Sinclair is forcing its stations to run a commentary segment that's essentially a Trump campaign ad

[riversedge]

well, Trump has the RW media, hate radio, fox and Sinclair. --plus .....





Sinclair is forcing its stations to run a commentary segment that’s essentially a Trump campaign ad

Sinclair chief political commentator and former Trump aide Boris Epshteyn hosted a new “must-run” gushing about the president’s 2020 campaign


https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2019/06/20/sinclair-forcing-its-stations-run-commentary-segment-s-essentially-trump-campaign-ad/223986





Blog ››› 4 hours 49 min ago ››› PAM VOGEL


Conservative local news giant Sinclair Broadcast Group is now pushing its local news stations to air what amounts to an unofficial ad for the Trump 2020 campaign.

The local news behemoth currently employs two commentators -- one pro-Trump and one liberal -- who each produce a “must-run” commentary segment on a near-daily basis. The segments are distributed to Sinclair’s local news stations across the country, and the stations are required to air them within a certain period of time, typically during a local newscast. The June 19 commentary segments from Boris Epshteyn and Ameshia Cross tackled President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign launch ploy in Orlando.

Epshteyn, who worked on Trump’s 2016 campaign and may have signed a nondisparagement agreement during that time that would prevent him from criticizing the president, delivered a 90-second segment that could just as easily have been produced by the Trump campaign itself.

In the segment, Epshteyn praises crowd sizes at Trump’s rallies and “unprecedented social media engagement” from Trump supporters, and encourages the president’s campaign to “ride the wind of his accomplishments to reelection.”

BORIS EPSHTEYN: Well, it’s official. President Trump has launched his 2020 reelection campaign. The energy behind President Trump and his “America First” movement is palpable, and if I’m a Democrat running in 2020, I am worried about my chances. That energy is quantifiable in the crowds that fill up massive stadiums. You see it on display when lines begin to form days in advance of Trump rallies. You see the energy in the unprecedented social media engagement for President Trump. You also see it in fundraising, where, according to reports, President Trump raised more in his first day running than any Democratic candidate did in their first three months.

Democrats have struggled to find a candidate who is able to hit these notes. Democratic candidates from Mayor Bill de Blasio to Sen. Kamala Harris and even the front-runner, former Vice President Joe Biden, are failing to fill crowds or garner supporter reactions. On the other hand, the sitting president is treated like a rock star by his base.

President Trump’s strategy is simple: Keep the energy and motivation high, focus on several key issues, and ride the wind of his accomplishments to reelection. Here’s the bottom line: The advantages of incumbency and a successful first term are on full display for President Trump so far this cycle. While Democrats struggle to differentiate from one another, President Trump is proving that the GOP’s amp goes up to 11.

As of this morning, Epshteyn’s “must-run” segment has already aired on at least 42 Sinclair-controlled local news stations in 26 states and the District of Columbia, according to the iQ media database......................................

[Ilsa]

1. Could have been written by Goebbels himself.

What a bunch of crappy propaganda.

If trump can excite only his base, I won't be worried. But I'm expecting all kinds of hijinks.

[FiveGoodMen]

2. Good thing we got rid of the fairness doctrine, isn't it?

[Norbert]

3. Rob Braun, a news anchor for 30+ years at Sinclair WKRC-TV Cincinnati is retiring

it was announced this week.

I wonder if it has anything anything to do with this. He had to read Sinclair's script last year and faced backlash and death threats because of it. There have been several retirements and people leaving WKRC in the last couple years. I wonder why.

[EleanorR]

4. Just like Egypt

Link to tweet

[Gidney N Cloyd]

5. This is the first I'd heard about Ameshia Cross doing a liberal segment for Sinclair.

This piece implies that both her and Epshteyn's segments are all 'must run.'

[Claritie Pixie]

6. Meh. He's a terrible propaganda peddler. I got bored watching it.

I would think they'd have put a little more effort into it.