Sinclair Broadcast Group - General Discussion

[rtmclaug 75]

Are there any Sinclair stations actually worth watching/working at? I deleted the weather apps from several stations months ago, but I’m willing to give them another chance. 

[AmericanErrorist 267]

Can't speak to the quality because I don't watch regularly/don't live there, but KLEW is the only news-producing station in the Moscow/Pullman/Lewiston/Clarkson region of eastern WA and northern ID (a region otherwise in the Spokane market). If you want local TV news about specifically about that region of the country, it's your only choice.

Edited May 9, 2025 by AmericanErrorist

[nathannah 2792]

WLUK has pretty much escaped most of the Sinclairization and been able to shove it off to WCWF outside must-runs, which they burn off at the worst times possible. They're switching from their LIN era studio now, but being neck-and-neck with WBAY while WFRV and WGBA crash out towards irrelevancy from their own companies helps keep Hunt Valley from getting their way with 11 fully.

[tyrannical bastard 4678]

15 minutes ago, nathannah said:

WLUK has pretty much escaped most of the Sinclairization and been able to shove it off to WCWF outside must-runs, which they burn off at the worst times possible. They're switching from their LIN era studio now, but being neck-and-neck with WBAY while WFRV and WGBA crash out towards irrelevancy from their own companies helps keep Hunt Valley from getting their way with 11 fully.

They're one of the very few, if not the only Sinclair station not to use the Sinclair music package.  Been using Aerial since 2012, all the way back to the LIN days.

[norcalTVfan 58]

11 hours ago, AmericanErrorist said:

Can't speak to the quality because I don't watch regularly/don't live there, but KLEW is the only news-producing station in the Moscow/Pullman/Lewiston/Clarkson region of eastern WA and northern ID (a region otherwise in the Spokane market). If you want local TV news about specifically about that region of the country, it's your only choice.

KLEW newscasts are now produced and anchored from Boise. The quality has always been high school/college/cable access quality. The station veterans were great but everything else was so blah. It’s worse now. 

[TheRob 969]

 

https://ktxs.com/news/local/ktxs-news-station-experiences-severe-damages-from-sunday-night-storms

Edited June 9, 2025 by TheRob

[Greggo 384]

1 hour ago, TheRob said:

 

https://ktxs.com/news/local/ktxs-news-station-experiences-severe-damages-from-sunday-night-storms

KTXS has gone anchorless so they can function just fine without a studio. Just stick the weather guy at another nearby Sinclair station like Amarillo. Now, the STL getting knocked down will be a little more complex to overcome. They should be able to pull off at least a cable-only feed with help from sister stations. 

[GoldenShine_10 263]

4 hours ago, Greggo said:

KTXS has gone anchorless so they can function just fine without a studio. Just stick the weather guy at another nearby Sinclair station like Amarillo. Now, the STL getting knocked down will be a little more complex to overcome. They should be able to pull off at least a cable-only feed with help from sister stations. 

 

Closest sister stations to there would be in Austin or San Antonio. Unless they have a studio or bureau in San Angelo?

[mre29 1967]

3 hours ago, GoldenShine_10 said:

Closest sister stations to there would be in Austin or San Antonio. Unless they have a studio or bureau in San Angelo?

 

Doesn't look like it.

 

[TheRolyPoly 3510]

14 hours ago, Greggo said:

KTXS has gone anchorless so they can function just fine without a studio. Just stick the weather guy at another nearby Sinclair station like Amarillo. Now, the STL getting knocked down will be a little more complex to overcome. They should be able to pull off at least a cable-only feed with help from sister stations. 

 

Here's a chilling picture... wow. Just..... woooow. Found via Facebook.

[MichiganNewsGraphicsJunkie 1158]

They are broadcasting their news via KABB studios.. Found on their website .  Weather is being done by KEYE

Edited June 10, 2025 by MichiganNewsGraphicsJunkie

[TheRolyPoly 3510]

22 hours ago, MichiganNewsGraphicsJunkie said:

They are broadcasting their news via KABB studios.. Found on their website .  Weather is being done by KEYE

 

Update

 

Abilene Christian University (ACU) has allowed KTXS to utilize its facilities to help set up a temporary newsroom on campus.

