While Fox News Racks Up Ratings Victories, MSNBC Primetime Show Hits Rock Bottom

[VikingKing]

http://www.ijreview.com/2015/04/285..._content=conservativedaily&utm_campaign=Media

”The O’Reilly Factor marked #1 for 60 consecutive quarters since 2Q’00 in its time slot (weekdays at 8PM/ET). Additionally, the program delivered its highest- rated A25-54 since 4Q’12 and highest rated P2+ since 2Q’13.
“Special Report with Bret Baier” is marking 75 consecutive months at #1 in its time slot (weekdays at 6PM/ET).
“The Five” has been #1 for 45 consecutive months since July ’11 in its time slot (weekdays at 5PM/ET).

 

[Tictac]

If the networks and CNN had done their jobs (report news), Fox News could have never gotten off the ground. People knew they were getting hoodwinked. Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes just leveraged how bad the 'mainstream news' was and remains.

MSNBC is Air America without Al Franken but with pictures. And it's crashing. I'll miss the comic relief.

 

[YawataNoKami]

Half of MSNBC's potential audience don't know how to turn a TV on themselves they would need a government bureaucrat to do for them.


I actually turn on MSNBC once or twice a day just to see how long it takes to hear something really stupid. Usually it takes no more than 5 seconds, and more often than not they are already in the middle of saying something stupid.

 

[zekko]

Fox is the only network that broadcasts news from a conservative perspective. All the other networks broadcast from a liberal perspective and are thus in competition with each other. So of course Fox wins the ratings.

 

[VikingKing]

Fox is the only network that broadcasts news from a conservative perspective. All the other networks broadcast from a liberal perspective and are thus in competition with each other. So of course Fox wins the ratings.

Interesting point

 

[dasein]

Well "all the other" cable news networks are CNN and MSNBC. Fox wins due to better format and better talent IMO. Not a big cable news viewer, but when I turn on CNN or MSNBC, I feel like the target audience is well below my level of intelligence and awareness... to the point it puts me to sleep or flipping the channel very quickly. When I turn on Fox, I feel like it is more of the adult instead of the kiddy table.

 

[speed dawg]

While this is a good sign, I'd say a growing faction people in this country (mostly younger) don't watch any news at all, therefore aren't informed, and they trend liberal. How do you explain Obama winning two elections?

 

[Jaylan]

Simply Math really. Fox News has a monopoly on right leaning media. MSNBC doesnt. Left leaning cable news viewership is split between CNN and MSNBC

Fox is the only network that broadcasts news from a conservative perspective. All the other networks broadcast from a liberal perspective and are thus in competition with each other. So of course Fox wins the ratings.

This.

Which is why I always chuckle when fox news pundits pat themselves on the back about their ratings. Fact of the matter is though, that most cable news watchers are older, and the total watchers are lower than what they were in the past.

Most people get their news from social media and websites nowadays on the internet. Heck, American news media is so bad that I stream BBC or Al Jazeera America on my PC. Because I can at least expect more straight news and less opinion from those sources. And with regard to BBC, I applaud their interviewers. They are not scared to challenge people on both sides of the political spectrum. BBC is not without its faults...but I feel they do a better job covering American politics much of the time because they have less skin in the game than CNN, MSNBC or FOX.

This all said, cable news viewership is not really indicative of much. (same goes for old media like news papers) MSNBC could be off the air tomorrow...and all their viewers would go to CNN. Hell, cable news could die out completely, and it wouldnt really change political discourse in America.

 

[Stagger Lee]

Simply Math really. Fox News has a monopoly on right leaning media. MSNBC doesnt. Left leaning cable news viewership is split between CNN and MSNBC

Oh so you admit that the left has a monopoly on all the rest of the media. Not just cable, but ABC, NBC, CBS etc. sounds like the solution is more right leaning media.

Stuff like ABC, NBC, and CBS is without much of the political bias found in cable news. Theres more straight reporting without pundits sitting around giving their crappy opinions on things.

:crackup: You must not watch ABC, NBC, and CBS national news which influence their local affiliates and not to mention major news media like Reuters and AP. EVERY evening has a liberal propaganda story piece. And the news they do report is so slanted with a liberal spin it's infuriating. For example, "Obama wants to prevent deportation of certain undocumented immigrants". NO, no, no, he was trying to also give work permits, driver licenses, social security numbers, tax refunds and other benefits to millions of illegals.

 

[Tenacity]

Oh so you admit that the left has a monopoly on all the rest of the media. Not just cable, but ABC, NBC, CBS etc. sounds like the solution is more right leaning media.

^^^ This, the left is totally dominating the general/traditional media. Barack Obama can do no wrong and George W Bush could do nothing right...in my opinion Obama and GW Bush are two sides of the SAME COIN. Both embrace a huge military industrial complex, reducing taxes, while increasing domestic spending on various programs. You can't give everybody everything they want and not expect the budgets to be out of control. Bill Clinton was the last true MODERATE President, which he became Moderate due to the Conservative Congress. If you are going to be President, you need to run it from a Moderate stand point.

Plus there's other reasons Fox News is leading other than just being the only conservative network out there. Fox News provides a much more balanced coverage throughout the majority of the news day, where as MSNBC and CNN are liberal just about at ALL times.

