Exclusive: Sinclair approaches Tribune Media about possible deal - sources

The nation’s largest owner of local TV stations, Sinclair Broadcast Group, has acquired four Eureka-based TV stations after a recent decision by the Federal Communications Commission, according to Bonten Media Group and the commission.

Sinclair took control of the Eureka-based ABC affiliate KAEF — home of North Coast News — as well as the FOX affiliate station KBVU, CW Television Network affiliate KECA-LD and Univision affiliate KEUV-LP as part of the commission’s June 30 decision, according to Bonten.

The commission’s June 30 approval only specifically mentions KAEF. The commission did not return a request Wednesday to verify Bonten’s statement.

The commission’s decision came after Sinclair’s announcement in April that it and its associated company Cunningham Broadcasting came to a $240 million agreement to purchase 14 broadcast stations in California, Montana, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia owned by the New York-based Bonten Media Group Holdings Inc. and Illinois-based Esteem Broadcasting LLC — which has a joint sales agreement with Bonten.

Reached Wednesday morning, the four Eureka stations’ General Manager and Bonten California’s Vice President Andrew Stewart deferred all questions to Bonten’s corporate office in New York. Bonten’s corporate headquarters declined further comment on the acquisition other than to verify the stations that were purchased by Sinclair.

Attempts to contact Sinclair for comment were not returned Wednesday.

As part of the June 30 decision, Sinclair will also take control of KAEF’s sister station KRCR-TV in Redding and five other stations in Texas, Virginia and Montana, according to the commission.

Based in Maryland, Sinclair Broadcast Group has drawn criticism for its conservative leanings in the lead up to the 2016 presidential election. The Washington Post’s review of Sinclair’s reporting and internal documents found the company “gave a disproportionate amount of neutral or favorable coverage to Donald Trump during the campaign while often casting Clinton in an unfavorable light.”

The Post also found that Sinclair stations were required by managers to run news stories and features in their morning shows and evening newscasts that were favorable to Trump or that challenged Clinton.

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Fox31/CW2 news director Holly Gauntt is leaving her position at the sister stations shortly after they were sold to the controversial Sinclair Broadcast Group as part of a package deal valued at nearly $4 billion. In an emotional announcement to her now-former staffers yesterday, July 12, she revealed that she will soon take on the same role at Denver7.


Thus far, Gauntt, who grew up in Colorado and attended CU Boulder, hasn't responded to interview requests from Westword, nor has she weighed in publicly about whether the Sinclair purchase factored into her decision. But as we reported earlier this month, Sinclair has a history of forcing highly ideological material on stations in its portfolio whether news directors like Gauntt want to use it or not.

This revelation and others were part of an extended jeremiad against Sinclair by John Oliver, host of the HBO program Last Week Tonight. As Oliver acknowledged in the July 2 installment of the program, the firm's purchase of Fox31, CW2 and forty other outlets currently owned by Tribune Media is still awaiting approval from federal regulators. However, such an okay is widely considered to be a done deal.

In the meantime, Sinclair is already using its stations to spread a conservative message via commentaries by former executive Mark Hyman, whose subject matter has included attacks on so-called snowflakes and a defense of the Washington Redskins football team for refusing to replace a name that many people view as racist. And recently, Sinclair added to its mix Boris Epshteyn, a former adviser to President Donald Trump whose own invective flies with the right wing.

Oliver pointed out that Sinclair designates these packages as "must-run," meaning that affiliates have to include them in newscasts. And while some affiliates, like KOMO in Seattle, have tried to soften the blow of this edict by airing Hyman's screeds during the wee hours of the morning, the messages will still have an outsized impact.

Likewise, Sinclair also mandates that local stations run updates from its "Terrorism Alert Desk," many of which are dubiously sourced; Oliver highlighted one story about ISIS chopping victims in half that was never confirmed by any credible news or government agency.

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RadioPatrol said:

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/local-tv/sinclair-politicking-blasted-again-national-tv/167195

Sinclair is a target of the rant on CNN.

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xmtrland said:

Has Las Vegas opened up the odds on the various predictions that are coming out of the Sinclair deal? If not hey should.

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Jonathan7157 said:

Do you think any of the Tribune or Sinclair stations lose their affiliations (most of them longtime) and have to get a "subchannel network" on their main channel after this merger, like what happened with Allbritton (*cough* Howard Stirk *cough*)?

Or do you think any of the other media owners (Scripps, Tegna, etc.) will get those stations?

I predict this:

Seattle: KCPQ (Fox) and/or KZJO (MyTV) may go to Fox and become Fox/MyTV O&Os, or if Sinclair pairs KZJO with KOMO (ABC), then KUNS-TV (Univision) will go to Entravision.

Portland: KRCW (CW) may go to CBS, which will make it a CW O&O (it wouldn't make a difference if KUNP (Univision) is sold, as it's main signal doesn't even reach Portland). KATU (ABC) is not affected in any way).

St. Louis: KTVI (Fox) may probably go to either Raycom or Nexstar, which leaves Sinclair with KDNL (ABC) and KPLR (CW), and the potential for an affiliation switch between the 2, making KPLR an ABC affiliate & KDNL a CW affiliate.

Des Moines: WHO (NBC) will go to Meredith (making it a flagship of that company), and KDSM (Fox) will stay put with Sinclair.

Salt Lake City: KUTV (CBS) may probably go to either Cox or Graham, and KSTU (Fox) will be acquired by Sinclair, with the KMYU simulcast moving to a KSTU subchannel. (it wouldn't make a difference if KJZZ (Independent) or KMYU (MyTV) was sold, as the latter is out of SLC & both KUTV and KSTU are in the Top 4).

Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo: WWMT (CBS) may go to Raycom and WXMI (Fox) will be acquired by Sinclair.

Richmond: WTVR (CBS) may go to TEGNA, with WRLH (Fox) unaffected by the merger.

Hampton Roads: WTKR (CBS) may be acquired by Meredith, which leaves Sinclair with WTVZ (MyTV) and WGNT (CW).

Triad: WGHP (Fox) goes to Raycom, and WXLV (ABC) & WMYV (MyTV) stays with Sinclair.

OKC: KFOR (NBC) & KAUT (Independent) goes to Hubbard, and the Sinclair duo KOKH (Fox) and KOCB (CW) stay where they are.

Harrisburg-Lancaster, PA: WHP (CBS) stays with Sinclair, and WPMT (Fox) gets acquired by Raycom.

NEPA: WOLF (Fox) & WSWB (CW) stays with Sinclair, while WQMY (MyTV) & WNEP (ABC) gets acquired by Cox (if that happens, the MCTYW-esque theme is saved).

Again, these are just my speculations.

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