38 lawmakers to DOJ: reject the Sinclair-Tribune merger

Thirty-eight lawmakers sent a letter to Makan Delrahim, the Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice, arguing that the Sinclair-Tribune merger should be rejected. The $3.9 billion Sinclair-Tribune merger would result in a massive broadcasting conglomerate that would reduce localism and viewpoint diversity, kill jobs, and harm consumers.

The DOJ and the FCC have a responsibility to review the merger for anti-competitive and public interest harms, respectively.

“If the merger is approved, it will have substantial negative competitive consequences nationwide, resulting in higher consumer prices and lower quality and less local content,” the lawmakers wrote. “We believe the merger should be rejected outright.”

The lawmakers are the latest opposition to a merger that was supposed to close months ago. Late last month a group of eight state attorneys general called on the FCC to maintain strict national audience reach limits, a position in direct opposition to the Sinclair-Tribune merger, which would allow one company to reach 72 percent of US television households. Sinclair submitted a divestiture plan that was a blatant sham. NABET-CWA along with 14 other members of the politically diverse Coalition to Save Local Media urged the FCC not to restart the merger review shot clock until Sinclair provides a divestiture plan that provides the Commission “full and complete record upon which to base its decision in this proceeding.” The shot clock remains paused.  The FCC's inspector general is investigating possible collusion between FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and Sinclair. Lawmakers and FCC Commissioner Rosenworcel have been opposing or raising serious concerns since the merger was announced last May.

As the many opponents of the merger have been arguing for months – the Sinclair-Tribune merger is not in the public interest and will harm consumers. It should be denied.

Links:

Letter from 36 lawmakers to Assistant AG Delrahim on Sinclair-Tribune (US House, Mar. 22, 2018)

Sinclair to buy Tribune for $3.9 billion (Speed Matters, May 12, 2017)

Eight state AGs call for strict national audience reach limits (Speed Matters, Feb. 28, 2018)

Modest divestitures aren’t enough to negate harms of Sinclair-Tribune merger (Speed Matter, Jan. 12, 2018)

NABET-CWA, coalition urge FCC to keep Sinclair-Tribune merger review clock paused (Speed Matters, Mar. 5, 2018)

FCC Chairman Pai under investigation for possible collusion with Sinclair (Speed Matters, Feb. 16, 2018)

Sen. Durbin speaks out against Sinclair-Tribune merger (Speed Matters, Nov. 3, 2017)

Commissioner Rosenworcel decries Sinclair-Tribune merger (Speed Matters, Oct. 13, 2017)