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Sinclair, Tribune Close to Merger Deal


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They were going to do some strange shit in Harrisburg the last time around. I broke that story because I filed on the Allbritton docket.

WPMT was sold in the Auction. Who knows where they'll land this time. I see on WHTM's spectrum.

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I must be missing something? What about Oklahoma City, where BOTH companies currently have a duopoly, KOKH/KOCB for Sinclair and KFOR/KAUT for Tribune? I smell a Mobile and Little Rock here.

I think that Sinclair will most likely buy KFOR/KAUT and sell off KOKH/KOCB (due to KFOR being 2nd in news ratings whereas KOKH ranks 4th in news ratings) and most likely KOKH/KOCB will go to Cox with Raycom and Meredith as possible buyers of KOKH and KOCB.

 

IF Sinclair elects to keep KOKH and KOCB, KFOR and KAUT will most likely be sold off to Scripps with Raycom, Cox and Meredith as possible buyers.

 

As for Raycom and Cox I think Raycom would be most likely to buy KFOR and KAUT than KOKH and KOCB while Cox would be most likely to buy KOKH and KOCB than KFOR and KAUT.

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One thing that really concerns me is if Sinclair gets away with everything, they may try to buy another big company in spite of the laws and work towards a monopoly...

Pai is corrupt AF and would freely let it happen, maybe with some nice lobbyist money thrown in to boot.

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One thing that really concerns me is if Sinclair gets away with everything, they may try to buy another big company in spite of the laws and work towards a monopoly...

And IF they buy TEGNA that's when you start talking about a monopoly, but I imagine the acquisition of Tribune and getting into NY/LA/Chicago will be plenty enough for Sinclair to launch a cable newschannel, etc.

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"There are some benefits in having a large corporate owner. Mr. Livingston said Sinclair invested millions of dollars in KOMO, replacing old equipment and providing new station trucks. And the current and former staff members said Sinclair does not try to influence KOMO’s local coverage."

 

Whatever one may think of the company's editorial positions, they don't meddle in local coverage. And like KOMO, WGME buries the must-runs using the same tactics. WGME also carries CBS coverage of world and national news and stopped using Fox News coverage a couple of years ago on the newscasts they produce for WPFO.

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Mr.Livingston is an idiot. Everyone at Sinclair is. If I were to be really rich when I'm older, I'd strongly considering buying Sinclair, selling off a whole bunch of stations and use that money to invest in the stations I keep. I would also get rid of the retarded political leanings they have. Also, no more nasty standardized graphics/music.

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Whatever one may think of the company's editorial positions, they don't meddle in local coverage. And like KOMO, WGME buries the must-runs using the same tactics. WGME also carries CBS coverage of world and national news and stopped using Fox News coverage a couple of years ago on the newscasts they produce for WPFO.

 

I think it's also worth mentioning that WBFF tends to bury the must runs (atleast the Hyman ones). They air them in a brief block in their 10PM newscasts right before they do 10 or 15 minutes of sports. Says a lot when it happens in your back yard.

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Whatever one may think of the company's editorial positions, they don't meddle in local coverage. And like KOMO, WGME buries the must-runs using the same tactics.

 

It's the following experience that's foreboding AF:

KOMO journalists were surprised in January when, at a morning planning meeting, they received what they considered an unusual request. The station’s news director, who normally avoided overtly political stories, instructed his staff to look into an online ad that seemed to be recruiting paid protesters for President Trump’s inauguration. Right-leaning media organizations had seized on the ad, which was later revealed as a hoax, as proof of coordinated efforts by the left to subvert Mr. Trump.

 

Only after reporters had left the room did they learn the origin of the assignment, two of them said: The order had come down from Sinclair.[/Quote]

 

Story suggestions are different from must-air pieces, but unsubstantiated politically motivated bulls--t like this?

 

Combined with Livingston's GOP marching orders and "fake news" talking points, they definitely pose a clear and present threat to a stations editorial independence.

