Sinclair...Again

[CircleSeven 1955]

 

What's up with the deal between Sinclair and Barrington? It's have been 5 months since Barrington announced that they're giving up their stations to Sinclair.

 

It's been over four months since the paperwork have been made (March 18), yet there's still waiting on that greenlight from the FCC. The FCC didn't greenlight the LIN/New Vision deal until five months after the paperwork was made. I don't see any objections/petitions of deny on any of the apps. So its just a matter on waiting for the FCC for its approval. This would probably mean several post Sinclair-Barrington 314/315 applications will probably be longer to get the greenlight also, because these are massive station group deals. It's not like one of two stations are for sale, and some would probably get the greenlight sooner. Something that big, it doesn't get the greenlight too quickly. I'm shocked the Sinclair/Cox situation was approved witin two months, but that involved five stations. And the Fox's WJZY/WMYT app in six weeks. So we just have to sit and wait until the FCC budges.

[CircleSeven 1955]

Getting NewsChannel 8 could be Sinclair's meal ticket to regional cable channels....that is, if they play nice with the cable companies involved and don't burn their bridges with retransmission consent revenue standoffs.

Looks like the he had made it clear in that investor call this morning that he will do a national rollout of the News Channel 8 model. I wouldn't be shocked if News Channel 8 would be stretched into B-more to become that duo-market or separate Maryland version cable channel in the interim.

 

Also The Baltimore Sun made this article piece about the five things we need to know about Sinclair in regards of the Allbritton sale. Like we don't know.

[GoldenShine9 1513]

 

Looks like the he had made it clear in that investor call this morning that he will do a national rollout of the News Channel 8 model. I wouldn't be shocked if News Channel 8 would be stretched into B-more to become that duo-market or separate Maryland version cable channel in the interim.

 

As this discussion suggested last night, that makes me think KRON may be headed there - for a relatively low price - in a side deal with Media General (there is no one else really that it fits with due to the presence of O&O's there, and I don't think MG has any use for it)...they might use that as a second major market for the NC8 model...

[TVIntheDesert 183]

Looks like the he had made it clear in that investor call this morning that he will do a national rollout of the News Channel 8 model. I wouldn't be shocked if News Channel 8 would be stretched into B-more to become that duo-market or separate Maryland version cable channel in the interim.

Like I said before, if they want to start a national competitor to Fox News, why don't they buy or partner with the owners of the new One America network out of San Diego, which is operational and has satellite transponder space, and try to grow its carriage numbers. If it works, good for them. If it fails, it fails.

[Mrtraveler01 738]

 

Like I said before, if they want to start a national competitor to Fox News, why don't they buy or partner with the owners of the new One America network out of San Diego, which is operational and has satellite transponder space, and try to grow its carriage numbers. If it works, good for them. If it fails, it fails.

 

And considering how saturated the cable news market is, why would any else want to join? Does cable news really make that much money even with paltry ratings?

 

I'm becoming more convinced that the Smith brothers have no strategy and are just making decisions based on impulse.

[Mrtraveler01 738]

 

Also The Baltimore Sun made this article piece about the five things we need to know about Sinclair in regards of the Allbritton sale. Like we don't know.

 

This caught my eye:

 

 

Sinclair will have a 24/7 news channel, but it will use it to program portions of the day on many of the smaller broadcast stations it owns and manages.

That's just the kind of thing that impresses Wall Street analysts. Instead of paying huge syndication fees, Sinclair can program the news off its cable news channel in Tulsa, say, from 4 to 7 p.m. weekdays -- with maybe just an hour of local news in the mix. That's economies of scale writ large. Same thing from 5 to 7 a.m. and mid-day.

Is he just oblivious to what a failure News Central was? What would make it different this time around?

[CircleSeven 1955]

 

This caught my eye:

 

 

Is he just oblivious to what a failure News Central was?

 

I don't think he does. But do you think he cares? But like you've said, they love to do things impulsively, like spending almost $3B in 2 years of M&As for one.

 

Just look at this. Two Years. Buying Craze. 92 Stations.

 

Sinclair, Sinclair, Sinclair, Sinclair, Sinclair, Sinclair, Sinclair, Sinclair, Sinclair, Sinclair, Sinclair, Sinclair, Sinclair.

 

And tell me it's not (in Paul Anthony's voice) "All Sinclair, All The Time!!"??

 

And we haven't heard any sort of plans on what they will do with the stations once they'll acquire it. And any money to do something with the stations they already own. The only thing they've done right was this. But that was only because one of their stations (WRLH specifically) had antenna issues. He wouldn't have cared if he never had that antenna issue.