When I say that Fox News provides balanced coverage, I'm speaking in terms of the huge amount of straight hard news coverage that they provide, without any "commentators" leaning towards either side. Is Brett Baier conservative? He seems to be pretty straight hard news to me. Is Megan Kelly conservative? She seems to be pretty straight hard news to me. Greta seems to be very moderate, Oreilly seems to be very moderate, Hannity is really the only guy with a prime-time Fox program that is straight conservative.

Geraldo on the weekends is totally liberal, plus when Oreilly isn't on the program he usually has all types of liberals filling in for him such as Juan Williams. Some people have mis-categorized Juan as being a Black Conservative, that guy is NOT a Black Conservative, he's straight Liberal.

I enjoy Fox much better than MSNBC and CNN because I'm a Moderate. I'm a Fiscal Conservative and Social Moderate, which puts me right in the Moderate category where I will tend to favor voting for Moderate Republicans or Conservative Democrats.

 

[Jaylan]

^Fox News balanced? Oh brother lol. This has been debunked by many people over the years. Fox is no better than CNN or MSNBC. They have all been caught in lies. Fox plenty. And Megyn Kelly has been caught in a lot of drama for making up BS in her program in the past. Shes not straight news...shes plenty of opinion as well.

Oh so you admit that the left has a monopoly on all the rest of the media. Not just cable, but ABC, NBC, CBS etc. sounds like the solution is more right leaning media.

Stop putting words in my mouth. Im merely talking about cable news. Stuff like ABC, NBC, and CBS is without much of the political bias found in cable news. Theres more straight reporting without pundits sitting around giving their crappy opinions on things.

If you want to talk about monopolies...we could also talk about the right wing radio monopoly. I can name 3 radio stations in my area that are fairly popular, with one of them being hugely popular nation wide. They each specialize in right leaning media. There isnt one left leaning radio station that is popular nationally.

That ship has sailed for the left. But the left has made up for it by embracing social media very well.

Its a well known fact by people who pay attention that the right dominates talk radio and has a very good tv arm in Fox News...yet they always cry about liberal media dominance. In fact, right leaning Clear Channel owns almost all of the strongest signal radio stations in the country and stocks them full of republican talk radio programs.

So lets be real. The whole liberal media dominance trope is played out and incorrect.

 

[Tenacity]

^Fox News balanced? Oh brother lol. This has been debunked by many people over the years. Fox is no better than CNN or MSNBC. They have all been caught in lies. Fox plenty. And Megyn Kelly has been caught in a lot of drama for making up BS in her program in the past. Shes not straight news...shes plenty of opinion as well.


Stop putting words in my mouth. Im merely talking about cable news. Stuff like ABC, NBC, and CBS is without much of the political bias found in cable news. Theres more straight reporting without pundits sitting around giving their crappy opinions on things.

If you want to talk about monopolies...we could also talk about the right wing radio monopoly. I can name 3 radio stations in my area that are fairly popular, with one of them being hugely popular nation wide. They each specialize in right leaning media. There isnt one left leaning radio station that is popular nationally.

That ship has sailed for the left. But the left has made up for it by embracing social media very well.

Its a well known fact by people who pay attention that the right dominates talk radio and has a very good tv arm in Fox News...yet they always cry about liberal media dominance.

A couple of points:

1.) Left wing radio stations went out of business and go out of business because nobody listens to them.

2.) Understand that Oreilly beats every single Cable News program combined when he's on and when they are on. Just about all of the Fox News Primetime shows do this by the way. Seeing as though you have all of these other shows out that are liberal, how is Oreilly beating all of them combined? That shows you that it's not just conservatives or old white men watching Fox, it's a balance across the board with liberals watching as well.

3.) Yes, the right wing dominates talk radio because again, the left wing stations go out of business because the programs are horrible.

As a side note, MSNBC was doing FINE when my boy Keith Olbermann was there. Keith Olbermann built that damn station, he was the Bill Oreilly of MSNBC. NBC is just fvcking backwards because instead of paying Keith the money he was requesting (which he fvcking earned) they decided to let him go and rotate various people at the 8:00 p.m. hour from Lawrence Odonnell to Ed Schultz to Chris Hayes. If they would have left it as Keith at 8:00, Rachel at 9:00 and then Lawrence or Ed at 10:00, they would still be doing fine as the number two cable news channel and Rachel at 9 wouldn't be THAT FAR from whatever Fox has on at 9 (Megan or Hannity). But the change up of the lineup is when the destruction started.

I would suggest MSNBC bring Keith back at 8, leave Rachel at 9 and put Ed at 10. You can move Chris Hayes back to the weekend and put Lawrence on the weekend as well. That would put MSNBC back squarely at number two which is a freaking GOOD position to be at.

Chris Hayes destroys the ratings as the lead-in, he sets the tone for the night and is always the lowest rated program over on MSNBC for prime-time and he's at the freaking 8:00 position! Damn why doesn't MSNBC understand that this guy belongs on weekends?

 

[Francisco d'Anconia]

Well "all the other" cable news networks are CNN and MSNBC. Fox wins due to better format and better talent IMO. Not a big cable news viewer, but when I turn on CNN or MSNBC, I feel like the target audience is well below my level of intelligence and awareness... to the point it puts me to sleep or flipping the channel very quickly. When I turn on Fox, I feel like it is more of the adult instead of the kiddy table.

