CBS 6 sold by Freedom Communications to Sinclair Broadcast Group

PHOTOGRAPHER: Stephen Williams

Freedom Communications, the parent company of WRGB CBS 6, has sold its television stations to Sinclair Broadcast Group for $385 million, it was announced this morning.

Freedom Communications owns and operates eight stations in seven markets, including Niskayuna-based Channel 6. Channel 45, the CW affiliate in Albany, is also part of the sale.

The transaction is subject to Freedom’s shareholder approval, approval by the Federal Communications Commission, and antitrust clearance. The transaction is expected to be finalized by next spring, company officials said.

“We believe this transaction will benefit both companies and our respective viewers, advertisers and the communities we serve,” Mitchell Stern, Freedom Communications’ CEO, said in the announcement. “We anticipate a smooth transition for the Freedom stations as they become part of one of the leading U.S. broadcasting companies.”

Other television stations involved in the transaction are in West Palm Beach, Fla.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Chattanooga, Tenn; Lansing, Mich.; Medford-Klamath Falls, Ore.; and Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas.

Sinclair Broadcast Group owns and operates 65 television stations in 39 markets.