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posted by martyb on Friday August 03 2018, @11:35AM   Printer-friendly
from the the-fourth-pillar dept.

The Washington Post (archive link) reports:

President Trump came to the defense of Sinclair Broadcast Group's proposed merger with Tribune Media, days after the Federal Communications Commission raised "serious concerns" about the deal and began legal proceedings to challenge it on grounds the companies had misled regulators.

Trump said Tuesday that it was "So sad and unfair" that the FCC, an independent agency, did not approve the merger, a $3.9 billion transaction that would create a conservative television giant that originally hoped to reach roughly 70 percent of U.S. households.

In his tweet, the president stressed how the deal would provide a "conservative voice for and of the People," though politics are not supposed to factor into merger considerations.

"Liberal Fake News NBC and Comcast gets approved, much bigger, but not Sinclair. Disgraceful!" the president tweeted.


Original Submission

Related Stories

Tribune Media Withdraws from Sinclair Merger; Sues for $1 Billion 7 comments

Ad Age reports:

Tribune announced its withdrawal from the $3.9 billion transaction in a[n] emailed statement Thursday. Tribune said it has filed a lawsuit in the Delaware Chancery Court against Sinclair seeking compensation for losses incurred as a result of "Sinclair's material breaches" of the merger agreement.

[...] The FCC order asked whether Sinclair was in fact the hidden buyer in a proposal to sell Chicago's WGN-TV to a Maryland automobile executive with no prior broadcast experience, and ties to Sinclair management. The agency also questioned links between the Maryland-based broadcaster and a buyer proposed for stations in Dallas and Houston.

Deadline reports:

Tribune Media released details of its lawsuit against Sinclair Broadcast Group. saying it is seeking $1 billion from the local TV station owner due to its "belligerent and unnecessarily protracted negotiations" with regulators, which it says doomed the $3.9 billion deal.

Link to Tribune Media's complaint (PDF)

Nexstar's $4.1 Billion Acquisition of Tribune Media Would Create America's Largest TV Broadcaster 9 comments

Nexstar buys Tribune in $4.1 billion deal

Nexstar Media Group announced Monday it will buy Tribune's 42 television stations and cable network in an all-cash $4.1 billion deal. The merger will form the nation's largest TV station company. Tribune's stock (TRCO) is surging 10% in premarket trading.

[...] The sheer size of Nexstar will massively enlarge the Texas-based media company. If approved, the combined company will own more than 200 TV stations and cover 39% of US households.

Nexstar will now gain a foothold in major markets, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago for the first time, plus a cable channel (WGN America) and a 31% stake in the Food Network.

Also at BBC and The Verge.

See also: ACA: Without Conditions, Nexstar-Tribune Should Be Nixed
Nexstar, Tribune TV deal poses test for Trump regulators
Nexstar Attracts Interest for Stations Sale That's Part of Tribune Deal

Previously: FCC Reopens its Review, Solicits Public Comments on Sinclair-Tribune Merger Until 2018-07-12
FCC Chairman Defends Decision to Refer Sinclair-Tribune Deal to Administrative Law Judge
Trump Criticizes FCC for Moving to Block Sinclair-Tribune Merger
Tribune Media Withdraws from Sinclair Merger; Sues for $1 Billion


Original Submission

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  • (Score: 2) by SomeGuy on Friday August 03 2018, @12:21PM (6 children)

    by SomeGuy (5632) on Friday August 03 2018, @12:21PM (#716649)

    Of course as always it must be a "tweet"(R)(TM) rather than "he said" or "he posted". And all communications to the consumertard masses MUST be made through the private third party web site Twitter(R)(TM).

    • (Score: 2, Insightful) by EEMac on Friday August 03 2018, @12:49PM (4 children)

      by EEMac (6423) on Friday August 03 2018, @12:49PM (#716660)

      It's a good fit for him, and doesn't censor or twist his words. It's even open for commentary from the many people who don't like him. What's so terrible about this?

      • (Score: 2) by Snow on Friday August 03 2018, @09:40PM (3 children)

        by Snow (1601) on Friday August 03 2018, @09:40PM (#716986) Journal

        I'd say that it 'cheapens' the presidency. Twitter is a platform that is designed to lack depth.

        When a president posts something, you shouldn't have to wonder if they typed it up while taking a shit.

        • (Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 03 2018, @10:29PM (2 children)

          by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 03 2018, @10:29PM (#717003)

          Why do you use the SJW pronoun "they"? The president is an individual, not a group, and always a male. The word you were looking for is "he".

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 03 2018, @10:40PM

            by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 03 2018, @10:40PM (#717007)

            Why did you get so triggered by the word "they"? Do you think there should be only one Approved Way to say everything?

            Shakespeare used "they" in this way, so I don't know what you're sobbing about.

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 03 2018, @10:58PM

            by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 03 2018, @10:58PM (#717015)

            I thought the word he was looking for was "dumbass".

    • (Score: 5, Insightful) by DannyB on Friday August 03 2018, @01:39PM

      by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Friday August 03 2018, @01:39PM (#716679) Journal

      Never before have we had the blessing of a technology that allows the president, in his very own words, to express to the entire world just how unthinkingly stupid, naive, short sighted, petty and vindictive he actually is. Available for all to read. A permanent monument to the monumentally stupid.

