Jump to content

Sinclair Broadcast Group - General Discussion


Smitha A

Recommended Posts

It looks like the ax came for Macon, where the news output is being reduced. Spotted this Wikipedia edit, and I have confirmed at least the 10 p.m. part...

 

Quote

In April 2023, the 5 P.M. newscast was shorten from a full-hour newscast to a half-hour newscast and canceled the Sunday-Thursday 10 P.M. newscast, replacing it with ''[[The National Desk]]''. Nine of WGXA's production staff were laid off as a result.

 

They are also losing one of their meteorologists, Eric Garlick, to a destination unknown.

 

3 hours ago, GoldenShine9 said:

 

I know KTIV is the ratings leader there, and I believe KCAU is well ahead of KMEG/KPTM as well.

 

KMEG was a third-wheel station in the worst way. It was a UHF in a part of the country with very few UHF network affiliates. It only was a CBS affiliate because KCAU correctly judged that it could serve Sioux Falls and Sioux City by going to ABC (a decision that proved to be the right one as the station then had its best 15 years ever). It had no local news for quite some time until 1999.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll say it once, I'll say it again.  Once the Tegna / Standard General deal officially dies, Sinclair's TV stations and RSNs will be Standard General's next target.  Even if Apollo is brought on board, the conflicts are far less than they would have been as Tegna's new owners.

 

Plus, Standard General owns Bally's itself, so if there's the money to keep that the Diamond Sports dumpster fire burning, there's enough dark money to keep them and the Sinclair stations going....

 

And maybe they'll actually invest in these places where Sinclair has neglected their stations and left them to die...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, tyrannical bastard said:

I'll say it once, I'll say it again.  Once the Tegna / Standard General deal officially dies, Sinclair's TV stations and RSNs will be Standard General's next target.  Even if Apollo is brought on board, the conflicts are far less than they would have been as Tegna's new owners.

 

Plus, Standard General owns Bally's itself, so if there's the money to keep that the Diamond Sports dumpster fire burning, there's enough dark money to keep them and the Sinclair stations going....

 

And maybe they'll actually invest in these places where Sinclair has neglected their stations and left them to die...

Assuming the Soo Kim will even be allowed to buy them, after all the crap he's pulled trying to buy Tegna.

Edited by Adam MadMan
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Adam MadMan said:

Assuming the Soo Kim will even be allowed to buy them, after all the crap he's pulled trying to buy Tegna.

But considering all the crap that Sinclair pulled to try to get Tribune.... I'm sure the FCC would be glad to have any of Sinclair's licenses in somebody else's hands.

  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, tyrannical bastard said:

I'll say it once, I'll say it again.  Once the Tegna / Standard General deal officially dies, Sinclair's TV stations and RSNs will be Standard General's next target.  Even if Apollo is brought on board, the conflicts are far less than they would have been as Tegna's new owners.

 

 

Don't the Smiths have voting control? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know it's because of budget issues. But living in a top 3 market and watching local news is totally different. I travel a lot and some of those small market newscasts are almost unwatchable. It's kind of like radio when the market talent is so horrible due to lack of experience etc they get replaced with a out of market host. Same thing here bad anchors news sets that look 20 years old . Screw it I would just centralize everything too. But I think they should have a local weatherman. As well as who cares about it being live , they should have the National anchors read a few local stories and edit them in to the newscast so it flows like it's a actual local newscast . Because let's be honest in some of these small towns the local news isn't that plentiful and really doesn't have to be live . But there should be some local flavor not just all National.

Edited by TVJayFOX
Correction
  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've gone through all of the Sinclair stations they own and found the stations that I most believe are on the bubble for being shut down in favor of syndie shows and The National Desk.

 

KIMA & KEPR: The fact that Yakima was able to handle three newscasts for over 50 years is surprising, but surely Sinclair will think that makes the two stations expendable. A full shutdown of KIMA & KEPR's news could also allow KAPP & KVEW to expand their 11pm news back to 35 minutes. But at best, Sinclair could just end all of KEPR's stand alone newscasts and fully simulcast KIMA.