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I think it's also worth mentioning that WBFF tends to bury the must runs (atleast the Hyman ones). They air them in a brief block in their 10PM newscasts right before they do 10 or 15 minutes of sports. Says a lot when it happens in your back yard.

 

That awkward moment when your own flagship thinks you're full of crap.

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I must ask this question, SHOULD the Sinclair/Tribune deal be blessed after of course the "divesting" of stations that overlap [WXMI & WWMT an example] could Sinclair use WGNAmerica [and in that vein chicago's CLTV] as maybe a launching pad for say a very hotly rumored challenger to Fox News Channel?

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We heard that same line when it acquired Allbritton, and it was heavy speculation then to turn NewsChannel 8 into a national news network. And as you see now, NC8 is still a status quo. So as another person said, I would believe it when I see it. They might have a strong influence to do it but I wouldn't hold my breath.

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I must ask this question, SHOULD the Sinclair/Tribune deal be blessed after of course the "divesting" of stations that overlap [WXMI & WWMT an example] could Sinclair use WGNAmerica [and in that vein chicago's CLTV] as maybe a launching pad for say a very hotly rumored challenger to Fox News Channel?

 

In that case, I think there is a chance Sinclair might be able to keep both WXMI and WWMT with no shells. If WOTV is ranked higher than either of them in the latest ratings, then they can legally form a duopoly as one of them would be ranked 5th in the market.

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I must ask this question, SHOULD the Sinclair/Tribune deal be blessed after of course the "divesting" of stations that overlap [WXMI & WWMT an example] could Sinclair use WGNAmerica [and in that vein chicago's CLTV] as maybe a launching pad for say a very hotly rumored challenger to Fox News Channel?

depending on the ratings in West Michigan they might be able to form a legal duopoly, in Oklahoma City's case one of them will have to be sold off because (outside of 7-9am, 11am, 5:30pm and 9pm) KFOR ranks 2nd ahead of KOKH (which KOKH ranks 4th) there's no way Sinclair will be able to form a quadropoly in my market

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depending on the ratings in West Michigan they might be able to form a legal duopoly, in Oklahoma City's case one of them will have to be sold off because (outside of 7-9am, 11am, 5:30pm and 9pm) KFOR ranks 2nd ahead of KOKH (which KOKH ranks 4th) there's no way Sinclair will be able to form a quadropoly in my market

 

No disrespect but I think we get it bro on Oklahoma City.

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No disrespect but I think we get it bro on Oklahoma City.

Ok but I just wanted to make it perfectly clear before anyone else decides to say "Sinclair can form a quadropoly in Oklahoma City" (We ALL know they can't, you know that, I know that, everyone else knows that)

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What's particularly insidious about Livingston, IMO, is his whole "everyone else is left-wing kooks, we're just playing it straight down the middle!" line. Does he honestly believe this crap? If he had a soul it's long since been sold.

Conservativism is a mental illness.

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What's particularly insidious about Livingston, IMO, is his whole "everyone else is left-wing kooks, we're just playing it straight down the middle!" line. Does he honestly believe this crap? If he had a soul it's long since been sold.

Liberal media only exists on the internet. The airwaves are all owned by corporate media conglomerates that are only in the business of doing what is best for their own businesses.

Ok but I just wanted to make it perfectly clear before anyone else decides to say "Sinclair can form a quadropoly in Oklahoma City" (We ALL know they can't, you know that, I know that, everyone else knows that)

That didn't stop Nexstar from doing so in Little Rock.

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Liberal media only exists on the internet. The airwaves are all owned by corporate media conglomerates that are only in the business of doing what is best for their own businesses.

 

I'm no conservative, but most journalists are either liberal, or independents who think like liberals. Most journalists in the MSM donated to Hillary Clinton during the election. Very few conservative journalists in the MSM today.

 

And sometimes, some journalists like to put their ideology in their reporting.

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