BALTIMORE and IRVING, Texas, Jan. 31,
2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Spectrum Co, LLC ("Spectrum Co"),
the ATSC 3.0 spectrum consortium founded by Sinclair Broadcast
Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: SBGI) ("Sinclair") and Nexstar Media Group,
Inc. (Nasdaq: NXST) ("Nexstar") and for which Univision Local
Media, Inc. ("Univision") has signed a Memorandum of Understanding
to join, announced today that John
Hane has been named President.
Mr. Hane most recently served as a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Pillsbury Winthrop
Shaw Pittman LLP, a global law firm with a leading technology
practice, where he primarily focused on counseling clients in
telecom, broadcast and technology sectors and was deeply involved
in matters related to the development and regulatory approval of
ATSC 3.0 ("NextGen"). A "go-to" advisor on spectrum matters,
before joining Pillsbury Mr. Hane led a large satellite and wireless network
development group. He is the inventor or co-inventor of four
patents related to wireless and satellite spectrum.
Mr. Hane's appointment reflects the consortium's shared goal of
promoting spectrum utilization, innovation and monetization by
advancing the adoption of the ATSC 3.0 transmission standard across
the broadcast industry. As President of Spectrum Co., he will
oversee the development of the newly-formed entity as it pursues
advanced nationwide business opportunities made available by the
NextGen standard and aggregation of spectrum bandwidth.
John Hane commented, "The
consortium's strong commitment to innovation and the advancement of
the local broadcast television industry through future digital
technology capabilities, were strong factors in attracting me to
this position. The trial in Dallas is a prime example of this leadership
and is a priority for me. As President, I will utilize
expertise and relationships built over my career to help
broadcasters and station groups deliver new innovations and greater
public service to local communities and businesses across the
United States. Nationwide deployment of the NextGen network
is a necessary first step in what is expected to be the most
revolutionary development in broadcasting since the launch of
television more than 75 years ago. For the first time,
television stations' technical infrastructure will be as important
to companies and consumers that rely on wireless communications as
it is to advertisers, brand managers and political campaigns.
The unparalleled viewership and engagement of broadcasters' local
content offerings will become far better with NextGen
broadcasting. I look forward to working with Spectrum Co
members to develop new sources of revenue and identify
opportunities where we can best leverage the capacity of ATSC 3.0
networks to bring transformative new consumer and
business-to-business services to market."
Chris Ripley, President and Chief
Executive Officer of Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. commented,
"John brings a wealth of experience across multiple industries with
relevance for NextGen broadcasting. His leadership will be
invaluable in opening doors and shaping new businesses through
Spectrum Co. John's background and knowledge of spectrum policy and
solutions will add new dimensions to fuel the business of spectrum
capacity optimization."
Perry A. Sook, Chairman,
President and Chief Executive Officer of Nexstar Media Group, Inc.
commented, "John's wide-range of expertise in the technology, media
and communications sectors, combined with his deep understanding of
the complexities and dynamics related to NextGen broadcasting, make
him ideally suited to lead Spectrum Co. He brings outstanding
leadership and entrepreneurial skills to his new role at the
consortium and a proven record of developing successful strategies
that addressed a broad range of legal, regulatory, business
development and transactional matters in our industry. We are
energized by the many opportunities resulting from the transition
to ATSC 3.0 and look forward to working with John as we execute our
cohesive strategy to drive the next phase of innovation and growth
in local broadcasting."
Mr. Hane earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from College of Charleston and a Juris Doctorate from
the University of South Carolina. Prior to Pillsbury, he led
satellite, wireless and digital video development projects at
Pegasus Communications. He has also served as in-house
counsel and a government affairs executive at NBC, New World
Communications and Lockheed Martin.
About Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.
Sinclair is one
of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting
companies in the country. Pro forma for the Tribune
acquisition (before any related divestitures), the Company will
own, operate and/or provide services to 233 television stations in
108 markets. The Company has multiple emerging networks as
well as stations affiliated with all the major networks.
Sinclair is a leading local news provider in the country and a
producer of live sports content. Sinclair's content is
delivered via multiple-platforms, including over-the-air,
multi-channel video program distributors, and digital
platforms. The Company regularly uses its website as a key
source of Company information which can be accessed at
www.sbgi.net.
About Nexstar Media Group, Inc.
Nexstar Media Group is
a leading diversified media company that leverages localism to
bring new services and value to consumers and advertisers through
its traditional media, digital and mobile media platforms. Nexstar
owns, operates, programs or provides sales and other services to
170 television stations and related digital multicast signals
reaching 100 markets or nearly 39% of all U.S. television
households. Nexstar's portfolio includes primary affiliates of NBC,
CBS, ABC, FOX, MyNetworkTV and The CW. Nexstar's community portal
websites offer additional hyper-local content and verticals for
consumers and advertisers, allowing audiences to choose where, when
and how they access content while creating new revenue
opportunities. For more information, please visit
www.nexstar.tv.
About Univision Communications, Inc.
Univision
Communications Inc. (UCI) is the leading media company serving
Hispanic America. The Company, a chief content creator in the U.S.,
includes Univision Network, one of the top networks in the U.S.
regardless of language and the most-watched Spanish-language
broadcast television network in the country, available in
approximately 90% of U.S. Hispanic television households; UniMás, a
leading Spanish-language broadcast television network available in
approximately 84% of U.S. Hispanic television households; Univision
Cable Networks, including Galavisión, the most-watched U.S.
Spanish-language entertainment cable network, as well as UDN
(Univision Deportes Network), the most-watched U.S.
Spanish-language sports cable network, Univision tlnovelas, a
24-hour Spanish-language cable network dedicated to telenovelas,
ForoTV, a 24-hour Spanish-language cable network dedicated to
international news, and an additional suite of cable offerings - De
Película, De Película Clásico, Bandamax, Ritmoson and Telehit; as
well as an investment in El Rey Network, a general entertainment
English-language cable network; Univision Local Media, which owns
and/or operates 62 television stations and 58 radio stations in
major U.S. Hispanic markets and Puerto
Rico; Univision Now, a direct-to-consumer, on demand and
live streaming subscription service; Univision.com, the
most-visited Spanish-language website among U.S. Hispanics; and
Uforia, a music application featuring multimedia music content. The
Company also includes the Fusion Media Group (FMG), a division that
serves young, diverse audiences. FMG includes news and lifestyle
English-language cable network FUSION TV, and a collection of
leading digital brands that span a range of categories: technology
(Gizmodo), sports (Deadspin), music (TrackRecord), lifestyle
(Lifehacker), modern women's interests (Jezebel), news and politics
(Splinter), African American news and culture (The Root), gaming
(Kotaku), and car culture (Jalopnik). FMG also includes the
Company's interest in comedy and news satire brands The Onion,
Clickhole and The A.V. Club. Headquartered in New York City, UCI has content creation
facilities and sales offices in major cities throughout
the United States. For more
information, please visit corporate.univision.com.
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SOURCE Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.