The other networks seldom have multiple viewpoints engaging in topics together such like what would happen at the adult table. People complain about Fox's "Fair and Balanced" mantra, but compared to the other networks, there isn't much from opposing positions other than selected soundbites.

 

[Embers84]

Oh so you admit that the left has a monopoly on all the rest of the media. Not just cable, but ABC, NBC, CBS etc. sounds like the solution is more right leaning media

This, the left is totally dominating the general/traditional media.

False. There already is a right leaning media, but the right claims there is a "Liberal Media" to give them justification to buy up more radio and TV stations to add to there arsenal, not to mention newspapers who are being bought up.

The right has a monopoly on the rest of the media including TV ABC, CBS, NBC Affiliates, radio, and print. Right Wing corporations own the majority of media including ABC, NBC, CBS, affiliates that account for the majority of US households.

Sinclair Broadcasting Is infamous for broadcasting right wing local news on their local ABC CBS, NBC affiliates giving a clear bias without any balance.

Sinclair Broadcast Group

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinclair_Broadcast_Group


Programming

Sinclair had experimented with using a centralized news organization called News Central that provided prepackaged news segments for distribution to several of the group's stations. These segments were integrated into programming during local news broadcasts. Mark E. Hyman, a high-ranking executive at Sinclair, also created conservative editorial segments called "The Point" that were broadcast on all of the group's stations with news departments.

Political programming

Sinclair has been known for making several politically motivated programming decisions across its stations, some of which have proven controversial.

In April 2004, Sinclair's ABC affiliates refused to air an episode of Nightline that featured a reading of the names of soldiers killed in the2003 invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq. In response, Sinclair argued that the broadcast "[appeared] to be motivated by a political agenda designed to undermine the efforts of the United States in Iraq." ABC responded, saying that the program was meant to be "an expression of respect which seeks to honor those who have laid down their lives for this country." Afterward, the company's political slant was scrutinized by critics when it was publicized that nearly all of Sinclair's recent campaign contributions were to the Republican Party. In particular, the Center for Public Integrity showed concern that the Republican slant of Sinclair's news programming, along with Mark Hyman's past history of government lobbying (particularly calling on the FCC to loosen rules regarding concentration of media ownership), made its stations provide "anything but fair and balanced news programming." Hyman disputed these allegations by stating that its newscasts were "pretty balanced" and that "the reason why some on the left have characterized us as conservative is that we run stories that others in the media spike."

Later in October 2004, just two weeks prior to the 2004 presidential election, it was reported that all 62 of Sinclair's stations would preempt prime time programming to air Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal, a documentary critical of U.S. presidential candidate John Kerry's anti-Vietnam War activism. The film was produced by Carlton Sherwood, a former associate of Tom Ridge, and accuses John Kerry of prolonging the Vietnam War because of his anti-war activism. The organization Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, an anti-Kerry organization whose name become well known in the 2004 election year, was cross-promoting the film as part of a $1.4 million advertising campaign. In response, the Democratic National Committee filed a legal motion with the Federal Election Commission stating that it is inappropriate for the media organization to air "partisan propaganda" in the last 10 days of an election campaign. Following the incident, Sinclair fired its Washington bureau chief Jon Lieberman for publicly criticizing the film in The Baltimore Sun as "biased political propaganda."

In November 2010, it was reported that five Fox affiliates and one ABC affiliate owned by Sinclair broadcast an infomercial critical of President Barack Obama, Breaking Point: 25 Minutes that will Change America, which was sponsored by the National Republican Trust Political Action Group. The infomercial painted Obama as an extremist, and claimed that, during the 2008 presidential campaign, he received some campaign money from the Hamas terrorist group, and that Obama said in a speech, "You want freedom? You’re gonna have to kill some crackers! You gonna have to kill some of those babies." The special also discusses Obama advisers Van Jones and John Holdren, as well as Obama staff Anita Dunn, Kevin Jennings, Carol Browner, and Cass Sunstein—all in an unflattering light; in one case, the special claimed that Holdren said that trees should be permitted to sue humans in court. The infomercial aired at various times during the weekend of October 30 on Sinclair-owned stations in Madison, Wisconsin; Cape Girardeau, Missouri; Lexington, Kentucky; Pittsburgh;Des Moines; and Winston-Salem—all in swing states vital to the 2010 elections.

On November 5, 2012, six Sinclair stations in swing states aired a special focusing on issues surrounding the presidential election occurring the next day, such as the Libyan civil war and Health care reform; the special consisted of a series of segments which were presented by the local anchors at each station. While scheduling of the special was at the discretion of each station, WSYX pre-empted both ABC World News and Nightline to air it. The special was met with controversy for showing a bias against Barack Obama and focusing little on Republican candidate Mitt Romney, as opposed to showcasing both candidates equally. In particular, a writer for the political websiteTalking Points Memo felt that the special "sounded more like Fox News than local news." A Sinclair staff member disputed these claims, stating that "no one is disputing the facts of the stories that aired in the special", and that its decision on which markets to air the special was influenced by their "news value" and resonation with the public.

