ICYMI: Trump and Fox News Feuding over Sinclair Merger?
The Hollywood Reporter’s Jeremy Barr is reporting that the Trump-Murdoch alliance may be souring over the President’s reported support for the pending Sinclair-Tribune merger. According to Barr’s reporting, Murdoch sees Sinclair as a potential rival while Trump feels indebted to Sinclair for their fawning coverage during the 2016 campaign.
The merger is currently being reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division.
Key Points:
The relationship between the President and the 21st Century Fox executive chairman has alternated between tumultuous and friendly over the last few decades.
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One theory: “There is the beginnings of a fall-out” between Trump and Murdoch, spurred by Sinclair Broadcast Group’s May 8 deal to snap up Tribune Media for $3.9 billion, a Washington, D.C.-based individual active in Republican circles and familiar with the President’s and key advisor’s thinking told The Hollywood Reporter.
Trump, this individual argued, has essentially greenlit the deal, which Murdoch disproves of for competitive reasons. The merger, if approved, would put a large swath of the local television market under Sinclair’s control.
“He was surprised that Trump is letting it go through,” the individual said of Murdoch, who this person said is no longer speaking to Trump as frequently as he once was. “I hear he’s pretty upset with the president.”
The theory goes that Trump feels responsible to Sinclair for giving him favorable coverage that helped secure him the election, though this Republican insider said that Sinclair’s impact has been overblown. “The Trumps have been sold a bill of goods by Sinclair that somehow they were super important to his election,” the person said.
Read more HERE.
Earlier this month, Allied Progress launched a campaign against the Sinclair-Tribune merger because it would limit customer programming, gut local news coverage that communities rely on, and concentrate too much political power and influence with one company.
Sinclair, known for its conservative slant, has garnered headlines for forcing local stations to air politically motivated editorials ahead of elections, cutting a deal with Jared Kushner to give the Trump campaign special treatment in its coverage, and most recently has been seen as a potential home for embattled conservative media stars like Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity. Earlier this month Politico reported that Sinclair was “increasing the ‘must-run’ segments across its affiliates featuring former Trump White House official Boris Epshteyn to nine times a week.”
To speak with Karl Frisch about the Sinclair-Tribune merger, please contact Tucker Middleton at 202-644-8526 or tucker@alliedprogress.org.