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Sinclair Broadcast Group - General Discussion


Smitha A

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Our local Sinclair station plays it pretty straight in terms of local coverage and relegates the corporate cram-downs (Behind the Headlines, Full Measure, Circa, The Right Side) mostly to off-peak time periods. According to FTVLive, Hearst cut the same deal with the Trump campaign.

 

Surprised at Hearst. Couldn't find any comments aside from the FTV post. Some of their executives made comments against Trump. Sure the founder was conservative but now it didn't seem like it.

 

Wasn't much Trump coverage here given it's a blue state.

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Our local Sinclair station plays it pretty straight in terms of local coverage and relegates the corporate cram-downs (Behind the Headlines, Full Measure, Circa, The Right Side) mostly to off-peak time periods. One of their chief anchors does on-air editorials under the moniker "The Real Deal," and the content leans center-left. According to FTVLive, Hearst cut the same deal with the Trump campaign, though they aren't receiving the same blowback as Sinclair. Our local Sinclair station airs national content from CBS and CNN, even during their Fox-affiliated station's newscasts (I can't recall the last time I saw Fox content there.)

http://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2016/12/16/trump-campaign-admits-cutting-deals-with-sinclair-and-hearst

 

That may be a "looser" Sinclair station in your market with a news director not afraid to take them on?

 

Also, just wondering if SBG has deals with other owners for their own shows (like Full Measure) to air them in markets that lack a Sinclair station? Or do other owners hate them so much? Even in deep red areas, there are many markets (and even some entire states) with no Sinclair presence.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sinclair has decided to run a hit piece against the Washington Post in response to the Post's reporting that Sinclair was in the tank for Trump. Of course Sinclair completely ignored the fact that the Post only reported on it because Trump's son-in-law said that Sinclair was favorable to Trump.

 

http://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2017/1/5/sinclair-runs-hit-piece-on-the-washington-post

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WJAR had a malfunction during dateline commercial breaks. they were showing a WBFF commercial instead of a WJAR commercial for a brief second. another one occurred at WBFF where one of the monitors on the news would show their FOX 45 logo glitching green lines during weather. i wonder if Sinclair knows about these Issues.

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Sinclair is really running the gauntlet big time, here's what's going on.

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Sinclair is really running the gauntlet big time, here's what's going on.

 

Translation:

 

The debt is stacking up and ad revenues are much lower than we thought so now we have to cut costs wherever we can. I feel this is just the beginning.

 

Welcome to the next Clear Channel (err...iHeartMedia).

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WPEC also lost Kerrin Jeromin and Steve Glazier (husband and wife meteorologists), Steve is going to WeatherNation in Denver and Kerrin is looking right now? They'll be down to 2 there I believe.

 

They are a distant third now in the market I believe?

 

Yep... WPEC is third. WPBF has long taken over for second place with WPTV still reigning as king.

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Translation:

 

The debt is stacking up and ad revenues are much lower than we thought so now we have to cut costs wherever we can. I feel this is just the beginning.

 

Welcome to the next Clear Channel (err...iHeartMedia).

And yet Sinclair continues to make all kinds of investments in technology, networks and online ventures. Tegna went through its own bloodletting a while back through early retirements and recently shut down NWCN. Retail is going through its own post-Christmas liquidations and store closures, and the Sears Holdings final implosion could happen at any time. Sinclair was at the brink of bankruptcy a few years ago, but I'm not getting the feeling that they're at that point now. For one thing, the FCC-imposed TV ownership limit tends to prevent even large group owners for getting leveraged to the point of an iHeart Radio, which can't seem to get below $20 billion or so in debt.

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Sinclair was at the brink of bankruptcy a few years ago, but I'm not getting the feeling that they're at that point now. For one thing, the FCC-imposed TV ownership limit tends to prevent even large group owners for getting leveraged to the point of an iHeart Radio, which can't seem to get below $20 billion or so in debt.

 

First, that limit probably dies under a Trump administration and a Republican controlled FCC. Give it time.

 

Second, EVERYONE will feel it. Trump has proven you don't have to spend money on TV ads to become President of the United States. Political spending as we know it is about to change and I've long felt local TV is too dependent on it. I hope all Sinclair is doing is future-proofing itself, because with all the stations they have in swing states, if they can't balance the books, who can?

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First, that limit probably dies under a Trump administration and a Republican controlled FCC. Give it time.

 

Second, EVERYONE will feel it. Trump has proven you don't have to spend money on TV ads to become President of the United States. Political spending as we know it is about to change and I've long felt local TV is too dependent on it. I hope all Sinclair is doing is future-proofing itself, because with all the stations they have in swing states, if they can't balance the books, who can?

The current financial model is also built on a foundation of retrans revenue and duopolies. If a future FCC undercuts that model it could have a devastating impact. As for political, we can expect more diversion of campaign spending from broadcast media to online, but Trump is a unique case in that he was already well-known and had a lot of "earned media" that isn't fully accountable in terms of dollars and cents (though many analysts have attempted to do so) and few candidates are likely to be able to replicate.

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Anything like WKRC's package?

 

If they start rolling it out, expect it on their key stations like WBFF and WSYX/WTTE first.

 

I don't think it will. I'm with YTownNewsGuy in thinking it's more of a refresh of the current package. That could be a reason some of the stations still aren't using the Sinclair gfx... because they'll be outdated in a matter of months anyway.

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Sinclair giving out plaques to employees from the "Sinclair Connecting" Meeting.

 

Does this mean a Sinclair station can challenge the status quo on someone who's "politics lean the same way Sinclair does"? Just asking...

 

http://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2017/1/11/the-sinclair-meeting

 

Screen+Shot+2017-01-11+at+4.52.05+AM.png?format=1000w

 

I believe WGME is like that - they tend to go against their bosses sometimes. I'm surprised Sinclair hasn't tried to intervene there, but I guess Portland, ME isn't seen as a "micromanaging" market.

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Sinclair is really running the gauntlet big time, here's what's going on.

 

Such a disgusting company. Really seems like the place to be in this business is at one of the privately-owned family companies like Hearst, Cox, etc. that aren't chasing the biggest margin for their shareholders.

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Such a disgusting company. Really seems like the place to be in this business is at one of the privately-owned family companies like Hearst, Cox, etc. that aren't chasing the biggest margin for their shareholders.

 

Hearst

Cox

Sunbeam

Graham

Dispatch

Heartland

Quincy

Tribune (less so than Nexstar, Sinclair or TEGNA)

Meredith

Gray?

 

Those are companies that I think of that really do keep their people and doesn't make much cuts or bloodshed.

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Hearst

Cox

Sunbeam

Graham

Dispatch

Heartland

Quincy

Tribune (less so than Nexstar, Sinclair or TEGNA)

Meredith

Gray?

 

Those are companies that I think of that really do keep their people and doesn't make much cuts or bloodshed.

 

Eh, Gray doesn't really belong there. They laid off a bunch at WDBJ.

 

I would add Hearst...and there are a couple of the smaller ones that also seem pretty good. Cordillera, Hubbard, Morgan Murphy to name a few. You look at the stations (esp. the flagships) and how many longtimers are still at each...

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Just posted this in out and about, but figured it would fit well over here as well.

 

DCRTV reports that WJLA/NC8's Bruce DePuyt will be leaving the station effecting Jan 31st.

 

I honestly won't be surprised if other veteran on-air staff such as Doug Hill, Dave Lucas, Rich Reeve, Melanie Hastings, Suzanne Kennedy, etc leave or "retire" before 2017 is over.

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