Michael Basile

Michael Basile is co-chair of Cooley's communications practice group. His practice covers traditional and new media interests and focuses on transactions, policy advocacy and regulatory compliance counseling. He represents clients on strategic matters, including M&A with a focus on private equity, financings, shared operating arrangements, content agreements and in structuring acquisition vehicles, presenting bids, negotiating transaction agreements and obtaining regulatory approvals. Michael has been counsel to buyers and sellers in over 60 broadcast television transactions over the last five years, including many of the largest television deals by total value.

Michael advises strategic and financial interests on federal law and regulation relating to ownership and acquisition of media properties. He also advises television and radio group owners in securing Federal Communications Commission approvals and rule waivers for complex transactions, and he assists broadcasters in policy advocacy and responding to government investigations.

Representative matters:

• Zoom in its proposed acquisition of Five9 in an all-stock transaction valued at $14.7 billion
• Meredith Corporation on the $2.8 billion agreement to sell their TV broadcast group to Gray Television
• Apollo Global Management in advice regarding FCC regulatory requirements for their proposed recapitalization plan and $11 billion merger with Athene in an all-stock transaction
• PE funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management in the $3.484 billion acquisition of the broadcast television businesses of Northwest Broadcasting and Cox Media Group, CMG’s radio station portfolio, CoxReps, the nation’s largest national television rep company, and Gamut, a national advertising business.
• Meredith Corporation’s acquisition of Time Inc. in a transaction valued at $2.8 billion.
• Jerry Lee Radio in its $55 million acquisition of WBEB Philadelphia from Entercom.
• Meredith Corporation in the proposed purchase of KPLR St Louis as part of the Sinclair merger with Tribune.
• Midwest Television, Inc's sale of TV station to Tegna for $325 million.
• Meredith Corporation in its purchase of WPCH Atlanta from Turner Broadcasting System.
• Digity Media, in a series of radio roll-up and financing transactions that resulted in the creation of a nationwide radio group owning and operating 115 stations.
• Meredith Corporation as lead regulatory counsel in the proposed merger of Meredith's local media segment with Medial General in a transaction valued at $2.4 billion in cash and stock.
• Cox Media Group in the swap of its San Francisco television stations for the Boston and Memphis television properties owned and operated by Fox Television Stations.
• Digity Media in the sale of its radio group to Alpha Media for $264 million.
• Meredith Corporation's acquisition of TV stations from Gannett Co. for $400 million.
• Oak Hill Capital and Local TV as lead regulatory counsel in the sale of Local TV's 19 television stations to Tribune Company for $2.75 billion in cash.
• Cox Media Group as lead regulatory counsel in its sale of television properties in four markets to Sinclair Television Group. 
• Palm Beach Broadcasting as lead transaction counsel in sale of West Palm Beach FM station to Lincoln Financial Media.
• Cox Media Group as lead regulatory counsel in sale of radio properties to Connoisseur Media and SummitMedia.        
• Cox Media Group as lead regulatory counsel in purchase of television properties in Jacksonville and Tulsa.
• Block Communications, Cox Media Group and other television and radio broadcast clients in structuring, negotiating and implementing time brokerage, joint sales and shared services agreements.