Sinclair Broadcast Group - General Discussion

[TexasTVNews 1377]

If I may add one more thing I forgot to mention. I could vision KTVL, KMEG/KPTH, and WNWO be owned by either Cox, Scripps, Nexstar or Tegna. If one station owners do acquire some of the Sinclair stations, they would need to make a fresh start by reviving its news department and newscasts and hire new talent with years of experience.

 

Now, I could see KTVL to Nexstar, Scripps or Gray, KMEG/KPTH to Cox, AMG, Scripps or Tegna, and WNWO to Nexstar, Scripps, or AMG.

[Rusty Muck 4374]

3 hours ago, TexasTVNews said:

If I may add one more thing I forgot to mention. I could vision KTVL, KMEG/KPTH, and WNWO be owned by either Cox, Scripps, Nexstar or Tegna. If one station owners do acquire some of the Sinclair stations, they would need to make a fresh start by reviving its news department and newscasts and hire new talent with years of experience.

 

Now, I could see KTVL to Nexstar, Scripps or Gray, KMEG/KPTH to Cox, AMG, Scripps or Tegna, and WNWO to Nexstar, Scripps, or AMG.

Serious question: why in the wide wide world of sports would any of those groups want basketcase stations that need a massive amount of investment just in order to be remotely competitive in a declining industry?

 

Plus Apollo Global Management isn't buying anything and Byron Allen is too badly overleveraged. With all due respect, what makes anyone think Apollo is going to have the soulless husk of Cox Media Group buy anything or that Byron is going to do anything but make vacant empty promises he can't deliver?

[Recovering Producer 218]

11 hours ago, Rusty Muck said:

Serious question: why in the wide wide world of sports would any of those groups want basketcase stations that need a massive amount of investment just in order to be remotely competitive in a declining industry?

 

Plus Apollo Global Management isn't buying anything and Byron Allen is too badly overleveraged. With all due respect, what makes anyone think Apollo is going to have the soulless husk of Cox Media Group buy anything or that Byron is going to do anything but make vacant empty promises he can't deliver?

 

I have to wonder if any of the people wish speculating about future owners for stations that may or may not be for sale have set foot in a TV station as an employee or have any glimpse of the reality of the economics of local TV in 2024. I'm three years removed from TV employment, and it was bleak then. Friends left in the business (who are all looking to get out) say it has only worsened. 

 

I am cheering for the unlikely fairy-tale outcome of new financial success for the local TV business, but that won't happen with more of the same that got us to where we are today.

[tyrannical bastard 3951]

Perhaps this "cash grab" Sinclair is trying to accomplish is Chris Ripley's last chance before the board sends him packing.

 

His reign has been a disaster.  Starting in 2017 when they were chasing Tribune and bungled that deal to foolishly pass off WGN's new owners as an "unrelated entity", even the Trump-friendly FCC chair sent the deal for review.  Tribune backed out, sued Sinclair, and ended up merging with Nexstar to make them the super-broadcaster Sinclair could have been while the UHF discount window was open. 

 

Then, they thought they won the lottery when they first got the Cubs away from WGN, and later picked up the former FOX RSNs, only to see those devolve into bankruptcy and drive the company even further into peril, as they were saddled with baggage from paying off lawsuits and consent decrees from their corporate incompetence.  Then came the layoffs and shutdowns of news operations across the country.

 

And to think they're only now considering selling off their stations to make a buck?  They should have never bought half of them to begin with.  You thought the RSN's were worthless.  After the stripping and cost-cutting Sinclair's done to them, there's no sane buyer that would take some of these on....

Edited May 12, 2024 by tyrannical bastard

[Guest]

TBH Sinclair ruined local sports and the local traditions of local news in Seattle, Porland (OR), and Washington DC. Not quite the markets to lure conservatives.

[ABC 7 Denver 1715]

6 hours ago, dzonershow said:

TBH Sinclair ruined local sports and the local traditions of local news in Seattle, Porland (OR), and Washington DC. Not quite the markets to lure conservatives.

 

No one has lauded Sinclair for their shrewd operations.

[Rusty Muck 4374]

Sinclair is what would have happened had a miserly 1980s-era owner like TVX Broadcast Group or Media Central somehow existed into the present day.

[mer764KCTV5 150]

31 minutes ago, Rusty Muck said:

Sinclair is what would have happened had a miserly 1980s-era owner like TVX Broadcast Group or Media Central somehow existed into the present day.

Okay, that's the comment of the year by this point. 

 

And it's something agreeable. Sinclair be trying to cut costs and you get Kansas City which got lucky to be removed from the Sinclair curse over in 2005. You should be lucky that you don't live in a Sinclair Broadcast Group Market, because well... they almost bankrupted KSMO-TV before they sold them off to the then-owners of KCTV5, the Meredith Corporation. 