 

https://ktxs.com/news/abilene/abilene-christian-university-opens-doors-to-ktxs-after-severe-storm-damages-station

 

 

[tyrannical bastard 4678]

On 6/10/2025 at 12:45 AM, MichiganNewsGraphicsJunkie said:

They are broadcasting their news via KABB studios.. Found on their website .  Weather is being done by KEYE

 

10 hours ago, TheRolyPoly said:

 

Update

 

Abilene Christian University (ACU) has allowed KTXS to utilize its facilities to help set up a temporary newsroom on campus.

 

https://ktxs.com/news/abilene/abilene-christian-university-opens-doors-to-ktxs-after-severe-storm-damages-station

 

 

Since San Antonio is already set up for WXLV's newscasts, and if KTXS has transitioned to the anchorless model, it's basically some cut-ins that can be recorded and sent to wherever the newscast is being produced from.  Does KTXS have their own master control or is it hubbed?

 

The ACU setup is likely for their newsgathering crews to work out of while their building is either repaired or relocated to a new permanent facility.

[Breaking News 888]

 

https://www.tvtechnology.com/news/fcc-rejects-license-challenges-to-three-baltimore-tv-stations

[nathannah 2792]

Meanwhile, another slap on the wrist for the latest group of closed captioning, license renewal and children's program reporting violations (they should really fix that; you're not seeing that with Gray, Scripps or even Nexstar); $500,000, which compared to the 2020 $48 million fine is chump change.

[AmericanErrorist 267]

6 hours ago, nathannah said:

Meanwhile, another slap on the wrist for the latest group of closed captioning, license renewal and children's program reporting violations (they should really fix that; you're not seeing that with Gray, Scripps or even Nexstar); $500,000, which compared to the 2020 $48 million fine is chump change.

The children's programming violations involved Hot Wheels ads airing during Team Hot Wheels on their defunct KidsClick block, so you're not likely to see something like that ever again, on any OTA station.

Edited July 2, 2025 by AmericanErrorist

[Megatron81 343]

It's an outdated rule that the FCC should get rid of Sinclair shouldn't have paid a fine in my opinion. But they got it down from $3 million I read last fall for the Hot Wheels ad.

[tyrannical bastard 4678]

Well, Sinclair is buying several Deerfield stations...all in markets where they already own stations.

https://tvnewscheck.com/business/article/station-trading-roundup-1-deal-7-07-million/

 

These include KNSN in Reno, WSTR in Cincinnati, and KBTV in Beaumont.  

Failed station waivers, perhaps?  KBTV was "subsumed" by KFDM and "Fox 4" lives there now.

Edited July 12, 2025 by tyrannical bastard

[T.L. Hughes 958]

On the heels of ex-WTVA chief Matt Laubhan launching Mississippi Live Weather, ABC 33/40 chief meteorologist James Spann is launching a 24-hour statewide streaming weather service, Alabama Weather Network, set to launch on August 11. Spann will remain with ABC 33/40, doing weather for its 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. newscasts as well as severe weather coverage as needed, while also appearing on ALWN.

 

The venture is a co-partnership between Spann, hotel industry executive (and co-partner on Spann’s Alabama Weather Blog) Bill Murray, former ABC 33/40 meteorologist John Oldshue, and business and personal finance expert (and former Birmingham Barons president/GM) Bill Hardekopf.

 

Edited July 15, 2025 by T.L. Hughes

[tyrannical bastard 4678]

7 hours ago, T.L. Hughes said:

On the heels of ex-WTVA chief Matt Laubhan launching Mississippi Live Weather, ABC 33/40 chief meteorologist James Spann is launching a 24-hour statewide streaming weather service, Alabama Weather Network, set to launch on August 11. Spann will remain with ABC 33/40, doing weather for its 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. newscasts as well as severe weather coverage as needed, while also appearing on ALWN.

 

The venture is a co-partnership between Spann, hotel industry executive (and co-partner on Spann’s Alabama Weather Blog) Bill Murray, former ABC 33/40 meteorologist John Oldshue, and business and personal finance expert (and former Birmingham Barons president/GM) Bill Hardekopf.

 

The good news is (for his 33/40 viewers) is that he's sticking around...but for how much longer?

Unless he has a Marvin Zindler-like contract with them, (which I highly doubt with a company like Sinclair) he's probably inching his way out the door.

I wouldn't blame him after Matt Laubhan over in Tupelo-Columbus left WTVA after Allen's diabolical plans to hub weather backfired.

