Sinclair Broadcast Group has lobbied the FCC to approve the merger between Nexstar Media Group and TEGNA, taking a swipe at those opposed to the deal.
In a filing with the FCC backing the proposed acquisition, which the company argued that the Commission did have the legal authority to remove the ownership cap limitations that have stood in the way of the compleition of the deal, Sinclair took the opposition to task for their stances.
“We respectfully submit that many of the Petitioners are wolves in sheep’s clothing,” the filing said. “They lecture the Commission about competition and the importance of local journalism despite their complete lack of involvement in promoting, preserving, or expanding local news. For its part, Sinclair competes with both Nexstar and Tegna. Indeed, our stations would overlap with a merged Nexstar and Tegna in 15 markets. If any party would have standing to legitimately protest this transaction, it would be us.”
“Yet we are submitting comments in this proceeding because, unlike the Petitioners, we recognize that the market in which local broadcasters compete today is far larger than broadcast television,” Sinclair continued in the filing. “The issues at stake are larger than any single broadcaster or transaction. If the Commission wants to preserve local news, it must modernize its regulations and its conception of the relevant market before it is too late.”
The comments from the company in the filing come on the heels of organizations like the National Religious Broadcasters and Newsmax — and its founder/CEO, Chris Ruddy — opposing the merger, calling it “unprecedented and dangerous consolidation within the broadcast TV industry.”
Sinclair’s statements also align with those of the National Association of Broadcasters, which has argued that those opposed to the merger between Nexstar and TEGNA “rely on mischaracterized data and legal arguments that ignore today’s competitive landscape.” The NAB added that comments from the Newsmax CEO — who has been a vocal opponent of the potential deal — are “transparently insincere.”
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