[IsitCC? 6]

Pending sales of ABC 27, CBS 21 leave uncertainty for station managers

 

By Jeffrey A. Johnson | [email protected]

on July 30, 2013 at 12:17 PM

 

The managers of ABC 27 and CBS 21 said Tuesday it was too early to tell what changes may be in store for both local television stations now that an agreement is in place that requires both to be sold.

 

“We don’t know much and it’s to be seen (what will happen),” said Joe Lewin, the general manager of ABC 27. “We’re going to become part of the largest broadcasting group in the country. That’s what we know. That could be a very good thing.”

 

Lewin was referring to Sinclair Broadcasting Group, which on Monday announced a $985 million deal that includes the acquisition of seven ABC affiliates — including ABC 27 — and a 24-hour cable news network. Those stations are being sold by Allbritton Communications.

 

The deal would also require Sinclair to sell the license for CBS 21, which it currently owns, to comply with federal communications laws.

 

“Honestly, it just happened and these types of things require regulatory approval. We don’t know how it will shake out at this point,” said Arthur Hasson, the general manager of CBS 21. “From here, we’re full steam ahead. We’re looking forward to the future.”

 

The entire deal will require approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Sinclair in a news release issued Monday said it expects the sale to close by the end of the year.

 

On a morning conference call, David Smith, the president and CEO of Sinclair, touted the acquisition of NewsChannel 8, which he said will allow the company to increase its reach across the country.

 

The 24-hour cable news and satellite network currently reaches more than 2 million viewers in the Washington, D.C. area.

 

“We are confident we can use NewsChannel 8 as a launching point for a national news channel,” Smith said. “The takeaway is we believe there is significant value we can unlock here by coupling the cable channel with the rest of our news stations.”

 

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/07/potential_changes_yet_to_be_se.html

[GoldenShine9 1513]

 

Pending sales of ABC 27, CBS 21 leave uncertainty for station managers

 

By Jeffrey A. Johnson | [email protected]

on July 30, 2013 at 12:17 PM

 

The managers of ABC 27 and CBS 21 said Tuesday it was too early to tell what changes may be in store for both local television stations now that an agreement is in place that requires both to be sold.

 

“We don’t know much and it’s to be seen (what will happen),” said Joe Lewin, the general manager of ABC 27. “We’re going to become part of the largest broadcasting group in the country. That’s what we know. That could be a very good thing.”

 

Lewin was referring to Sinclair Broadcasting Group, which on Monday announced a $985 million deal that includes the acquisition of seven ABC affiliates — including ABC 27 — and a 24-hour cable news network. Those stations are being sold by Allbritton Communications.

 

The deal would also require Sinclair to sell the license for CBS 21, which it currently owns, to comply with federal communications laws.

 

“Honestly, it just happened and these types of things require regulatory approval. We don’t know how it will shake out at this point,” said Arthur Hasson, the general manager of CBS 21. “From here, we’re full steam ahead. We’re looking forward to the future.”

 

The entire deal will require approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Sinclair in a news release issued Monday said it expects the sale to close by the end of the year.

 

On a morning conference call, David Smith, the president and CEO of Sinclair, touted the acquisition of NewsChannel 8, which he said will allow the company to increase its reach across the country.

 

The 24-hour cable news and satellite network currently reaches more than 2 million viewers in the Washington, D.C. area.

 

“We are confident we can use NewsChannel 8 as a launching point for a national news channel,” Smith said. “The takeaway is we believe there is significant value we can unlock here by coupling the cable channel with the rest of our news stations.”

 

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/07/potential_changes_yet_to_be_se.html

 

They should be looking at job openings at the WGAL and WPMT sites and applying for them now, before the axe falls...otherwise they are looking at other markets for sure.

[GoldenShine9 1513]

 

I don't think he does. But do you think he cares? But like you've said, they love to do things impulsively, like spending almost $3B in 2 years of M&As for one.

 

Just look at this. Two Years. Buying Craze. 92 Stations.

 

Sinclair, Sinclair, Sinclair, Sinclair, Sinclair, Sinclair, Sinclair, Sinclair, Sinclair, Sinclair, Sinclair, Sinclair, Sinclair.

 

And tell me it's not (in Paul Anthony's voice) "All Sinclair, All The Time!!"??

 

And we haven't heard any sort of plans on what they will do with the stations once they'll acquire it. And any money to do something with the stations they already own. The only thing they've done right was this. But that was only because one of their stations (WRLH specifically) had antenna issues. He wouldn't have cared if he never had that antenna issue.

 

It could even be worse! Had Belo and Young decided to go on the market and not sell directly to Gannett and Media General, those would likely be in the eyes of Sinclair as well. And Tribune saved us from having Local TV LLC end up in their lap too (and had to bid very high to do so).

 

For companies rumored to be eyeing the market, such as Gray Television, they might want to talk mergers and not try to go for the highest bidder...they may not get as much money, but their assets will be in much better hands.

