Matthew Davidge buys television facility, Media Gateway to expand with new TV show

Entrepreneur Matthew Davidge has purchased the media communications center at 1 Shackleford Drive, Little Rock, from Soul of the South Network, officials announced Monday.

Media Gateway, already a tenant of the building, will expand its master control and broadcast news operations. Frixxer, a new micro-content TV show, will be based there. Soul of the South will remain as a tenant. Renovation and development of the facility will start later this year.

Media Gateway serves as an outsourced broadcast and master control facility for TV stations and several TV networks, including Youtoo (formerly America One.) Media Gateway also offers a localized broadcast news production service to TV stations that do not have their own news studio.

The 30,000 square foot building houses 35 employees, two television studios and a growing master control facility which distributes over 1,000 hours of television per day, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year.

“TV stations and networks under margin-pressure are looking to outsource services. There has been a lot of uncertainty about the future of this building but now it is settled. We will be focusing on bringing new customers – and with it new employment – to West Little Rock,” said Jeff Lyle, CEO of Media Gateway.

Davidge, a former consultant to MTV networks and a television investor, recently sold The Wellness Network, a television network in 2,300 U.S. hospitals, and is a co-owner of Mag Rack, a video-on-demand TV service and is the owner of Frixxer.