Alaska-based Coastal Television agreed to purchase Red River Broadcast Company as the consolidation of local TV stations continues.
The deal, announced last week, would include KVRR-TV in North Dakota and KQDS-TV in Duluth, Minnesota, according to KVRR.
“We think Coastal will be a good fit for carrying on the important work and commitment of our stations in our communities,“ Red River Chief Operating Officer Kathy Lau told KVRR.
The deal represents the latest instance of a smaller local broadcaster getting gobbled up amid a tough business environment. Local TV stations have struggled amid a weak ad market, which has driven the price of ads down on TV and online.
Coastal Television operates 10 TV stations across Alaska, Wyoming, New York, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Indiana.
With lower ad revenue, the local broadcasters are seeking higher fees from cable companies, which has led to clashes all year long.
DIRECTV, DISH, and Comcast all had blackouts with local stations amid contract disagreements. Most notably, DIRECTV and Nexstar wrestled with a dispute that kept local stations dark for two and a half months. DIRECTV is in the middle of another dispute with Tegra, which has led to the blackout of 64 stations across the U.S..