[solidscooter 3]

 

I have no idea what Cox uses (I think they use ENPS) so KOKI/WTEV may not have to worry about switching to something else. It must suck for the staff at the Sinclair/Nexstar stations that currently use ENPS and now they're going to have to learn iNews since iNews seems harder to use than ENPS. I feel for them...

 

 

 

Cox is an all-Avid world. iNews, Newscutter, Interplay, etc etc

 

The avid workflow is much more complicated in my opinion. ENPS is easier to understand, and using it with Edius is a breeze....The MOS communication with other systems is so smooth. Edit, attached your timeline, done. Newscutter uses these bin things and it's really annoying.

[CircleSeven 1955]

Looks like the he had made it clear in that investor call this morning that he will do a national rollout of the News Channel 8 model. I wouldn't be shocked if News Channel 8 would be stretched into B-more to become that duo-market or separate Maryland version cable channel in the interim.

Wait!! There's more cable talk from this TVNewsCheck article, and stated what he was really after.

[GoldenShine9 1513]

The last paragraphs say it all.

Meanwhile, figure on Sinclair being a bidder as additional station groups come up for sale.

"There's clearly a lot more to do out there," Smith said. "I can come up with at least $2 billion without thinking, let alone multiple hundreds of millions of deals. There's at least two years of work to do.

"We don't time the market in which things become available. But if we think there's something strategic, we will be compelled to become involved."

 

Wow, what would $2 to $3 billion get? Of the top 4 groups in the BIA-Kelsey Top 30 (now Top 28) that I believe are most likely to sell TV assets (Gray, Meredith, Granite and Post-Newsweek), that should get at least 2 or 3 of them.

 

Gray should take itself off the market and if it wants to sell, enter merger discussions with Raycom. They are as close to a perfect fit as any two decent-sized groups get.

[Mrtraveler01 738]

 

By bringing all those pieces together, he said, Sinclair can "create a unique hybrid model that focuses not only on national and international news, which traditionally has lower rating than local newses, but also provides a unique, customized local presence in our markets and the markets of other broadcasters with which we may partner in the future."

He must not have heard about NWCN, or TXCN, or NECN, or News 14 Carolina. He's essentially jumping on something that was a fad in the broadcasting industry 10+ years ago.

 

It's official, David Smith has lost his mind.

[Rusty Muck 4374]

And considering how saturated the cable news market is, why would any else want to join? Does cable news really make that much money even with paltry ratings?

Apparently it doesn't, because the current cable news universe is primarily kept afloat rating/revenue-wise by opinion programming. Hell, CNN even gave up on Headline News eight years ago.

[channel2 979]

And it's now called "HLN", which is basically a more vapid version of CNN.

[hathawaynson2 39]

 

He must not have heard about NWCN, or TXCN, or NECN, or News 14 Carolina. He's essentially jumping on something that was a fad in the broadcasting industry 10+ years ago.

It's official, David Smith has lost his mind.

 

Apparently, David en-masse Smith has completely lost his mind when he bought Barrington Broadcasting and decided to build another Shill or Shell Corporation for some of the stations (for example: Howard Stirk Holdings) and when he bought Newport's six, he created Deerfield Media with Stephen Mumblow in the mix!

 

Has he "completely lost his mind" yes, in this case when he bought Allbrittion when he could've sold underperfoming stations!

[Jess 1115]

National News Channel is exactly the words I did not want to hear.

 

Not only because of the expense, but now you'll have corporate telling NDs and GMs, "uh, hey, here's the content from Sinclair News Channel, we want this to fill half your newscast". Or, "you're looking for a new chief meteorologist? Here, use this blonde chick with the big boobs we just hired for Sinclair News. She'll work out of DC.

 

...NewsCentral 2.0. It's a matter of when now.

[Mrtraveler01 738]

National News Channel is exactly the words I did not want to hear.

 

Not only because of the expense, but now you'll have corporate telling NDs and GMs, "uh, hey, here's the content from Sinclair News Channel, we want this to fill half your newscast". Or, "you're looking for a new chief meteorologist? Here, use this blonde chick with the big boobs we just hired for Sinclair News. She'll work out of DC.

 

...NewsCentral 2.0. It's a matter of when now.

And then the question becomes "will NewsCentral 2.0 fail just like the first one did"?

 

The other thing I find laughable about all of this is that David Smith thinks he can charge his new channel the same rate as CNN. What he is ultimately going to do is force these providers to carry the new channel in addition to carrying the local Sinclair stations. It will be interesting to see how TWC, Directv and Comcast respond to this.

[tyrannical bastard 3951]

For this idea to work, Sinclair needs to think outside the box and outside of the norm of "cable" tv.

