The FCC has called out several of Sinclair's sham deal proposals -- but there are many more

Sinclair Broadcast Group’s latest efforts to appease the Federal Communications Commission and get approval for its massive expansion plan don’t seem to have fooled anyone. And the questionable maneuvers that triggered the FCC’s slow-down of the deal represent only a fraction of the regulatory tricks Sinclair uses to keep expanding its reach. What about the proposed sidecar agreements with Howard Stirk Holdings? Sinclair has proposed entering into sidecar arrangements for three other stations as part of the Tribune deal, and those stations haven’t received the same level of scrutiny. The company is still proposing to sell three stations -- KUNS in Seattle (WA), KAUT in Oklahoma City (OK), and KMYU in Salt Lake City (UT) -- to another Sinclair business partner, Howard Stirk Holdings. What about the other nearly 50 stations Sinclair already operates using sidecar agreements? Craig Aaron, the president and CEO of consumer rights group Free Press, said, “Sinclair has dozens of identical shell operations in numerous markets around the country. If the new ones were improper, so are all the existing ones.” And what about the UHF discount, the wonky rule that enabled the Sinclair-Tribune deal proposal in the first place? And what about the internal investigation of FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's relationship with Sinclair?