The Trump FCC's decision to gut media consolidation rules specifically to aid Sinclair Broadcasting has received widespread, bipartisan condemnation and an FCC investigation into potential corruption. Critics have charged the $3.9 billion deal would result in Sinclair owning 233 local-TV stations to dominate the media landscape across 73% of the country, reducing overall competition and diversity in the media space.
Sinclair's "news" reporting has been routinely criticized as
distorted and factually challenged on a good day, even by many employees. And its explosive growth comes during a national conversation on how to improve the sagging quality of national discourse, especially among massive media conglomerates with growing influence.
Sinclair's now promising to sell off some of the acquired networks in New York and other large markets in order to reduce the impact of the deal and remain under the existing ownership caps.
But critics of the megamerger say Sinclair's plan to appease regulators involves effectively selling those networks to itself via a number of shell companies owned by Sinclair.
"It's not clear to me who the new owner is going to be from the documents filed, but it sure looks like business as usual for Sinclair, which has long specialized in propping up shell companies to evade FCC rules," consumer group Free Press said of the proposal. "The idea that Armstrong Williams or Cunningham or whoever they are setting up as the ‘owner’ of these stations is independent from Sinclair, at least if the past is any guide, is a complete fiction."
"Sinclair should not be allowed to set up shady front companies to evade the congressionally mandated ownership caps," the group added. "But Ajit Pai's FCC is aiding and abetting this ruse in every way."
Pai's fellow Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Jessica Rosenworcel didn't mince words when discussing Ajit Pai's preferential treatment of Sinclair.
"Every element of our media policy is custom-built for the business plan of Sinclair Broadcasting," says Rosenworcel. "That is stunning, it is striking, and it looks like something’s wrong. And I’m not the only one to think that. We’re burning down the values of media policy in this agency in order to service this company."
For those interested, Free Press
penned a blog post detailing the shell games Sinclair is playing here in greater detail.
