Sinclair in talks to take over Scripps

[bing101]

https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/sinclair-acquisition-talks-ew-scripps-1236583646/

https://deadline.com/2025/11/sinclair-reveals-merger-talks-with-e-w-scripps-local-tv-1236620042/

Here we go again and it resembles the proposed plans Nexstar has with Tegna. Yes overlaps have to be considered here.

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=36444.0

See our discussions here about the proposed Nexstar Tegna merger.

West Palm Beach and Cincinnati are places where EW Scripps and Sinclair currently compete against each other.

[Road Hog]

Both companies are minor players in DFW. Scripps owns one channel, 68, which carries ION TV and several sub channels. Sinclair owns Channel 47, which has Dr. Phil's Merit TV. So probably no need to divest in this market.

[kphoger]

I thought this was about gas stations, because I've never heard of Scripps.

[GaryV]

^ You old dinosaur, you.

[NWI_Irish96]

I'm glad I live in a metro area where the stations are network owned and don't have to deal with trash organizations like Sinclair and Nexstar.

[mgk920]

"Hey gwampa, what's a TV set?

Mike

[bandit957]

Yet another antitrust violation that is sure to be rubber-stamped.

[Max Rockatansky]

Scripps sounds like a sports bar I used to go to when I couldn't get the NHL playoffs on TV.

[wriddle082]

This would seriously screw up Nashville.

Sinclair owns Fox 17 WZTV outright and operates My 30 WUXP and CW 58 WNAB through one of their shell companies.  Scripps owns top rated CBS-affiliate WTVF NewsChannel 5 and 24-hour NewsChannel 5+.

The one good thing I can say about WZTV is many of their news reporters and anchors are ones who had previously been at other Nashville stations and were let go by poor station management (mainly WSMV) for mostly age-related reasons.  As a result, the reporting is generally good, despite the Sinclair penny pinching.  The weather, of course, suffers, as they naturally don't have their own radar.  I think the sports reporting is good as well.

Scripps inherited a pretty good operation when they bought WTVF from the original parent company of The Weather Channel, and have managed to not screw it up since they've owned it.

Lexington, KY and Cincinnati would also be affected by this merger, as well as many other markets.

[kphoger]

This would seriously screw up Nashville.

Sinclair owns Fox 17 WZTV outright and operates My 30 WUXP and CW 58 WNAB through one of their shell companies.  Scripps owns top rated CBS-affiliate WTVF NewsChannel 5 and 24-hour NewsChannel 5+.

The one good thing I can say about WZTV is many of their news reporters and anchors are ones who had previously been at other Nashville stations and were let go by poor station management (mainly WSMV) for mostly age-related reasons.  As a result, the reporting is generally good, despite the Sinclair penny pinching.  The weather, of course, suffers, as they naturally don't have their own radar.  I think the sports reporting is good as well.

Scripps inherited a pretty good operation when they bought WTVF from the original parent company of The Weather Channel, and have managed to not screw it up since they've owned it.

Perhaps I'm missing something, but that all sounds like the acquisition would maybe slightly screw up Nashville, not seriously screw it up.

[hbelkins]

I thought this was about gas stations, because I've never heard of Scripps.

Us old former journalists knew it as Scripps-Howard.

[Henry]

Aside from West Palm Beach, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Nashville, Lexington and Cincinnati, what are all the other markets where Scripps and Sinclair stations coexist? I can see a forced divesture of the weaker stations to other companies, similar to what would happen if the Nexstar-Tegna merger were to go through.

[Scott5114]

Aside from West Palm Beach, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Nashville, Lexington and Cincinnati, what are all the other markets where Scripps and Sinclair stations coexist? I can see a forced divesture of the weaker stations to other companies, similar to what would happen if the Nexstar-Tegna merger were to go through.

Las Vegas is one (NBC 3 is Sinclair and ABC 13 is Scripps).

[Big John]

Aside from West Palm Beach, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Nashville, Lexington and Cincinnati, what are all the other markets where Scripps and Sinclair stations coexist? I can see a forced divesture of the weaker stations to other companies, similar to what would happen if the Nexstar-Tegna merger were to go through.

