Sinclair Broadcast Group Has Deal To Buy Tribune Media's TV Stations

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

Sinclair Broadcast Group Has Deal To Buy Tribune Media's TV Stations

May 8, 20175:21 PM ET
by David Folkenflik, NPR

Sinclair Broadcast Group, based outside Baltimore, announced Monday it had struck a $3.9 billion deal to obtain dozens of local television stations by acquiring Tribune Media.

The move, seen as likely to win approval of federal regulators with only modest concessions, would further propel consolidation in the industry. It would also offer a greater reach for one of the nation's most conservative media companies.

Though little known in major media centers, Sinclair's holdings are vast. It owns or operates more than 170 local television stations; Tribune Media owns 42 television stations in 33 markets, including the nation's top three: New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. With its new holdings, Sinclair would hold stations in seven of the biggest 10 markets.

The acquisition, which also requires Sinclair to assume $2.7 billion in debt, would give the company even greater leverage in negotiating deals with the major TV networks whose programming it carries. 21st Century Fox, Rupert Murdoch's television and entertainment company, explored making a run at Tribune Media with the Blackstone investment group, but ultimately decided against making a bid, according to an executive there. (Tribune's newspaper holdings were spun off in 2014 into a company ultimately renamed tronc.)

If history is any guide, the Smith brothers who together control Sinclair Broadcast will also pull news coverage on those stations in a more conservative direction and explore giving full rein to those beliefs on a national platform.

In the days after the September 2001 terror attacks, Sinclair required the news and sports anchors and even weather forecasters to read editorial messages explicitly conveying full support for the Bush administration's fight against terrorism. After some staffers raised objections at its flagship station in Baltimore, Sinclair officials allowed anchors there to say the message was from "station management."

In early 2004, Sinclair sent a reporting crew to Iraq, including its chief editorialist whose conservative commentaries are carried on dozens of Sinclair stations, in search of "overlooked" stories with a more positive bent. That summer, Sinclair declined to broadcast a special from Nightline on its seven ABC stations, because it ascribed anti-war motivations to anchor Ted Koppel's plan to read the names of all U.S. service members who had been killed in Iraq.

Former Sinclair Washington producer Lisa Modarelli later told me that decision hurt her ability to report on politics in the nation's capital. "Our sources didn't trust us anymore, even though we didn't make that decision," Modarelli said after she left the company. "They didn't want to work with us anymore because whatever we did, the story would turn out biased."

Later that year, then Sinclair Washington bureau chief Jon Leiberman openly opposed plans to air an hour-long program in the height of election season attacking Democratic nominee John Kerry for his service record in Vietnam and his anti-war stances afterward. Leiberman, who said in an interview that he had voted for George W. Bush in 2000, told me the show was "biased political propaganda, with clear intentions to sway this election." The company fired Leiberman the day after his interview, saying he was a disgruntled employee.

Similar patterns emerged in more recent years.

In 2012, the company paid for robocalls taped by one of Sinclair's Baltimore anchors to be placed to households around Maryland — with questions loaded against the positions of then Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley.

Last fall, according to the Washington Post, Sinclair directed stations to carry certain "must-run" stories that reflected poorly on Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Stories on Republican nominee Donald Trump were largely sympathetic or neutral, according to the newspaper.

In December, Politico reported that Jared Kushner had boasted to business executives that the Trump campaign had struck a deal giving access to Sinclair in exchange for more favorable coverage, a claim the chain denied.

There are what could be the stirrings of plans for a national platform — such as a cable television station.

Sinclair President and CEO Chris Ripley called the planned acquisition "transformational," in a statement, adding: "The Tribune stations are highly complementary to Sinclair's existing footprint and will create a leading nationwide media platform that includes our country's largest markets."

Sinclair recently signed former Trump campaign aide Boris Epshteyn as its chief political analyst. To lead its Sunday public affairs show, Sinclair hired former CBS correspondent Sharyl Atkisson, an investigative reporter whose scrutiny of the Obama administration won her the admiration of many conservatives.

