Rusty Muck 4165 Posted May 19, 2018 Share Posted May 19, 2018 You know it's crazy when even a Conservative organization opposes the merger. Glenn Beck (dba TheBlaze), NewsMax, OANN all oppose it. My suspicion has been that they really oppose it because Sinclair's business practices and lust for any publicity - as exemplified by the "dangerous to our democracy" forced anchor promo stunt - will make them all look bad as a result and do damage to their respective business models of conservative commentary based on current events. Look. Boris Epysteyn is going to gush on and on about Trump three times a day on WGN, KTLA and WPIX with some of the homeliest production values possible and in a tone that makes Baghdad Bob look sane. The last thing those group and outlets want is guilt by association with that clown, who will be ascending to a very high-profile role as the main "voice" for Sinclair's unchallengeable political beliefs. To say nothing about any future stunts that Sinclair will inevitably try on their stations as a collective unit. I'm sorry for being this cynical, but they are far more concerned with their bottom line and how Sinclair's rank amateurism could hurt it. It's not because of a so-called "come to God" moment of enlightenment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eat News 4738 Posted May 19, 2018 Share Posted May 19, 2018 [ Glenn Beck (dba TheBlaze), NewsMax, OANN all oppose it. I'm sorry for being this cynical, but they are far more concerned with their bottom line and how Sinclair's rank amateurism could hurt it. It's not because of a so-called "come to God" moment of enlightenment. Yeah.... You would think Sinclair would go for some serious production values and make it a bit more upscale (oh there I go being a west coast elite) and not so much aimed at the guns and lite beer crowd. I have not been exposed to much Sinclair cept for some online Boris. So I actually get to throw some rocks and not have to worry about getting those Sinclair Cooties. Glenn Beck switched sides and donned a MAGA hat because he needs the money. Same with a bunch of other "news-talkers" who were never trump. TV Conservatism is Shtick TV Liberalism is also Shtick. The idea of an unbiased newscast in this day is wishful.. those days are gone. Sinclair is hitching it's wagon on the winning side for now. I sure like winning. "There is the Home Team... And The Visitors.... ...and they both don't sit on the same side of the arena for a good reason." (Yogi Bear) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NEOMatrix 1295 Posted May 19, 2018 Share Posted May 19, 2018 Glenn Beck (dba TheBlaze), NewsMax, OANN all oppose it. My suspicion has been that they really oppose it because Sinclair's business practices and lust for any publicity - as exemplified by the "dangerous to our democracy" forced anchor promo stunt - will make them all look bad as a result and do damage to their respective business models of conservative commentary based on current events. Look. Boris Epysteyn is going to gush on and on about Trump three times a day on WGN, KTLA and WPIX with some of the homeliest production values possible and in a tone that makes Baghdad Bob look sane. The last thing those group and outlets want is guilt by association with that clown, who will be ascending to a very high-profile role as the main "voice" for Sinclair's unchallengeable political beliefs. To say nothing about any future stunts that Sinclair will inevitably try on their stations as a collective unit. I'm sorry for being this cynical, but they are far more concerned with their bottom line and how Sinclair's rank amateurism could hurt it. It's not because of a so-called "come to God" moment of enlightenment. Say what you will about Glenn Beck, but he and other Conservatives want to stay underground and not have their brand tarnished by The Bozos from Baltimore. Even they wouldn’t try half the stunts that Sinclair tried. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty Muck 4165 Posted May 19, 2018 Share Posted May 19, 2018 Yeah.... You would think Sinclair would go for some serious production values and make it a bit more upscale (oh there I go being a west coast elite) and not so much aimed at the guns and lite beer crowd. I have not been exposed to much Sinclair cept for some online Boris. So I actually get to throw some rocks and not have to worry about getting those Sinclair Cooties. I assume Boris' shtick is filmed at WBFF. Why they don't make any effort to visually blend those segments into the newscast? Instead it looks like garbage. And that's really why it will fail spectacularly in the big markets. Why tune in to watch a D-list commentator on a local channel when I can tune in Fox, OANN, NewsMax, or some other conservative outlet that actually gives a tangible effort? Glenn Beck switched sides and donned a MAGA hat because he needs the money. Same with a bunch of other "news-talkers" who were never trump. TV Conservatism is Shtick TV Liberalism is also Shtick. Donning the cynicism hat again, many of those talk show hosts and pundits were simply anti-Trump. They were never pro-Hillary. Again, they thought his campaign would be toxic for their methods of business. Salem Communications has arguably become far more pro-Trump than Sinclair has (to the point they recently shut down RedState, a website they acquired from anti-Trump pundit Erick Erickson). All their talk radio show hosts are Trump loyalists. We just don't talk about them here cause they don't do TV news, that, and their talk radio stations draw flies for ratings. It is all about the money. Damn straight. The idea of an unbiased newscast in this day is wishful.. those days are gone. At this point, I'd take a competent newscast over an unbiased one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColtFromGulfcoast 695 Posted May 20, 2018 Share Posted May 20, 2018 I assume Boris' shtick is filmed at WBFF He comes from WJLA, not WBFF. I think Hyman's stuff came from WBFF, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dman748 1250 Posted May 20, 2018 Share Posted May 20, 2018 If Mignon Clyburn does not vote (remember, she resigned recently) should either Brendan Carr or Michael O'Rielly defect from Pai, then it's deadlocked with a 2-2 vote. Not that I expect a deadlock in the least, but that would be hilarious to witness. I doubt if Carr/O'Rielly would defect from Pai I think if Clyburn leaves (as it's being reported) it'll be a 3-1 vote in favor of the Sinclair-Tribune merger and they will most likely condition it on the courts decision related to the UHF Discount challenge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eat News 4738 Posted May 20, 2018 Share Posted May 20, 2018 Donning the cynicism hat again, Hat joke... take 2... (No adult models were harmed in this gag.