Standard General pursues a single strategy of opportunistic investing primarily in levered U.S. middle-market companies. The firm has the ability to invest across the capital structure but is better known for specializing in distressed debt. Since 2007, it has invested in both publicly traded and private entities and is known for making several control investments.
In April 2018, the divestiture of stations by Sinclair Broadcasting during the Tribune Media buyout opened an opportunity for Standard Media, subsidiary of Standard General, to purchase several of the stations. In the case of the stations in the Wilkes Barre, PA marker, Sinclair is not the licensee of these stations and will only be selling the assets of such stations that Sinclair owns, together with its right to purchase the licenses of the stations. The deal fell through when the Sinclair-Tribune merger was terminated on August 9th, 2018. The stations that were to be purchased by Standard Media included:
Standard General became the majority owner of Young Broadcasting after its emergence from chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2010. Young Broadcasting later merged with Media General in November 2013. Following that merger, the combined Media General went on to merge with LIN Media, a transaction that would create the nation's eight largest television station group. On January 27, 2016, Media General was sold to Nexstar Broadcasting. Standard General profited $300 million USD from the transaction. In recognition of this series of shareholder value-creating transactions, in May 2016, Gabelli Funds inducted Media General board member Soohyung Kim into the GAMCO Management Hall of Fame.
Aliante Casino and Hotel
was developed by Station Casinos and the family-owned Greenspun Corp. In connection with Station's bankruptcy proceedings, lenders took control of Aliante in 2011. From 2011 to 2016, Standard General was the largest stakeholder of ALST Casino Holdco, the owner of the Aliante Casino and Hotel in North Las Vegas. Soohyung Kim served as the CEO of ALST Casino Holdco. In April 2016, Boyd Gaming agreed to purchase the ALST Casino Holdco LLC for total net cash consideration of $380 million.
American Apparel
See American Apparel
RadioShack
In 2015, The New York Times described the firm as "the little-known hedge fund that is also leading the turnaround at RadioShack." In 2015, during RadioShack's chapter 11 bankruptcy, Standard General formed General Wireless, to act as the owner and operator of the RadioShack brand and its assets. The new company partnered with Sprint to create co-branded stores, with Sprint's name eventually becoming the primary brand on the exterior and selling both Sprint and RadioShack-branded products and services within. General Wireless filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy on March 8, 2017, taking the RadioShack name through its second bankruptcy in two years. On June 12, 2017, General Wireless announced its intent to auction off the RadioShack name. In late July 2018, RadioShack partnered up with HobbyTown USA to open up around 100 RadioShack "Express" stores.
