Industry Broadcast Television Website luken.tv Founded 2008 Type of business Private LLC | Owner Henry Luken III Founder Henry George Luken III Number of employees 50 (2010) | |
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Area served United States (Nationwide) Key people Henry Luken III (president and CEO) Products Television stations
Digital broadcast television networks Headquarters Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States Subsidiaries Retro Television Network, Tuff TV, The Family Channel, PBJ | ||
Luken communications files for bankruptcy
Luken Communications, LLC is a privately owned American broadcast holding company, based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which owns or operates around 80 television stations in the United States and six digital television multicast networks.
Contents
History
Luken Communications (LC) was formed in 2008 by Henry Luken III, formerly president and CEO of Equity Media Holdings. Luken Communications agreed to purchase six TV stations from Equity Media for $17.5 million and paid a $5 million installment with the rest pending on regulatory approval. In June 2008, Equity sold to Luken Retro Television Network for $18.5 million and $8.05 million Equity warrants for $1.5 million.
On January 4, 2009, a contract conflict between Equity and Luken Communications interrupted RTN programming on many of its affiliates with Luken alleging that Equity had left many obligations to RTN's creditors, including programming suppliers, unpaid. As a result, Luken restored a national feed of the network from its Chattanooga headquarters. As a result of this dispute, Luken pulled out of a deal to purchase Equity's stations in southwestern Florida.
In June 2009, Luken and Seals Entertainment Company LLC launched the male-oriented digital multicast channel Tuff TV. On March 22, 2011, Luken became part-owners of My Family TV in a joint venture with existing owner ValCom (the network later rebranded as The Family Channel after ValCom and Luken Communications ended their partnership). In June 2011, Luken Communications announced the purchase of 78 low-power translator stations from the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council for $390,000; the purchase was made in order to expand coverage of its ten existing and planned digital multicast networks with hopes to eventually acquire 400 low-power stations. In late summer 2011, Luken and Classic Media launched PBJ, featuring classic children's programs from the Classic Media library. With Frost Cutlery's shopping network and outdoor shows, Luken launched in 2011 the Frost Great Outdoors network.
On April 16, 2012, Luken Communications and Jim Owens Entertainment announced that the companies had teamed to relaunch The Nashville Network as a digital broadcast television network set for a late summer 2012 launch (TNN previously existed as a cable channel started by Gaylord Entertainment Company in 1983). The network was rebranded the next year as The Heartland Network.
On June 21st, 2013, an Arkansas jury awarded a $47.4 million verdict against Luken Communications for a claim of “fraudulent transfer” of the ownership of RTV six years prior. In order to appeal what was considered an “unjust verdict”, Luken Communications filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as a protectionist measure. The appeal spanned more than a year but was ultimately successful, and in October 2014, the company announced it was emerging from bankruptcy protection and continued to grow and expand its network offerings. In December 2014, Luken Communications launched a new digital network, Rev'n, with a focus on automotive enthusiasts.
Digital multicast networks
Broadcast television stations
Notes: All stations are owned by Digital Networks, LLC. (a subsidiary of Luken Communications). Many of these stations were former Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) translators, unless specified.