Kilpatrick Stockton was one of four law firms that gave advice to Landmark Communications Inc. on its sale of The Weather Channel to NBC Universal.
In the deal NBC Universal partnered with private equity firms Bain Capital and Blackstone Group to buy The Weather Channel for undisclosed terms. The deal is subject to regulatory approvals. The purchase price was about $3.5 billion, Bloomberg News said, citing an unnamed source.
The agreement came seven months after Landmark started its auction of The Weather Channel, attracting interest from Time Warner and CBS Corp., among others.
Kilpatrick Stockton partners Stan Blackburn and Justin Heineman, and associates Jessica Nash and Lance McCord, worked on corporate aspects of the deal. Partners Jim Steinberg worked on technology matters, Jim Ewing on intellectual property and Chintan Amin on environmental issues. The Kilpatrick Stockton attorneys worked with The Weather Channel general counsel Becky Powhatan Kelley and Landmark general counsel Guy Friddell.
Kilpatrick Stockton has been representing The Weather Channel, which is headquartered in Atlanta, for more than 20 years, Blackburn said.
“It’s a super company and I’m delighted for them” about the sale to NBC Universal, Blackburn said.
In addition to its flagship NBC network, General Electric Co. unit NBC Universal also owns the Universal film studio and cable networks Bravo and MSNBC. Landmark also owns newspapers, including the Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk, Va., and the News & Record of Greensboro, N.C.
Willcox & Savage partners Tom Inglima, Trey Huelsberg, Tom Johnson and Jeff Breeser, all located in Landmark’s hometown of Norfolk, also advised Landmark on corporate issues. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and Venable advised Landmark on tax matters. Weil, Gotshal & Manges and Ropes & Gray advised NBC Universal, Bain and Blackstone.