Speculation has centered on possible conversion of Tribune's WGN America as a possible conservative news and opinion channel, or one of Sinclair's existing properties, though that could prove costly.

Sinclair's plans for acquisition, however, appear likely to sail through. Under its new chairman, Ajit Pai, the Federal Communications Commission has approved new rules relaxing restrictions on how many stations a single company can own.

Sinclair stations
http://www.rabbitears.info/search.php?request=owner_search&owner=Sinclair

Tribune stations
http://www.rabbitears.info/search.php?request=owner_search&owner=Tribune


It looks like WGME-TV (CBS) 13 and WJLA-TV (ABC) 7 will likely be some of WGN (Independent) 9 and WPIX-TV (CW) 11's sister stations once the Sinclair-Tribune merger goes through.

[giantsfan2016]

If I work in "news" at any Tribune station I would make sure my resume, list of reference, and video clips are up-to-date. I smell massive lay-offs.

Several stations will have to be spun-off.

Cable network WGN America will definitely be changing big time. I heard two different rumors. One they're going to fill the station with more reruns (and infomercials) and eliminate all original programming. Number 2 they're going to complete blow-up the network and use the satellite space to launch an all-news network.

In Philly right now 6-ABC WPVI produces a 10PM newscast for Tribune's WPHL Channel 17. Wonder if that will continue or will Sinclair do their own newscasts for Channel 17. It's been several years since "PHL 17" has has in-house newscasts. Before being taken over by 6-ABC, PHL 17's 10PM News was being done by NBC 10.

In DC ABC 7 will mostly take over production of the 10PM News on WDCW/50. Right now their news is done by a sister station in Richmond.

They'll probably trash AM 720 WGN Radio. Right now they 100% Live and Local with no syndicated programming at all.

They will most likely cut the amount of news on FOX 61 in Hartford. Probably cut the 4AM-430AM and the 9AM-10AM portions of the morning news. Maybe also the 5PM-6PM and the 11PM-11:30PM Newscast as well. I really don't think we need 4 Channels doing news 5PM-6PM and 11PM-11:30PM. They can keep the 4PM-5PM Newscast because the only other option at 4PM is NBC 30.

[mixedday]

In Philly right now 6-ABC WPVI produces a 10PM newscast for Tribune's WPHL Channel 17. Wonder if that will continue or will Sinclair do their own newscasts for Channel 17. It's been several years since "PHL 17" has has in-house newscasts. Before being taken over by 6-ABC, PHL 17's 10PM News was being done by NBC 10.

It's probably not a bright outlook for Action News at 10 on Ch.17.

Sinclair might sell WPHL to FOX so that FOX gets a duopoly of WTXF & WPHL. Sinclair has made many deals with FOX over the years, and perhaps the cash from FOX or some other enticement might make it worthwhile. FOX might just do it to eliminate Action News at 10 anyways, so it increases viewership on FOX 29 News at 10.

Sinclair also owns a number of ABC affiliates, however, after the Allbritton acquisition, notably WJLA 7 in Washington DC, so they have some relationship with ABC as well.

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

Unlike the LIN TV/Media General merger and the Media General/Nexstar Merger, the Sinclair/Tribune merger will have less of an impact on my area.

In my area (Green Bay, Wisconsin) for example, the LIN TV would merge with Media General, leading to Media General keeping WBAY-TV (ABC) 2 in my area, and selling both WLUK-TV (FOX) 11 and its sister station WCWF (The CW) 14 to Sinclair Broadcast Group.

WLUK-TV 11 was with LIN TV since their acquisition from Emmis Communications, while WCWF 14 (originally WIWB) was recently acquired from ACME Communications.

A few years later, Media General would merge with Nexstar Broadcasting Group, leading to Nexstar keeping WFRV-TV (CBS) 5 and as a result, WBAY-TV (ABC) 2 was sold to Gray Television who previously managed and operated the station when their previous owner, Young Broadcasting, was in the process of merging with Media General in 2010, after Young Broadcasting emerged from chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Since the Green Bay area has no Tribune-owned stations, no stations will have to be sold off in the Sinclair/Tribune merger.