Sinclair...Again

[GoldenShine9 1513]

 

The fact that Sinclair is reacting so strongly to these claims is very telling.

 

(I personally don't think they are breaking any laws because the laws are full of so many loopholes it makes it weak and pointless)

 

IMO, it is partially accurate (re: investments in certain markets, at least for now), and partially inaccurate (i.e. ducking the issue of shells). Both sides have points.

[Samantha 2895]

Dear SBGI:

 

When you resort to putting things in quotes, you're fighting a losing battle. Did you know that that's how North Korea refers to South Korean government ministries? In quotes. I love the whole "so-called 'public interest' group" thing.

 

Both sides are right:

 

-Sinclair isn't a "cookie cutter" company. They do a lot of corporate management of their stations, but at the same time, and out of necessity, stations will be tailored for their markets. Their Columbus operation will be different from San Antonio or West Palm Beach because that is a given. Doing news in Chattanooga doesn't resemble the same thing in Seattle.

-Sinclair is using shells. End of story. "Following the rules" is more like "exploiting the rules" here, Sinclair.

[GoldenShine9 1513]

 

Dear SBGI:

 

When you resort to putting things in quotes, you're fighting a losing battle. Did you know that that's how North Korea refers to South Korean government ministries? In quotes. I love the whole "so-called 'public interest' group" thing.

 

Both sides are right:

 

-Sinclair isn't a "cookie cutter" company. They do a lot of corporate management of their stations, but at the same time, and out of necessity, stations will be tailored for their markets. Their Columbus operation will be different from San Antonio or West Palm Beach because that is a given. Doing news in Chattanooga doesn't resemble the same thing in Seattle.

-Sinclair is using shells. End of story. "Following the rules" is more like "exploiting the rules" here, Sinclair.

 

Indeed that is correct. They do make a valid point about buying stations out of bankrupt companies and improving them, but that is out of necessity. On the other hand, those purchased from solid companies typically drop big time.

 

I think you were the first to expose it and now they are running scared...

[CircleSeven 1955]

I'm going to move it to this thread, since we're talking about it here.

 

Devils. LOL! You haters kill me. How many TV stations do you own again?

 

Not to get too political here, but let me guess: You're a lefty. Lefties are always covetous of people who are succeessful. Instead of learning from the success stories of others lefties always want to bring successful people down to their level. Maybe there is a gem of wisdom there, maybe there isn't. But that's the way I see things.

 

By the way, I am a lawyer by day. And one of the things I do is set up entities for people. There are all kinds of things you can do with entities, and they are perfectly legal, In fact, entities were designed specifically for some of the things that Sinclair does with them in mind.

 

Let me give you one example where an entity is used in a way that is similar to how Sinclair is using them. An engineering firm has to be owned in many states by a licensed engineer. However, there are many engineering firms owned by unlicensed engineers. The way around that is to get a licensed engineer to serve as trustee of a trust that owns the unlicensed engineer's stock. That satisfies the legal requirement. Nothing wrong with this and things like this been done for over a hundred years.

No! I'm neither lefty nor righty, because neither one party (even independent) benefits or stands for what I believe in anyway. I go for what's right and whats wrong, what these devils have done these last two years are not right. Even when you think that they're following the law, which I'm not protesting, they do some sleazy ass way to circumvent and dodge through the FCC rules. In the meantime, many of the workers who lost their jobs and looking for new ones can't find new jobs because this big sleazy devil, Massa David, instead of divesting its stations to another completely different entity, he'll spin the station off to his "shell" (that's what I said, and I'm not calling it "sidecar" because using "shell" would hurt their feelings) companies. But you seem to like Massa David's way to circumvent those FCC rules, so this bastard can get bigger and bigger. Hell you would love to see Sinclair be in every TV system in the country. But they are other entities that want to own stations and not use these "shells" to circumvent them and have three or more stations in one building, case in point, Columbus & Little Rock.