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, mer764KCTV5 said:

Okay, that's the comment of the year by this point. 

 

And it's something agreeable. Sinclair be trying to cut costs and you get Kansas City which got lucky to be removed from the Sinclair curse over in 2005. You should be lucky that you don't live in a Sinclair Broadcast Group Market, because well... they almost bankrupted KSMO-TV before they sold them off to the then-owners of KCTV5, the Meredith Corporation. 

They used to own KOVR when Sinclair bought the owner of WLOS, WLXV, and KDNL in 1995. I never expected that Paramount predecessor Viacom bought KOVR and merged with KMAX or at least how SInclair handled KOVR in it's decade ownership.

[mer764KCTV5 150]

14 minutes ago, dzonershow said:

They used to own KOVR when Sinclair bought the owner of WLOS, WLXV, and KDNL in 1995. I never expected that Paramount predecessor Viacom bought KOVR and merged with KMAX or at least how SInclair handled KOVR in it's decade ownership.

I assume because Sinclair wasn't able to get an duopoly in Sacramento. Also, it wasn't and still isn't able to defeat KCRA in the ratings. 

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, mer764KCTV5 said:

I assume because Sinclair wasn't able to get an duopoly in Sacramento. Also, it wasn't and still isn't able to defeat KCRA in the ratings. 

I’m sure Hearst might expand with more stations from Sinclair. More versions of Very Local anyone?

[mer764KCTV5 150]

1 minute ago, dzonershow said:

I’m sure Hearst might expand with more stations from Sinclair. More versions of Very Local anyone?

Hearst almost never aquires stations besides WBBH and WZVN in Fort Myers–Naples, Florida because then-owners wanted to sell the stations before someone turns 100.

[Guest]

14 minutes ago, mer764KCTV5 said:

Hearst almost never aquires stations besides WBBH and WZVN in Fort Myers–Naples, Florida because then-owners wanted to sell the stations before someone turns 100.

They also bought WVTM and WJCL a decade ago. But I do wanna see a duopoly with either Sinclair's CW or MNTV station, although Nexstar might get more CWs to make duopolies with the Big 4 stations. WJCL used to have an LMA with WTGS but Hearst wasn't in the business in owning Fox affiliates. Of course with the cutbacks last year, the Sinclair owned Fox affiliates in Scranton, Macon, Savannah, and Columbia SC are bare bones staff as does WPMI in Mobile AL unlike WEAR in the neighboring Pensacola and WEYI/WSMH in Flint.

[nathannah 2429]

1 hour ago, mer764KCTV5 said:

Okay, that's the comment of the year by this point. 

 

And it's something agreeable. Sinclair be trying to cut costs and you get Kansas City which got lucky to be removed from the Sinclair curse over in 2005. You should be lucky that you don't live in a Sinclair Broadcast Group Market, because well... they almost bankrupted KSMO-TV before they sold them off to the then-owners of KCTV5, the Meredith Corporation. 

I swear it was a miracle sent from God that Sinclair was pretty much required to build-out a new studio for WVTV/WCGV after their 2010 flood; I really do think they were trying to stay in the old studios and cheap out before it became clear it was not going to work. And I do remember by the time KSMO was sold it was pretty much running on fumes and its WB affiliation was the only thing keeping it from dying completely.

[mer764KCTV5 150]

5 minutes ago, mrschimpf said:

I swear it was a miracle sent from God that Sinclair was pretty much required to build-out a new studio for WVTV/WCGV after their 2010 flood; I really do think they were trying to stay in the old studios and cheap out before it became clear it was not going to work. And I do remember by the time KSMO was sold it was pretty much running on fumes and its WB affiliation was the only thing keeping it from dying completely.

KSMO-TV during the WB/Sinclair days deserved better.

 

–From an Kansas Citian.

[tyrannical bastard 3951]

7 minutes ago, mer764KCTV5 said:

KSMO-TV during the WB/Sinclair days deserved better.

 

–From an Kansas Citian.

This was back when Sinclair retrenched between 2005-2009 after their failed "News Central" program, getting called out for their attempting to air "Stolen Honor" in the wake of the 2004 election, and when the band-aids were beginning to fall of their ANCIENT equipment at the time.  I was shocked when they started going HD in 2008 since their existing news operations were running with sets they acquired from other owners, pushing 15 years old at least!

 

Cunningham almost bankrupted them in 2009, then somehow, they were able to borrow a lot of money to expand to what they are today. The first catalyst was the Four Points stations they picked up from CBS & Nexstar, then the purchase of Freedom.  The rest is history as Sinclair bought out stations from Newport, Fisher, Allbritton, Barrington and others to try and position themselves as a major player.

 

Now they're certainly paying the price for this, and any attempts to do bad things all over again in their second coming....

