Piedmont Television

Piedmont Television was a United States broadcasting company focused on owning and operating television stations in smaller local markets. The company began in 1996 under the name Grapevine Communications and was initially based in Atlanta, Georgia. Its early business model centered on assembling a portfolio of local broadcast properties rather than developing a consumer-facing national media brand. In 1999, Grapevine Communications merged with GOCOM Communications. The transaction brought the combined company into GOCOM's corporate structure and resulted in the adoption of the name GOCOM Holdings. The headquarters moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, reflecting the inherited corporate base of GOCOM Communications. This period established the company as a station-owning broadcaster with a regional and small-market orientation. The corporate identity changed again in 2003, when GOCOM Holdings adopted the name Piedmont Television. The rebranding distinguished the company from the earlier GOCOM identity while retaining its focus on local television broadcasting. Piedmont Television's assets consisted of stations arranged across multiple United States markets, with individual stations continuing to operate under their own local call signs and identities rather than under a single Piedmont-branded consumer network. Piedmont ultimately exited the station-owning business in 2007, selling its stations to various owners. Because the assets were dispersed rather than transferred to one successor organization, the Piedmont Television corporate brand ceased to function as an active broadcasting company after the divestitures. The former GOCOM name is also associated with another television ownership company, but that later entity should not be treated as identical to Piedmont Television. Piedmont Television is therefore best understood as a defunct U.S. broadcast-station ownership company whose principal historical significance lies in its consolidation, rebranding, and eventual sale of a portfolio of smaller-market television stations.

Piedmont Television originated in 1996 as Grapevine Communications, a broadcasting company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Its business was based on ownership of television stations serving local communities, particularly in smaller United States markets. Unlike a national network or a consumer electronics brand, the company operated primarily as a media holding and station-management organization. The local stations it owned retained their own market identities and call signs, while the parent company managed the broader ownership portfolio. A major structural change occurred in 1999, when Grapevine Communications merged with GOCOM Communications. Following the merger, the company inherited GOCOM's Charlotte, North Carolina headquarters and changed its corporate name to GOCOM Holdings. The merger combined the two organizations and placed the business within a larger station-ownership framework. Charlotte subsequently served as the company's base during the period leading to its later rebranding. In 2003, GOCOM Holdings changed its name to Piedmont Television. The new name gave the company a distinct corporate identity and separated it from the earlier GOCOM branding. Piedmont continued to operate as a United States broadcast-station owner, with its portfolio distributed among smaller television markets. Its activities were therefore tied to the economics of local broadcasting, including station operations, local programming, and the sale of advertising inventory, although the available reference material does not identify specific station-level brands, financial results, or individual executives. The company's ownership period ended in 2007, when Piedmont Television sold its stations to various owners. The divestiture dispersed the portfolio rather than creating a single successor company under the Piedmont name. As a result, Piedmont Television is treated as a defunct broadcasting company. The GOCOM name later became associated with another station-owning business, but that entity is not interchangeable with Piedmont Television. The historical sequence is consequently Grapevine Communications, followed by GOCOM Holdings after the 1999 merger, followed by Piedmont Television from 2003 until the station sales in 2007.

• 2007

  Station portfolio sold

  [1]Piedmont Televisionen.wikipedia.org

  The company sold its television stations to various owners and ceased operating as an active station-owning group.

• 2003

  Rebranded as Piedmont Television

  [1]Piedmont Televisionen.wikipedia.org

  GOCOM Holdings changed its corporate name to Piedmont Television.

• 1999

  Merger with GOCOM Communications

  [1]Piedmont Televisionen.wikipedia.org

  The company merged with GOCOM Communications, inherited its Charlotte headquarters, and adopted the name GOCOM Holdings.

• 1996

  Company founded as Grapevine Communications

  [1]Piedmont Televisionen.wikipedia.org

  Grapevine Communications was established as a United States television broadcasting company and was initially based in Atlanta, Georgia.

A regional broadcast-station ownership company focused on smaller United States television markets.

• Broadcasting assets

  Owned television stations

  Piedmont Television's principal assets were television stations in smaller United States markets. These stations provided local broadcast services under their individual station identities, including programming and advertising access for their communities. The available reference does not specify the complete station list or identify individual station call signs.

• 2007

  Sale of the station portfolioM&A

  Background

  Piedmont Television chose to exit ownership of its television stations.

  Action taken

  The company sold its stations to various owners.

  Aftermath

  The divestitures ended Piedmont Television's operation as an active station-owning broadcaster.

  Source

• 2003

  Corporate rebranding as Piedmont TelevisionStrategy

  Background

  After operating as GOCOM Holdings following the 1999 merger, the company adopted a new corporate identity.

  Action taken

  GOCOM Holdings changed its name to Piedmont Television.

  Aftermath

  The company continued its station-ownership activities under the Piedmont Television name until its station portfolio was sold in 2007.

  Source

• 1999

  Merger with GOCOM CommunicationsM&A

  Background

  Grapevine Communications combined with GOCOM Communications as part of the company's expansion and corporate consolidation.

  Action taken

  The merged organization adopted the GOCOM Holdings name and used GOCOM's Charlotte, North Carolina headquarters.

  Aftermath

  The transaction created the corporate entity that was later renamed Piedmont Television.

  Source

• 2007

  Piedmont Television sells its television stations[1]Piedmont Televisionen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Piedmont Television sold its stations to various owners, ending its role as a station-owning broadcasting company.

• 2003

  GOCOM Holdings adopts the Piedmont Television name[1]Piedmont Televisionen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The company changed its corporate name from GOCOM Holdings to Piedmont Television.

• 1999

  Grapevine Communications merges with GOCOM Communications[1]Piedmont Televisionen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  A merger with GOCOM Communications led to the adoption of the GOCOM Holdings name and the relocation of the corporate headquarters to Charlotte, North Carolina.

• 1996

  Grapevine Communications is founded[1]Piedmont Televisionen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The company that would later become Piedmont Television was established as Grapevine Communications, initially based in Atlanta, Georgia.

1. 1Piedmont Televisionen.wikipedia.org