 

I Guess it's nothing wrong with the Global Domination tactics that Sincrap is doing, huh? You would love to see that.

[Mrtraveler01 738]

-Sinclair is using shells. End of story. "Following the rules" is more like "exploiting the rules" here, Sinclair.

I do love how Sinclair is claiming they're not breaking any rules when people aren't claiming that. They're claiming that the rules are so weak that they allow these shell companies to pop up. Sinclair isn't breaking any rules, they're just twisting them to suit them.

 

They have gotten very defensive about this for whatever reason and that is something that is very telling to me.

 

And as I have said before, here in St. Louis, I have YET to see any positive contribution that Sinclair has made to KDNL and this community as a whole. I also don't see any positive contribution they have made to Greensboro/Winston-Salem and WXLV (where they also axed their news department and outsource it to a local channel run by Time Warner Cable).

 

So excuse while I laugh.

[Mrtraveler01 738]

 

Let me give you one example where an entity is used in a way that is similar to how Sinclair is using them. An engineering firm has to be owned in many states by a licensed engineer. However, there are many engineering firms owned by unlicensed engineers. The way around that is to get a licensed engineer to serve as trustee of a trust that owns the unlicensed engineer's stock. That satisfies the legal requirement. Nothing wrong with this and things like this been done for over a hundred years.

 

One question then before I let you go:

 

If there is nothing wrong with this, then why does Sinclair keep repeatedly trying to deny it does this

[Mrtraveler01 738]

IMO, it is partially accurate (re: investments in certain markets, at least for now), and partially inaccurate (i.e. ducking the issue of shells). Both sides have points.

Sinclair has good points too if you take out the righteous indignation. Makes me wonder if Mark Hyman wrote this. LOL

 

If I were Sinclair, I would just say something like "Our transactions are in compliance with FCC regulations.." and then not touch the shell claims and go straight to the positive contributions they have made to these stations. They would sound professional and have something to stand on. Attacking the other side just makes their own argument look weak.

 

This statement is another example of the unprofessional behavior taking place in Hunt Valley.

[DirtyHarry 727]

One question then before I let you go:

 

If there is nothing wrong with this, then why does Sinclair keep repeatedly trying to deny it does this

Why do you want people knowing your business? In the example I gave, a friendly trustee Will do things as instructed up to the point where he legally can't. Too hard to explain here but what I described is also a shell. Our entire economy is based on shells.

 

So what sinclair says IS accurate. At the end of the day they are legally separate and legally independent.

 

Let's say the Chevy dealer on the west side of town helpEd me buy the Chevy dealer on the east side of town in the same manner. He puts up the money and im the banker. We're lifelong friends, we work together, and we collaborate. Its legal and there is nothing stopping me from being nice to the guy who butters my bread. Legally we are separate, but the human factor can be what you want it to. Be.

 

this is kind of hard to explain on a smartphone. But trust me this kind of stuff is legal and its used in all kinds of Situations from protecting the family farm from the nursing home to purchasing TV stations. that's why they created corporations in partnerships and trusts in the first place. They want you to be able to arrange your Affaris in these ways.

[sanewsguy 511]

An update (from the Express-News) about WOAI's move to the KABB building, and their GM explains the REAL reason for them moving:

On the move

 

KSAT's planned move is just a part of a citywide trend that has local TV outlets moving into modernized new stations.

 

Univision affiliate KWEX-TV already has relocated from its historic downtown site to a new Northwest San Antonio location: a $10 million building off De Zavala Road that better services new technology.

 

Next up: a gradual move by WOAI-TV staffers from their vintage station and studio downtown to KABB's current building off Northwest Loop 410 and Babcock Road. Among other things, the relocation will help the sister Sinclair stations share various news resources.

 

The first stage involves the relocation of behind-the-scenes employees — sales, promotions, executive offices — into a new building adjacent to KABB, to be completed by January. That will open up the second floor of KABB's current building, which eventually — somewhere between April and June — will become a newsroom that will accommodate both WOAI and KABB staffs.

