And maybe for Chicago and Los Angeles, the mega-station group says, but only if the FCC approves its merger with Tribune. Sinclair also says that post-merger it will distribute a Tribune morning show (Morning Dose) on some Sinclair stations and a weekly Sinclair news magazine (Full Measure) on all Tribune stations.
Sinclair: More News For NYC, DC, St. Louis
Sinclair may have been stingy with details on how it intends to comply with FCC ownership limits in response to agency questions about its $3.9 billion merger with Tribune Media, but it offered some specifics for news and other local programming changes that may come if the deal is approved.
In New York, Sinclair said in its after-hours filing yesterday, it may extend the morning news on Tribune’s WPIX, which now runs from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m., by two hours.
Sinclair said it also “sees an opportunity” to launch a 10 p.m. newscast on Tribune’s MNT affiliate WTVZ Norfolk, Va., and will expand WDCW Washington’s half-hour newscasts at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. to full hours.
In St. Louis, Sinclair said it will add news at 4:30 a.m.; 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. It didn’t say which station in St. Louis — Sinclair owns KDNL (ABC) and it will be acquiring KTVI (Fox) and KPLR (CW). Either KDNL or KTVI may have to be sold to comply with the FCC’s local ownership rules.
“Sinclair has not yet identified opportunities to expand local newscasts in Chicago [WPIX] or Los Angeles [KTLA], but intends to explore such opportunities and will look to leverage the strength of those markers,” the filing said.
It intends to distribute its Sunday morning investigative new program Full Measure across all the Tribune stations, it said.
BRAND CONNECTIONS
And it is considering launching Morning Dose, a Tribune show that now runs in six markets, on 25 Sinclair stations. “This would add two hours of morning news in many markets which currently air paid programming or syndicated programming during those time slots,” including Milwaukee; Pittsburgh; Buffalo, N.Y.; Albany, N.Y.; West Palm Beach, Fla.; Sioux City, Iowa, and Tallahassee, Fla.
Sinclair said that it may expand its Thursday Night Lights/Friday Night Rivals high school sports program to as many as 23 Tribune markets over the next four years.
Sinclair also promised to increase investigative reporting at the Tribune stations, noting that it has expanded its investigative teams at WJLA Washington from four to 11 since acquiring it in 2014 and introduced investigative reporters for the first time at 12 of its other stations.
It anticipates hiring between 60 and 90 new hires “to help develop and improve Tribune’s online presence,” it said.
There will be no “immediate changes” in the staffing at Tribune stations until “it has learned more about the Tribune stations’ operations and is able to properly evaluate each station’s growth potential and related needs,” it added.
The cost savings from the merger will come from the elimination of duplicative high-level corporate jobs and “redundant facilities and outside vendors.”
Comments (6)
Michael Castengera says:
October 6, 2017 at 9:14 am
Chicago is WGN, not WPIX.
Dan Levitt says:
October 6, 2017 at 10:00 am
That’s info is not pertinent to the FCC, it is pure propaganda for the stations so their employees don’t flee to other stations. Standard Operational Procedure – there will be layoffs and the employees will be the last to know, happens every time.
Mike Henry says:
October 6, 2017 at 12:06 pm
Presumably, the company’s statement of 4:30 a.m., 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. newscasts in St. Louis would apply to KDNL. KTVI already has newscasts in those timeslots, which also precludes KPLR from carrying any newscasts in said slots. Then again, who’s to believe that Sinclair will sink any cash into launching newscasts on KDNL? They’ve treated it like a non-factor for years; the only “news” programming is a half-hour news/talk show that airs at 5:00 and 10:00 p.m. weekdays.
Shenee Howard says:
October 6, 2017 at 12:26 pm
Other than that one show, Sinclair basically operates KDNL on a skinny budget from outside St. Louis, with just a local sales office and transmitter. That is the Sinclair model for those who aren’t aware yet and why there is a lot of pushback on the merger. KDNL by the way is an ABC affiliate. Not sure anyone in NY would be excited to get Sinclair’s Full Measure or the must runs with Boris Epshteyn etc. on WPIX.
Dan Levitt says:
October 6, 2017 at 2:01 pm
Clearly Not Mentioned is the Memo to Tribune Staff the other day extending the Buyout Program to Dec 30, 2018 (Not an EXCLUSIVE Memo another site claimed the other day, the Memo is in the Sinclair & Tribune Sec Form 425 Public File). The fact that a “Family” operation like News12’s laid off and consolidated tremendously when taken over by Altice – I would suggest Tribune people jump ship ASAP. Comapnies will say “No Layoffs” till they’re blue in the face because THEY want to get rid of people on their terms Not people finding opportunity elsewhere – leaving the company the burden of finding replacements haphazardly.
Kathy Silk says:
October 6, 2017 at 2:29 pm
As the example of radio station ownership deregulation has shown; the FCC’s mandate to “promote competition and diversity” is not served by allowing a single entity to own multiple stations in the same local broadcast area. Sinclair should not be permitted to control 3 of the 6 major TV outlets in St. Louis. (Or anywhere else, for that matter.) Deregulation of ownership rules invariably leads to less competition and more stations controlled by fewer organizations. In an attempt to show their “good intentions”, Sinclair proposes to schedule more news shows. But, how do consumers benefit from getting the same corporately produced newscasts on multiple channels in their market? Instead of promoting “competition and diversity”, viewers get the exact opposite.
On the current FCC website, I notice this statement as their “#1 Strategic Goal: Promote the expansion of competitive telecommunications networks, which are a vital component of technological innovation and economic growth and help to ensure that the U.S. remains a leader in providing its citizens opportunities for economic and educational development.” No mention of “diversity”, “meaningful choice” or “affordable services…”
The FCC’s relaxation of ownership regulations serves media companies, not consumers. The virtual demise of local radio station ownership attests to the real beneficiaries of deregulation: media conglomerates. We are witnessing the same pattern in local TV station ownership. Five giant TV ownership groups now control roughly 40% of the local TV marketplaces. If the Sinclair /Tribune merger is approved, it will be four companies. In the interest of meeting another of their mandated goals, “to offer consumers reliable, meaningful choice in affordable services”; instead of relaxing ownership rules, the FCC should be tightening them.