Sinclair TV chairman to Trump: 'We are here to deliver your message'

[DonViejo]

Source: The Guardian



The rightwing broadcaster met Trump at the White House to pitch a potentially lucrative new product to officials

Jon Swaine in New York
@jonswaine

Tue 10 Apr 2018 07.00 EDT Last modified on Tue 10 Apr 2018 10.09 EDT

The chairman of Sinclair Broadcast Group met Donald Trump at the White House during a visit to pitch a potentially lucrative new product to administration officials, the Guardian has learned.

David D Smith, whose company has been criticised for making its anchors read a script echoing Trump’s attacks on the media, said he briefed officials last year on a system that would enable authorities to broadcast direct to any American’s phone.

“I just wanted them to be aware of the technology,” Smith said in an interview. He also recalled an earlier meeting with Trump during the 2016 election campaign, where he told the future president: “We are here to deliver your message.”

Sinclair is the biggest owner of local TV in the US, and may soon reach 72% of American households if a proposed $4bn takeover of a rival is approved by federal regulators. It is accused by critics of having a conservative bias, which it denies.


Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/apr/10/donald-trump-sinclair-david-smith-white-house-meeting?CMP=share_btn_tw

[NewJeffCT]

1. even if the message is insane

or betrays 250 years of America.

[brush]

2. "Animal Farm" and "1984" all wrapped up in one. God help us.

[Bengus81]

7. And the movie "They Live"...............

[longship]

11. And Meuller's there to chew bubblegum and kick ass.

and he's all out of bubblegum.

[Cirque du So-What]

3. Pravda much?

Sinclair must pay!

[LittleGirl]

4. this is the scariest thing I've read...eom

[iluvtennis]

5. ++++ Agree

[flying_wahini]

6. This is Really Bad. The freedom of the Press will be squished.

makes me sick.

[CrispyQ]

8. The purchase of more stations from Tribune is alarming.

https://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/06/trump-fcc-sinclair-broadcast-expansion-241337

How Trump's FCC aided Sinclair's expansion
Use of a regulatory loophole will allow Sinclair to reach 72 percent of U.S. households after buying Tribune’s stations.

By MARGARET HARDING MCGILL and JOHN HENDEL 08/06/2017 07:03 AM EDT

Sinclair Broadcast Group is expanding its conservative-leaning television empire into nearly three-quarters of American households — but its aggressive takeover of the airwaves wouldn’t have been possible without help from President Donald Trump's chief at the Federal Communications Commission.

Sinclair, already the nation’s largest TV broadcaster, plans to buy 42 stations from Tribune Media in cities such as New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, on top of the more than 170 stations it already owns. It got a critical assist this spring from Republican FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, who revived a decades-old regulatory loophole that will keep Sinclair from vastly exceeding federal limits on media ownership.

The change will allow Sinclair — a company known for injecting "must run" conservative segments into its local programming — to reach 72 percent of U.S. households after buying Tribune’s stations. That’s nearly double the congressionally imposed nationwide audience cap of 39 percent.

The FCC and the company both say the agency wasn’t giving Sinclair any special favors by reviving the loophole, known as the “UHF discount,” which has long been considered technologically obsolete. But the Tribune deal would not have been viable if not for Pai’s intervention: Sinclair already reaches an estimated 38 percent of U.S. households without the discount, leaving it almost no room for growth.

My non-political friends are so confident that it can't happen here, even as it's happening before our eyes.

[justhanginon]

9. Goebbelsvision! I am sure Joseph Goebbels would be proud of Sinclair

as will all of our resident would be Nazis. It is beyond disgusting how far this country has fallen under republican so-called leadership.

[titaniumsalute]

10. The good news is that almost no one under about 35 is watching local news

The demos watching local news has slipped dramatically. Sinclair at least can't corrupt the minds of the younger generations with their bullshit news coverage.

[murielm99]

12. Pitching products in the White House.

Snake oil salesmen deliberately duping.

[brooklynite]

13. That should help with their next recruitment drive...

[BigmanPigman]

14. What's there theme? "GOP Uber Alles".

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

15. Jawhol mein furher

[turbinetree]

16. FUCK YOU and your message that you ride in on ....................

[djg21]

17. In-kind contributions to Trump Campaign!

“He also recalled an earlier meeting with Trump during the 2016 election campaign, where he told the future president: ‘We are here to deliver your message.’ ”

If this statement was made by Mr. Smith, it is admission that Sinclair was not acting independently as a member or the media, but was in fact was making in-kind contributions of advertising space to the Trump Campaign Committee. If so, Sinclair was subject to campaign contribution limits and the Campaign Committee would have been required to discllose the value of its in-kind contributions in campaign finance reports. Let see the FEC or someone go after Sinclair!