Sinclair CEO says ‘extremists’ trying to bully company
Sinclair Broadcast Group CEO Chris Ripley apologized to employees Tuesday for having to endure what he called “politically motivated attacks” over the right-leaning media company’s recent promos, which drew widespread criticism for echoing President Trump’s attacks on the “fake” news media.
In a memo sent to staff, Ripley defended the scripts that anchors at more than 60 Sinclair stations were compelled to read, telling staff that the practice “is not unique to Sinclair, however, the blowback we received for doing so certainly is.”
“For having to field nasty calls, threats, personal confrontations and trolling on social media, I am truly sorry you had to endure such an experience,” Ripley wrote. “However, as an organization it is important that we do not let extremists on any side of the political fence bully us because they do not like what they hear or see.”
A Sinclair spokesperson declined to comment.
A Deadspin videoof local anchors reading the promo went viral last week, prompting current and former employees to speak out about the company’s practices. The controversy also drew local and national media scrutiny to Sinclair’s conservative leanings and relationship with the Trump administration, even as the company may greatly expand with the assistance of Trump’s FCC.
With its 173 stations, Sinclair is the largest owner of local stations in the country, and it is currently awaiting FCC approval to complete a $3.9 billion acquisition of Tribune Broadcasting. That deal would allow the company to reach more than 70 percent of U.S. households and enter big markets like Los Angeles, Chicago and New York.
The Maryland-based broadcasting company is largely regarded to favor Trump, and it requires local stations around the country to air regular “must run” commentaries from former Trump official Boris Epshteyn and mandates other segments promoting conservative views. Trump adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner suggested after the 2016 election that the campaign had struck a deal with Sinclair, a characterization the company disputed.
The recent promotion, though, marked the first time that local anchors themselves were required to echo Trump-esque talking points.
Read the full memo here:
Sinclair Team,
I know that for many of you, this past week has been challenging as the stations bore the brunt of politically motivated attacks regarding our news promotions.
As you know, the practice of on-air personalities following a script is not unique to Sinclair, however, the blowback we received for doing so certainly is. For having to field nasty calls, threats, personal confrontations and trolling on social media, I am truly sorry you had to endure such an experience. However, as an organization it is important that we do not let extremists on any side of the political fence bully us because they do not like what they hear or see.
On Friday Scott Livingston and I had a News Director meeting to answer questions about the situation from the field. At the end of the call I did a recap regarding our commitment to local that I would like to paraphrase for the benefit of those that were not on the call.
In the TV station business, there are four core sources of value: 1) wireless spectrum, 2) programming/distribution contracts, 3) local news/content and 4) local sales/relationships. Due to our unique engineering talent and industry leadership in next generation TV (ATSC3.0), Sinclair is most known for spectrum, and often times this leads to a perception that we do not value the local aspects of the business. This perception is not consistent with the value drivers of the industry. In fact, two out of the four value drivers in this business are locally based.
As we enter into a time of unprecedented change and disruption in media, it’s more important now than ever to be focused on serving our local communities and businesses with the best programming and the best marketing services. Those that fail to do these two things well and fail to innovate will not be in business 5-10 years from now. That means we cannot be satisfied with the status quo way that TV broadcasting has historically operated. To that end, Sinclair will continue to pursue new and innovative strategies including our hybrid approach of bringing together the best of the local broadcast model with the best of the network model which will undoubtable expose us to more criticism because “no other local TV broadcasters does it that way.” However, those that do not answer the call to innovate will be sucked into the black hole that is big tech which is consuming every segment of the media universe. Contrary to much of the uninformed coverage on Sinclair we are not a monopoly and do not have any material market power, even by pre-internet standards. We simply have a seat a large table of competitors and potential substitutes. A seat that we have to earn the right to keep by focusing on the needs of our local viewers and local advertisers.
So let me be clear, service and dedication to our local communities is an absolute priority here at Sinclair. It is a key strategic advantage for our company and often the reason others value us in the media ecosystem. Once again, my apologies if you were personally affected by the attacks from last week.
Best,
Chris