How Sinclair Broadcast Group Made Local News Pro-Trump | All In

>>> I HAVE A MESSAGE FOR CERTAIN STUDENTS.
LISTEN UP CLOSELY, SNOWFLAKE. YES, I'M TALKING TO YOU.
YOU, THE SOCIAL JUSTICE WARNING, COLLEGE ISN'T BABY SITTING
SERVICE. IT'S TIME TO GROW UP, SNOWFLAKE.
>> OKAY. THAT'S A TASTE OF WHAT YOU MIGHT
HAVE SEEN ON YOUR LOCAL NEWS AT LEAST IN YOUR LOCAL NEWS STATION
IS OWNED BY SINCLAIR BROADCASTING.
A RESTORED BO BOW HEMAGE. SINCLAIRS COVERED AN ESTIMATED
38% OF HOUSEHOLDS AND WANTS TO GET BIGGER.
A $3.9 BILLION DEAL WOULD GIVE SINCLAIR ANOTHER 42 STATIONS AND
ABILITY TO REACH 72% OF U.S. HOUSEHOLDS.
THAT LEVEL OF DOMINANCE OPT AIR WAVES BAY SINGLE COMPANY IS
SUPPOSED TO BE OUTSIDE THE BOUNDS OF THE LAW.
BUT THIS SPRING PRESIDENT TRUMP'S VERY PRO BUSINESS FCC
CHAIRMAN REPUBLICAN PIE INVOKED CONTROVERSIAL LOOPHOLE IN THE
LAW THAT WOULD ALLOW THE DEAL TO GO THROUGH.
NOW DESPITE HEATED OPPOSITION THE DEAL IS WIDELY EXPECTED TO
BE IMPROVED. JOINING ME NOW, MEDIA ANALYST,
SOCIAL CORRESPONDENT FOR VANITY FAIR.
HOW DO PEOPLE KNOW WHETHER THEY ARE WATCHING A SINCLAIR STATION?
HOW DO THEY KNOW? >> THE TRUTH IS, THEY DON'T.
SINCLAIR OWNS AFFILIATES ALL OVER THE COUNTRY AFFILIATED WITH
BIG NETWORKS. IF YOU ARE WATCHING LOCAL ABC,
NBC OR FOX AFFILIATE IN A MARKET YOU MAY HAVE NO IDEA THAT
CORPORATE OWNER OF THIS NETWORK HAS A POLITICAL POINT OF VIEW.
SINCLAIR DOES NOT BRAND ITS NETWORKS.
WE ARE LIKE FOX NEWS WOULD SAY, WE ARE A CONSERVATIVE NETWORK.
VIEWERS WOULD KNOW THAT. SINCLAIR DOES.
MARKET ITSELF AS OWNER OF THE NETWORKS.
>> THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LOCAL AFFILIATES, WHEN I GREW UP
IN NEW YORK I THINK OF THE NETWORK AS THE ASSOCIATION,
RIGHT? >> YEAH.
>> OUTSIDE OF MAJOR MARKET YOU COULD WATCH ABC IN ONE MARKET
THAT SINCLAIR OWNED AND NBC IN ANOTHER OWN CBS IS ANOTHER.
THOSE LETTERS DON'T MEAN ANYTHING IN TERMS OF THE NEWS
PROGRAM. >> OF COURSE.
THAT'S WHY THIS IS SUCH A C CHANGE POSSIBLY IN THE AMERICAN
LANDSCAPE WHERE YOU HAVE IDEAL LOGICALLY PREDISPOSED COMPANY
THAT COULD PUSH ITS MESSAGE BEHIND THE CURTAIN OF OBJECTIVE
NEWS. THIS ALSO WE SHOULD PUT IN
CONTEXT OF A GENERATIONAL QUEST BY REPUBLICANS TO CHANGE THE
MEDIA LANDSCAPE IN THEIR FAVOR GOING BACK TO 1987 WHEN RONALD
REAGAN FCC, RONALD REAGAN'S FCC FAIRNESS DOCTRINE WHICH GAVE
RAISE TO TALK RADIO, WE ARE SEEING THE RISE OF POTENTIALLY
RIGHT WING BROADCASTING IN TELEVISION.
>> TALK RADIO OF LOCAL NEWS. >> EXACTLY.
>> HOW CONTROVERSIAL IS THE APPROVAL OF THE DEAL ITSELF?
>> YOU TALK TO PEOPLE IN THE MEDIA INDUSTRY WHETHER OR NOT
THEY ARE ALIGNED WITH SINCLAIR AND THEY SAY THIS IS VERY
CONTROVERSIAL. IN FACT RUPERT MURDOCH NOW MADE
OVERTURES FOR FOX TO ACQUIRE MORE LOCAL STATIONS BECAUSE THEY
DON'T WANT CORPORATE COMPETITOR LIKE SINCLAIR TO COMPETE WITH
THEM. THERE USED TO BE LAWS IN PLACE
WITH CORPORATE OVERLORDS TO BUY UP MARKETS BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T
WANT TO HAVE A HOMOGENEOUS POINT OF VIEW.
NOW THERE IS NOTHING TO SAY THAT NBC OR COMCAST COULD BUY UP
LOCAL STATIONS. >> PART OF THAT DEREGULATION IS
THE TELL COMMUNICATIONS ACT UNDER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON
WHICH ALLOWED MULTIPLE MARKETS TO BE OWNED.
THERE IS ALSO, IT SEEMS LIKE THERE IS A FAKE WHIFF OF PRID WE
COULD PRO HERE. >> I'M BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS
A LOT TODAY. THIS IS THE DESTINATION OF THE
SWAMP THAT DONALD TRUMP WANTED TO CHANGE.
THEY HIRED ONE OF HIS FORMER CAMPAIGN STAFFERS, BORIS
EPSTEIN, AND NOW THEY ARE FAVORING THEIR MEDIA ALLY.
THIS IS SORT OF A SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP THAT SHOULD BE,
ANYONE WHO IS ON THE POSITION OF BEING AGAINST CRONY CAPITALISM,
THEY SHOULD NOT REWARD THIS BEHAVIOR.
>> YEAH. WE SHOULD NOTE THAT DECISION,
FINAL DECISION HAS NOT BEEN MADE.
THERE ARE PUBLIC COMMENTS YOU CAN MAKE ON THE FCC'S WEBSITE
ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. THE DECIS

How Sinclair Broadcast Group Made Local News Pro-Trump | All In | MSNBC

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