Rhode Island-based LIN TV Corp. has completed its acquisition of 18 television stations in eight markets, including KHON and the digital CW station in Hono­lulu.

The purchase price of $330.4 million and $12 million assumption of seller debt previously was reported in the Star-Advertiser. The other stations are in Portland, Ore.; Bir­ming­ham, Ala.; Wichita and Topeka, Kan.; Savannah, Ga.; Youngstown, Ohio; and Mason City, Iowa.

The company is "fond of the stations" that are in a "good geographic mix" of markets, Scott Blumenthal, LIN Media executive vice president for television, told the Star-Advertiser.

Aside from budgeting for 2013 and updating software to synch up systems, LIN officials likely will visit KHON "two or three times in the next two or three months" before making any noticeable adjustments, he said.

"We believe strongly … that every market has its own idiosyncrasies, and we like taking a little time, doing the appropriate research" and finding out what is in the best interests of the market, he said. LIN will then "provide assets and resources" accordingly.

"We respect the people and we respect their operations," Blumenthal said. Employees will find "we’re a pretty transparent company."

Blumenthal’s comments are in stark contrast to the 2006 purchase of KHON by Montecito Broadcast Group LLC, which came with an announcement of job cuts resulting in a voluntary exodus of managers as a protest.

Following the Federal Communications Commission’s Oct. 2 approval of transfer of the stations’ broadcast licenses to LIN, the publicly traded company announced an offering of $290 million in senior notes, net proceeds of which were to be used to finance part of the purchase price.

Seller New Vision Television sold the stations as part of its now-terminated Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization initiated in July of 2009.

With the acquisition, LIN operates or provides services to 43 TV stations and seven digital channels in 23 U.S. markets, as well as a portfolio of websites, mobile applications and other mobile products.

The latter products will be expanded to Hono­lulu.

"We are firm believers in localism, news and information services for the people in a marketplace, (and in) providing those services whenever, wherever, however and on whatever device the consumer wants," Blumenthal said.

LIN was formed in 1961 to acquire radio stations in Louisville, Ky.; Indianapolis; and Nashville, Tenn. "And we never bought those stations, the deal didn’t go through, but the company was already incorporated," so the name stuck, Blumenthal said.

The company history on the website indicates it did at least eventually acquire stations in those markets. It shifted its focus to television from radio in the 1970s.