The sale of KLRT-TV, Channel 16, and KASN-TV, Channel 38, to Mission Broadcasting of Westlake, Ohio, effectively means Nexstar Broadcasting Group of Irving, Texas, is an owner of three television stations in Little Rock.

Here's how that works:

Mission Broadcasting was named July 19 as buyer of KLRT and KASN from Newport Television of Kansas City, Mo. But everywhere Mission owns a station, it operates in conjunction with Nexstar, which already owns NBC-affiliated KARK-TV, Channel 4, in Little Rock.

In its 2011 annual report, publicly traded Nexstar says its involvement in Mission is "deemed controlling financial interest."

Nexstar spokesman Joseph Jefoni described the Nexstar-Mission business arrangement to Outtakes as partnering "in every one of Mission's markets."

In July, Nexstar announced an agreement under which it will buy 10 TV stations from Newport Television while Mission buys the two Little Rock stations.

Perhaps KARK will begin to...