This was posted on Tuesday, September 19, 2017 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
Atlanta-based Bounce TV is moving channels from WATL 36.2 to WSB 2.2 starting Monday, Sept. 25.
WSB 2.2 is dropping the Escape channel, which is mostly movies and true-crime series targeting women. (Escape was actually a temporary place holder; WSB had used ME-TV on 2.2 for several years. ME-TV plays a range of old-time TV shows such as "Hawaii Five-O" and "The Facts of Life.")
"We don't comment publicly on our affiliate agreements," said Jim Weiss, spokesman for Bounce. "Bounce enjoyed a successful run with WATL. We are looking forward to our new partnership with WSB starting Monday morning."
WSB 2.2 is also seen on Comcast 244 and Charter 188.
TEGNA, which owns 36.2, isn't sure what channel it will select to replace Bounce.
Bounce's primary audience is older black viewers, mixing original sports and scripted programming such as "Mann & Wife" and "Saints and Sinners" with older TV shows ("Half & Half," "The Bernie Mac Show," "The Cosby Show") and movies. Films scheduled next week on the network include "Burglar," "Three Can Play That Game," "Ghosts of Mississippi," "Black Knight" and "Thin Line Between Love and Hate."
Bounce TV debuted in 2011 and is now one of the most popular channels among black viewers. It's now available in more than 95 million homes across the United States covering 93 percent of all African-American television homes.
Martin Luther King III and Andrew Young were part of the initial ownership group.
Last month, E.W. Scripps announced it was buying Bounce and Katz Broadcasting, which operates Bounce and owns three networks (Grit, Escape and Laff), for $292 million. Bounce will remain at its Marietta offices, with 130 employees. Jonathan Katz is staying as president and CEO.
Katz and Bounce combined will generate $180 million in revenue and about $30 million in segment profit in 2018, according to Deadline.com.
WSB-TV and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution are both part of Cox Media Group.
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