 

KLEW: A real anamoly, as they're Lewiston & Clarkston's only commercial TV station. If there's not enough support from th viewers in those cities, it could be on the bubble.

 

WGFL: Sure, this is done out of WPEC, but still, this is a good choice to quietly shut down considering WCJB owns the market, and to a lesser extent, WUFT. All they have is a 6 and 11pm newscast, which can easily be replaced by an extra Judge Judy rerun or Daytime Jeopardy, and The National Desk.

 

KRCG: They may have a purpose, given how they're licensed to Jefferson City and provide a mostly Jefferson City focused newscast, but still, KOMU is the big leader here, with KMIZ likely second.

 

KHGI: Yes, I find the venerable NTV as a station who's news is probably on the bubble, since most of their news goes out to rural towns and cities. A shutdown of KHGI for TND would also mean that KFXL's news would end up going to TND, and then Lincoln would have no 9pm newscast unless KOLN starts one for their CW channel.

 

KTXS: Somehow, Abilene has 4 TV news operations, since Nexstar has run KRBC & KTAB as seperate stations. This would be a easy cut for that reason, along with the fact they have no midday newscast unlike KRBC & KTAB. Incidentally, their CW channel is already carrying the morning and primetime National Desk broadcasts.

 

KEYE: Be honest, can Austin really handle 4 news operations, especially in the midst of a Fox O&O in KTBC? To add to this, they don't have a noon or 4pm newscast, unlike KTBC and KXAN. And said noon slot is occupied by reruns of Modern Family. KEYE does have the city's only 6:30pm newscast, but that can't be doing well against ET, TMZ and WoF.

 

KMTR: I'm surprised that Sinclair didn't fully merge KMTR and KVAL's newscasts after Newport sold KMTR off in 2012 to Fisher, and then bought the two. Their newscasts however have been produced out of the KMTR studios since 2020, so in my eyes it seems expendable.

 

In addition, I can see Sinclair blowing up the outsourced newscasts on WMSN, KDSM and KRXI in favor of TND, as well as the newscasts on KCVU, KJZZ, WCWN, and WTVX, as well KBOI, WHP, WWMT and KIMA's CW channels. I also think that WJLA 24/7 will close down as well, spelling the end of the network that was once NewsChannel 8.

 

If I missed any other markets or you have a differing opinion on my choices, let me know!

Edited by hmaxhanson
  • Confused 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

24 minutes ago, hmaxhanson said:

I've gone through all of the Sinclair stations they own and found the stations that I most believe are on the bubble for being shut down in favor of syndie shows and The National Desk.

 

KIMA & KEPR: The fact that Yakima was able to handle three newscasts for over 50 years is surprising, but surely Sinclair will think that makes the two stations expendable. A full shutdown of KIMA & KEPR's news could also allow KAPP & KVEW to expand their 11pm news back to 35 minutes. But at best, Sinclair could just end all of KEPR's stand alone newscasts and fully simulcast KIMA.

 

KLEW: A real anamoly, as they're Lewiston & Clarkston's only commercial TV station. If there's not enough support from th viewers in those cities, it could be on the bubble.

 

WGFL: Sure, this is done out of WPEC, but still, this is a good choice to quietly shut down considering WCJB owns the market, and to a lesser extent, WUFT. All they have is a 6 and 11pm newscast, which can easily be replaced by an extra Judge Judy rerun or Daytime Jeopardy, and The National Desk.

 

KRCG: They may have a purpose, given how they're licensed to Jefferson City and provide a mostly Jefferson City focused newscast, but still, KOMU is the big leader here, with KMIZ likely second.

 

KHGI: Yes, I find the venerable NTV as a station who's news is probably on the bubble, since most of their news goes out to rural towns and cities. A shutdown of KHGI for TND would also mean that KFXL's news would end up going to TND, and then Lincoln would have no 9pm newscast unless KOLN starts one for their CW channel.

