Sinclair Broadcast Group - General Discussion

[Conrad 113]

33 minutes ago, oknewsguy said:

Outside of maybe Sports but I don't think any professional sports team outside of maybe the bigger markets (i.e Chicago, NYC, LA, Boston, Miami) will be willing to deal with Sinclair's antics. On the sports-related question, do you think Disney is willing to deal with Sinclair with regards to the 21 former Fox RSNs? And how would the DOJ feel about Sinclair (potentially) purchasing those 21 FSNs?

 

As for the broadcast side of things, it's safe to say that Sinclair clearly wants to go down the RKO General path, and they've done a good job at it but, ultimately, that's what will lead to an eventual breakup (and knowing Sinclair's stance on the abandoned Tribune acquisition and the claims that they "did not" misled the FCC) it's not going to be a pretty one.

I hope Nexstar and Gray go away like RKO General did, as well.

 

We have 3 mega groups. We have Sinclair and Nexstar, of course, but we also now have Gray as a mega group. We know how bad Sinclair and Nexstar are, and Gray is also about as bad as Nexstar.

 

And at this point (and this may be even more sad than it already is), Gannettegna and Scripps may also end up going the RKO General route. Both once-great companies that went downhill and are now "ripe" for sale.

Edited March 6, 2019 by Conrad

[Webovision 202]

"go away"???

 

where are they going to go???

 

gray and nexstar own over 300 stations combined... if they had to "go away" i can assure you many of those would cease to exist... poof...

 

it will happen... eventually... there will be no buyers left... and it will be easier to liquidate assets and shut down... than wait around and try to sell off...

 

happens all the time in a lot of industries... restaurants... stores (how many retailers have gone bankrupt in the past 5 years???) and one day it will happen to tv... then you will wish the grays and nexstars were still around... 

 

these companies are keeping the industry from reaching mach speed on the down slope to the end...

 

 

[ColtFromGulfcoast 708]

48 minutes ago, Conrad said:

I hope Nexstar and Gray go away like RKO General did, as well.

 

We have 3 mega groups. We have Sinclair and Nexstar, of course, but we also now have Gray as a mega group. We know how bad Sinclair and Nexstar are, and Gray is also about as bad as Nexstar.

 

And at this point (and this may be even more sad than it already is), Gannettegna and Scripps may also end up going the RKO General route. Both once-great companies that went downhill and are now "ripe" for sale.

 

A lot of people give Nexstar way too little credit lately. I've said it before and I'll say it again. The Media General merger is the best thing that ever happened to them and the Tribune merger will probably enhance them even further. Nexstar has improved the way they operate their stations tremendously since they merged into Media General, adding newscasts on stations, and trying to serve underserved audiences, to name a few. We're being way too hard on them. In my opinion, the way Nexstar operates could perhaps be viewed as better than Tegna or Scripps, depending on the perspective. Nexstar is working hard to shed their negative reputation. 

[Conrad 113]

5 hours ago, ColtFromGulfcoast said:

 

A lot of people give Nexstar way too little credit lately. I've said it before and I'll say it again. The Media General merger is the best thing that ever happened to them and the Tribune merger will probably enhance them even further. Nexstar has improved the way they operate their stations tremendously since they merged into Media General, adding newscasts on stations, and trying to serve underserved audiences, to name a few. We're being way too hard on them. In my opinion, the way Nexstar operates could perhaps be viewed as better than Tegna or Scripps, depending on the perspective. Nexstar is working hard to shed their negative reputation. 

Really?

 

If so, it would be funny that Nexstar is way, way better now than they used to be despite their massive size which continues to grow. Nexstar probably has a lot of money due to its size, and they could be taking advantage of it.

 

Was Gray ever well run? So many of their stations are #1 or #2.

 

How are the radio mega groups (iHeart, Cumulus, and Entercom) right now? My biggest complaint about those 3 companies is size. iHeart is so concentrated, they are even more concentrated than Sinclair, Nexstar (even after buying Tribune), and orange juice.

 

But no matter how you look at it, Sinclair is really, really bad. I prefer Nexstar and Gray no matter how much regard I hold for those companies.

Edited March 6, 2019 by Conrad

[CircleSeven 1955]

On 3/5/2019 at 1:21 PM, broadcastfan9751 said:

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

 

On 3/5/2019 at 3:00 PM, GoldenShine9 said:

 

But they still give them a stinging rebuke. Safe to say any new Sinclair deals are still DOA and they will have a grilling when it comes time to renewing licenses.

 

Here's the full write up from the ALJ. 

 

A grilling could also come if they do attempt to buy or sell a TV station. Some don't want to wait next year to have the license renewal preceeding to discuss their serious character issues. That includes new FCC commissioner Geoffrey Starks,

[dman748 1256]

3 hours ago, CircleSeven said:

 

 

Here's the full write up from the ALJ. 

 

A grilling could also come if they do attempt to buy or sell a TV station. Some don't want to wait next year to have the license renewal preceeding to discuss their serious character issues. That includes new FCC commissioner Geoffrey Starks,

Sinclair has two very simple choices to make:

 

Option A: They come to their senses, admit they did, in fact, mislead the FCC about the divestiture proceedings in the Tribune acquisition; Sinclair might be able to get back into the FCC's good graces

.

