SINCLAIR BLASTS CLAIM IT IS TAKING OVER STATIONS WITHOUT A LICENSE

Sinclair Broadcasting has slammed a report by the media watchdog Free Press claiming that the FCC ignores what it suggests is de facto media consolidation in which companies like Sinclair control stations that are not licensed to them. S. Derek Turner, author of the 44-page report, said that in some instances, “Stations in the same market air the same content, often with the same on-air personalities and production teams. You can literally change the channel and find the exact same news.” The result of this “covert consolidation,” he said, is a threat “to local competition and viewpoint diversity.” But in a statement issued on Thursday, Sinclair charged that Free Press “misrepresents” its “completely legal actions” and insisted that it has rescued numerous struggling stations, some of which were on the verge of bankruptcy. “We have fully staffed those stations, as well as made significant investments in capital upgrades, programming and promotion,” David Smith, president and CEO of Sinclair said in the the statement. He accused Free Press of “flaunt[ing] the First Amendment to spew unsubstantiated attacks on those who are truly serving the public’s interest.”