Edited May 13, 2024 by tyrannical bastard

[Big Rollo Smokes 260]

48 minutes ago, dzonershow said:

They also bought WVTM and WJCL a decade ago. But I do wanna see a duopoly with either Sinclair's CW or MNTV station, although Nexstar might get more CWs to make duopolies with the Big 4 stations. WJCL used to have an LMA with WTGS but Hearst wasn't in the business in owning Fox affiliates. Of course with the cutbacks last year, the Sinclair owned Fox affiliates in Scranton, Macon, Savannah, and Columbia SC are bare bones staff as does WPMI in Mobile AL unlike WEAR in the neighboring Pensacola and WEYI/WSMH in Flint.

Are you "DarrenVision" from Radio Discussions? (The avatars are the same.)

 

If so, that would explain your eagerness to see more M&As without taking reality into account. Respectfully, don't bring any of that here.

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, tyrannical bastard said:

This was back when Sinclair retrenched between 2005-2009 after their failed "News Central" program, getting called out for their attempting to air "Stolen Honor" in the wake of the 2004 election, and when the band-aids were beginning to fall of their ANCIENT equipment at the time.  I was shocked when they started going HD in 2008 since their existing news operations were running with sets they acquired from other owners, pushing 15 years old at least!

 

Cunningham almost bankrupted them in 2009, then somehow, they were able to borrow a lot of money to expand to what they are today. The first catalyst was the Four Points stations they picked up from CBS & Nexstar, then the purchase of Freedom.  The rest is history as Sinclair bought out stations from Newport, Fisher, Allbritton, Barrington and others to try and position themselves as a major player.

 

Now they're certainly paying the price for this, and any attempts to do bad things all over again in their second coming....

U mean the timing of Donald Trump riding down the escalator for his presidental campaign the year after Sinclair bought Allbriton and Fisher. I see a pattern here and the damage is already done since Donald Trump popularized the terms misinformation and fake news along with the attacks of the left wing media something that copied from Fox News. Deadspin video compilation of Sinclair anchors saying "This is extremely dangerous to our democracy". Trump DOJ is also responsible to order Disney to sell what is now Bally Sports to Sinclair despite they got one sports experience with the Tennis Channel. Added to the Pandemic Misinformation and moving their network affliates from the affiliated sidecar stations to the subchannels of Sinclair stations on X.2 while subchannels like Dabl appearing on X.1 of the sidecar stations to circumvent FCC duopoly rules. How much more Sinclair damaged the local news and local sports industry?

[Rusty Muck 4374]

2 hours ago, Big Rollo Smokes said:

Are you "DarrenVision" from Radio Discussions? (The avatars are the same.)

 

If so, that would explain your eagerness to see more M&As without taking reality into account. Respectfully, don't bring any of that here.

Thank you for saying that. I don't know if it's a bug or a feature about the TV fandom in the present day but it has also irritated the moderators over there considerably.

[Megatron81 258]

I think Byron Allen will put his name out there saying he'll buy the 60 TV stations from Sinclair that is how Byron rolls. I think it will be someone small that buys Sinclair kinda like a Standard General when they tried to buy WXMI Fox17 in the failed Tribune merger. 

[Rusty Muck 4374]

22 minutes ago, Megatron81 said:

I think Byron Allen will put his name out there saying he'll buy the 60 TV stations from Sinclair that is how Byron rolls. I think it will be someone small that buys Sinclair kinda like a Standard General when they tried to buy WXMI Fox17 in the failed Tribune merger. 

Byron Allen is too badly overleveraged and has acquired a bad reputation for talking up deal after deal and failing to actually make them. He is not a credible candidate for anything.

[SoFloTVClassics 972]

Here's some more information as to which cities are on the selling block.

 

https://www.tvtechnology.com/news/cnbc-sinclair-considering-selling-some-broadcast-stations

[ABC 7 Denver 1715]

1 hour ago, SoFloTVClassics said:

Here's some more information as to which cities are on the selling block.

 

https://www.tvtechnology.com/news/cnbc-sinclair-considering-selling-some-broadcast-stations

 

Imagine if it's Imagicomm Communication, Costal Television and Standard that buy up these stations. Honestly though, I wouldn't be surprised if it's Cox Media Group underwritten by Apollo.

[Guest]

Just now, ABC 7 Denver said:

 

Imagine if it's Imagicomm Communication, Costal Television and Standard that buy up these stations. Honestly though, I wouldn't be surprised if it's Cox Media Group underwritten by Apollo.

Im keeping faith if the networks are adding local news into streaming, it wont be long if the networks and Sinclair's rivals will make a bid.

[TVLurker 198]

Bryon Allen may be a joke but at least his TV stations haven't gone to crap, I believe he'll do something eventually.