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Could Sinclair or Tribune be forced to sell in Seattle?

Yes, when they announced it over 4 months ago. The sale is not final so they are not sold, yet. And it has been the subject of numerous threads and media stories. Yes it could happen, so you have time to let it sink in.
 
xmtrland said:
Yes, when they announced it over 4 months ago. The sale is not final so they are not sold, yet. And it has been the subject of numerous threads and media stories. Yes it could happen, so you have time to let it sink in.
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Hey, old news happens. No problem, thanks for posting. The interesting thing will be how this comes down. Does Sinclair need to get rid of KCPQ? The jury is still out. There is another thread on this on "top television markets", "Seattle".
 
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seatownmedia said:
Hey, old news happens. No problem, thanks for posting. The interesting thing will be how this comes down. Does Sinclair need to get rid of KCPQ? The jury is still out. There is another thread on this on "top television markets", "Seattle".
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And in that other thread is a report saying Sinclair wants to keep Q13 and KOMO. They'd likely have to sell off KUNS.

See y'all on this thread when it moves to the TV board.
 
One shareholder isn't going to sour this deal. Delay? Maybe, but that's a common tactic which may cause some delay until the suit is thrown out.
 
If KCPQ becomes a Fox O&O, there are some logo concepts that may be considered. The last pair is very unlikely, as it has the Q13 branding retire that KCPQ has used since they "began" in 1980, which wouldn't go well with Seattle viewers.
KCPQ 1.jpgKCPQ Side 1.png
Concept 1: KCPQ logo as "Fox Q, KCPQ" & potentially "Fox Q News".

KCPQ 2.jpgKCPQ Side 2.png
Concept 2: KCPQ logo with "Q13".
 

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KCPQ 3.jpgKCPQ Side 3.png
Concept 3: KCPQ logo with "Q13" modeled after the original 1980 Q13 logo.

KCPQ 4.jpgKCPQ Side 4.png
Concept 4 (very unlikely): KCPQ logo without the "Q13" branding.
 
Yea, but when KTVU in San Francisco became a FOX O&O, they didn't really change their logo or name too much. They just called themselves "KTVU FOX 2". The Q13 FOX name would probably remain, but newscasts would probably go back to being "Q13 FOX News".
 
http://www.times-standard.com/gener...es-loophole-that-allows-sinclair-station-buys

Update a member of Congress attempts to end a loophole for Sinclair

In response to media broadcast giant Sinclair Broadcast Group’s plans to acquire four Eureka TV stations and another 50 across the nation, California Congressman Jared Huffman introduced a bill Thursday that he said would close a federal “loophole” in order to prevent monopolies in local media.

Huffman and Democratic North Carolina Congressman David Price’s bill would end a federal policy that allows companies such as Sinclair Broadcast Group to acquire more stations before exceeding the federal cap on broadcast station ownership.

Under federal law, a single company is not allowed to own broadcast stations that reach more than 39 percent of television-viewing households in the country.

Sinclair is set to acquire 56 more stations — including four Eureka TV stations — in two separate deals, which would bring the company’s reach to 72 percent of all U.S. households, according to Sinclair.

Despite this being higher than the 39 percent cap, the deal will be allowed to proceed because the Federal Communications Commission voted 2-1 in April to reinstate what is known as the “ultra-high frequency” discount, or UHF discount.

The discount, first implemented in the 1980s before being repealed in August 2016, allows stations broadcasting UHF channels to count only half of the households they reach in their market when determining whether they comply with the ownership cap.

“In Eureka, California alone, the FCC’s recent decision to reinstate the discredited and antiquated UHF discount means that a single right-wing media owner, Sinclair Broadcast Group, will control a majority of the news that my constituents in Eureka see on television, no matter which news broadcast they choose to watch,” Huffman (D-San Rafael) said in a statement Thursday. “This is not the Soviet Union: Americans deserve a meaningful choice in their local news, and our Local and Independent Television Protection Act would ensure that every American has access to a variety of local news sources that report on the local – and national – issues they care most about.”

The Times-Standard contacted Sinclair for comment, but did not receive a response by Thursday afternoon.

Based in Maryland, Sinclair Broadcast Group has drawn criticism for its conservative leanings in the lead up to the 2016 presidential election.

Access Humboldt Executive Director Sean McLaughlin said he shares Huffman’s concerns.

“When an absentee owner controls so much of your media marketplace, what happens to the local community having its own voice?” McLaughlin said.

Sinclair acquired 14 more stations in June as part a $240 million deal with Bonten Media Group. Four Eureka-based stations — the ABC affiliate KAEF, FOX affiliate station KBVU, CW Television Network affiliate KECA-LD and Univision affiliate KEUV-LP — were acquired as part of deal.
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Kelly A said:
But if nobody is buying individual small radio groups, who would buy them?
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Perhaps Hubbard, since they also own TV stations. They've been rumored to acquire some of Entercom's divestitures in Seattle. Maybe Hubbard could see the Trubune deal as an opportunity to acquire Sinclair's radio stations plus some of the other TV stations Sinclair plans to sell.
 
Kelly A said:
But if nobody is buying individual small radio groups, who would buy them?
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One candidate who might be interested in the small one-off opportunities like the scenario folks are describing here would be Alpha (Larry Wilson). Especially since he has a strong Portland presence.
 
LITTLEBOYBLUE said:
One candidate who might be interested in the small one-off opportunities like the scenario folks are describing here would be Alpha (Larry Wilson). Especially since he has a strong Portland presence.
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Except that he's chaffing from the debt he has from buying Digity. Which is why he just sold a bunch of stations in the southeast to Dick Broadcasting. Unless he wants to reposition his company completely. He could sell off a lot more of the east coast Digity stations (at a loss) and then take on more debt in the northwest. What do you think? Very little of it makes financial sense.
 
miketheradioguy said:
I still want to know if Sinclair will do something about their radio stations, because I expect that Sinclair will sell them.
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You keep saying this, assuming they're still operating with the same mindset they had 15 years ago.

What I see in Sinclair now is a company that sees opportunity in conservative activism, and using its media holdings to profit from it. In that way, owning a group of conservative news/talk radio stations would tie in well with their video footprint. Cross promote the talent on each platform.
 
TheBigA said:
You keep saying this, assuming they're still operating with the same mindset they had 15 years ago.

What I see in Sinclair now is a company that sees opportunity in conservative activism, and using its media holdings to profit from it. In that way, owning a group of conservative news/talk radio stations would tie in well with their video footprint. Cross promote the talent on each platform.
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If you're telling me that Sinclair wants to return to radio, then how about they acquire some of Entercom's spinoffs. I bet Entercom would be happy to sell stations in their overlapping markets to Sinclair.
 
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