 

KTXS: Somehow, Abilene has 4 TV news operations, since Nexstar has run KRBC & KTAB as seperate stations. This would be a easy cut for that reason, along with the fact they have no midday newscast unlike KRBC & KTAB. Incidentally, their CW channel is already carrying the morning and primetime National Desk broadcasts.

 

KEYE: Be honest, can Austin really handle 4 news operations, especially in the midst of a Fox O&O in KTBC? To add to this, they don't have a noon or 4pm newscast, unlike KTBC and KXAN. And said noon slot is occupied by reruns of Modern Family. KEYE does have the city's only 6:30pm newscast, but that can't be doing well against ET, TMZ and WoF.

 

KMTR: I'm surprised that Sinclair didn't fully merge KMTR and KVAL's newscasts after Newport sold KMTR off in 2012 to Fisher, and then bought the two. Their newscasts however have been produced out of the KMTR studios since 2020, so in my eyes it seems expendable.

 

In addition, I can see Sinclair blowing up the outsourced newscasts on WMSN, KDSM and KRXI in favor of TND, as well as the newscasts on KCVU, KJZZ, WCWN, and WTVX, as well KBOI, WHP, WWMT and KIMA's CW channels. I also think that WJLA 24/7 will close down as well, spelling the end of the network that was once NewsChannel 8.

 

If I missed any other markets or you have a differing opinion on my choices, let me know!

 

I agree 100% with that list, with the possible exception of KEYE given the size of the Austin market.

 

If KLEW goes, would Boise, Yakima or Spokane lay claim to that area? Although the other central Washington area stations are all tied to Spokane stations, they could try to do more there too. In some of the other cases, another owner has dominant status and any missing newscasts otherwise they might fill for themselves (Gainesville, Columbia-Jefferson City, Lincoln-Hastings). For example, I could see KOLN/KGIN launch a new 9 pm newscast on their secondary station, or Gray could poach the Fox affiliation for themselves (I would have said the CW affiliation could be in some danger, but Nexstar is completely absent from Nebraska). North Platte has that and it's a much smaller market.

 

In the case of Abilene (and San Angelo, by extension), that's an easy cut. I also think the CW affiliation there is as good as gone soon too.

 

If those outsourced newscasts in Madison and Des Moines disappear, I'd think the station doing the heavy lifting might just decide to place those news on their own stations.

Edited by GoldenShine9
  • Confused 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, GoldenShine9 said:

 

I agree 100% with that list, with the possible exception of KEYE given the size of the Austin market.

 

If KLEW goes, would Boise, Yakima or Spokane lay claim to that area? Although the other central Washington area stations are all tied to Spokane stations, they could try to do more there too. In some of the other cases, another owner has dominant status and any missing newscasts otherwise they might fill for themselves (Gainesville, Columbia-Jefferson City, Lincoln-Hastings). For example, I could see KOLN/KGIN launch a new 9 pm newscast on their secondary station, or Gray could poach the Fox affiliation for themselves (I would have said the CW affiliation could be in some danger, but Nexstar is completely absent from Nebraska). North Platte has that and it's a much smaller market.

 

In the case of Abilene (and San Angelo, by extension), that's an easy cut. I also think the CW affiliation there is as good as gone soon too.

 

If those outsourced newscasts in Madison and Des Moines disappear, I'd think the station doing the heavy lifting might just decide to place those news on their own stations.

KLEW is actually in the Spokane market but is a satellite of KIMA Yakima (as is KEPR). Sinclair could really cut costs but selling off the frequency and eliminating a redundant station. If cuts came to KIMA/KEPR, I’d imagine the KIMA newscast would stop as they only do 5/6 weeknights — everything else is simulcast KEPR. All the action for “Action News” is in the Tri Cities. 

Edited by norcalTVfan
Hit send too soon
Link to comment
Share on other sites

NEW info:

 

In addition to the news operations in Toledo, Medford, and Sioux City being shuttered, Sinclair is also ending "local" newscasts in Omaha and Gainesville.