 

All of these meteorologists starting their own platforms is going to put the hurt on stations covering the weather. Add in the incoming consolidation, and local broadcast TV news is about to be in a major fight for it's survival...

[EVVTV12 204]

15 minutes ago, tyrannical bastard said:

The good news is (for his 33/40 viewers) is that he's sticking around...but for how much longer?

Unless he has a Marvin Zindler-like contract with them, (which I highly doubt with a company like Sinclair) he's probably inching his way out the door.

I wouldn't blame him after Matt Laubhan over in Tupelo-Columbus left WTVA after Allen's diabolical plans to hub weather backfired.

 

All of these meteorologists starting their own platforms is going to put the hurt on stations covering the weather. Add in the incoming consolidation, and local broadcast TV news is about to be in a major fight for it's survival...

Spann has said many times before Sinclair has given him the freedom to do what he wants to do (hints why they don’t do the CODE RED ALERT). This has probably been in the works for a number of years, but didn’t have the backing or tech to do this full time. 
 

Now when James does say he is over with 33/40, I would like to see him do weather for smaller community stations (think public access channels, low power stations, or maybe the last ma and pa radio stations). 

 

[MichiganNewsGraphicsJunkie 1158]

18 hours ago, T.L. Hughes said:

On the heels of ex-WTVA chief Matt Laubhan launching Mississippi Live Weather, ABC 33/40 chief meteorologist James Spann is launching a 24-hour statewide streaming weather service, Alabama Weather Network, set to launch on August 11. Spann will remain with ABC 33/40, doing weather for its 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. newscasts as well as severe weather coverage as needed, while also appearing on ALWN.

 

The venture is a co-partnership between Spann, hotel industry executive (and co-partner on Spann’s Alabama Weather Blog) Bill Murray, former ABC 33/40 meteorologist John Oldshue, and business and personal finance expert (and former Birmingham Barons president/GM) Bill Hardekopf.

 

I have a feeling that this will be too much for him in the long run... Given his age, and the fact the is already so active on social media platforms and such... Unless he hires a social media manager (unless he has one and I don't know of it), he's going to burn out fast.... I wonder if this is a subtle hint of him retiring from 33/40 in the next few years?

[T.L. Hughes 958]

10 hours ago, EVVTV12 said:

Spann has said many times before Sinclair has given him the freedom to do what he wants to do (hints why they don’t do the CODE RED ALERT). This has probably been in the works for a number of years, but didn’t have the backing or tech to do this full time. 
 

Now when James does say he is over with 33/40, I would like to see him do weather for smaller community stations (think public access channels, low power stations, or maybe the last ma and pa radio stations). 

 

On the Broadcast Plaza Discord, Chase Wilson, who has been involved in the project, said that Spann and his co-partners had been working on developing the Alabama Weather Network since 2023.

 

He also stated it would be a member of the National Weather Network, the cooperative co-founded by Tennessee Valley Weather managing meteorologist Ben Luna (who designed the logo with Wilson) of which Laubhan’s Mississippi Live Weather is a member service.

[tyrannical bastard 4678]

While James Spann won't be involved 24/7 (even though it seems like it would be given his work ethic), it's a launching pad to provide a service for all of Alabama and give timely weather information without having to break into programming, (although watching Spann on TV is a must-see when the suspenders are on!)

 

Sinclair is lacking in the live-streaming department, especially after bungling STIRR and their limited products on NewsON.  Nexstar is slowly catching up with their station apps and live-streaming, but they have a ways to go as well.

 

Now, James Spann (and his brand) can be available to anyone with a working and compatible device, and his operation can focus on the entire state.

 

Sinclair missed an opportunity to put him on a more visible platform in Alabama, especially when Alan Sealls stepped aside from WPMI.  But Thomas Geboy is a good addiion to them locally.

[TheRolyPoly 3510]

8 hours ago, T.L. Hughes said:

He also stated it would be a member of the National Weather Network, the cooperative co-founded by Tennessee Valley Weather managing meteorologist Ben Luna (who designed the logo with Wilson) of which Laubhan’s Mississippi Live Weather is a member service.

 

This is pretty impressive. There's a streaming weather network for Northern California, Eastern Tennessee, Southern New Jersey, and even a replacement for TWC en Español: Canal Meteo, among others. I'm excited to see it further develop even more.