Sinclair Pursuing a Deal with E.W. Scripps

[Tvguy]

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/busin ... 236428709/

[MWmetalhead]

As much as I dislike Scripps as a local broadcast TV station operator, Sinclair is worse.

I hope this deal doesn't materialize.

[MichMash]

The Wall Street Journal reports that Sinclair already holds an 8% stake in Scripps, so it has a foothold. Give 'em enough time, with the current regime in power, knowing Sinclair's stance, and it will likely happen.

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The Wall Street Journal reports that Sinclair already holds an 8% stake in Scripps, so it has a foothold. Give 'em enough time, with the current regime in power, knowing Sinclair's stance, and it will likely happen.

Maybe they will kindly divest Channel 7. Then again probably not.

[organman95]

The Wall Street Journal reports that Sinclair already holds an 8% stake in Scripps, so it has a foothold. Give 'em enough time, with the current regime in power, knowing Sinclair's stance, and it will likely happen.

Maybe they will kindly divest Channel 7. Then again probably not.

Sinclair will just create another shell company...

[GS3580]

7 is not watchable at all.

[hb2]

If Sinclair does take a majority stake in Scripps, I foresee Sinclair likely doing to channel 7 / 20 exactly (or a lot) like what happened in the Saginaw market with WEYI/WSMH a few years back: only total 1 hour local newscasts, stripped down to bare bones crew, and Sinclair's right wing slanted nationally syndicated newscasts the rest of the time...

[DefendTheDen]

I didn't see Sinclair buying an 8% stake in Scripps which Scripps isn't happy about from their statement.

[organman95]

If Sinclair does take a majority stake in Scripps, I foresee Sinclair likely doing to channel 7 / 20 exactly (or a lot) like what happened in the Saginaw market with WEYI/WSMH a few years back: only total 1 hour local newscasts, stripped down to bare bones crew, and Sinclair's right wing slanted nationally syndicated newscasts the rest of the time...

I don't see that happening in Detroit unless 7's ratings are as abysmal as WEYI is.

[80sTalkRadioFan]

Hoping this doesn't happen to Scripps, beyond the initial 8 percent, but if it did, WXYZ could look more like WJLA in Washington D.C, also an ABC affiliate, owned by Sinclair.

[MWmetalhead]

Sinclair has officially tendered an acquisition offer:

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/busin ... 451728007/

[Realist]

As someone who has to watch Sinclair’s NBC25, FOX66 and CW46 stations in the Saginaw / Flint market, I hope to God this doesn’t happen.

Why?

They cut the news operation here to nearly bare bones here after they’d put some major money into the news operation. They gave up in less than 2 years and started cutting staff. They cut the local weekend news product about 18-24 months ago for their National News Desk newscasts, which is further right than Fox News. They have very few reporters and a couple of them look like they just graduated high school.

I swear the only reason that they have a local news product here is because the networks require it as part of their contract.

Scripps would be wise to run away quickly from this offer…

[BFSEsq]

Oh God no. This would be horrible for Detroit.

When I read this, it sounds like more of a hostile takeover. That might not be totally true. But I don't know, I don't have a lot of faith that E. W. Scripps will do the right thing and turn this down. The shareholders will probably take the money.

[Robert Faygo]

ABC should jump in here and save their bigger / most important affiliates owned by Scripps before Sinclair destroys them.

Detroit, Phoenix, Denver, Baltimore, Cleveland, Cincinnati. Basically any city with an NFL team.

[Editorcj]

The Scripps Family trust owns the majority of EW Scripps stock and all of the voting shares. A hostile takeover would require the Scripps family to cash out and get out of the media business. Does the family want to give up control and take the money and run? That same family sold Scripps Networks Interactive (HGTV, Food Network, Travel Channel and others) for $14 Billion in 2018. I gave my career to ch 7, it would be a shame to see it go down like that.