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Senators urge FCC to investigate Sinclair
Senators urge FCC to investigate Sinclair
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray are among a group of lawmakers calling on the Federal Communications Commission to investigate Sinclair Broadcast Group, the largest owner of local TV stations in the country.
The move comes after a video showed dozens of local Sinclair news station anchors reading from an identical script about "fake news."
In a letter, U.S. senators express concern that Sinclair is deliberately distorting news and call into question the company's fitness to retain its existing broadcast licenses.
“We have strong concerns that Sinclair has violated the public interest obligation inherent in holding broadcast licenses. Sinclair may have violated the FCC’s longstanding policy against broadcast licensees deliberately distorting news by staging, slanting, or falsifying information (traditionally known as the news distortion standard),” the senators wrote.
“We are concerned that Sinclair is engaged in a systematic news distortion operation that seeks to undermine freedom of the press and the robust localism and diversity of viewpoint that is the foundation of our national broadcasting laws,” the senators continued. “Because of the new facts that have come to light with regard to Sinclair’s misconduct and abuse of the public trust pertaining to its existing broadcast licenses, we believe it is appropriate to pause the pending Sinclair-Tribune merger review and reopen the agency record on the transaction so that the FCC can receive another full round of robust public comments.”
Scroll down to read Cantwell's full letter
The senators are also urging FCC chairman Ajit Pai to pause the proposed merger between Sinclair and Tribune Media.
Last May, Sinclair announced a nearly $4 billion deal to acquire Tribune Media which is the parent company of KCPQ.
In a recent filing with the FCC, Sinclair said that it would need to sell stations in certain markets, including Seattle-Tacoma, to comply with media ownership limits.
Sinclair already owns KOMO, the ABC affiliate in Seattle, and indicated that it plans to sell KCPQ to another owner if the Tribune buyout goes through.
The deal would require approval by the FCC and the Department of Justice.
Sinclair owns 173 stations. The Tribune deal, plus other pending acquisitions, will give it a total of 223 stations, putting distance between it and rival Nexstar Media Group which has 170.
Sinclair, which could reach 72% of U.S. households, has said it may have to sell some stations to comply with Federal Communications Commission rules, although the FCC has recently loosened rules related to media ownership.
Read Cantwell's letter: