The breakup: Schurz leaves broadcasting, 2015–2016

Announced 14 September 2015 · closed 16 February 2016

The dissolution of the cluster: on 14 September 2015 Schurz Communications — described in the announcement, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as "based in Mishawaka, Indiana" — announced that it would exit broadcasting altogether, selling its television and radio stations to Gray Television for $442.5 million. The Mishawaka building's occupants were then divided three ways. Gray already owned South Bend's WNDU-TV and could not keep WSBT-TV beside it — and kept WNDU, on the station record, despite WSBT-TV's higher ratings; on 1 October 2015 Gray announced that WSBT-TV would be swapped to Sinclair Broadcast Group in exchange for WLUC-TV of Marquette, Michigan. The radio group — WNSN, WZOC, WHFB and WSBT-AM with its FM translator — went separately: on 2 November 2015 Gray announced its sale to Mid-West Family Broadcasting for $5.5 million. The Federal Communications Commission approved the television transfer on 12 February 2016, and both sales closed on 16 February 2016.

For the building, the immediate effect was smaller than the headlines: the trade press reported at the radio closing that the South Bend cluster "will continue to operate from the Schurz Communications building on East Douglas Road in Mishawaka," as a new operating unit of Mid-West Family's WSJM Inc. Television and radio thus remained under one Mishawaka roof for a time as tenants of different owners, in a building still owned by the company that had built it and no longer broadcast from it. The separation that the lawyers completed in a day, the building completed slowly, and its second act — radio's eventual departure — is the next entry.

Sources

1. Gray Television press release, 14 September 2015 (SEC filing) — Schurz to exit broadcasting; sale of its television and radio stations to Gray for $442.5 million; Schurz described as based in Mishawaka, Indiana.
2. Gray Television announcement, 1 October 2015 — WSBT-TV to be swapped to Sinclair Broadcast Group for WLUC-TV, Marquette.
3. WSBT-TV station record — FCC approval 12 February 2016; sale completed 16 February 2016.
4. Radio Online closing report, February 2016 — Mid-West Family Broadcasting (WSJM Inc.) closed on WNSN, WZOC, WHFB and WSBT-AM & FM (960/96.1) for $5.5 million, and the stations "will continue to operate from the Schurz Communications building on East Douglas Road in Mishawaka."