DOJ Request Pushes Sinclair-Allbritton Close Date Into ‘14

Sinclair is now scheduled to close on its $985 million acquisition of Allbritton in 2014, the time frame pushed back following a "Second Request for information" from the Department of Justice, according to Sinclair and Allbritton.

The Second Request is, as the name suggests, a request for additional information from DOJ. Sinclair says the query concerns Allbritton stations in Harrisburg (PA) and Charleston (SC). It now expects the deal to close in the first or second quarter of 2014. In addition to antitrust clearance, the transaction is subject to Federal Communications Commission approval.