WASHINGTON -- The Washington Post Company announced today that Post-Newsweek Stations, its broadcast division, has reached an agreement to sell the exclusive cable telecast rights to the Detroit Pistons and Detroit Tigers to FOX Sports Detroit (FDS). The transaction is subject to regulatory and other approvals.

PASS Sports, Post-Newsweek Stations' Michigan cable regional sports network, currently has the exclusive cable telecast rights to the Detroit Pistons and Detroit Tigers.

In announcing the sale, Alan G. Spoon, president of The Washington Post Company, said: "Our relationship with the Detroit Pistons and Tigers has helped PASS Sports grow from 770,000 households when we acquired the network in 1992, to 1.6 million now. However, the consolidation of cable regional sports networks makes this a good time for us to sell our cable rights."

Under Post-Newsweek Stations, PASS Sports converted from a primetime-only pay channel to a 24-hour basic cable service. The network serves all of Michigan and northwest Ohio and operates out of WDIV, the Post-Newsweek station in Detroit.

Post-Newsweek Stations owns and operates six network-affiliated VHF television stations: WDIV, the NBC affiliate in Detroit; KPRC, the NBC affiliate in Houston; WPLG, the ABC affiliate in Miami; WFSB, the CBS affiliate in Hartford; KSAT, the ABC affiliate in San Antonio; and WJXT, the CBS affiliate in Jacksonville. An agreement to trade the assets of WFSB for the assets of WCPX, the CBS affiliate in Orlando, was announced in June.

The Washington Post Company is a diversified media organization whose principal operations include newspaper and magazine publishing, broadcasting, and cable television systems. The company also produces electronic information services, provides test preparation, education, and career services, and offers online information covering federal and state legislative and regulatory activity.

Contact:

Laura Benavides
(313) 222-0643