Well, in effect: The New York Times Company, which owns Oklahoma City's NBC affiliate, KFOR-TV/DT, is buying KAUT-TV (not yet digital) from Viacom. Viacom purchased KAUT from OETA several years ago when Sinclair purchased KOCB and changed it from UPN to the WB. Until the Viacom purchase, Oklahoma City had no UPN station, and missed about a season of Star Trek: Voyager and other less-important shows.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 14, 2005--The New York Times Company announced today that it has reached an agreement with Viacom Inc.'s Viacom Television Stations Groups (VTSG), for the Times Company to acquire KAUT-TV in Oklahoma City. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The acquisition is subject to FCC approval and other customary closing conditions and is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter.

KAUT-TV is VTSG's owned-and-operated UPN station in Oklahoma City, the nation's 45th largest television market. The Times Company's Broadcast Media Group now owns KFOR-TV, the NBC affiliate in Oklahoma City, as well as seven other network-affiliated stations across the United States.

"Our ownership of KFOR and now KAUT in Oklahoma City will enable us to achieve operating efficiencies and to offer advertisers more and varied ways to reach their audiences in the market," said Janet L. Robinson, president and CEO, The New York Times Company. "KAUT will also help accelerate our growth in the market, benefiting viewers and advertisers as well as The New York Times Company and its shareholders."

"KAUT has been a solid performer for us and we expect that as part of a duopoly with KFOR, the station will prosper further," said Fred Reynolds, president, VTSG. "We thank all the talented employees of KAUT for their years of hard work and service to our company." "We are thrilled to welcome KAUT to the Times Company," said Robert Eoff, president, The New York Times Company Broadcast Media Group. "Our proven expertise will enable KAUT to grow quickly and benefit Oklahoma customers with the addition of local news programming, weather and sports coverage."

There's no statement as to whether the New York Times Company will have to keep UPN on KAUT, or change it into some kind of hideous all-local-news all-the-time channel. Since KAUT was UPN owned-and-operated, HDTV satellite subscribers could have gotten a waiver and gotten national UPN HD feeds, except that neither of the satellite services offers national UPN HD feeds. KAUT had been delayed for years by some FCC license issue and had hoped to start digital broadcasting by this coming spring.

After this purchase, two major media conglomerates each own two of Oklahoma City's six network affiliates: the NYTCO will own KFOR (NBC) and KAUT (UPN), while Sinclair "We Hate Americans" Broadcasting owns KOKH (Fox) and KOCB (the WB). Heart-Argyle television owns KOCO (ABC) as part of a combined Ohio-Oklahoma subsidiary, and Griffin Communications owns KWTV (CBS), along with the CBS affiliate in Tulsa.

Nope, no media consolidation here. Nothing to see. Move along.