Entertainment Studios CEO Byron Allen, fast becoming one of the nation?s largest African American owners of local TV stations, is expanding his TV station holdings.

He purchased 11 small-market network affiliates from USA Television for $290 million, Cynthia Littleton reported for Variety.

?The largest of the stations is in market No. 79, Huntsville/Decatur/Florence in Alabama. The deal unveiled Tuesday with Atlanta-based USA Television brings Allen?s investments this year in small- and mid-sized market TV stations to $455 million.

In July, Allen Media Broadcasting cut a deal with Bayou City Broadcasting to buy four stations in Indiana and Louisiana for $165 million. . . .?

Allen also owns TheGrio.com and the Weather Channel. The USA Television station deal includes stations in Fort Wayne, Ind. (Fox?s WFFT), Eugene, Ore. (ABC?s KEZI), Chico-Redding in California (NBC?s KNVN), Rochester, Minn. (CBS? KIMT) and Terre Haute, Ind. (CBS? WTHI), Littleton reported.

Meanwhile, ?Allen has gained support in his ongoing court battle against Comcast from rapper and activist Michael ?Killer Mike? Render and The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP),? Cedric ?BIG CED? Thornton reported for Black Enterprise.

?Both the outspoken hip-hop activist and civil rights group are urging black people to stand with Allen in his $20 billion racial discrimination lawsuit against Comcast, which will be heard in the Supreme Court Nov. 13.

Allen also has a similar $10 billion suit against Charter Communications.

?Byron filed the multibillion suits back in 2015 and 2016, arguing that Comcast and Charter violated the Civil Rights Act after he unsuccessfully tried for years to get the cable systems to carry his networks, Entertainment Studios, which were available through rival distributors, including Verizon, Dish, and AT&T?s DirecTV.

Both Comcast and Charter, however, assert that race was not a factor in their refusal to carry stations under Allen?s production company. . . .?

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