Conservative Media Broadcast Groups



Portfolio: Fox owns 28 full-power stations in 18 markets — 18 Fox affiliates.

21st Century Fox recently expanded into the San Francisco market, broadening their reach to 37 percent of U.S. television homes.



Portfolio: Sinclair owns or manages 154 stations across the country (165 after all currently proposed sales are approved) in nearly 80 markets.

Sinclair now operates or owns 29 ABC, 26 CBS, and 17 NBC local affiliated stations in addition to 41 Fox and 54 other affiliated stations.

Sinclair stations can be received by 30 percent of American households.



Portfolio: Gannett owns 46 full-power stations in 19 markets

Gannett owns or services through shared service agreements or other similar agreements 46 television stations. Excluding owner-operators, Gannett is the No. 1 NBC affiliate group; No. 1 CBS affiliate group; and the No. 4 ABC affiliate group. These stations cover 30% of the U.S. population in markets with nearly 35 million households



Portfolio: Raycom owns or manages 53 stations (51 full-power and two low-power) in 36 markets - 15 NBC, 11 CBS, 7 ABC, 13 Fox, 2 CW.

Portfolio: Tribune owns 23 full-power TV stations in 19 markets - 7 Fox, 13 CW, 1 ABC.

Portfolio: Cox owns and manages 14 full-power TV stations in nine markets - 3 Fox, 3 ABC, 3 CBS, 1 NBC.

Portfolio: Local TV LLC and FoxCo. Acquisition LLC own 21 full-power stations in 16 markets - 7 Fox, 5 CBS, 2 NBC, 2 ABC, 3 CW.

Portfolio: LIN Media owns or manages 43 stations (40 full-power and 3 low-power stations) in 23 markets - 11 CBS, 10 Fox; 7 NBC, 8 CW, 5 ABC

Portfolio: Scripps owns and manages 19 stations (14 full-powers and five low-powers) in 13 markets - 10 ABC, 3 NBC, 5 Azteca.

Portfolio: Nexstar owns or manages 72 TV stations (68 full-power and four low-power) in 41 markets - 16 NBC, 17 ABC, 12 CBS, 13 Fox, 6 CW (one is digital multicast), 1 Telemundo.

Portfolio: Media General owns or manages 19 full-power stations in 17 markets - 9 NBC; 8 CBS, 1 ABC, 1 CW.

Portfolio: Gray owns and manages 41 TV stations (35 full-powers and 6 low-powers) in 30 markets - 20 CBS, 10 NBC, 9 ABC; 5 Fox, 8 CW.

Portfolio: Post-Newsweek owns six full-power stations in six markets -2 NBC, 2 ABC, 1 CBS

Portfolio: Meredith owns or manages 13 stations (12 full-power and one low-power) in 10 markets - 6 CBS, 3 Fox, 1 NBC.

Portfolio: Journal Broadcast Group owns or manages 15 TV stations (13 full-powers and two low-powers) - 4 ABC, 3 Fox, 3 NBC, 2 CBS, 1 CW.

Portfolio: Hubbard owns seven full-power stations in six markets - 3 ABC, 3 NBC.

Portfolio: Schurz owns or manages 10 full-power TV stations in six markets - 3 CBS, 3 NBC, 1 ABC, 2 CW, 1 Univision.

Portfolio: Dispatch Broadcast owns two full-power TV stations - 1 NBC, 1 CBS

Liberal Media Broadcast Groups



Portfolio: CBS owns 30 stations (29 full-powers and one low-power) in 18 markets.

Portfolio: ABC owns eight full-power stations in eight markets - all ABC affiliates.

Portfolio: NBC owns 10 full-power stations in 10 markets - all NBC affiliates.

Portfolio: Hearst owns 29 full-power TV stations in 26 markets - 13 ABC, 10 NBC, 2 CBS, 2 CW

Portfolio: Telemundo owns 15 full-power TV stations in 15 markets - 14 are Telemundo affiliates

Do the math and tell me where this "Liberal dominated TV media" is?

http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/67641/sinclair-hops-from-sixth-to-third-in-top-30/page/1

Do you see any Liberals airing biased news specials or a daily biased news commentary on it's stations? No, because the media is conservative owned.

 

[( . )( . )]

http://theunjustmedia.com/Media/Six Jewish Companies Control 96% of the World’s Media.htm

^ Might have something to do with the massive leftoid media machine. No hate but apart from stirring up the neocons to fight and die for Israel's enemies in some far off desert toilet they're not exactly known as a traditional right leaning demographic whilst they're residing in gentile countries.

 

[Embers84]

Sinclair known for conservative political tilt

Sinclair Broadcast Group, which is buying Seattle-based Fisher Communications, has a history of using its television stations to support its political views

Sinclair Broadcast Group executives said they will bring resources and stability to KOMO TV and 19 other television stations they’ll get by acquiring Seattle-based Fisher Communications.

If Sinclair’s past is any indicator, they may also bring their conservative political leanings, even to one of the most liberal cities in the country.

“The track record of Sinclair suggests that Seattle is about to get a Fox News equivalent in a local television channel,” said David Domke, chair of the University of Washington’s Department of Communication.

