George Lilly’s SJL Holdings has entered an undisclosed bid to buy WRTV, the ABC affiliate in Indianapolis, from McGraw-Hill, TVNewsCheck reported today.
McGraw-Hill announced the sale of their four local television stations — WRTV, Denver’s KMGH, San Diego’s KGTV and Bakersfield’s KERO — last month. Lilly Broadcasting and SJL Holdings own a combined five local stations, including the Erie duopoly WICU-WSEE and WTVG in Toledo.
“We’re not interested in buying the group,” Lilly told TVNewsCheck. “We want to grow slowly. Indianapolis certainly fits our profile. Geographically, it fits with Toledo.”
WRTV has the fourth-rated news programming in Indianapolis, making the station a prime candidate for improvements in news operations and revenue. Lilly acknowledged the chances of his company acquiring WRTV are limited, noting that McGraw-Hill would likely prefer to sell the stations as a group.