Sinclair Broadcast Group: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
Summary
TLDRThe script discusses the impact of Sinclair Broadcast Group's potential acquisition of Tribune Media on local news. Sinclair, known for conservative-leaning content, could reach 2.2 million households with the merger. The script highlights Sinclair's practice of injecting political commentary into local news segments and their 'must-run' segments, which sometimes include misleading or unverified information. It also showcases local stations' resistance to Sinclair's content and raises concerns about the erosion of local news integrity.
Takeaways
- 📢 Local news is often more trusted than national news due to its community focus and relatability.
- 🚔 A humorous approach can be used by local news to draw attention to serious stories, such as crime reports.
- 🐻 Local news covers a wide range of topics, from serious incidents like black bears in backyards to human interest stories.
- 📺 Sinclair Broadcast Group is a significant, yet lesser-known, media company with a large influence over local TV stations.
- 💸 Sinclair's proposed acquisition of Tribune Media for around $4 billion could significantly increase its reach and influence.
- 👮♂️ Sinclair is known for injecting conservative viewpoints into local news segments, which may not reflect the diversity of local opinions.
- 🎙️ Commentary segments from figures like Mark Hyman and Boris Epstein are must-runs on Sinclair-affiliated stations, indicating a slant towards conservative views.
- 📰 Sinclair's local news content sometimes includes misleading or unverified information, which can compromise journalistic integrity.
- 🗳️ The company has been known to influence local news content, even dictating the scripts that local news anchors use.
- 📈 Sinclair's 'must-run' segments include recurring features that may sometimes present biased or leading questions to viewers.
- 🚨 The 'terrorism alert desk' segment reports on terrorism daily, sometimes including minor or unrelated incidents, which could skew public perception.
Q & A
What is the main concern discussed in the script about local news?
-The main concern is the potential problems arising from corporate consolidation of local news, particularly the influence of Sinclair Broadcast Group which could expand significantly if their acquisition of Tribune Media is approved.
How does the script describe the typical content of local news?
-Local news is described as having to do a lot more with a lot less compared to national news, often covering a mix of serious stories, human interest pieces, and sometimes silly or sensational segments to capture viewers' attention.
What is the significance of Sinclair Broadcast Group's potential acquisition of Tribune Media?
-If approved, Sinclair's acquisition of Tribune Media would make them the largest owner of local TV stations in the U.S., significantly increasing their reach and influence over local news content.
What is the script's view on Sinclair's political leanings?
-The script suggests that Sinclair has a noticeable conservative tilt, producing and distributing commentary segments that align with hard-right opinions, which are then aired on their local stations.
How does Sinclair's content differ from other local news stations?
-Sinclair differs by producing its own commentary segments and sometimes dictating the content of local newscasts, including 'must-run' segments that affiliates are directed to air.
What is the 'terrorism alert desk' mentioned in the script?
-The 'terrorism alert desk' is a daily must-run segment produced by Sinclair that reports on terrorism, regardless of whether there is significant news to report, sometimes including minor or unverified incidents.
What is the script's critique of the 'terrorism alert desk' segment?
-The script criticizes the 'terrorism alert desk' for sometimes reporting on minor or unverified incidents, and for potentially sensationalizing or misrepresenting events as terrorism to create a narrative.
How does the script suggest viewers should respond to Sinclair's influence on local news?
-The script encourages viewers to find out who owns their local stations and to be aware of the content they are watching, suggesting that local news should be about community-focused stories rather than political agendas.
What examples does the script provide of Sinclair's influence on local news content?
-The script provides examples such as Sinclair-produced segments by conservative commentators Mark Hyman and Boris Epstein, as well as 'must-run' segments that are directed to be aired by Sinclair-affiliated stations.
What is the script's stance on the importance of local news?
-The script acknowledges the importance of local news for filling gaps missed by national news and for being a trusted source of information for communities, but it also expresses concern over the potential loss of local integrity and diversity in news coverage due to corporate consolidation.
How does the script characterize the role of local news anchors in Sinclair stations?