Sinclair, which is based in the Baltimore suburbs, has seen huge growth over the past two decades as it has bought dozens of small television stations. As executives have made money, they have often given to conservative political causes.

The company has made that political agenda clear on the air, as well.

Most notoriously, the company ordered its stations to air a documentary critical of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry right before the 2004 election.

For years, Sinclair’s newscasts wrapped up with one-minute editorials hosted by conservative commentator Mark Hyman.

The 2010 and ’12 elections brought other examples of Sinclair’s political activism.

Kirby Wilbur, chairman of the Washington state Republican Party and a longtime radio personality on Fisher station KVI, said a conservative bent could build loyalty among viewers who want their news through a right-leaning lens.

“If they think the numbers tell them that a news station on TV that is a little more slanted to the right would make it more profitable, then they should do that,” he said. “It’s their TV station. We live in a new media world, and TV stations have to innovate to survive.”

Sinclair stations generally report the local news without interference, said Kelly McBride, ethics faculty member at the Poynter Institute, a journalism think tank in St. Petersburg, Fla., a state with four Sinclair-owned stations. “Most of what they do seems just fine,” she said.

Even without the Fisher stations, Sinclair is the largest independent TV broadcaster in the country, according to its website.

It doesn’t typically make huge changes right away by laying off staff or replacing management, McBride said.

But she said the company’s reputation could be “unnerving” for viewers.

“As a consumer, you sort of have to be aware all the time and constantly questioning,” she said.

The company’s top executives are the four sons of Sinclair founder Julian Sinclair Smith.

They have contributed thousands to the Republican National Committee and conservative candidates, even forming a political-action group more than a decade ago to donate to the campaigns of former President George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, among others.

In 2004, two weeks before the presidential election, Sinclair ordered its television stations to air a documentary sharply critical of Democratic candidate John Kerry’s activism during the Vietnam War.

After an uproar, the stations ended up airing just a few minutes of the documentary, “Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal,” as well as excerpts from a pro-Kerry documentary and interviews with veterans.

The same year, Sinclair blocked the broadcast of a “Nightline” episode about soldiers killed in the Iraq war.

“‘Nightline’ is not reporting news; it is doing nothing more than making a political statement,” Sinclair wrote in a letter explaining the decision. It replaced the broadcast with what it said was a more balanced report.

McBride said the problem with “these questionable pieces that Sinclair has broadcast is there’s no disclosure that says, ‘Hey, this reflects a point of view,’ so the audience is left to figure that out on their own.”

In 2010, several Sinclair stations aired an infomercial about President Obama intended to sway voters in midterm elections. The 25-minute piece, funded by a Republican political-action group, said Obama “displays tendencies some would call socialist” and claimed the president had accepted campaign donations from Middle Eastern terrorist organizations.

In 2012, on the Monday before the election, viewers in some swing states found their nightly news or other programs replaced on Sinclair channels by an “election special” produced by Sinclair that was biased against Democrats.

Peter Laufer, a longtime NBC News broadcaster and professor at the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communications, said Sinclair isn’t alone in promoting a political viewpoint.

“The trend in our news media nationally is to move from providing a public service ... and instead engage in what can easily be identified as political propaganda,” he said.

“Whether one thinks it’s appropriate or not for a company to engage in that kind of activity is open to debate, but what’s critical is that the community that is served by this station is aware.”

http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2020756844_fishersinclairxml.html

http://4thst8.wordpress.com/2014/09/03/conservative-television-group-purchases-ksnv-channel-3/

Conservative television group purchases KSNV-Channel 3

The rumor at the time of the death of KSNV-Channel 3 owner Jim Rogers was that conservative Sinclair Broadcast Group might buy the station and turn its editorial policy 180-degrees and spell trouble for its stable of liberal pundits.

Today the Baltimore company announced it has purchased the NBC affiliate for $120 million.

“We are pleased to add KSNV to our portfolio,” the press release quoted Steve Pruett, co-chief operating officer of Sinclair’s television group as saying. “With the addition of the station, our news footprint will cover all the major cities in the state of Nevada, allowing us to be a leading provider of local and regional news.”

Note the immediate reference to the news footprint.

The left-wing MediaMatters compiled a litany of conservative deeds by the group, saying “Sinclair has used its stations to promote a conservative, anti-progressive message.”

Its newscasts often include editorials by conservative commentator Mark Hyman. The stations supported Mitt Romney. In 2010 they ran a 25-minute piece that said Obama “displays tendencies some would call socialist.”

KSNV liberal pundit Jon Ralston, a defrocked newspaper columnist, is already hinting at things to come, saying in his morning email: “Big news in the TV (and my) world this morning. Sinclair has purchased KSNV, which means the huge company now owns the two major NBC outlets in Nevada. Sinclair has conservative owners, a dramatic change from the Jim Rogers days.”

The sale is expected to be completed in first quarter of 2015.

Report: Conservative radio, TV host to run WEYI NBC25

CLIO, MI — Conservative pundit, author, radio personality and TV host Armstrong Williams will be running Clio-based NBC affiliate WEYI, after making a deal with Sinclair Broadcast Group, according to a report from TVNewsCheck.

