TV merger threatens programming with propaganda

Bill Knight column for Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, Nov. 6, 7 or 8

The possibility of a right-wing media conglomerate dominating the country’s or community’s airwaves might cause some to think, “That can’t happen here,” but Sinclair Broadcast Group’s proposed $3.9 billion acquisition of Tribune Media could do just that.

And don’t we worry about a wildfire miles away, or about an unrepentant sexual predator moving nearby?

Illinois’ U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat, last Monday urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to block the proposed purchase, writing, “The merged Sinclair-Tribune company would reach 72 percent of U.S. TV households – making it the nation’s largest television broadcast company.

The deal would “threaten diversity and localism in broadcasting, ignore the unique concerns and interests of local audiences, and harm competition,” Durbin said.

Based in Hunt Valley, Md., Sinclair has 589 channels in 89 U.S. markets, according to its web site on Nov. 2. Sinclair’s 2016 annual report states its holdings include Peoria’s WHOI (which it’s licensed and owned since 2013, although it’s now contractually operated by Quincy Media, owner of WEEK in Peoria). Sinclair also owns WICS in Champaign, WICD in Decatur, KHQA in Quincy, and KTVO in Ottumwa.

Many object to the threat of limiting diverse perspectives and price increases passed on to consumers. Opponents range from former FCC chair Michael Copps and HBO humorist John Oliver to Dish Network and conservative media companies Newsmax and Glenn Beck’s Blaze.

Sinclair promises to boost original content like its half-hour “Full Measure” program hosted by Sharyl Attkisson (who left CBS over a dispute with her coverage of Benghazi and the Affordable Care Act). Sinclair has required its local stations to air conservative commentaries by Mark Hyman (who’s said domestic abuse can be “solved” by marriage) and Boris Epshteyn (a former Trump aide), plus programs such as the anti-John Kerry film “Stolen Honor” as a prime-time “news” show before the 2004 election, and its daily “Terrorism Alert Desk” (which last year featured the French debate over “burkinis,” presumably because Muslims were involved).

Critics say that instead of letting arguments’ merits, or information or entertainment value, determine what airs, corporate bosses decide, turning news into right-wing propaganda.

Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner in 2016 told a business group the Trump campaign made a deal with Sinclair to “secure better media coverage,” according to Politico. “In exchange, Sinclair broadcast Trump interviews without commentary.”

FCC ownership caps are supposed to ensure many voices on the airwaves (a public resource, which is why they’re licensed to operate in the public interest). A corporation can control no more than 39 percent of all U.S. TV households, and a “duopoly” rule limits ownership of multiple network affiliates within a market. If the buyout’s approved, Sinclair could have 10 markets where it owns two network affiliates, including St. Louis and Des Moines.

However, FCC chair Ajit Pai, promoted by Trump, is pushing to relax such safeguards.

“Reports suggest that the FCC plans to change major media ownership rules in a way that would further benefit Sinclair,” said U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology. “The proposed Sinclair merger and the recent actions by the FCC continue to pose very troubling questions, particularly about coordination between the Trump Administration and Sinclair.”

Already, in a 3-2 party-line vote on Oct. 24, FCC Republicans rescinded a 78-year-old rule requiring broadcasters to maintain a local main studio in communities where they’re licensed, upending the long-standing requirement to furnish strong local programming.

Supposedly, people in communities where broadcasters are licensed can stay informed by going online or watching/listening to pre-packaged (and sometimes politicized) content sent from distant corporate headquarters influencing 72 percent of U.S. households.

However, as Durbin wrote in his letter to Pai and all FCC commissioners, Congress “explicitly directed the FCC to establish limits to how many households a single broadcasting company could reach because it recognized the public benefit gained from televising a diverse range of opinions and maintaining robust competition in broadcasting.”

Clearly, such a merger isn’t in the public interest, and Trump’s Justice Department is expected to release its anti-trust analysis soon. Even if it follows Pai’s lead, state attorneys general could weigh in, but public opinion may make the difference.

Will people let it happen here?