Green Bay
Sinclair Fox/11
Scripps NBC/26

[Molandfreak]

Scripps sounds like a fun game you'd play with your family on a Saturday night.

[Ted$8roadFan]

Another monopoly. Ugh.

[kphoger]

Scripps sounds like a fun game you'd play with your family on a Saturday night.

Another monopoly. Ugh.

Well played.

[vdeane]

Buffalo is another, which is annoying.  I like that ABC station, so it would be sad to see Sinclair take it over (and I'm saying this as someone who isn't into Sinclair's style, so I wouldn't be a fan of them even without taking their political bias into account; I don't like their overall aesthetic, plus I find their shows are too national/international focused for local news).

[Takumi]

Richmond as well. WTVR (CBS) is Scripps and WRLH (Fox) is Sinclair. WRLH sources its newscast from Gray Media-owned WWBT (NBC), though, so I wonder if that would change if this merger happened.

[ZLoth]

In checking the lists, Scripps owns and/or operates the Ion stations in both Sacramento (KSPX-29, yes, it once was a Pax station) and DFW (KPXD-68). Sinclair doesn't own and/or operate a station in either market.

From the way I see things, broadcasting is in decline as we have multiple alternatives available for entertainment. It's extends beyond reading a book if you don't like what they were watching on the three major broadcast networks when I was growing up. Not only have we had physical media options, but streaming options as well including in your car with a Bluetooth connection, including streaming options with advertising targeted to your area and demographics. While I recognize the importance of broadcast stations in time of emergency or severe weather, it just isn't the first choice for entertainment for me anymore, especially when I can get ad-free music from my server.

[Scott5114]

Meanwhile, my old person trait is that I don't understand how to work all the streaming options on our newfangled smart TVs and don't really feel like learning. I have a TV in the bedroom that I have never used because it wants some password I don't feel like looking up.

I should be able to hit "power" and then "09" and The Price Is Right should come on, damn it!

[Road Hog]

In checking the lists, Scripps owns and/or operates the Ion stations in both Sacramento (KSPX-29, yes, it once was a Pax station) and DFW (KPXD-68). Sinclair doesn't own and/or operate a station in either market.

I was all set to say "See my previous" but then I looked and while Sinclair does indeed actually and technically own Channel 47, it appears to be in an LMA with something called Cunningham Communications. Still, I don't see any changes in this market.

[tchafe1978]

Meanwhile, my old person trait is that I don't understand how to work all the streaming options on our newfangled smart TVs and don't really feel like learning. I have a TV in the bedroom that I have never used because it wants some password I don't feel like looking up.

I should be able to hit "power" and then "09" and The Price Is Right should come on, damn it!

I miss being able to channel surf. It's impossible with streaming to just flip from one channel to the next. I used to flip to another channel when the commercials came on just to see what was on the other channel, and then hope I would flip back in time to get back before the commercials on the original program I was watching ended. This was the best when I was watching a football game and wanted to check in quick on the game that was on another channel. Of course I'd naturally piss off my wife if we were watching something together and I'd flip away from what we were watching and didn't get back to it in time.

[Rothman]

Meanwhile, my old person trait is that I don't understand how to work all the streaming options on our newfangled smart TVs and don't really feel like learning. I have a TV in the bedroom that I have never used because it wants some password I don't feel like looking up.

I should be able to hit "power" and then "09" and The Price Is Right should come on, damn it!

I miss being able to channel surf. It's impossible with streaming to just flip from one channel to the next. I used to flip to another channel when the commercials came on just to see what was on the other channel, and then hope I would flip back in time to get back before the commercials on the original program I was watching ended. This was the best when I was watching a football game and wanted to check in quick on the game that was on another channel. Of course I'd naturally piss off my wife if we were watching something together and I'd flip away from what we were watching and didn't get back to it in time.

I don't see what stops you from doing so.  I get a lot of broadcast channels.  Rarely watch them, but they're there.

[bing101]

I'm glad I live in a metro area where the stations are network owned and don't have to deal with trash organizations like Sinclair and Nexstar.

Boston and Detroit has to be one of the largest cities without Nexstar and Sinclair.