Samantha 2895 Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Free Press has filed a letter expressing their concerns with the HSH letter from last week. It is so sensitive that some information has been redacted, while the FCC received the unabridged version. "A shell corporation, no matter the race, gender or stated intentions of its owner, is still a shell corporation. ... Indeed, we believe a thorough investigation by the [Media] Bureau into HSH's existing licenses would reveal ongoing violations of Section 310(d) of the Communications Act [the public interest clause]." Apparently, the profits to be made by the shells, including HSH and Deerfield, are small: "It is difficult to imagine how reaping such miniscule profits might create a path to wealth and independence, as is the Commission's stated intent for allowing [JSA waivers]. It follows that the Commission should not endorse Sinclair's latest scheme to evade its rules." Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/12568-sinclairagain/page/55/#findComment-102607 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrtraveler01 738 Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Any word on when KDNL will relaunch their newscasts? I haven't heard anything since the Post-Dispatch leaked rumors of a launch "this spring" but since it's spring and we've heard nothing else since then, I'm guessing that launch is being pushed back. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/12568-sinclairagain/page/55/#findComment-102615 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samantha 2895 Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Sinclair has replied to the letter from Free Press: "While Sinclair believes that the Free Press letter makes a number of unsubstantiated, incorrect and poorly reasoned statements regarding HSH and the HSH proposal, Sinclair is not the appropriate party to address those matters. ... To set the record straight, Sinclair is not the moving party behind the HSH proposal or the HSH letter. Nor is this a "scheme" by Sinclair, as Free Press alleges, to evade the Commission's rules." Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/12568-sinclairagain/page/55/#findComment-102658 Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenShine9 1513 Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 At what point does the Allbritton deal expire? If that happens, other companies can bid again? Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/12568-sinclairagain/page/55/#findComment-102660 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samantha 2895 Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 At what point does the Allbritton deal expire? If that happens, other companies can bid again? July 27, 2014. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/12568-sinclairagain/page/55/#findComment-102662 Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Heller 1 Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 July 27, 2014. if this deal doesn't close before 4/27/14, then who will acquire Allbritton? If I have to pick one I think Hearst will get The Allbritton stations, and in addition set up both KOCO, and KTUL like what both KWTV, and KOTV look like, share resources cover Tulsa, and Oklahoma City stories, etc. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/12568-sinclairagain/page/55/#findComment-102667 Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvjay 6 Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 if this deal doesn't close before 4/27/14, then who will acquire Allbritton? If I have to pick one I think Hearst will get The Allbritton stations, and in addition set up both KOCO, and KTUL like what both KWTV, and KOTV look like, share resources cover Tulsa, and Oklahoma City stories, etc. I would bet Hearst as well as I heard Hearst toured WJLA before Sinclair announced they had a deal. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/12568-sinclairagain/page/55/#findComment-102672 Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenShine9 1513 Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 No one has a clean deal though...every potential buyer has at least one conflict. Sinclair could just buy what they can and then forget about the other three stations? Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/12568-sinclairagain/page/55/#findComment-102677 Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanewsguy 511 Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 No one has a clean deal though...every potential buyer has at least one conflict. Sinclair could just buy what they can and then forget about the other three stations? You seem to be forgetting, this isn't Sinclair or the other companies so much as it is Allbritton and their absolute insistence to sell the group as a whole so they don't have to face tax liabilities. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/12568-sinclairagain/page/55/#findComment-102680 Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenShine9 1513 Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 You seem to be forgetting, this isn't Sinclair or the other companies so much as it is Allbritton and their absolute insistence to sell the group as a whole so they don't have to face tax liabilities. That makes it pretty much impossible...since no one has a clean deal with no conflicts. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/12568-sinclairagain/page/55/#findComment-102681 Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveKendall 30 Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 if this deal doesn't close before 4/27/14, then who will acquire Allbritton? If I have to pick one I think Hearst will get The Allbritton stations, and in addition set up both KOCO, and KTUL like what both KWTV, and KOTV look like, share resources cover Tulsa, and Oklahoma City stories, etc. Hearst's KHBS Fort Smith, AR (with satellite KHOG in Fayetteville) is nearby, as well. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/12568-sinclairagain/page/55/#findComment-102738 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samantha 2895 Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Another day, another filing. It's HSH's rebuttal, but they only sent me the second of two pages. This is the third straight day that something has been filed in this case: Free Press on Monday, Sinclair on Tuesday and HSH on Wednesday. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/12568-sinclairagain/page/55/#findComment-102773 Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenShine9 1513 Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 This is turning into quite a soap opera. How come Gannett was able to make a quick turnaround after the order to sell in St. Louis and Phoenix, yet this one keeps going back and forth? Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/12568-sinclairagain/page/55/#findComment-102783 Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyrannical bastard 3951 Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 This is turning into quite a soap opera. How come Gannett was able to make a quick turnaround after the order to sell in St. Louis and Phoenix, yet this one keeps going back and forth? Because it's Sinclair we're talking about. They won't stop unless they exhaust every possible avenue to get what they want. Period. Gannett's position would have been much more precarious given the rankings of the stations involved, and opted to sell their new acquisitions in Phoenix and St. Louis, while keeping their owned stations. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/12568-sinclairagain/page/55/#findComment-102787 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samantha 2895 Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Sinclair has announced that it has hired a financial adviser, Moelis & Co., to assist it in finding buyers for the stations it is selling: WHP, WLYH, WABM and WMMP. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/12568-sinclairagain/page/55/#findComment-102805 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breaking News 829 Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Today Newsblues headline reads 04.17.14 Sinclair hires company to sell some stations Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/12568-sinclairagain/page/55/#findComment-102910 Share on other sites More sharing options...