Option B: Continue to claim that they "didn't" mislead the FCC, and eventually, Sinclair will have to face the possibility of either selling the stations they/'re renewing the licenses for or face possible termination of the licenses.

 

Just based off of the options being made (and what Sinclair continues to say regarding the failed Tribune acquisition) I think, Option B is more likely than Option A.

[TexasTVNews 1377]

IMO, I would pick... Option B! Sinclair dug their grave, they'll be lying in it.

[hathawaynson2 39]

I would pick Option B. Sinclair has made a $500.00 grocery list full of problems and "certain things".

 

[mre29 1519]

Oh, definitely option B.

 

Sadly, I can also see Sinclair going scorched earth with the affected stations, removing equipment, laying off nearly all of the employees, and generally dismantling the stations so that any potential buyers won't get much.

 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, mre29 said:

Oh, definitely option B.

 

Sadly, I can also see Sinclair going scorched earth with the affected stations, removing equipment, laying off nearly all of the employees, and generally dismantling the stations so that any potential buyers won't get much.

 

That wouldn't fly, FCC would be even further up their ass about that. Media General tried to pull the same shit when Gray bought Schurz-owned MG-operated WAGT in Augusta. They managed to get away with damaging equipment and trucks beyond repair before it was delivered to WRDW but the FCC fined their ass so heavy they couldn't see straight.

[ColtFromGulfcoast 708]

2 hours ago, mre29 said:

Oh, definitely option B.

 

Sadly, I can also see Sinclair going scorched earth with the affected stations, removing equipment, laying off nearly all of the employees, and generally dismantling the stations so that any potential buyers won't get much.

 

 

40 minutes ago, KentBrockman said:

That wouldn't fly, FCC would be even further up their ass about that. Media General tried to pull the same shit when Gray bought Schurz-owned MG-operated WAGT in Augusta. They managed to get away with damaging equipment and trucks beyond repair before it was delivered to WRDW but the FCC fined their ass so heavy they couldn't see straight.

 

Why do I feel like Sinclair would have done this with at least some of the proposed divestitures in the Tribune deal?

[dman748 1256]

5 hours ago, mre29 said:

Oh, definitely option B.

 

Sadly, I can also see Sinclair going scorched earth with the affected stations, removing equipment, laying off nearly all of the employees, and generally dismantling the stations so that any potential buyers won't get much.

 

Sinclair won't likely go that far (and besides I don't think it'll sit well with the FCC)

[Eat News 4745]

I expect the FCC lawyers and the Sinclair lawyers to stipulate that Sinclair pays  a reasonable (pre-agreed ) fine ,and promise not to do it again.

 

And that's all.

No drama...no nothing.

 

Just a fine...and everyone moves on.

 

Seriously folks...

Where are the "victims" in this dastardly affair?

 

It's big business,and that's the price you pay when you play with real money ...in the real world.

Edited March 9, 2019 by Eat News
Z-Girls-What You Waiting For... https://youtu.be/wrggPyzeScc

[TSSZNews 1051]

21 minutes ago, Eat News said:

I expect the FCC lawyers and the Sinclair lawyers to stipulate that Sinclair pays  a reasonable (pre-agreed ) fine ,and promise not to do it again.

 

And that's all.

No drama...no nothing.

 

Just a fine...and everyone moves on.

 

Seriously folks...

Where are the "victims" in this dastardly affair?

 

It's big business,and that's the price you pay when you play with real money ...in the real world.

 

Depending on who's elected to the executive branch in 2020 - and if this in fact stretches that long - I think much more serious consequences are still in play.

[Weeters 1915]

41 minutes ago, Eat News said:

I expect the FCC lawyers and the Sinclair lawyers to stipulate that Sinclair pays  a reasonable (pre-agreed ) fine ,and promise not to do it again.

 

And that's all.

No drama...no nothing.

 

Just a fine...and everyone moves on.

 

Seriously folks...

Where are the "victims" in this dastardly affair?

 

It's big business,and that's the price you pay when you play with real money ...in the real world.

 

I'm with Eat on this one. Companies have gotten away with some fines for much, much worse than "lying to the FCC."  PG&E has blown up neighborhoods and burned down cities in California (killing people in the process) because of their negligence, and all they've gotten are some (big) fines and had to go through bankruptcy. Sinclair is going to get their knuckles slapped with a ruler, have to pay some fines, and maybe say "we're deeply sorry."

 

This isn't going to be some Enron-level scandal. 

[Georgie56 3303]

55 minutes ago, Eat News said:

I expect the FCC lawyers and the Sinclair lawyers to stipulate that Sinclair pays  a reasonable (pre-agreed ) fine ,and promise not to do it again.

 

And that's all.

No drama...no nothing.

 

Just a fine...and everyone moves on.

 

Seriously folks...

Where are the "victims" in this dastardly affair?

 

It's big business,and that's the price you pay when you play with real money ...in the real world.

 

Yep.