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mre29 1340 Posted May 21, 2018 Share Posted May 21, 2018 Donning the cynicism hat again, many of those talk show hosts and pundits were simply anti-Trump. They were never pro-Hillary. I think that could be said for a lot of voters. Likewise, there were a lot of people who weren't really pro-Hillary, just anti-Trump. The 2016 election really was the "Who are you voting against?" election. Salem Communications has arguably become far more pro-Trump than Sinclair has (to the point they recently shut down RedState, a website they acquired from anti-Trump pundit Erick Erickson). All their talk radio show hosts are Trump loyalists. We just don't talk about them here cause they don't do TV news, that, and their talk radio stations draw flies for ratings. Personally, I'd rather they draw mosquitoes...but last I checked, Salem doesn't have a talk station around here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dman748 1250 Posted May 21, 2018 Share Posted May 21, 2018 Multiple sources are reporting that the FCC has opened up the Sinclair-Tribune merger for public comment and it won't render a decision on the merger until July 12th My big takeaway from this would be: There is also the request for more info in the top four markets. (translation: The request for Top 4 waivers in Indianapolis and St. Louis has been denied which we knew that the St. Louis part would be anyway) The pleading cycle is June 20 for initial comments, July 5 for opposing comments, and then July 12 for replies to those comments. Which means any desicion with regards to the merger won't be rendered until sometime around the 16th or the 17th to allow for the FCC to review all the replies that may come in and in particular, at the last minute on July 12th Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSSZNews 1046 Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 Saw the KPLR news in the other thread (it was news to me?) I realize this is pretty extreme, but...is it conceivable Trib/Sinclair/whoever just renegotiates with CW to bump them to 2.2 and KPLR's license gets turned in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dman748 1250 Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 Saw the KPLR news in the other thread (it was news to me?) I realize this is pretty extreme, but...is it conceivable Trib/Sinclair/whoever just renegotiates with CW to bump them to 2.2 and KPLR's license gets turned in? I think Ms. McDermott will likely purchase one of the St. Louis Stations (or both if Sinclair elects to keep KTVI and sell KDNL/KPLR together) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyrannical bastard 3458 Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 Figured this would happen....I guess KPLR rounds out the top 4 in St. Louis. Would Koplar be interested in buying back the station they founded? Any owner may be subject to a facility swap. Since KTVI is based out of KPLR's facility....I could see KPLR getting KDNL's studios while KDNL shacks up in KTVI's facility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
channel2 869 Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 Aren't the Koplars just the legal owners of Voltron these days? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyrannical bastard 3458 Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 Aren't the Koplars just the legal owners of Voltron these days? They own KRBK, the Fox affiliate in Springfield. It signed on in 2009 and took the FOX affiliation from KSFX (now KOZL) when Nexstar lost it from there and several other of their stations at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToriElectra 291 Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 Aren't the Koplars just the legal owners of Voltron these days? Plus Saber Rider and Denver the Last Dinosaur. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nomadcowatbk 144 Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 Figured this would happen....I guess KPLR rounds out the top 4 in St. Louis. . or the bottom 2, how many places does CW/MNTV/Indie station outrank a Big 4 affiliate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dman748 1250 Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 Figured this would happen....I guess KPLR rounds out the top 4 in St. Louis. Would Koplar be interested in buying back the station they founded? Any owner may be subject to a facility swap. Since KTVI is based out of KPLR's facility....I could see KPLR getting KDNL's studios while KDNL shacks up in KTVI's facility. I thought KPLR owned the Maryland Heights facility before the LMA deal with KTVI in 2008 or were they located elsewhere in St. Louis? Because if so and there's a duopoly swap then KDNL would have to move to the KPLR facility while KTVI would have to move into the KDNL facility and that's where Sinclair is gonna have to renovate the KDNL facility to accommodate KTVI's News Department Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyrannical bastard 3458 Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 