Relying on cable companies to pick up another news channel (that's owned by a nobody in the cable world) while trying to bleed them of retrans payments for their own stations isn't exactly the greatest sure-fire idea to make a ton of money. It may make matters uglier when the contract is up, and trying to get a prime piece of real estate on the lineup may REALLY put them in the doghouse.

 

When they run out of stations they can buy, will cable companies be next? Who could they afford to buy? I'm sure if they could buy Mediacom or Suddenlink, they would (and give them the launching pad for their plan)

 

Then again, they have close to 150 stations, why not use subchannels to pull off this idea? It could be a game changer and ween people off of their CNN or their Fox News and give them the news (and political drivel) that they get on cable!

 

They could also do what WeatherNation does....a hybrid of subchannels and using devices like Roku and Sony boxes to stream a channel. Plus, using such devices opens up the floodgate for on demand content.

[C Block 1566]

Part of me has liked the idea of local affiliates feeding into a national news channel, as I think such a concept could really provide a more diverse look at American current events beyond the Washington- and New York-centric national news channels that we have today. Though we know that with Sinclair, they are merely using this paradigm for the malevolent purposes of pushing their political agenda.

 

The problem is, I don't know if cable companies would be receptive to carrying another "news" channel, and I think it would be tough to out-Fox News Fox News. Also, they're calculating the $300 million in revenue by basing it off the current carriage fees that CNN and FNC collect, but the only way FNC got on the map in the first place was by *paying* cable companies $11 per subscriber to get placed on their packages in the mid 90s. I don't see Sinclair having the foresight to do that.

[GoldenShine9 1513]

 

For this idea to work, Sinclair needs to think outside the box and outside of the norm of "cable" tv.

Relying on cable companies to pick up another news channel (that's owned by a nobody in the cable world) while trying to bleed them of retrans payments for their own stations isn't exactly the greatest sure-fire idea to make a ton of money. It may make matters uglier when the contract is up, and trying to get a prime piece of real estate on the lineup may REALLY put them in the doghouse.

 

When they run out of stations they can buy, will cable companies be next? Who could they afford to buy? I'm sure if they could buy Mediacom or Suddenlink, they would (and give them the launching pad for their plan)

 

Then again, they have close to 150 stations, why not use subchannels to pull off this idea? It could be a game changer and ween people off of their CNN or their Fox News and give them the news (and political drivel) that they get on cable!

 

They could also do what WeatherNation does....a hybrid of subchannels and using devices like Roku and Sony boxes to stream a channel. Plus, using such devices opens up the floodgate for on demand content.

 

I wonder if David Smith is reading all this? I'm wondering if they are now interested in companies like Aereo and WeatherNation as well...

 

Of course, they'll still be looking for more TV stations as well. 200 or more is certainly not out of reach.

[Mrtraveler01 738]

 

For this idea to work, Sinclair needs to think outside the box and outside of the norm of "cable" tv.

Relying on cable companies to pick up another news channel (that's owned by a nobody in the cable world) while trying to bleed them of retrans payments for their own stations isn't exactly the greatest sure-fire idea to make a ton of money. It may make matters uglier when the contract is up, and trying to get a prime piece of real estate on the lineup may REALLY put them in the doghouse.

 

This is exactly why I don't think the people in charge at Sinclair have any strategy set up and just make up stuff as they go.

 

 

Part of me has liked the idea of local affiliates feeding into a national news channel, as I think such a concept could really provide a more diverse look at American current events beyond the Washington- and New York-centric national news channels that we have today. Though we know that with Sinclair, they are merely using this paradigm for the malevolent purposes of pushing their political agenda.

 

The problem is, I don't know if cable companies would be receptive to carrying another "news" channel, and I think it would be tough to out-Fox News Fox News. Also, they're calculating the $300 million in revenue by basing it off the current carriage fees that CNN and FNC collect, but the only way FNC got on the map in the first place was by *paying* cable companies $11 per subscriber to get placed on their packages in the mid 90s. I don't see Sinclair having the foresight to do that.

 

I didn't realize that. That makes David Smith's assumption that he can charge cable companies the same price they pay for CNN (.57/subscriber) all the more absurd.

[Rusty Muck 4374]

And then the question becomes "will NewsCentral 2.0 fail just like the first one did"?

The other thing I find laughable about all of this is that David Smith thinks he can charge his new channel the same rate as CNN. What he is ultimately going to do is force these providers to carry the new channel in addition to carrying the local Sinclair stations. It will be interesting to see how TWC, Directv and Comcast respond to this.

I wouldn't be surprised if they threaten to take ALL their stations (including the shells) off of cable systems that refuse to put on the cable news channel.

[channel2 979]

Didn't Scripps tie the carriage of HGTV with their over-the-air stations when HGTV was getting started? This doesn't seem that different (other than Scripps also using its cablesystems, which Sinclair lacks).