Sinclair recently announced their purchase of Barrington Broadcasting Group, pending closing conditions. Barrington currently owns WEYI, as well as WBSF, which both broadcast to a region containing Flint, Saginaw, Bay City, and Midland.

The report by TVNewsCheck states that Williams recently formed Howard Shirk Holdings LLC, which will operate WEYI, along with a TV station in South Carolina.

Sinclair already operates WSMH, a fox affiliate, within the same market as WEYI.

A proxy of Sinclair will be purchasing WBSF - a CW affiliate.

WEYI has been on the air since 1953, with Barrington ownership taking effect in 2004. WBSF has been on the air since September 2006.

http://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/2013/03/report_conservative_columnist.html

Right wingers are buying up the local media spinning their garbage locally. It used to be illegal to own more than one station in one market. But due to conservative deregulation of the FCC, companies like Sinclair can form subsidiary and secondary companies using those to buy up stations in the same market owning more than one as a parent company as a whole.

 

[Stagger Lee]

Embers rattles off all these ABC, NBC, CBS affiliates and proclaims they are "conservative" owned. They all present the news with a liberal slant and spin for the most part.

Since when does simply being a business or corporation make you conservative. Walmart, Apple, Google etc all on board for gays, diversity, multiculturalism etc.

The only thing "conservative" about them is they favor policy that benefit the wealthy. Liberals do that too.

Speaking for myself, I'm not "conservative", libertarian or repub. I'm independent, pro-middle class, pro-personal liberties, nationalist and isolationist and against most everything else. If the US remained "1955" forever, that'd suit me just fine.

 

[Embers84]

Sinclair acquiring Fisher Communications

SEATTLE -- Sinclair Broadcast Group is acquiring Fisher Communications for about $373 million.

The deal was announced Thursday by Sinclair, which is based in Hunt Valley, Md., and Fisher, which is based in Seattle. Fisher announced in January it was considering options for shareholders.

Fisher owns 20 television stations in eight markets reaching 4 percent of U.S. households with TVs. They include KOMO in Seattle, KIMA and KEPR in Yakima and the Tri-Cities, KATU in Portland, KVAL in Eugene, KCBY in Coos Bay, Ore., KPIC in Roseburg, Ore., KBOI in Boise, KLEW in Lewiston, Idaho, and KBAK/KBFX in Bakersfield, Calif. The sale also covers Fisher radio stations in Seattle, including KOMO, KPLZ and KVI.

"We are excited to acquire Fisher and expand our coverage westward," said Sinclair President and CEO David Smith.

Under the terms of the agreement, Fisher shareholders will receive $41.00 in cash for each share of Fisher common stock.

"Sinclair is the largest independent TV broadcaster in the country, and we believe its commitment to the industry along with its greater scale and sizable resources will provide our stations, team members and business partners with new opportunities to flourish," said Colleen Brown, Fisher's President and CEO.

After the acquisition Sinclair will own or operate 134 television stations in 69 markets reaching about 34 percent of U.S. TV households.

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Sinclair-acquiring-Fisher-Communications-202532881.html

KATV's new owner takes D.C. station on right turn

A Washington Post article brings news about a new media player in Little Rock that will bear watching in the days ahead. By Paul Fahri:

There’s a new owner and a new approach to the news at WJLA-TV, Washington’s ABC affiliate. Under the direction of its ambitious corporate parent, the station’s news operations have taken a subtle but noticeable turn to the right.

Last week, for example, WJLA viewers woke up to a new face on the morning news: Mark Hyman, a veteran conservative pundit, who offered some criticism of President Obama.

In his video commentary, Hyman railed against the inconsistent enforcement of a ban on travel to Cuba by Americans. Noting that the music stars Jay Z and Beyoncé had “partied up” in Havana last year without penalty, Hyman insinuated that Obama had protected the couple from prosecution.

WJLA is one of 64 stations now owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group,which recently completed its purchased of ABC affiliate KATV in Little Rock. Sinclair's right-wing tilt is old news in the media business. In Washington, WJLA is also partnering with the conservative Washington Times on a weekly report on government waste. It is featuring reports, too, from the Sinclair Washington bureau, peppered with critical reporting on President Obama and information from conservative D.C. think tanks.

Here's a rundown from critic Media Matters on some past Sinclair political broadcasting.

Sinclair purchased KATV and other stations from Allbritton, an ownership that featured a bit of political involvement of its own when the station general manager did an on-air endorsement of George W. Bush in the 2000 general election.

http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlo...atvs-new-owner-takes-dc-station-on-right-turn

Sinclair's Media Conservative Bias

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Sinclair_Broadcast_Group

Dialing it down: local media changes

http://www.rochestercitynewspaper.c...-down-local-media-changes/Content?oid=2313889

Gannett Co. loves Texas.

The company struck a deal to acquire six television stations in the Lone Star State from London Broadcasting Co. for $215 million. The stations are in mostly small markets including Waco, Beaumont and Corpus Christi.

The acquistion comes in the wake of Gannett's purchase of Belo Corp., which owned stations in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, in a deal valued at $2.2 billion. Gannett said it expects the London deal to clear regulators by the end of the summer.

“The addition of these stations will expand Gannett’s reach into some of the fastest growing markets in the nation,"
said Gracia Martore, president and chief executive officer of the TV and newspaper owner.