I thought KPLR owned the Maryland Heights facility before the LMA deal with KTVI in 2008 or were they located elsewhere in St. Louis? Because if so and there's a duopoly swap then KDNL would have to move to the KPLR facility while KTVI would have to move into the KDNL facility and that's where Sinclair is gonna have to renovate the KDNL facility to accommodate KTVI's News Department IIRC, it was originally KPLR's building that KTVI moved into in 2009. I would have imagine it (or the lease) would have transferred to Tribune when Local TV LLC was purchased. Since it's a "non-license asset"....it would make sense for Sinclair to hang on to it since it is the base of KTVI's operations. The KDNL facility may be redundant once the sale goes through, and naturally, KPLR would need a facility to run out of. They may even stay put and lease out of their "own" building once the sale is finalized...and the KDNL facility may be put on the market.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dman748 1250 Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 IIRC, it was originally KPLR's building that KTVI moved into in 2009. I would have imagine it (or the lease) would have transferred to Tribune when Local TV LLC was purchased. Since it's a "non-license asset"....it would make sense for Sinclair to hang on to it since it is the base of KTVI's operations. The KDNL facility may be redundant once the sale goes through, and naturally, KPLR would need a facility to run out of. They may even stay put and lease out of their "own" building once the sale is finalized...and the KDNL facility may be put on the market.... How long can KPLR do that? Until they can find suitable land to build a new facility in St. Louis? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyrannical bastard 3458 Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 How long can KPLR do that? Until they can find suitable land to build a new facility in St. Louis? Let's say they enter into a sale-leaseback deal (common with retailers like Sears using the $$$$ from their owned real estate to sell to another party who leases parts to other stores and gets a portion to themselves to lease from). It can go as long as the term if they choose to enter into one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dman748 1250 Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 Let's say they enter into a sale-leaseback deal (common with retailers like Sears using the $$$$ from their owned real estate to sell to another party who leases parts to other stores and gets a portion to themselves to lease from). It can go as long as the term if they choose to enter into one. So like for example: Standard Media comes in and buys KPLR, Standard reaches a sale-leaseback deal with Sinclair for about 4 years (through 2022) this gives Standard/KPLR time to find suitable land somewhere in the St. Louis area to build a facility, they break ground on it in late 2019/early 2020 takes 2-2 and a half years to complete the facility and by the Fall of 2022, KPLR is in their brand new facility. Am I right or am I wrong? I'm open to all opinions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyrannical bastard 3458 Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 After reviewing GIS data, the studios for KTVI and KPLR are located in an office park in leased space from Exeter Ball. Sinclair owns the KDNL building (through a subsidiary). Since KTVI's prior facility was old and outdated, this arrangement is more cost-effective than investing in a new building. I still think KTVI will remain in their current space, and that staff and equipment will be re-deployed in that facility to run KDNL. All it would take to keep KPLR on the air is some new equipment and a dedicated space. Since it's office space, it's likely easier to subdivide than a purpose-built, outdated broadcast facility. Sinclair will probably put the KDNL building on the market or use it for auxiliary space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dman748 1250 Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 After reviewing GIS data, the studios for KTVI and KPLR are located in an office park in leased space from Exeter Ball. Sinclair owns the KDNL building (through a subsidiary). Since KTVI's prior facility was old and outdated, this arrangement is more cost-effective than investing in a new building. I still think KTVI will remain in their current space, and that staff and equipment will be re-deployed in that facility to run KDNL. All it would take to keep KPLR on the air is some new equipment and a dedicated space. Since it's office space, it's likely easier to subdivide than a purpose-built, outdated broadcast facility. Sinclair will probably put the KDNL building on the market or use it for auxiliary space. Which does make sense and it could be something that KPLR decides to do moving forward, we'll see what happens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJClementeFan69 477 Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 Saw the KPLR news in the other thread (it was news to me?) I realize this is pretty extreme, but...is it conceivable Trib/Sinclair/whoever just renegotiates with CW to bump them to 2.2 and KPLR's license gets turned in? This is exactly what they did in Charleston and Birmingham, so it wouldn't surprise me to see that happen. Then they sell the license to Armstrong Williams and he runs the remnant as an affiliate of some subchannel network. All the while, Sinclair gets to spin it as helping minority broadcasters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cna247 173 Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 I wonder if Sinclair would be willing to swap the affiliations (or how feasible that is) of KPLR and KDNL to entice another buyer like Hearst or Scripps for KPLR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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