mre29 1523 Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Today Newsblues headline reads 04.17.14 Sinclair hires company to sell some stations They have no problem buying stations left and right, but they need outside help to sell them? There's a joke or two somewhere in there, I'm sure. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/12568-sinclairagain/page/55/#findComment-102952 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrtraveler01 738 Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Most ABC affiliates air news during the 10pm/11pm slot on Saturday nights. This is what I found out that KDNL airs instead. It's interesting to say the least. At least it's local... Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/12568-sinclairagain/page/55/#findComment-103114 Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyHarry 727 Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Most ABC affiliates air news during the 10pm/11pm slot on Saturday nights. This is what I found out that KDNL airs instead. It's interesting to say the least. At least it's local... if that's a half hour of restaurant advertising disguised as a show, Sinclair did something similar here with Mexican restauants. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/12568-sinclairagain/page/55/#findComment-103121 Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyrannical bastard 3951 Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Though it's not replacing a newscast, WPMI recently launched a country music-themed show on Saturday Nights.... http://lagniappemobile.com/new-faces-programming-abound-local-media-market/ Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/12568-sinclairagain/page/55/#findComment-103122 Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChesapeakeTV 311 Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 I somehow think all this local stuff is an attempt by Sinmerde to strengthen their position when/if the FCC pulls their act together and tries to break them up. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/12568-sinclairagain/page/55/#findComment-103124 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samantha 2895 Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 High activity levels continue with Howard Stirk. Two new documents filed in the last two days. One is a 112-page formal request for waiver. While the filing muddles WWMB (HSH in Myrtle Beach) with WMMP (proposed HSH in Charleston) as "WMMB", the filing outlines lots of things: The new 10pm Sunday public affairs show on WWMB. Armstrong Williams is host and EP, and the program is produced in Conway, South Carolina. A joint sales agreement. A shared services agreement. Under the proposal Sinclair receives $138,000 a month. Lease and rent terms. Sinclair would receive $19,100 a month for these services. An asset purchase agreement, purchase price $2.29 million. There is also some sort of stock option. An option agreement. The same slideshow demonstrating local productions and other initiatives related to Howard Stirk Holdings. The other is a rebuttal to Free Press's letter of April 14. HSH claims that FP thinks that profits are a waiver standard and counters that "no misdirection" by Free Press can alter the public service records of HSH's stations, which HSH of course claims are worthy of a public interest/minority ownership interest waiver. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/12568-sinclairagain/page/55/#findComment-103583 Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanewsguy 511 Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 You can't get more one-sided than this segment from WPEC. One of Sinclair's standard newscast segments is called "Say What?" which is basically a man-on-the-street interview segment. This particular segment has to do with Obamacare and the 2014-2016 elections. Notice everybody they interviewed is against it. Could they not find someone, even one person, who actually likes Obamacare? Something's fishy here. Let's cue the video: [yt]UYmsYD7gvNU[/yt] Full disclosure: I'm strongly against Obamacare. Still, it's not the news' job to tell you whether it's bad or not... Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/12568-sinclairagain/page/55/#findComment-103604 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samantha 2895 Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 With just three months until the Outside Date, Sinclair is applying pressure on the FCC to do something to allow it to get its Allbritton purchase. Today SBG's counsel filed a letter with the Commission. Apparently Sinclair indicated that it would give HSH a period of time to seek assurances that it could clear JSAs for WMMP, WABM and WLYH. The waiver request as filed on Tuesday. The letter confirms that Sinclair would be willing to sell WWMMP and WABM to HSH and to enter into sharing agreements for WLYH. Due to the Outside Date approaching, Sinclair also seeks immediate FCC guidance on one thing: Would HSH be able to enter into waived sharing agreements? Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/12568-sinclairagain/page/55/#findComment-103725 Share on other sites More sharing options...
CircleSeven 1955 Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 I'm telling you this is going on for while now. We're coming towards the ninth month of this wait (one month longer than the Barrington wait). Of course this is Sincrap we're talking about. And as I said before, they would do anything to keep the stations up in their fold. I'm shocked they got some sense to say that they're divesting WHP, but not after they proposed to swap the transmitters. And going back to Birmingham, I know they said that WBMA is treated as "one station", but I thought they said that WCFT & WJSU is treated as an "Enhanced Coverage Duopoly"? That why Mumblow was proposed to get both WABM & WTTO. I'm thinking that if the FCC allows the JSA waivers to happen in this case for WMMP & WABM, then I wouldn't be too shocked if they attempt to reassign some of the incumbent JSA markets that Anderson & Mumblow have, and turn them into HSH stations. But I'm still shocked that the DOJ haven't shotdown this deal already, like they did with the proposed Carma deal six years ago. And if the DOJ don't do anything, let it sit idle until the July 27 date, Robert can call Hearst up, they'll acquire it, and Hearst would find a indie buyer for WHTM, and boom problem solved. But with all of these entaglements with the Allbritton and the three other deals (New Age, WPFO & KRNV/KENV) which is still waiting for the greenlight, you would think that they would slow the hell down. Well.... Based on tonight's paperwork, guess who's buying WGXA from Frontier for $33M???!!!! Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/12568-sinclairagain/page/55/#findComment-103727 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.