Rosenberg & Estis, P.C., currently celebrating its 50th year as one of New York City’s pre-eminent real estate law firms, announced that the firm assisted The Durst Organization in facilitating the entry of Dr. Phil McGraw’s new media programming to the New York broadcast market.
The celebrity talk show psychologist launched his own platform, Merit Street Media, last month. The 24/7 channel broadcasts a morning news show, primetime lineup anchored by legal commentator Nancy Grace, and McGraw’s own new show, Dr. Phil Primetime, to some 80 million viewers across the US. To reach the 18 million viewers in the New York metropolitan area, it required a centrally located transmitter.
WMBC-TV/TEMPOTEK is an independent, full-power, commercial television station licensed to Newton, NJ, and serves the New York metro area. Its programming is available over-the-air, on cable TV, Fios and Direct TV and Dish Network throughout the New Jersey – New York metropolitan area. As of April 2, 2024, it began broadcasting Dr. Phil’s Merit Street Media network’s programming to New Yorkers, utilizing its facilities from atop One World Trade Center in New York.
Built by The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and The Durst Organization in a unique public-private partnership, One World Trade Center offers advanced communications and technology infrastructure and unobstructed 360-degree signals to serve the tri-state region. The building’s state-of-the-art master antenna system emits approximately 2.2 megawatts of effective radiated power and serves multiple broadcasters, including CBS, NBC, PBS, FOX and ION Media.
Last year, The Durst Organization launched NEXTGEN TV, also known as ATSC 3.0, at One World Trade Center, making the building the first and only broadcasting facility in New York to offer the elevated over-the-air broadcasting service.
Jean S. Tom, Counsel at Rosenberg & Estis, represented The Durst Organization in the transaction. Robert Becker and Marc Musgrove handled the negotiations in-house for The Durst Organization.
To date, the Rosenberg & Estis telecommunications subspecialty team consisting of Ms. Tom and others has worked on more than 40 television and radio broadcast license agreements for The Durst Organization’s One World Trade Center and One Five One West 42nd Street towers. Rosenberg & Estis negotiates agreements on behalf of building owners with telecommunications providers for various telecommunications uses, including cell phones, television signals and fiber optic networks to provide service to tenants in buildings or to the general public.
Said Ms. Tom, “Rosenberg & Estis regularly represents New York landlords with negotiating highly intricate and nuanced agreements within the specialized telecommunications industry. It is always a pleasure to assist The Durst Organization as it works with its tenants and licensees to help them achieve success.”