Right-wing media outlets are joining trade associations and public interest advocates in urging lawmakers and the Trump administration to block a merger of giant broadcasters.
Executives from One America News Network (OANN) and The Blaze are part of a coalition, announced on Tuesday, formed to oppose the purchase of Tribune Media by Sinclair Broadcasting.
The group said that the $3.9 billion deal will give Sinclair access to 72 percent of American homes—almost double the 38 percent of the country that the giant currently reaches.
“This massive consolidation would lead to higher prices and fewer choices for consumers,” the Coalition to Save Local Media said in a press release announcing its formation.
The newly-formed organization also claimed that the merger would have technical impacts, hindering “the market for certain broadcast equipment” and the “deployment of mobile broadband,” a development that would stifle content choice and high-speed internet access.
Joining OANN and the Glenn Beck-founded Blaze network are Public Knowledge and Common Cause—two progressive-minded public interest groups. The coalition also includes lobbyists from the American Cable Association and the DISH Network.
The campaign comes the day after House Democrats wrote FCC Chair Aji Pai, demanding information about perceived inappropriate coordinating between Sinclair and the Trump administration.
The lawmakers cited recent decisions by the FCC, meetings between Sinclair executives and Pai stretching back to November 2016, and regulatory filings by the cable giant this year predicting increased long-term market reach, in the event of specific agency decisions.
Disclosures to investors by the company revealed that Sinclair foresaw increased “televisions [sic] station acquisitions in the future,” should the FCC alter a rule on station ownership—something the agency did in April.
“In May 2017 Sinclair announced, just two weeks after the FCC’s action, that it intended to purchase Tribune,” the Democratic lawmakers wrote to Pai on Monday. The letter was signed by Reps. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) and Mike Doyle (D-Pa.).
The three legislators raised concerns in the light of reports on sweetheart deals on coverage between Sinclair and Trump.
The media giant agreed to broadcast Trump interviews “without commentary” during the presidential campaign. It also hired former White House aide Boris Epshteyn as an on-air commentator.
“Epshteyn’s segments are ‘must-run’ programming for Sinclair stations, with nine segments airing per week,” the lawmakers noted. “One report has criticized the segments as ‘propaganda,’” they added, citing an op-ed in The Baltimore Sun.