 

Why the mass S.A. relocations of late?

 

“We've been taking all this 21st century technology and cramming it into old buildings,” WOAI general manager John Seabers said, adding that it's time “we all got smart buildings.”

LOL at the last sentence

[Mrtraveler01 738]

 

An update (from the Express-News) about WOAI's move to the KABB building, and their GM explains the REAL reason for them moving:

LOL at the last sentence

 

So the integration begins...

 

Is KABB's building big enough to handle two stations? I thought it was relatively small.

[sanewsguy 511]

 

So the integration begins...

 

Is KABB's building big enough to handle two stations? I thought it was relatively small.

 

It's very small, literally half the size of the current WOAI station. I don't know how they'll make it work. Parking is also very limited.

[CircleSeven 1955]

I do love how Sinclair is claiming they're not breaking any rules when people aren't claiming that. They're claiming that the rules are so weak that they allow these shell companies to pop up. Sinclair isn't breaking any rules, they're just twisting them to suit them.

 

They have gotten very defensive about this for whatever reason and that is something that is very telling to me.

 

And as I have said before, here in St. Louis, I have YET to see any positive contribution that Sinclair has made to KDNL and this community as a whole. I also don't see any positive contribution they have made to Greensboro/Winston-Salem and WXLV (where they also axed their news department and outsource it to a local channel run by Time Warner Cable).

 

So excuse while I laugh.

That have all that money to buy TV stations, and use his friends as shell game, and he would use that same capital to improve the stations where they don't have the news. They would probably have the force in Greensboro, St. Louis and Pittsburgh, by now, instead of spending over $3B in M&A these last two years, And all they do is trimming the fat meat in Seattle & Portland. They will do the same thing in DC, should that Allbritton deal gets approved.

 

I wouldn't laugh, because it's a crying shame. If they would've defended themselves by adding hours of news, where are the hours of news in St. Louis. It wouldn't even take more than $5M each to to start a news op in St. Louis, Pittsburgh & Greensboro. Yet he love to play the Shell Game with his banker friends. You might as well say that Anderson & Mumblow works in tandem with that dirty devil.

 

I dunno why they acting so defensive about what they're doing, which they weren't otherwise bitch about. That is what they're doing. Playing Shell Games. Why get all so pissed off about it? The Free Press & that WSJ articles are calling a spade a spade.

 

Why do you want people knowing your business? In the example I gave, a friendly trustee Witt do things as instructed up to the point where he legally can't. Too hard to explain here but what I described is also a shell. Our entire economy is based on shells.

So what sinclair says IS accurate. At the end of the day they are legally separate and legally independent.

Haaa. Just another way to defend these devilish bastards, and support his shell games..........

[Mrtraveler01 738]

 

That have all that money to buy TV stations, and use his friends as shell game, and he would use that same capital to improve the stations where they don't have the news. They would probably have the force in Greensboro, St. Louis and Pittsburgh, by now, instead of spending over $3B in M&A these last two years, And all they do is trimming the fat meat in Seattle & Portland. They will do the same thing in DC, should that Allbritton deal gets approved.

 

I wouldn't laugh, because it's a crying shame. If they would've defended themselves by adding hours of news, where are the hours of news in St. Louis. It wouldn't even take more than $5M each to to start a news op in St. Louis, Pittsburgh & Greensboro. Yet he love to play the Shell Game with his banker friends. You might as well say that Anderson & Mumblow works in tandem with that dirty devil.

 

I just wish Sinclair would just sell KDNL to Nexstar or something. At least they would try to compete without doing a half-assed job like Sinclair did here in St. Louis.

[CircleSeven 1955]

 

I just wish Sinclair would just sell KDNL to Nexstar or something. At least they would try to compete without doing a half-assed job like Sinclair did here in St. Louis.

