to sell Niagara paper. (six-month cross-ownership waiver granted in Gannett Company Inc. sale of Niagara Gazette of Niagara Falls, NY)(Brief Article)

Broadcasting & Cable, February, 1997 by Fleming, Heather

The FCC last Monday gave Gannett Co. Inc. more than six months to get rid of its Niagara Gazette (N.Y.) newspaper so that it can own WGPZ-TV Buffalo, N.Y., instead. Gannett in November said it would seek the waiver of the TV-newspaper crossownership rule as part of its plans to swap WLWT(TV) Cincinnati and KOCO-TV Oklahoma City for Argyle Television Inc.'s WGPZ-TV and WZZM-TV Grand Rapids, Mich.

The FCC notes that although Niagara Falls is just 10 miles from Buffalo, it "is only marginally within the station's predicted Grade A contour." There also are plenty of other voices in Niagara Falls, including seven TV stations and 23 radio stations, the FCC says. Gannett has six months from the time it closes on WGRZ-TV to divest itself of the newspaper.