NBC, Hicks Muse May Partner for TV Stations

NBC and Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst Inc. are reportedly in talks about forming a partnership that would own two television stations and forge long-term ties between the top-rated network and one of the nation’s biggest station owners. NBC would contribute its station in San Diego and an undisclosed amount of cash and debt to the partnership, said people familiar with the transaction. Dallas-based Hicks Muse would provide a station it is buying in Dallas and agree to affiliate its stations with the network through 2010, the people said. The venture would give NBC a stake in the lucrative Dallas station, KXAS-TV, whose 60% cash-flow margins are among the highest in the business. Officials at NBC and Hicks Muse declined to comment. New York-based NBC is owned by General Electric Co. The talks were first reported by the Wall Street Journal. GE shares rose $1.25 to close at $66.25 on the New York Stock Exchange. Hicks Muse’s stations are in markets such as Rochester, N.Y., and Flint, Mich.