Local TV station

placed on virtual

auction block
By Scott Nicholson
nicholson@wataugademocrat.com

Now television ownership is a few mouse clicks away.

Local television station MTN is currently up for sale on the Internet auction forum eBay, with a listed price of $495,000, though other offers are considered.

Owner Steve Rondinaro continues to manage the station, though he moved to Wilmington last year where he works as the managing editor for an ABC News affiliate.

He said the long-distance operation and the next step of his career, along with the popularity of Internet sales for a variety of properties, led him to the marketing move.

“Someone else in Michigan has a station for sale (on eBay),” Rondinaro said.

Jason Forbis, who had worked with Rondinaro in local radio, explored the auction site and encouraged Rondinaro to give it a try because the other station’s post had received a lot of traffic.

“We’ve had a number of serious discussions that have arisen from it,” Rondinaro said.

“It’s an unusual way to do it, but we’re in an usual situation because we’re a small market and we’re listed in the Charlotte media area.”

“We’ve been gone for a while,” Rondinaro said.

“I just hope the next person wants to keep it a local operation even if they are an out-of-town owner. I hope they realize the value of the local community.”

Rondinaro also is proud of the coverage of Appalachian State University’s football championships and developing specials after the championship games.

He said the staff is a key asset for any purchaser, especially Bill Fisher’s experience as commentator for the region.

Rondinaro has owned the station for four-and-a-half years and it was started in the mid-1990s by Tim Baxter and Bob Flanagan.

“Looking back, I’m particularly proud of the role we played in the whole meth(amphetamine) crisis,” he said. We were very aggressive and very involved in it, as was the whole community.

“I’d like to think we helped play a role in turning that tide and the fact that we added an evening news cast and got the Web site as a viable outlet with a streaming venue.”

The eBay post touts the digital studio, equipment upgrades and integrated management system as benefits. Rondinaro said he’d like to get a sale finished by March.

“Our hope is that someone steps forward who realizes the local value of MTN to the High Country community and that person or group builds on the local foundation already in place,” Rondinaro said.

The studio is located in Boone and its antenna broadcast coverage includes 250,000 people, he added.