 

Nexstar would probably invest more dollars into KDNL and probably make the station more profitable, and may even start a new news department. It's probably a hard sale when you already have three news clubs in St. Louis. But that's only a pipe dream. Nexstar would have to break the bank in starting one, should it ever be the case. Hell anyone can do a better job at KDNL than those current owners. It's a crying shame.

 

But you know my point. $3B in M&As. And you have stations that have yet to have in-house news? No capital for investing into the stations, but you have billions in your M&A fund to buy more airspace? Tell me that ain't pitiful?

 

Back a few years ago, I was thinking the same about Nexstar, they only had a couple of stations in HD, The Ozark duo & KARK, now they've turned a 360, and pouring all their capital into investing its stations, including the ones they've acquired, and now they have all but less than ten markets that are in HD. Talk about a comeback. And another good thing is, when they do things, the strategize, unlike those "heathens of Hunt Valley".

[DirtyHarry 727]

 

Both sides are right:

 

-Sinclair isn't a "cookie cutter" company. They do a lot of corporate management of their stations, but at the same time, and out of necessity, stations will be tailored for their markets. Their Columbus operation will be different from San Antonio or West Palm Beach because that is a given. Doing news in Chattanooga doesn't resemble the same thing in Seattle.

 

It all goes back to people when they were whining about NewsCentral, another example of Sinclair being creative and thinking out of the box. Sinclair brought few elements to news operations in markets like Columbus or Dayton. Sinclair was trying to bring a news operation to a bunch of small market, MyTV and CW stations that can't afford to have a news operation. It was innovative and it was a positive thing to try.

 

But, haters gonna hate and they're still whining about it until this day.

 

 

 

Both sides are right:

 

-Sinclair is using shells. End of story. "Following the rules" is more like "exploiting the rules" here, Sinclair.

 

 

Sinclair is exploiting nothing. The government, congress and state legislatures know what they're doing. If they didn't want you using these "shells", they wouldn't exist. They exist for very valid reasons and Sinclair uses them in ways that are routinely used in real life.

 

I can use a shell to protect a business or farm from being sold if one of the owners goes into the nursing home. The way it's done, by the way, is to transfer the farm/business to a limited liability company in exchange for shares in the company. The Medicaid people will force you to try to sell the shares, but there will be no takers because nobody wants shares in a private company. Is that "exploiting" the rules, or is it protecting the interests of the other owners who may not have the money to buy out one of their partners? That's why these laws exist and why they are not going to change.

[Samantha 2895]

 

It all goes back to people when they were whining about NewsCentral, another example of Sinclair being creative and thinking out of the box. Sinclair brought few elements to news operations in markets like Columbus or Dayton. Sinclair was trying to bring a news operation to a bunch of small market, MyTV and CW stations that can't afford to have a news operation. It was innovative and it was a positive thing to try.

 

But, haters gonna hate and they're still whining about it until this day.

 

NewsCentral wasn't anything particularly new or creative. Stations had been hubbing newscasts for years. I will say it was ambitious to expand it into larger markets, but look how it failed.

 

What NewsCentral was was a flop. Not only was it mostly buried on stations where the audience was low, there wasn't much in the way of local talent.

 

Here's a PBS NewsHour piece that ran in December 2003. So much of what NewsCentral was was an attempt to balance profit and the production of a local newscast. In some ways it achieved success, but in more ways it didn't.

[Mrtraveler01 738]

It all goes back to people when they were whining about NewsCentral, another example of Sinclair being creative and thinking out of the box. Sinclair brought few elements to news operations in markets like Columbus or Dayton. Sinclair was trying to bring a news operation to a bunch of small market, MyTV and CW stations that can't afford to have a news operation. It was innovative and it was a positive thing to try.

 

But, haters gonna hate and they're still whining about it until this day.

It also gutted the news department at WPGH and now WPXI makes the newscasts for them because NewsCentral performed so terribly.

[sanewsguy 511]

 

It also gutted the news department at WPGH and now WPXI makes the newscasts for them because NewsCentral performed so terribly.