      I hope he keeps playing with his Tweeter. It might keep the rest of us safe from what other harms he could do.

      Now if only the military could modernize their systems so that nuclear missiles could be launched from twitter. An excellent use of taxpayer money.

      --
      People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Thexalon on Friday August 03 2018, @12:50PM (10 children)

    by Thexalon (636) on Friday August 03 2018, @12:50PM (#716662)

    By all appearances, the purpose of the recent expansion of Sinclair Broadcast Group is to set up a way for Trump-friendly propaganda to be the only TV shown in most American cities. So any disruption to that plan is cause for Trump to pull out the public complaining.

    --
    The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
    • (Score: 0, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 03 2018, @01:42PM (9 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 03 2018, @01:42PM (#716681)

      Except for Faux, most propaganda on TV is Trump hating. How would the Sinclair merger eliminate that barrage?

      • (Score: 5, Informative) by Azuma Hazuki on Friday August 03 2018, @03:36PM (4 children)

        by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Friday August 03 2018, @03:36PM (#716757) Journal

        Reporting the truth about what he does is not "hating," you complete jackass.

        --
        I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
        • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 03 2018, @05:30PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 03 2018, @05:30PM (#716813)

          The shills/trolls/dummies are out in force! I sure grew up in a bubble where even the dumb people were geniuses by some of the standards around here. Now it isn't genetic, it is 100% culturally learned stupidity with lies about "free markets = freedom and democracy" wagging the fuck out of the dogs.

          It has been rough learning just how low the bar is and how little critical thought goes into most people's opinions.

        • (Score: 4, Insightful) by digitalaudiorock on Friday August 03 2018, @06:07PM

          by digitalaudiorock (688) on Friday August 03 2018, @06:07PM (#716832) Journal

          They're just parroting Trump himself calling us all "haters" (just to prove we actually do have a high-school kid in the White house). And fucking Sinclair FFS...they make Fox News look like fucking Mother Jones. Yet there are some here that actually believe the likes of them somehow "balance out" the "liberal media" that dares imply that Trump ever lies...even in cases where his own conflicting statements on video for all to see prove without the need for evidence that one of two things he said must be false. It is a seriously sad fucking time.

        • (Score: 2) by legont on Saturday August 04 2018, @12:56AM (1 child)

          by legont (4179) on Saturday August 04 2018, @12:56AM (#717046)
          --
          "Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 04 2018, @04:23AM

            by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 04 2018, @04:23AM (#717120)

            To the Bezos Post's credit, they did mark this article as "Opinion". Not like (looking at title page now) "Trump _associate_ socialized with _alleged_ Russian agent" type "could be, sources say, appears that" shit that goes into the "news" section.

      • (Score: 5, Informative) by DeathMonkey on Friday August 03 2018, @05:37PM (3 children)

        by DeathMonkey (1380) on Friday August 03 2018, @05:37PM (#716817) Journal
        • (Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 03 2018, @11:02PM (1 child)

          by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 03 2018, @11:02PM (#717017)

          Holy fuck! So that's what the great nation of America has become.

          • (Score: 4, Funny) by dry on Saturday August 04 2018, @03:33AM

            by dry (223) on Saturday August 04 2018, @03:33AM (#717102) Journal

            Hey, just reading the main SoylentNews front page, there's a few ways that America is great. Number of women dying in child birth, most people living from paycheck to paycheck, the greatest twit, and on to the next article about the greatest copyright laws. Then there are the traditional ones like the greatest prison population.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 04 2018, @04:33AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 04 2018, @04:33AM (#717125)

          Here's another one from US public radio: https://www.pri.org/stories/2018-08-02/ukraines-first-female-police-officers-wont-be-posing-selfies-anymore-theyre-too [pri.org]

          Portraying our meddling and regime change in the mafia state of Ukraine as great for empowering women (Hillary for Woman President!!1!).

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 03 2018, @01:38PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 03 2018, @01:38PM (#716678)

    If that's how Trump feels, who's stopping him from firing the person responsible? Well, aside from him being the person responsible that is...

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 03 2018, @10:34PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 03 2018, @10:34PM (#717004)

      Imagine what would be happening if #CrookedHillary had managed to successfully rig the election.

  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by bob_super on Friday August 03 2018, @04:29PM

    by bob_super (1357) on Friday August 03 2018, @04:29PM (#716782)

    If Sinclair was too big, they could get leverage on Verizon in the future. Pai is, as usual, making the right decision for his boss.

    > "Liberal Fake News NBC and Comcast gets approved, much bigger, but not Sinclair. Disgraceful!" the president tweeted.

    Dudem you may want to check that Constitution thing again. The full tweet mentions a "much needed Conservative voice". If your tweeter is the official communication of the president, you just plowed through the First...

  • (Score: 1, Troll) by jmorris on Friday August 03 2018, @06:37PM

    by jmorris (4844) on Friday August 03 2018, @06:37PM (#716856)

    House of Mouse can buy Star Wars, Marvel, Fox, AT&T can go merger happy and buy DirecTV and Time-Warner, Comcast goes on a merger frenzy, etc. Only a few mergers get shot down for regulatory reasons and it is notable that this much smaller one did and wonder if the only other notable thing about it was related; the proposed / suspected political angle. The other notable NAK was Sprint and T-Mobile. And instead of that more interesting discussion all we will see is the usual Trump hate and defense.

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