Diverse Groups, Including ACA, Combine to Oppose Sinclair-Tribune

A diverse group of associations, including the American Cable Association, as well as media consolidation opponents and conservative news outlets, are getting together to formally oppose the merger of Sinclair and Tribune, which would result in the nation's largest broadcast TV group. That group includes a big critic of conservative media and a conservative media outlet, united in their strong opposition to the deal. Initial comments on the merger were due Aug 7.

Joining ACA president Matt Polka on a conference call to announce their Federal Communications Comission filings in opposition to the deal were former FCC chairman and Common Cause special adviser Michael Copps, One America News Network president Charles Herring, Computer & Communications Industry Association president Ed Black and Competitive Carriers Association SVP Tim Donovan. Copps said the deal would eviscerate local TV news and help inflict "irreparable damage." He called Sinclair the "most dangerous company most Americans have never heard of." He said the company wants to skirt ownership regulations with more "joint evasion agreements." He said the company comes with an ideology more focused on conservative points of view than "any sense of balance of deep-dive journalism."

[Michael Copps is a regular contribution to the Benton Foundation's Digital Beat blog]