-The script characterizes local news anchors at Sinclair stations as sometimes being used to deliver content that may not reflect their own views or local news values, as they are required to present Sinclair-produced segments and scripts.
Outlines
📺 Local News' Importance and Sinclair's Influence
The paragraph highlights the significance of local news, which is often overshadowed by national news despite its informative nature. It points out that local news is trusted more than national news due to its closeness to the community. The main focus then shifts to Sinclair Broadcast Group, a media company that owns numerous local TV stations and is set to expand further with the acquisition of Tribune Media. The acquisition would make Sinclair the largest single group of television stations in the nation. The paragraph also touches on the conservative slant in Sinclair's content, exemplified by commentators like Mark Hyman, and raises concerns about the potential impact of such consolidation on local news content and viewership.
🔍 Sinclair's Content and Commentary
This paragraph delves deeper into Sinclair's media practices, emphasizing the conservative voices it promotes, such as Boris Epstein, a former Trump adviser known for making controversial claims. It discusses how Sinclair's content sometimes leans right, not just in commentary but also in ad breaks and local newscasts. Sinclair is shown to dictate content to local stations, including 'must-run' segments that are directed to be aired, regardless of their veracity or relevance. The paragraph also criticizes Sinclair for potentially misleading content, such as a story about Barack Obama and voter fraud that was debunked by PolitiFact.
🗣️ The Impact of Sinclair's 'Must-Run' Segments
The paragraph discusses Sinclair's practice of mandating 'must-run' segments across its local stations, which include commentary, news stories, and recurring features like the 'terrorism alert desk.' These segments are criticized for their potential to mislead or sensationalize, such as reporting on minor or unrelated incidents as if they were significant terrorist threats. The paragraph also mentions how Sinclair's content can overshadow local news stories, affecting both the journalists working for Sinclair stations and the viewers who may not realize the content's origin.
🚫 Pushback Against Sinclair and the Future of Local News
This paragraph addresses the resistance from some Sinclair stations against the parent company's mandates, with examples of subtle acts of rebellion like airing 'must-run' segments at low-viewership times. It raises concerns about the future of local news if Sinclair's acquisition of Tribune Media goes through, suggesting that more quality journalism could be compromised by Sinclair's style of content. The paragraph concludes with a hypothetical scenario for Tribune stations about what they might expect under Sinclair ownership, emphasizing the importance of local news being free from political agendas and scaremongering.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Local News
💡Corporate Consolidation
💡Sinclair Broadcast Group
💡Bias
💡Must-Run Segments
💡Political Correctness
💡Terrorism Alert Desk
💡Media Influence
💡Trust in Local News
💡Fake News
Highlights
Local news is often more trusted than national news due to its focus on community-specific stories.
Sinclair Broadcast Group is the largest owner of local TV stations in the U.S. and could expand significantly with the acquisition of Tribune Media.
Sinclair's content tends to have a noticeable conservative tilt, with commentators like Mark Hyman and Boris Epstein expressing hard-right views.
Sinclair produces and distributes its own commentary segments to its local affiliates, which is unusual for a TV station owner.
The acquisition of Tribune Media by Sinclair would create the largest single group of television stations in the nation.
Sinclair's local news broadcasts sometimes include 'must-run' segments that dictate content, blurring the line between local and corporate messaging.
Critics argue that Sinclair's approach to local news can undermine trust in media by injecting political bias into trusted community news sources.
Sinclair has been known to air segments that some consider fearmongering, such as the 'terrorism alert desk' that reports on terrorism every day.
Some Sinclair affiliates have rebelled against the parent company by airing 'must-run' segments at times of low viewership.
The potential increase in Sinclair's reach raises concerns about the homogenization of local news and the potential for increased political bias.
Local news is crucial for filling gaps left by national news, covering stories that are specific to local communities.
The transcript highlights the importance of viewers being aware of who owns their local news stations to understand potential biases.
Sinclair's influence on local news has raised questions about media consolidation and its impact on journalistic integrity.