 

https://tvnewscheck.com/journalism/article/sinclair-shutters-five-news-markets-we-just-turned-off-the-lights-for-many/

Edited by tyrannical bastard
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, hmaxhanson said:

WGFL: Sure, this is done out of WPEC, but still, this is a good choice to quietly shut down considering WCJB owns the market, and to a lesser extent, WUFT. All they have is a 6 and 11pm newscast, which can easily be replaced by an extra Judge Judy rerun or Daytime Jeopardy, and The National Desk.

 

Looks like you were right about that one:

 

2 hours ago, tyrannical bastard said:

NEW info:

 

In addition to the news operations in Toledo, Medford, and Sioux City being shuttered, Sinclair is also ending "local" newscasts in Omaha and Gainesville.

 

https://tvnewscheck.com/journalism/article/sinclair-shutters-five-news-markets-we-just-turned-off-the-lights-for-many/

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, tyrannical bastard said:

NEW info:

 

In addition to the news operations in Toledo, Medford, and Sioux City being shuttered, Sinclair is also ending "local" newscasts in Omaha and Gainesville.

 

https://tvnewscheck.com/journalism/article/sinclair-shutters-five-news-markets-we-just-turned-off-the-lights-for-many/

 

I forget what was going on, but I tuned into that newscast to watch a story. It was awful. It was like watching something from a tiny market in the 1970s. The poor girl who was the reporter barely could spit out any words.

 

Oh, and sorry to rain on you guys parade, but nothing is going to happen to Sinclair unless the Smiths want it to happen. This is from one of their SEC filings:

 

"Smith hold shares representing approximately 77.4% of the common stock voting rights of the Company and, therefore, control the outcome of most matters ..."

  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sinclair is clearly leading the charge of downsizing and eliminating local newscasts.  No other company is doing this.....yet.   

 

We had the Vision Alaska stuff a few years ago where some tiny market newscasts were shuttered in favor of NewsNet.

 

Another thing to consider is that 2024 is just around the corner.  And by pumping outside news in from a company notorious for it's "must-runs", I'm going to leave it right there.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 minutes ago, tyrannical bastard said:

Sinclair is clearly leading the charge of downsizing and eliminating local newscasts.  No other company is doing this.....yet.   

Sinclair is a unique situation, considering Diamond Sports’s bankruptcy (largely resulting from the loss of vMVPD carriage in concurrence with the acceleration of cord-cutting following its purchase of the group from Disney, though some appear to blame the absence of sports events on the then-Fox Sports regional networks in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, though it’s possible both can be factors) may be impacting the company’s bottom line. Sinclair has also had debt issues for decades, and nearly went bankrupt at least once before; the Bally Sports mess, buttressed by its boatload of station acquisitions during the 2010s as its was getting out of financial trouble, only put them back into that situation.

 

In hindsight, it seemed difficult for a family-owned station group to maintain the diverse portfolio it has with such a large number of stations, and not run into financial difficulties. That’s why most family-owned broadcasters only run 10 or fewer stations, and a handful of miscellaneous properties (take Griffin Media for example, which in addition to owning KWTV/KSBI and KOTV/KQCW [both of which have Sinclair stations as competitors], also runs an outdoor advertising business [technically two subunits serving its two main markets, which are branded after its respective CBS stations in Oklahoma City and Tulsa], a cluster of radio stations in Tulsa, and a statewide news-based radio syndication network). Most successful family-owned broadcasters that still exist (like the Griffins) know that they must keep their portfolios manageable to maintain stewardship long-term, something the Smiths chose not to do.

Edited by T.L. Hughes
  • Like 6
  • Confused 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, hmaxhanson said:

I've gone through all of the Sinclair stations they own and found the stations that I most believe are on the bubble for being shut down in favor of syndie shows and The National Desk.

 

 

If I missed any other markets or you have a differing opinion on my choices, let me know!

 

All of KBOI would be a prime candidate. It's been a dog for years.  It's KTVB's market, and KIVI gets the scraps.  KBOI also has the disadvantage of not being in Twin Falls.  

