Sinclair CEO: Fewer Local TV News Teams Would Strengthen Output

If Sinclair Broadcast Group has its way, the local broadcast industry would boil down to two, maybe three, station groups, with one or two of them churning out local content in each market. “Right now there are three to five local players, and to us that doesn’t make sense,” CEO Chris Ripley said Aug 2 during the group’s Q2 2017 earnings call. Consolidating news operations would lead to “significant savings.” In addition, “after that you have stronger local content producers which will be able to spread their content and resources across multiple platforms." “The strategic output would also be great for the industry,” he said.

Although such consolidation is dependent on the Federal Communications Commission relaxing regulations, Ripley said he and his fellow Sinclair executives believe that is where the industry is heading. Ripley's comments come as Sinclair’s acquisition of Tribune Media – which would create a station group of unprecedented size – move through the regulatory approval process.