“Nightly Business Report” sold for second time in 15 months

“Nightly Business Report,” which airs on more than 350 PBS stations around the country, has been sold for the second time since August 2010.

The new owner is Atalaya Capital Management, which acquired the 32-year-old program for an undisclosed price. Five-year-old Atalaya is based in New York and has primarily been an acquirer of corporate and real estate debt.

“Nightly Business Report” launched in Miami in January 1979. It became a national program in 1981. The show was acquired in 2010 by Mykalai Kontilai, who has been overhauling its operations. The show is co-anchored by Susie Gharib and Tom Hudson.

“Today’s announcement regarding the sale of Nightly Business Report marks a day of great satisfaction for me, my partners, and the entire NBR staff,” said Kontilai in a statement. “We celebrate the realization of many of our short and long term goals over the last 14 months, and now turn the page to an even brighter future. As the next chapter begins, we are all excited about the opportunities that will be afforded to the new owners and their team, and expect NBR’s success on public television to continue.”

Under the new ownership, NBR Worldwide Inc. will be led by Rick Ray, a television veteran. Ray grew up in the television business, starting first as a production assistant and cameraman in a local television station in Charlotte. After various positions in station management he and his wife Dee founded RAYCOM, the largest producer of sports programming in the U.S., producing more than 1,200 hours of programming annually for major networks and syndication.

The program is expected to launch a new website, which will enable viewers to watch updated broadcasts immediately after they air, by the end of the year. Several contributors to the program will also add their expertise to an e-newsletter under the NBR brand.

Read more here.