  • Confused 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 hours ago, hmaxhanson said:

I've gone through all of the Sinclair stations they own and found the stations that I most believe are on the bubble for being shut down in favor of syndie shows and The National Desk.

 

KIMA & KEPR: The fact that Yakima was able to handle three newscasts for over 50 years is surprising, but surely Sinclair will think that makes the two stations expendable. A full shutdown of KIMA & KEPR's news could also allow KAPP & KVEW to expand their 11pm news back to 35 minutes. But at best, Sinclair could just end all of KEPR's stand alone newscasts and fully simulcast KIMA.

 

KLEW: A real anamoly, as they're Lewiston & Clarkston's only commercial TV station. If there's not enough support from th viewers in those cities, it could be on the bubble.

 

WGFL: Sure, this is done out of WPEC, but still, this is a good choice to quietly shut down considering WCJB owns the market, and to a lesser extent, WUFT. All they have is a 6 and 11pm newscast, which can easily be replaced by an extra Judge Judy rerun or Daytime Jeopardy, and The National Desk.

 

KRCG: They may have a purpose, given how they're licensed to Jefferson City and provide a mostly Jefferson City focused newscast, but still, KOMU is the big leader here, with KMIZ likely second.

 

KHGI: Yes, I find the venerable NTV as a station who's news is probably on the bubble, since most of their news goes out to rural towns and cities. A shutdown of KHGI for TND would also mean that KFXL's news would end up going to TND, and then Lincoln would have no 9pm newscast unless KOLN starts one for their CW channel.

 

KTXS: Somehow, Abilene has 4 TV news operations, since Nexstar has run KRBC & KTAB as seperate stations. This would be a easy cut for that reason, along with the fact they have no midday newscast unlike KRBC & KTAB. Incidentally, their CW channel is already carrying the morning and primetime National Desk broadcasts.

 

KEYE: Be honest, can Austin really handle 4 news operations, especially in the midst of a Fox O&O in KTBC? To add to this, they don't have a noon or 4pm newscast, unlike KTBC and KXAN. And said noon slot is occupied by reruns of Modern Family. KEYE does have the city's only 6:30pm newscast, but that can't be doing well against ET, TMZ and WoF.

 

KMTR: I'm surprised that Sinclair didn't fully merge KMTR and KVAL's newscasts after Newport sold KMTR off in 2012 to Fisher, and then bought the two. Their newscasts however have been produced out of the KMTR studios since 2020, so in my eyes it seems expendable.

 

In addition, I can see Sinclair blowing up the outsourced newscasts on WMSN, KDSM and KRXI in favor of TND, as well as the newscasts on KCVU, KJZZ, WCWN, and WTVX, as well KBOI, WHP, WWMT and KIMA's CW channels. I also think that WJLA 24/7 will close down as well, spelling the end of the network that was once NewsChannel 8.

 

If I missed any other markets or you have a differing opinion on my choices, let me know!

 

WXLV in Greensboro. 
 

Yes, NC is a hot political market, but like with WNWO, most of the newscast is produced by an outside station (KABB), and only do a 6:00/11:00, with the Morning slot taking up by TND. Plus, having to compete with WXII (WFMY and WGHP to a certain extent also)  in market, and WSOC/WTVD in the outer bands of the market mean that the station likely isn't drawing much viewership.

 

Plus,  for some reason, Sinclair has their Sister station WMYV air TND in the 11:00 slot, directly competing against WXLV. 

Edited by elfuego35
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, CubsFan79 said:

Surprised KPTH TV still has CBS affiliation. I thought KTIV or KCAU would grab CBS affiliation. Just a opinion.

They moved to KPTH as part of SInclair's 2021 shell game to move affiliations off sidecars, so at least for that station (the only CBS sidecar move), that bill could come due one day.

