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Sinclair, Tribune Close to Merger Deal


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Someone's going to need to raise a lot of heckles here, because this could turn out to be a disaster.

 

I find it brazen that Sinclair thinks an operational agreement can allow it to step over the national ownership cap, but nobody cares.

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Revisiting the full agreement, I am reading that some, but not all, stations will be sent to shells. It appears the Armstrong Williams site was accurate, with the exception of WCWG (placed in error instead of WMYV), although WGN and WPIX will get a lot of scrutiny.

 

Stations that it appears Sinclair is being forced to dump altogether include:

KCPQ (separated from KZJO)

KPLR (they want KDNL and KTVI together, but will shell KDNL if need be)

KSTU

KAUT or KOCB (depending on the stations sold; separated from the current owner)

WXMI or WWMT

KSWB

 

AGAIN, no mention of the situations involving the Dreamcatcher stations!!! That alone should be a black flag.

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The quickest way out is to get rid of WPHL, KDAF, KIAH, WSFL and WUCW, which are all duopoly bait anyway except for the fact that Sinclair probably wants them for political purposes. That would take care of 80-90% of the cap overage.

 

SBG will not do this because their ATSC 3.0 business plan requires a 6 MHz beachhead (read: a TV station) in many large markets. KDAF would not affect anything here because Sinclair (by way of Cunningham) bought KTXD to be a lighthouse. Stations like the ones you listed have their uses here from a facilities standpoint.

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Even if WGN is "sold"...there's nothing stopping Sinclair from holding onto WGN America and/or CLTV as well as the diginets (Antenna and this). AFAIK, WGN America is pretty separate from WGN itself.

 

Now if they do this the "right" way, Fox seems like the easy winner of WGN. All they have to do is walk away from WPWR's license and they can trade up their duopoly.

 

Even CBS could enter into a duopoly here...nothing would stop them.

 

Unless Meredith and other companies can afford such a transaction.... I doubt they could afford it unless they pulled a Young Broadcasting and drove themselves to the poor house....

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Revisiting the full agreement, I am reading that some, but not all, stations will be sent to shells. It appears the Armstrong Williams site was accurate, with the exception of WCWG (placed in error instead of WMYV), although WGN and WPIX will get a lot of scrutiny.

 

Stations that it appears Sinclair is being forced to dump altogether include:

KCPQ (separated from KZJO)

KPLR (they want KDNL and KTVI together, but will shell KDNL if need be)

KSTU

KAUT or KOCB (depending on the stations sold; separated from the current owner)

WXMI or WWMT

KSWB

 

AGAIN, no mention of the situations involving the Dreamcatcher stations!!! That alone should be a black flag.

Is Sinclair and shells trying to own all four OKC stations involved, or are they leaving OKC?

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I could definitely see Sinclair selling some of their bigger standalone MyNetwork TV stations in NFL markets (i.e. Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Raleigh, etc.) to Fox to help offset some of the costs of the merger.

 

Without getting too speculatory; in Cincinnati a few years back, Fox wanted WXIX from Raycom, yet they weren't willing to sell. Sinclair offered WSTR to Fox in exchange for WUTB. Fox didn't want WSTR unless they could get WXIX. I wonder if they still want it?

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OK, I think these are some of the most ridiculous things I'm reading right now. Have any of you read the application???

 

This is not nearly as bad as you all think. Here's what I gathered from the application:

  • Seattle: Sinclair will keep KOMO and KUNS, will sell KZJO to a shell company and will also sell KCPQ (no mention of SSA for the latter, and given that the applications mention "third parties", probably someone not tied to Sinclair)
  • St. Louis: Sinclair will keep KTVI and KDNL (they claim the latter is ranked #5), will sell KPLR (no mention of SSA)
  • Salt Lake: Sinclair will keep KUTV, KJZZ and KMYU, will sell KSTU (no mention of SSA)
  • Greensboro: Sinclair has requested a waiver to keep WGHP and WXLV, will sell WMYV to a shell company
  • Harrisburg: Sinclair has requested a waiver to keep WHP and WPMT (doubtful)
  • Grand Rapids: Sinclair will sell either WWMT or WXMI (probably the former since it broadcasts on VHF; no mention of SSA)
  • Richmond: Sinclair will sell either WTVR or WRLH (probably the latter; no mention of SSA)
  • Des Moines: Sinclair will sell either WHO or KDSM (probably the latter; no mention of SSA)

Calm down people. Just calm down.

