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Why this $3.9 billion TV deal is a win for President Trump

Analysis by
Reporter
May 8, 2017 at 3:54 p.m. EDT
In a Feb. 1 media briefing, White House press secretary Sean Spicer answers a question from Natalie Herbick of WJW in Cleveland, one of 42 local TV stations acquired Monday by the Sinclair Broadcast Group. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

Donald Trump the businessman prided himself on making winning business deals. Now, Donald Trump the president appears to be a winner in a deal he didn't even negotiate.

The Sinclair Broadcast Group, already the nation's largest owner of local television stations, is adding 42 more in a $3.9 billion acquisition of Tribune Media. The result could be slightly friendlier coverage for the president in the nation's largest media markets, as well as in cities such as Cleveland, Greensboro, N.C., and Des Moines that represent key centers in battleground states.

Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, claimed in a December meeting with business executives that the Trump campaign traded access for less-critical coverage from Sinclair, according to Politico. Sinclair denied favoring Trump and said its stations aired more interviews with the Republican than with his Democratic rival because Hillary Clinton turned down multiple requests.

How the nation’s largest owner of TV stations helped Donald Trump’s campaign

Generally speaking, Sinclair's news coverage leans right. The Washington Post's Paul Farhi reported in 2014 that after Sinclair purchased WJLA in Washington, some of the station's journalists complained that “some of the stories ordered by Sinclair on a 'must-run' basis don't meet the station's long tradition of nonpartisan reporting.”

“Over the years,” Farhi reported, “the company and its executives have been consistent financial contributors to Republican candidates.”

Local television remains a leading source of news for many Americans. In a Pew Research Center survey conducted after the election, voters named Fox News and CNN as their top sources of information about the presidential campaign. Facebook, which aggregates news from many outlets, ranked third.

Then came local TV — ahead of any broadcast network or national newspaper.

Local TV stations help shape voters' perceptions of the news, and Sinclair is about to own 215 of them, assuming regulatory approval. That is good news for Trump.