 

at least WPGH has a newscast

[DirtyHarry 727]

 

What NewsCentral was was a flop. Not only was it mostly buried on stations where the audience was low, there wasn't much in the way of local talent.

 

Here's a PBS NewsHour piece that ran in December 2003. So much of what NewsCentral was was an attempt to balance profit and the production of a local newscast. In some ways it achieved success, but in more ways it didn't.

 

Nevertheless, people were whining and crying about it. The Devil Sinclair was trying to close all of their local news departments, even though they are profit centers at most stations!

 

Take Star-64, for example. Before NewsCentral, it had no newscast. NewsCentral gave them the ability to put together a newscast where none previously existed. How in anybody's right mind could that be perceived as a negative?

 

Yes, it flopped. But they tried it and had it worked, each market would have an additional news operation that was economically sustainable AND anchored a station.

 

But haters gonna hate!

[DirtyHarry 727]

 

at least WPGH has a newscast

 

WTTE and WBFF used the same open when the "News at 10" was first started. Same voiceover guy even.

 

 

Isn't that a great sounding top of the hour ID, by the way? "Your Clear Choice!"

 

The WTTE newscast was a good effort, but it didn't have the "gravitas" of the other stations. If Sinclair hadn't purchased WSYX, I wouldn't be surprised if that newscast would be dead and gone. It's so hard to start a news operation.

 

I think WPGH had an existing news operation, but it must have been a drag on the station or it wouldn't have been shut down.

 

WBFF is the flagship and they have done an impressive job with their news operation.

[Samantha 2895]

 

Nevertheless, people were whining and crying about it. The Devil Sinclair was trying to close all of their local news departments, even though they are profit centers at most stations!

 

Take Star-64, for example. Before NewsCentral, it had no newscast. NewsCentral gave them the ability to put together a newscast where none previously existed. How in anybody's right mind could that be perceived as a negative?

 

Yes, it flopped. But they tried it and had it worked, each market would have an additional news operation that was economically sustainable AND anchored a station.

 

But haters gonna hate!

 

I'll admit that NewsCentral was an attempt to give some of these stations newscasts. But it was not the sort of attempt that was set up for a long-term success.

 

We're ten years on from the launch of NewsCentral, and history has shown it to be innovative, perhaps before its time, but a net loss. Local news departments in places like Greensboro (WXLV) and Pittsburgh (WPGH) were gutted as a result of NewsCentral and didn't ever come back in their own right.

 

Here's another article on NewsCentral, from 2006. Even though it tried to do something fairly innovative, it failed. (The timing also makes me realize that I think the UPN/WB merger of 2006 may have been a factor in the end of NewsCentral. A lot of uncertainty was created from that.)

 

Had Sinclair succeeded, we might have gone down the path of Australia after the "aggregation" process in 1989. Outside of the five capital cities, the regional markets all have their news produced at a number of centralcasting facilities. WIN (Nine Network affiliate) produces 18 different evening news bulletins from just four studio centers, for instance. The loss of localism there is lamented, and here the specter of lost localism was enough to spur a Senate investigation.

[DirtyHarry 727]

 

Had Sinclair succeeded, we might have gone down the path of Australia after the "aggregation" process in 1989. Outside of the five capital cities, the regional markets all have their news produced at a number of centralcasting facilities. WIN (Nine Network affiliate) produces 18 different evening news bulletins from just four studio centers, for instance. The loss of localism there is lamented, and here the specter of lost localism was enough to spur a Senate investigation.

 

That's what Clear Channel does. Traffic in the off-hours comes from Cleveland (they brought back a local guy for drive time). News after 7 pm and on weekends comes from the news hub in Cincinnati. Local news department at WTVN has been gutted.

 

Yes, I agree it might have been an idea before its time and I agree that a less scrupulous operator might do what Clear Channel does. I didn't know that the WB/UPN merger was a factor in their pulling the plug. That kind of makes sense.

