We have some sad news to report on this evening: It appears likely that the right-wing Sinclair Broadcast Group will purchase the Tribune stations, several of which have long and storied legacies such as WGN, WPIX, KPLR, WGN America, and KTLA.
If this disastrous news holds up, the fate of several on-air and off-air employees on the payrolls at the soon-to-be former Tribune stations will be a dire one, the quality of the newscasts will suffer, and the legacies of the stations will be ruined as well. And to make things worse, expect the stations to air the mandatory right-wing propaganda pieces, shows, and specials mandated by the suits at the HQ in Hunt Valley, Maryland. Sinclair is a group well-known for its pro-Trump/GOP shilling.
Liana B. Baker and Jessica Toonkel at Reuters:
Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc (SBGI.O) is nearing a deal to acquire Tribune Media Co (TRCO.N) for close to $4 billion after prevailing in an auction for one of the largest U.S. television station operators, according to people familiar with the matter.
A potential deal for Tribune could come as soon as Monday, just weeks after the U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted to reverse a 2016 decision that limits the number of television stations some broadcasters can buy.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, named by President Donald Trump in January, is planning to take a new look at the current overall limit on companies owning stations serving no more than 39 percent of U.S. television households.
Michael J. de la Merced and Nicholas Fandos at NYT:
Sinclair, which has little name recognition but beams local television stations into a quarter of American homes, covers plenty of standard local news, including fires, shootings and traffic. But it has also used its 173 television stations to advance a mostly right-leaning agenda since the presidency of George W. Bush.
Fox, the media conglomerate controlled by Rupert Murdoch and his sons, has long dominated conservative political discussion with its Fox News cable channel. But Fox News is in disarray after several scandals. In the last weeks alone, Fox News lost its biggest star, Bill O’Reilly, and one of its most senior executives, Bill Shine.
With Fox News on the ropes, Sinclair, already the largest owner of local television stations, is looking to expand. Until last week it appeared to be closing in on acquiring Tribune Media, the second-largest owner of such stations. If completed, the deal would expand Sinclair’s footprint from mostly smaller markets to some of the country’s largest cities, including Chicago and New York.
Map:
If your primary local news source is a Tribune station, please boycott those stations once Sinclair takes them over. Should the deal go through, no more KTVI/KPLR as my (primary) news source in St. Louis, as I will NOT watch a Sinclair-owned newscast ever!
Monday, May 8, 2017 · 4:53:46 PM +00:00 · JGibson
It’s official: Tribune to buy Sinclair, via Chicago Tribune:
Sinclair Broadcast Group has agreed to buy Tribune Media in a cash and stock deal valued at $3.9 billion, the companies announced Monday.
Sinclair will acquire Chicago-based Tribune Media's 42 television stations and other assets, making the largest station owner in the country even bigger, pending approval from the Federal Communications Commission and federal antitrust regulators.
[...]
The combined company will become a TV broadcasting behemoth, owning and operating 233 television stations in 108 markets, pending any required divestitures by the FCC.
Sinclair owns and operates stations in 81 markets, including Washington, D.C.; Seattle; St. Louis; Minneapolis; Pittsburgh; and Milwaukee. Its holdings include 54 Fox affiliates, the most of any station group owner.