There has been a tremendous amount of consolidation in the local television industry led by Gannett, Sinclair Broadcast Group and Los Angeles Times parent Tribune Co.

Media watchdogs have expressed concern about consolidation, arguing that it limits diversity in programming and news. TV station owners argue that size allows them to better compete against cable and other competitors.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainmen...gannett-tv-stations-texas-20140514-story.html

Gannett Acquires Six London Broadcasting Stations For $215 Million

COO Hurley will stay on to oversee Texas six

Gannett has agreed to acquire six Texas stations from London Broadcasting for $215 million. The stations are KCEN Waco-Temple-Bryan, KYTX Tyler-Longview, KIII Corpus Christi, KBMT and subchannel KJAC in Beaumont-Port Arthur, KXVA Abilene-Sweetwater and KIDY San Angelo. They are a mix of NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox affiliates.

"The addition of these stations will expand Gannett's reach into some of the fastest growing markets in the nation and furthers our successful transformation into a diversified multimedia company,” said Gracia Martore (pictured), president and CEO of Gannett. “With more than 70% of London Broadcasting's advertising revenues driven by local advertisers, this acquisition will provide us access to attractive new markets in which we believe our local digital marketing services group, G/O Digital, will thrive."

The deal is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close this summer. The London stations are expected to generate revenue of approximately $50 million in 2014, while the transaction is also expected to provide Gannett with what it called “certain tax efficiencies” related to the sale of KMOV St. Louis. Including expected synergies and the anticipated tax benefit, the purchase price implies a 6.7x average 2014/2015 EBITDA multiple.

"In a very short span of only five years, we and our partners at SunTx have established [London] as a leading operator of middle-market broadcasting television stations in the state of Texas," said Terry London, president of London Broadcasting. "We look forward to continuing to provide our customers with exceptional content through our ongoing ownership of several television stations in Texas and via LBC's other media properties."

Phil Hurley, London Broadcasting Company chief operating officer, will continue to lead the six stations after closing, reporting to Dave Lougee, president of Gannett Broadcasting. "We are pleased that several of our television stations will become part of Gannett and benefit from that organization's global strength and breadth," concluded London.

Gannett pulled off a massive deal for the Belo group in 2013.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/ne...ndon-broadcasting-stations-215-million/131138

Meredith to Buy TV Stations From Gannett for $407.5 Million


Meredith Corp., the media company that publishes Better Homes and Gardens and Family Circle, agreed to buy television stations from Gannett Co. for $407.5 million, extending its push into broadcasting.

“These stations are terrific additions to our group,” Paul Karpowicz, president of Meredith’s local media group, said in the statement. “The markets are growing and they are located in states with significant political advertising.”

Meredith shares rose 4.8 percent to $51.16 at the close in New York, marking the biggest one-day gain in more than six months. The stock has climbed 49 percent this year.


Time Talks

The move follows Meredith’s failed deal with Time Warner Inc.’s Time Inc. magazines earlier this year. The two companies had discussed a transaction that would pair Time Inc.’s lifestyle and entertainment magazines with Meredith’s lineup, creating a new publisher of women-oriented titles.

As part of today’s transaction, Meredith will acquire KTVK, an independent station in Phoenix, and KMOV, a CBS affiliate in St. Louis. Another station in Phoenix -- KASW, a CBS affiliate - - will be acquired by SagamoreHill of Phoenix LLC. That will allow the deal to meet Federal Communications Commission rules, which restrict the number of stations companies can own in the same market. Meredith will have a service agreement with KASW.

The company already owns KPHO in Phoenix and KCTV in Kansas City, so the new stations will complement its lineup, Meredith said.

Gannett -- owner of 82 U.S. daily newspapers, including USA Today -- won U.S. antitrust approval last week for its $1.5 billion Belo purchase, which was originally announced in June. As part of a settlement with the Justice Department, Gannett agreed to sell the St. Louis station. It’s also transferring other stations to comply with FCC ownership rules.

TV advertising has held up better than print, spurring purchases of stations. In addition to the deals by Meredith and Gannett, Tribune Co. agreed in July to buy Local TV Holdings LLC’s 19 TV stations for $2.73 billion.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...re-tv-stations-from-gannett-for-407-5-million

More right wing conservatives buying up ABC, NBC, CBS Affiliate TV stations like crazy for conservative political advertising.

 

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Gray Television, Excalibur to buy stations in central U.S.

(Reuters) - Broadcaster Gray Television Inc (GTN.N) and Excalibur Broadcasting LLC said they would buy 20 stations from Hoak Media LLC and Parker Broadcasting Inc for $335 million in cash, sending Gray's shares up as much as 19 percent.

Gray, which has been expanding across the United States this year, said the deal would add to its portfolio of stations in the central United States.

Gray will acquire 16 ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox affiliates and satellite stations in South Dakota, North Dakota, Colorado, Nebraska, Louisiana and Florida.

Excalibur, owned by Gray's former regional vice-president, Don Ray, will buy four stations in Nebraska, North Dakota, Louisiana and Colorado.

The companies will sell some of the stations they are acquiring in Grand Junction, Colorado and Panama City markets to meet regulatory requirements.