 

That said, some centralcasting makes sense to me. I could see Sinclair using weather hubs, for example. As mentioned before, KDNL's GMA Weather cut-ins come (or used to) from Columbus. I don't think most people would notice weather coming from a central location. It works for radio, why not for TV?

[sanewsguy 511]

 

That's what Clear Channel does. Traffic in the off-hours comes from Cleveland (they brought back a local guy for drive time). News after 7 pm and on weekends comes from the news hub in Cincinnati. Local news department at WTVN has been gutted.

 

Don't get me started on Clear Channel. Here in SA WOAI Radio has local news from 5AM-8pm weekdays, 7am-3pm Saturdays, and 8AM-2PM Sundays. Otherwise it's Fox News Radio. Traffic in the off-hours (outside 5AM-7PM weekdays) comes from Houston. Weather used to come from WOAI-TV (still does on the FM stations, but very infrequently) but now comes from The Weather Channel. You'd assume they'd treat their first station better than that, but no, it's just another station in their 1,000 station empire.

 

Clear Channel is an embarrassment to San Antonio and it's sad to say they're from here (but their SA HQ has skeleton staff, most day-to-day operations come from their NYC office).

 

Can't really compare Sinclair to Clear Channel because Clear Channel is absolutely toxic. Turnover is high, not a lot of people manage to stay there for a long period of time, and those that do get pushed out the door eventually. Clear Channel gives their stations top-of-the-line equipment, no doubt, but then they hardly staff people to use that equipment, because most of their DJs are voice-tracked from other cities (or their DJs voice-track to other cities), or they just flat out rely on automation. Clear Channel hardly gives back to the community, they do the bare minimum to keep their license. I've seen the Sinclair TV stations out way more than the Clear Channel radio stations. I stay far away from those stations, and Clear Channel and Cox Radio are the only major radio chains here (other notable owners are locally-based BMP Radio, Salem Communications, and Univision Radio, everything else is pratically independent or family owned). We've managed to stave off Cumulus (the Sinclair of radio IMO, the Nexstar of radio is Townsquare Media) due to BMP but hell Cumulus is much better than Clear Channel.

 

had to vent with that, sorry for drifting off a little

 

 

 

That said, some centralcasting makes sense to me. I could see Sinclair using weather hubs, for example. As mentioned before, KDNL's GMA Weather cut-ins come (or used to) from Columbus. I don't think most people would notice weather coming from a central location. It works for radio, why not for TV?

 

While a weather hub makes sense business wise, they quite simply don't make sense from a common sense standpoint (common sense and business-wise usually don't go together well). Weather people should always remain local because they have experience with forecasting that area's weather and so the quality of the information is better and more reliable than from someone out of state who may have very well never visited the area they're forecasting for.

 

KDNL's weather cut-ins still originate from Columbus.

 

Most people would notice because they would see this person they're not familiar with. And on a sunny and perfect day there may be no problem using hubbed or outsourced meteorologists. But when there's severe weather, there will definitely be a difference. And if there was severe weather in more than one spot, that would be a disaster. And certainly a station that outsources weather would be late and off the ball when it comes to alerting the viewers about the severe weather.

 

Even Sinclair is smart enough not to do something like this...

 

"It works for radio, why not for TV?"

Radio's a different medium first of all. And when there's severe weather, most stations have a local back-up plan rather than using the outsourced service. This may be using a TV station's meteorologists for updates, having their own in-house meteorologist for severe weather situations (such as WBAP has with Brad Barton), or having someone on the phone from the local NWS office). Rarely do I hear them using the out-of-state Weather Channel people during severe weather (not to say it hasn't happened before, but they generally avoid it).

[Samantha 2895]

The American Cable Association has reiterated its opposition to the Allbritton acquisition over fears that the virtual duopolies created will cause sharp rises in retransmission consent fees.

[GoldenShine9 1513]

 

The American Cable Association has reiterated its opposition to the Allbritton acquisition over fears that the virtual duopolies created will cause sharp rises in retransmission consent fees.

 

Did they come out against earlier acquistions?