Another chance to tell the FCC to deny the Sinclair-Tribune merger

The FCC announced its second public comment period on the Sinclair-Tribune merger. The announcement was prompted by Sinclair’s fifth divestiture plan. Petitions to deny the merger are due June 20, and replies are due July 12. The merger should be denied and you should tell the FCC that.

The FCC’s reinstatement of the UHF discount – an outdated and technically obsolete method of counting audience reach that by total coincidence is the only way Sinclair could merge with Tribune – is currently under review by the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit. Federal regulators shouldn’t try to outrun potential judicial decisions, and the FCC shouldn’t take any action on the merger until the court rules.

Add to this that Sinclair’s latest divestiture plan is a lot like its first one: it’s still a scam. While Sinclair claims it will sell 23 stations, the plan is full of problems. First, Sinclair divests at least four stations to companies with close ties to the Smith family, which owns Sinclair, essentially retaining control of these stations. Second, Sinclair admits it will enter into shared services agreements (SSAs) with four stations, including WGN in Chicago. SSAs are used to skirt FCC ownership rules. Third, and most important, Sinclair’s divestiture of only 23 stations will still leave the merged company with almost 200 stations and far in excess of the 39 percent the congressionally mandated audience reach limit.

Sinclair wants to buy Tribune for $3.9 billion, creating a broadcasting behemoth and giving Sinclair the ability to push its political spin into more than 70% of US television households. A Sinclair behemoth would harm local news and kill jobs. The merger should be denied.

Links:

UHF discount gets its day in court (Speed Matters, Apr. 20, 2018)

Sinclair’s newest divestiture plan is still a scam (Speed Matters, Apr. 25, 2018)

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