Excalibur will also buy two Fox-affiliated stations in North Dakota from Prime Cities Broadcasting Inc for $7.5 million.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/20/us-graytv-stations-idUSBRE9AJ0PV20131120

E.W. Scripps to Buy TV Stations in Detroit, Buffalo

E.W. Scripps (SSP) said Monday it agreed to buy two television stations in Detroit and Buffalo, N.Y., from Granite Broadcasting for $110 million in cash.

The company, whose portfolio includes local newspapers and 19 TV networks, is acquiring an ABC affiliate in Buffalo, WKBW, and a MyNetworkTV affiliate in Detroit, WMYD. Scripps already owns an ABC affiliate in Detroit, the company’s largest station.

Scripps has been under pressure from a decline in print advertising, leading the Cincinnati-based media company to cut costs and strengthen its focus on digital media.

The deal with Granite Broadcasting will give Scripps 11 ABC affiliates across the country that reach 12% of all U.S. households, the largest reach among station groups. Scripps’ total market reach will be nearly 14% once the acquisition is completed, which is expected in the second quarter.

Scripps also signed a time-brokerage agreement to provide Granite Broadcasting with daily programming for Detroit’s WMYD until the transaction closes.

“These stations in Detroit and Buffalo will contribute strong cash flow to our core business, expand our reach in one of our best markets, and expand our TV footprint in partnership with ABC,” said Rich Boehne, chairman and CEO of Scripps.

http://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2014/02/10/ew-scripps-to-buy-tv-stations-in-detroit-buffalo/

FOX Television Stations and Cox Media Group Announce Agreement to Exchange Stations in San Francisco, Boston and Memphis


New York, NY and Atlanta, GA – June 24, 2014 – FOX Television Stations, Inc.(FTS) and Cox Media Group (CMG) today announced they have entered into an agreement under which FTS will swap its FOX affiliated stations in the Memphis and Boston markets for two CMG stations located in the San Francisco-Bay Area market.

As part of the agreement, FTS will acquire from CMG the FOX affiliate KTVU-TV FOX 2 as well as the independent KICU-TV, both in the San Francisco-Bay area market. In exchange, CMG will acquire FTS’ owned-and-operated WHBQ-TV FOX 13 and WFXT-TV FOX 25, located in the Memphis and Boston markets, respectively. After the deal closes, the Memphis and Boston stations will remain FOX affiliates.

“The addition of KTVU and KICU to our portfolio of owned-and-operated stations provides us with a compelling growth opportunity in a top-10 market,” said Jack Abernethy, CEO of Fox Television Stations, Inc. “Our stations group will benefit from both the strong demographics of the Bay area market as well as the alignment with our package of sports rights. I’d like to also take this opportunity to acknowledge the talented Boston and Memphis teams for the great work they do. We are confident they will be in good hands with our partners at Cox.”

“This is the first time we have had a media presence in Boston and Memphis, and CMG is excited about the prospects that WFXT-TV and WHBQ-TV bring to our business,” said CMG President Bill Hoffman. “These new stations fit nicely into CMG’s broadcast portfolio, and we look forward to having a great news presence in these two markets and competing hard with the fine local broadcasters who already reside there.”

Hoffman added, “I would like to recognize and thank the outstanding teams at KTVU and KICU. We are proud of the work they have done over the decades to superserve the San Francisco Bay community with award-winning broadcasting and sales solutions for their advertisers.”

The transaction is subject to regulatory and other customary approvals and conditions.

About Fox Television Stations

FOX Television Stations is one of the nation's largest owned-and-operated network broadcast groups, comprising 28 stations in 18 markets and covering nearly 37.35 % of U.S. television homes. This includes six duopolies in the top 10 markets: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Washington, D.C. and Houston; as well as duopolies in Minneapolis, Phoenix, Orlando and Charlotte.

About Cox Media Group

Cox Media Group is an integrated broadcasting, publishing, direct marketing and digital media company that includes the national advertising rep firms of CoxReps. Additionally, CMG owns Cox Target Media, which operates Valpak, one of North America’s leading direct marketing companies, and Savings.com, a leading online source for savings. The company’s operations currently include 14 broadcast television stations and one local cable channel, 57 radio stations, eight daily newspapers and more than a dozen non-daily publications, and more than 100 digital services. CMG currently operates in more than 20 media markets and reaches approximately 52 million Americans weekly, including more than 30 million TV viewers, more than 3.5 million print and online newspaper readers, and more than 14 million radio listeners. For more information about Cox Media Group, please check us out online at www.coxmediagroup.com.


http://www.coxmediagroup.com/news/c...on-stations-and-cox-media-group-announ/ngRqS/

All these right wing media groups covering the majority of U.S. Households and owning the majority of affiliates. Scripps wanting to get their "footprint" with ABC as well as Sinclair. Where is this "Liberal Media" at? Conservatives own ABC, NBC, CBS affiliates slanting conservative local news to it's viewers.

 

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Speaking of the sh!tlib media machine I had no idea blacks now have their "own" race based news network http://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk Complete with a subtle plug for Islam and some sh!t about Zimmerman. This is turning surreal.

Forget the "news" we feed those cracka azz honky squares. Here's da real news muh fuggas!