The Saints announced on Monday that owner Tom Benson has purchased the local FOX affiliate in New Orleans.  Benson acquired WVUE-TV from Emmis Communications, a media conglomerate headquartered in Indianapolis.

The full text of the statement has been posted on the Saints’ official web site.

The announcement explains that Benson has created the Louisiana Media Company, which will focus on the acquisition of radio and television stations and movie production, and will be headquartered in New Orleans.

The fact that the move has been trumpeted by Benson’s NFL franchise suggests to us that there’s a strong P.R. component to this — and that the goal in announcing it so aggressively could be to calm any local concerns that the Saints eventually and inevitably will pack up and move.  Consider this excerpt from the official release:

“Benson, a New Orleanian and the owner of the New Orleans Saints, cites his unwavering belief in the recovery and rebirth of his native city by agreeing to purchase, in partnership with like-minded business and civic leaders, one of the most powerful local television stations in the market. 

“Although Benson is spearheading the purchase of WVUE-TV Fox 8, he believes that having a local group of investors join him in this acquisition will be another example of his commitment to strengthen the bond between the station and the marketplace.

“With his business interests ranging from the New Orleans Saints and New Orleans VooDoo to automotive dealerships, real estate and banking, Benson will embrace the challenges of owning a broadcasting platform with the same zeal that he has demonstrated throughout his lifetime:  with the unwavering goal of placing the city of New Orleans, the State of Louisiana and the Gulf Coast region at the forefront of the national landscape through community involvement while unrelentingly serving the interests of the local economies, charities and countless civic groups.”

Of course, nothing prevents Benson from selling his interest in WVUE-TV if/when the Saints eventually move to L.A. or some other locale.  Or maybe Benson thinks that his ownership of the Louisiana Media Company will help to offset any eventual relocation of his football team.

Regardless, the fact that the Saints are making such a big deal out of this transaction makes us think that it’s part of a broader business strategy that involves the Saints in ways other than the fact that many of their games will be aired on the station that the owner now owns.