Sinclair is a right wing media company, but different from Fox News.
We lucked out in 2018 when their merger with Tribune Broadcasting failed, which would have increased Sinclair's US coverage from 40% to 84%. See the map.
The deal was heavily criticized as giving Sinclair an oligopoly over TV broadcasting. Democrats and the FCC blocked the merger. Even some Republicans were against it, even though Sinclair has had a heavy hand in conservative editorial content and a history of making news anchors read their edicts verbatim on the air.
Sinclair's 185 stations are affiliated with Fox, NBC, ABC, CBS, MyNetworkTV, and the CW. In contrast, NBC, ABC and CBS own only 80 stations between them covering the large markets.
Sinclair has made their stations run prepackaged video segments and had newsmen read scripts favorable to Trump. Even criticizing mainstream media as fake news, when they're part of it. Trump has tweeted his support for watching Sinclair over CNN and NBC. Make no mistake about it. Their propaganda was a factor in the election disaster.
Sinclair Media has had a history of butting head with other media groups like Comcast, DirectTV, Dish, Time Warner, Hulu and others over carriage fees. The charges for using their content of their distribution hubs.
If you go to Sinclair's web page right now, the latest headline reads: "Sinclair Congratulates Brendan Carr on Appointment as Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission." Brendan Carr. Now where have I heard that name before?
"We look forward to working with him to strengthen local broadcasting by leveling the playing field and removing regulatory roadblocks that needlessly hamper investment, innovation, and competition."
Regulatory roadblocks. Meaning allowing Sinclair to buy up more stations and digital media companies. As I said before, the Tribune merger failing was good for America. The new FCC will be more compliant to their needs and wants.
Sinclair is all too happy to have the FCC implement the plan in Project 2025. There is a whole section devoted just to the FCC, and it's just an agency, not a Department like Education, which has it's own section.
Alarms were raised when the Chairman of Sinclair Broadcast Group, a subsidiary, bought the Baltimore Sun Media, a newspaper and digital media company, in January of this year. That Chairman, David Smith, owned Sinclair before it went public.
As one journalist, Anne Nelson, put it, the lack of local newspapers has changed the role of local TV news. "When you remove those papers, which historically feed local radio and TV news programs, you're left with Sinclair and the internet."
Sinclair stations feature a steady stream of Trump's bogeymen: crime, homelessness, failing schools and illegal drugs. Every year they do a survey that asks, "What are you most afraid of?"
In 2018, Sinclair got national headlines when it told it's newsmen to read a script that completely echoed what Trump was saying about the news media.
Sinclair employed Boris Epshteyn, a Trump adviser, to do its political analysis, and directed its stations to air an interview between Boris and Trump. Sinclair let go of Boris at the end of 2019, but he went right on working for Trump.
The segments that stations are forced to run, basically amount to a "terror alert desk." Fear and loathing on local TV.
Sinclair did some reorganizing last year, but it's still dangerous.
You could have a local Sinclair station right where you live. Maybe you've wondered about the conservative biases that they have shown to the news. Now you know why. Look up your local TV station's call letters and see who owns the station. You can't buy their stations, but you could let them know when their editorial content is sorely lacking of a nonpartisan view.
Here's John Oliver's take on Sinclair in 2017
John's take on Sinclair and other things August 2024
Recommended reading:
Brendan Carr - FCC Chairman
Trump's War on the Media
