Who Owns the Media: Sinclair, Inc.

Sinclair, Inc. 🐔🐔🐔🐔

Capitulation Rank:  Obeying
Category: Broadcasting 
Market Cap: $939.9 million

David Smith, the executive chairman of Sinclair Broadcast Group, is a longtime Republican donor who has used his vast empire of local-television stations to promote Donald Trump and Smith’s reactionary ideologies. It’s known for forcing its hundreds of local television stations to run commentary favorable to the Trump administration, including a 2018 segment where anchors mimicked Donald Trump’s outlandish claims about “fake news.”

The conglomerate is now poised for further growth and hopeful that a Trump FCC will loosen longstanding media-ownership limits so that it can acquire even more stations. In 2024, Smith purchased The Baltimore Sun and soon thereafter the newspaper began publishing stories with Sinclair’s trademark right-wing bent.

Sinclair has also brought on board previous Trump administration operatives, including Kaelan Dorr and Boris Epshteyn. In yet another spin of the revolving door, Epshteyn has returned to service in the White House.  In return for Smith’s loyalty, Trump has indicated that he’d likely bless future company efforts to take over local stations, complaining that the FCC’s 2018 denial of Sinclair’s attempt to take over Tribune Company — which was rejected after Sinclair misled FCC officials — was “sad and unfair.”

DEI Doublespeak:

Sinclair’s Diversity and Inclusion Statement states that the company “value[s] and support[s] diversity and inclusion at all levels.” However, its EEO policy echoes President Trump’s and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s redefinition of DEI. It states “employment decisions will be based on such factors as merit, qualifications, competence, and the needs of the Company… [and] will not be influenced or affected by virtue of any protected status.”

What It Owns:

Sinclair owns licenses to 126 broadcast-TV stations in 85 markets (and operates an additional 59 stations under shared-services agreements). Its broadcast and cable television holdings include Comet, Charge!, Marquee Sports Network, The Nest, TBD and the Tennis Channel. Other Sinclair businesses include Acrodyne Technical Services (broadcasting-equipment servicing); Compulse, LLC; DataSphere Technologies; Dielectric (broadcasting-equipment manufacturer); Sinclair Investment Group (property investment); Sterling Venture Partners (private equity), Tennis Magazine and Timeline Labs. 

Money & Influence Game:

Sinclair paid lobbyists $1,130,000 in 2024, and its employees made $167,118 in contributions to political candidates (2024 cycle). Ten of its 12 lobbyists in 2024 previously held government jobs. (SOURCE: Center for Responsive Politics)