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OK, I think these are some of the most ridiculous things I'm reading right now. Have any of you read the application???

 

This is not nearly as bad as you all think. Here's what I gathered from the application:

  • Seattle: Sinclair will keep KOMO and KUNS, will sell KZJO to a shell company and will also sell KCPQ (no mention of SSA for the latter, and given that the applications mention "third parties", probably someone not tied to Sinclair)
  • St. Louis: Sinclair will keep KTVI and KDNL (they claim the latter is ranked #5), will sell KPLR (no mention of SSA)
  • Salt Lake: Sinclair will keep KUTV, KJZZ and KMYU, will sell KSTU (no mention of SSA)
  • Greensboro: Sinclair has requested a waiver to keep WGHP and WXLV, will sell WMYV to a shell company
  • Harrisburg: Sinclair has requested a waiver to keep WHP and WPMT (doubtful)
  • Grand Rapids: Sinclair will sell either WWMT or WXMI (probably the former since it broadcasts on VHF; no mention of SSA)
  • Richmond: Sinclair will sell either WTVR or WRLH (probably the latter; no mention of SSA)
  • Des Moines: Sinclair will sell either WHO or KDSM (probably the latter; no mention of SSA)

Calm down people. Just calm down.

 

That seems to be how I see it too. Although I would personally accept a deal involving shells in Richmond and Des Moines, since they do not change the number of news operations and largely preserve the status quo.

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OK, I think these are some of the most ridiculous things I'm reading right now. Have any of you read the application???

 

This is not nearly as bad as you all think. Here's what I gathered from the application:

  • Seattle: Sinclair will keep KOMO and KUNS, will sell KZJO to a shell company and will also sell KCPQ (no mention of SSA for the latter, and given that the applications mention "third parties", probably someone not tied to Sinclair)
  • St. Louis: Sinclair will keep KTVI and KDNL (they claim the latter is ranked #5), will sell KPLR (no mention of SSA)
  • Salt Lake: Sinclair will keep KUTV, KJZZ and KMYU, will sell KSTU (no mention of SSA)
  • Greensboro: Sinclair has requested a waiver to keep WGHP and WXLV, will sell WMYV to a shell company
  • Harrisburg: Sinclair has requested a waiver to keep WHP and WPMT (doubtful)
  • Grand Rapids: Sinclair will sell either WWMT or WXMI (probably the former since it broadcasts on VHF; no mention of SSA)
  • Richmond: Sinclair will sell either WTVR or WRLH (probably the latter; no mention of SSA)
  • Des Moines: Sinclair will sell either WHO or KDSM (probably the latter; no mention of SSA)

Calm down people. Just calm down.

 

Thanks for the link, but not working for me. "Why," you ask? Beats me, to be honest.

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I could definitely see Sinclair selling some of their bigger standalone MyNetwork TV stations in NFL markets (i.e. Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Raleigh, etc.) to Fox to help offset some of the costs of the merger.

Sinclair no longer has a stand-alone MyNetworkTV station in Milwaukee. (It used to be WCGV, which they gave up in the spectrum auction and turned it into a sub-channel of WVTV in anticipation of the Tribune merger.)

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Is Sinclair and shells trying to own all four OKC stations involved, or are they leaving OKC?

 

It's not entirely clear there, but it sounds like 3 out of 4, getting away from either KOKH or KFOR (whichever is not kept), the other one in that pair gets shelled.

 

The application states on page 10 that they are looking to divest one top four station and another station (non top-four) to a third party.

 

The parties intend to divest one of the Top-Four stations and one other station to a third party or parties...
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Since Sinclair is buying KTVI and KDNL. Do this mean that the duopoly between KTVI and KPLR will be breaking up? Did we have any duopoly that has been broken up before?

 

Maybe not of the size of KTVI and KPLR, but we did see Meredith essentially replace KASW with KPHO (from KTVK's perspective). KASW had to find new facilities.

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It's not entirely clear there, but it sounds like 3 out of 4, getting away from either KOKH or KFOR (whichever is not kept), the other one in that pair gets shelled.

Armstrong Williams' website still has that image of the logos of the stations he seeks to acquire, and it includes the KOKH/KOCB combo.

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...and Fox is trying their way to muscle back into the deal by wanting a piece of markets with NFL teams.....

 

https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2018/2/22/is-fox-on-the-hunt

 

Sinclair and/or Meredith could end up with an independent or two when the dust settles...

 

From the sounds of this, it seems like Fox wants to perhaps buy more stations/stronger stations than Sinclair is willing to sell

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