 

KBOI will likely stay if only because that is truly the reddest market SBG does have; poorly in Boise itself where the numbers are, but they figure the outstate does just fine with those must-runs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, tyrannical bastard said:

Sinclair is clearly leading the charge of downsizing and eliminating local newscasts.  No other company is doing this.....yet.   

 

We had the Vision Alaska stuff a few years ago where some tiny market newscasts were shuttered in favor of NewsNet.

 

Another thing to consider is that 2024 is just around the corner.  And by pumping outside news in from a company notorious for it's "must-runs", I'm going to leave it right there.....

TND merely exists as a cheap ploy to get additional political ad revenue with ham-fisted political overtones to boot. Of course WXLV would drop the KABB-done "local" news to carry it. WNWO will run it as a cheap way to get advertising from both Michigan and Ohio. (It's also why KDNL doesn't even carry it, because Illinois and Missouri are nowhere close to being political swing states.)

 

But why stop with TND? They could outsource everything to NewsNet and not have to pay anyone. As @Weeterspointed out in the Discord, it'd be a 1:1 replacement anyway.

  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's taken this long, but Sinclair is hell bent on turning themselves into the TV version of IHeartMedia. 

 

They say that TND is powered by the journalists across the nation at all the Sinclair stations, but where is this reporting?  It's basically a ruse for all of Sinclair's "correspondents" to be in one place at one time, spreading all of their reporting at the expense of actually providing useful local information.

Edited by tyrannical bastard
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, tyrannical bastard said:

It's taken this long, but Sinclair is hell bent on turning themselves into the TV version of IHeartMedia. 

 

They say that TND is powered by the journalists across the nation at all the Sinclair stations, but where is this reporting?  It's basically a ruse for all of Sinclair's "correspondents" to be in one place at one time, spreading all of their reporting at the expense of actually providing useful local information.

 

Remember, Sinclair has been wanting to do something similar to TND for decades, starting with the NewsCentral concept. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

KDRV and KOBI are celebrating. A lot of channel 10 viewers will come back to them.

 

The walls are closing in on KIMA, I'm sure. I've said it for years, eventually that tired, old building will be demolished, everyone will move to KEPR, and local Yakima news will cease to exist. The must-runs and out-of-market stories are destroying this station from the inside, while KVEW and KND...ahem! NonStop Local, continues to improve.

 

If that happens, Jake Taylor could just join Scott Stovall at the anchor desk in Pasco. Of course, I wouldn't be surprised if the factor keeping 29 on the air *IS* Alan Sillence...a nearly 30-year career on sports and still going strong with his coverage of local high school teams. The other stations don't come close. KVEW doesn't even do sports for the most part. NonStop Local combines Tri-Cities and Yakima, so on a busy fall Friday night, there's not as much video from HSFB games in our area (but tons from the Richland/Kennewick/Pasco area teams).

Edited by VHSgoodiesWA
  • Confused 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/30/2023 at 2:54 PM, TVJayFOX said:

I know it's because of budget issues. But living in a top 3 market and watching local news is totally different. I travel a lot and some of those small market newscasts are almost unwatchable. It's kind of like radio when the market talent is so horrible due to lack of experience etc they get replaced with a out of market host. Same thing here bad anchors news sets that look 20 years old . Screw it I would just centralize everything too. But I think they should have a local weatherman. As well as who cares about it being live , they should have the National anchors read a few local stories and edit them in to the newscast so it flows like it's a actual local newscast . Because let's be honest in some of these small towns the local news isn't that plentiful and really doesn't have to be live . But there should be some local flavor not just all National.

I was in western Montana a few weeks ago. The combined NBC Montana newscast is just "OK". It originates from KECI and is fed to KCFW/KTVM. They have done this for years and years. What did I watch the most, however? The MTN 10:00 News with Jill Valley, on KPAX. Too bad there's just the one anchor on set, but that newscast was far better than the others. Non-Stop Local (KTMF, maybe fed from KFBB?) looks old and tired, like it wanted to be the #3 station in town.


Hasn't MTN been #1 forever in the ratings?

Edited by VHSgoodiesWA
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using TVNewsTalk you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.