[dman748 1256]

1 hour ago, Eat News said:

I expect the FCC lawyers and the Sinclair lawyers to stipulate that Sinclair pays  a reasonable (pre-agreed ) fine ,and promise not to do it again.

 

And that's all.

No drama...no nothing.

 

Just a fine...and everyone moves on.

 

Seriously folks...

Where are the "victims" in this dastardly affair?

 

It's big business,and that's the price you pay when you play with real money ...in the real world.

I sure hope this outcome happens and quite frankly, that's all Sinclair has to do in order to get back into the good graces of the FCC. It's not that difficult whatsoever.

[TheRob 937]

Latest on Circa: https://thehill.com/homenews/media/435957-sinclair-to-shutter-general-interest-website-circa

[Adam MadMan 285]

And KidsClick is dead.

Quote

With a heavy heart, we are writing you to let you know that KidsCLICK is coming to an end this weekend. Thank you for all of your support, comments, shares, likes and more. We will miss each and every one of our fans and don't forget to Stay TOONed.

 

[hmaxhanson 650]

On 3/29/2019 at 5:32 PM, MadMan400096 said:

And KidsClick is dead.

 

It was a longshot, trying to bring back a dead and buried programming form that no company had any interest in reviving, but I honor their effort, and I am surprised they've managed to make it this far. Could we possibly see Kids Click return in the future as a full network? They went through enough shows in the nearly 2 years to fill up a whole day's schedule.

Edited July 1, 2019 by hmaxhanson

[T.L. Hughes 889]

On 3/29/2019 at 4:32 PM, MadMan400096 said:

And KidsClick is dead.

 

A couple of notes, TBD (the last national carrier of the block) has opted not to cede the former timeslot to additional internet content programs; the time period is now being filled by informercials (which it seems too many multicast channels are offering now to the point where there are more cable networks that don't offer infomercials than there are multicast networks). In Oklahoma City, KOCB replaced the weekday block with secondary runs of court shows seen on sister station KOKH in the afternoon (like Lauren Lake's Paternity Court, The People's Court and Judge Mathis). I would assume some of Sinclair's other CW, MyNetworkTV and independent stations that carried the block have also borrowed syndicated shows from their local sister stations to fill their morning lineups in the wake of the block's demise.

Edited April 2, 2019 by T.L. Hughes

[elfuego35 90]

It appears that WXLV is in the beginning stages of relaunching their in-house news department. 

 

Looking at the Sinclair Jobs page, they have openings for nearly every position.

 

[hmaxhanson 650]

43 minutes ago, elfuego35 said:

It appears that WXLV is in the beginning stages of relaunching their in-house news department. 

 

Looking at the Sinclair Jobs page, they have openings for nearly every position.

 

Wha? Sinclair building a newscast? This has to be a joke. They don't build newscasts unless it's done at WSBT or another station!

9 hours ago, T.L. Hughes said:

A couple of notes, TBD (the last national carrier of the block) has opted not to cede the former timeslot to additional internet content programs; the time period is now being filled by informercials (which it seems too many multicast channels are offering now to the point where there are more cable networks that don't offer infomercials than there are multicast networks). In Oklahoma City, KOCB replaced the weekday block with secondary runs of court shows seen on sister station KOKH in the afternoon (like Lauren Lake's Paternity Court, The People's Court and Judge Mathis). I would assume some of Sinclair's other CW, MyNetworkTV and independent stations that carried the block have also borrowed syndicated shows from their local sister stations to fill their morning lineups in the wake of the block's demise.

A note about that. Despite sadvertising KidsClick on air, TBD never advertised it on their website! They're schedule even listed normal TBD shows from 6-9! I'll bet the reason to fill the slot with paid programs instead is to get back some of the $$$ Sinclair lost in investing in Kids Click. 

[nathannah 2428]

On 3/29/2019 at 5:27 PM, hmaxhanson said:

It was a longshot, trying to bring back a dead and buried programming form that no company had any interest in reviving, but I honor their effort, and I am surprised they've managed to make it this far. Could we possibly see Kids Click return in the future as a full network?

If that would have been a possibility, it would have had its own Stirr channel at launch. I knew it was doomed the moment it didn't have one.

 

The problem was all of the Euro content, which is just too esoteric to market to American children in the right way because American kid's networks run on the 'merchandise first, market second, quality last' model. These shows were never the 'We have a new episode, and it looks like the characters are in some pickle! Will they get out of it?' type of show to market, and that's not what's 'in' right now.

 

And trust me...if it was up to station's general managers able to cancel out corporate, paid programming would have been the only thing airing in that time and they would have refused the shows. WVTV in Milwaukee never found any local advertisers and it was a PSA/in-house vortex of zerors coming into the station. And as it is, TBD's promo department is clearly the folks trying to work their way into the main networks like Comet and Stadium.

[Georgie56 3303]

Former Fox-er Eric Bolling launches his new show for Sinclair tonight, "America This Week".

 

https://www.mediaite.com/tv/blazetvs-eric-bolling-launches-new-show-on-sinclair-and-his-first-guest-is-a-doozy/amp/?__twitter_impression=true