Many are Asking the FCC to Deny the Sinclair/Tribune Merger
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It's a good bet that the FCC has never gotten more petitions asking them to deny a merger than they have gotten on the Sinclair deal to takeover Tribune.
A number of individuals and groups have petitioned the FCC, asking them to deny the merger.
B&C writes that the Communications Workers of America, National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians-CWA, the NewsGuild-CWA, and the Parents Television Council have all filed petitions with the FCC asking it to deny the merger between Sinclair and Tribune, which would create the largest broadcast group in the country with over 200 stations.
The unions filed jointly, saying that the deal would reduce competition, harm localism, diminish viewpoint diversity, and eliminate jobs.
PTC was not specifically aiming at Sinclair, but said that consolidation invariably has led to increases in graphic and explicit conduct.
"While we have no reason to believe that Sinclair, specifically, would increase the volume and/or degree of explicit content at times of the day when children are likely to be watching, the PTC vehemently opposes the FCC from adopting a regulatory structure that most assuredly will allow other corporate entities to do so."
PTC claims Sinclair has failed to provide assurances that local community standards will be "honored and embraced," and instead has demonstrated a "vice-grip-like control over local broadcast outlets’ messaging [that] demonstrates the very determined corporate control of local voices that we eschew."
Sinclair says they are still confident that the deal will be approved and they will take control of the Tribune stations.
