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The Wall Street Journal is reporting that a coalition of states including California, Colorado and New York are planning an antitrust challenge to the deal.

ABC is indeed airing Celebrity Family Feud right now in place of Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Much better than the cheap-looking one they used last season.

It looks like SEC Network is now using the SEC on ABC graphics.

In other news, Sinclair is buying more of their "sidecar" stations, buying WXBU and WWMB from Armstrong Williams, WUTB from Deerfield and KMTR from Roberts Media.

Not just hoping, from the wording of it, it sounds like they're close to a deal.

The FCC order approving the merger. https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-25-43A1.pdf

The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has issued its decision in the case challenging the FCC's ownership rules. While upholding most of it, they overturned the decision to keep the top-four rule and the tightening of it to include LPTVs and subchannels. The Court gave the FCC 90 days to justify retaining the top-four rule. https://ecf.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/25/07/241380P.pdf

They've also been absent from Washington Week with The Atlantic for at least the last couple of weeks.

The FCC has reached a consent decree with TEGNA over an incident that occurred on KREM back in October 2021 where somebody hacked into one of the monitors on KREM's set and displayed a pornographic clip for "approximately 13 seconds" during a weather segment. TEGNA will pay $222,500 and implement a compliance plan. https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-25-573A1.pdf

Somehow, this didn't get much attention other than a paywalled Bloomberg article, but back on March 7th, the Court of Appeals issued a decision in Gray's appeal of the FCC's $518,283 fine against it over the KTVA/KYES acquisition. They affirmed the FCC's ruling that Gray violated the top-four rule but vacated the fine, saying that the FCC did not say in the Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture that it found Gray's conduct to be egregious (which is one of the factors in calculating fine amounts), only doing so in the Forfeiture Order. As a result, Gray couldn't respond to the FCC's finding in its response to the NAL. They also said that the FCC didn't adequately explain "how it considered whether Gray acted in good faith" in determining the fine amount. The case will now go back to the FCC for further proceedings. Court Opinion: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-410086A1.pdf

Despite introducing new graphics for Big Ten Basketball, they're still using the old style graphics for A-10 Basketball on USA.

It is a CBS test pattern. WCIA (which streams most of the CBS' special reports on its YouTube channel) had a stream of CBS' coverage of Trump's second impeachment trial and after the coverage ended, they kept the stream going for a few more minutes, and it displayed the same test pattern. In this case, KXJB probably accidentally switched to the network feed when they intended to air Jeopardy.

According to the engineering exhibit in the FCC application, WIAV-CD requested (and ultimately received) a waiver to broadcast at 48 kW in order to reduce interference from WETA, which broadcasts on channel 31, right next to WIAV-CD which is on channel 30.

Dish and Cox have agreed on a one-week extension to avoid a blackout until October 8th. https://tvanswerman.com/2020/10/02/dish-cox-media-avoid-new-blackout-for-now/

The new scoreboard.

Berkshire Hathaway and Graham did own stakes in each other, but as part of the WPLG deal Graham bought back most of Berkshire's shares in Graham and Berkshire bought back Graham's shares in Berkshire.

Here is the purchase agreement from Sinclair's SEC filing. The licensing agreement was redacted from the filing.

That's because DirecTV doesn't carry local channels at all in Grand Junction (one of the few markets where that is the case).

It looks like Gray is "hopping" WWPI into Presque Isle to get around the minor modification rules. That RabbitEars map shows the facilities Gray is applying for right now to move WWPI further east from its previous location in Fort Kent. Once those facilities are approved and constructed, they'll probably apply for a move to the WAGM tower.

The largest fine the FCC has imposed was back in 2015, when it fined AT&T $100 million for violating the FCC'S "Transparency Rule". http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2015/db0617/FCC-15-63A1.pdf

Under Disney's agreement with the DOJ, the DOJ has to approve any buyer. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/walt-disney-company-required-divest-twenty-two-regional-sports-networks-order-complete

The FCC's Administrative Law Judge has cancelled the hearing over the Sinclair/Tribune deal. https://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/fcc-alj-drops-sinclair-hearing

One problem though. A move of "Fox 29" to WHDT would run afoul of the rule the FCC put in place a few years ago that makes such moves subject to the top four rule.

The American Cable Association wants the FCC to force Sinclair to file license renewal applications for WJLA, WBFF, WSET and WTVZ early in order to address Sinclair's qualifications to remain an FCC licensee. https://tvnewscheck.com/article/top-news/225996/aca-fcc-make-sinclair-renew-licenses-early/