The transcript satirically points out the absurdity of some of Sinclair's content, such as the 'terrorism alert desk' covering minor or unrelated incidents.
Viewers are encouraged to critically evaluate local news content and consider the source and potential biases behind the reporting.
The transcript includes a mock segment from a Sinclair affiliate warning viewers about the potential takeover by Sinclair, urging them to be aware.
Transcripts
local news it's mostly known for
informative and hard-hitting segments
like this one police say one of the mass
suspects armed with a handgun got out of
his car walked up to the victim's window
pointed the gun right at her face and
told her he wanted her purse her money
and her cell phone holy
you have got to hand it to him that
is a great way to make people pay
attention to a story they may not be
interested in and with that in mind our
main story tonight concerns the
potential problems in corporate
consolidation of local news don't you
dare change the
channel now National cable news gets a
lot of attention with their big budgets
and their fancy Graphics packages
meanwhile local news often has to do a
lot more with a lot less the black bear
was roaming through Tina Morrison's
backyard Tina was too stunned to get a
picture but this is what the bear
probably looked like except real this
Recreation identifies how Witnesses say
the bear escaped into the
woods you know what whoever is hiding
behind that tiny bear cut out deserves a
pullit sir oh sure sure he could have
stood up straight and just walked the
bear across the garden it would have
been exactly as convincing but he didn't
do that he hunched down because he cares
that man is a
journalist and look it's easy to make
fun it's easy for me to make fun but
local news fills an important role
finding stories that the national news
is missing this show uses local news all
the time our civil forfiter piece used
outstanding reporting from Tennessee's
News Channel 5 uh and our piece on
problems with 911 used great work from
Atlanta's 11 alive in fact a Pew Study
last year found that local news is
trusted more than national news people
absolutely love it so yes when you watch
local news you may see some something
silly but you also may see something
great and there's actually a third
option because in some parts of the
country you might see this I've got a
message for certain students listen up
closely snowflake yes I'm talking to you
you the social justice Warrior who whes
for trigger warnings and safe spaces not
grown up enough to deal with the facts
then hunkered down in your room and
Snapchat the day away with other social
justice Warriors College isn't a
babysitting service it's time to grow up
snowflake now that man is Mark Hyman
with one in what I presume is a series
featuring titles like wake up libtard
cucked much you little beta baby and
knock knock sheeple it's me truth with
Mark Hyman Heyman is a commentator and
former executive at Sinclair broadcast
group and Sinclair may be the most
influential Media company that you've
never heard of not only are they the
largest owner of local TV stations in
the country they could soon get even
bigger Sinclair will pay about $4
billion for Tribune media and its 42
local stations the combined companies
will create the largest single group of
television stations in the nation wow it
is a little disconcerting to learn that
something you've only just heard of is
throwing around $4 billion it's like
finding out that Exxon Mobile just got
bought and it was by the little twerp
who plays the new Spider-Man what how
how's that possible how does spider
twerp have the resources to do that I
only just found out he existed
now this acquisition still needs
regulatory approval but it is widely
assumed that that will happen at which
point Sinclair's reach could expand
dramatically we did some math and we
found out that when you combine the most
watched nightly newscasts on Sinclair
and Tribune stations in some of their
largest markets you get an average total
viewership of 2.2 million households and
that is a lot it's more than any current
prime time show on Fox News including
five idiots have the most intolerable
dinner party ever and that guy from
college everyone hated has a talk show
now the Tucker Carlson and the Fox News
parallels don't stop there because
Sinclair's content tilts noticeably
conservative remember that snowflake guy
Sinclair produces those segments and
sends them to their Affiliates and that
in itself is already unusual as best we
can tell no other major owner of TV
stations distribute its own commentary
segments to run joing local news and
Hyman's opinions Hugh hard right we are
threatened by a nasty cancer epidemic
it's a danger to our nation it is
political correctness and
multiculturalism words that were once
acceptable in polite conversation are no
longer handicapped and are now
off limits there is one step that's
proven to dramatically reduce domestic
violence marriage I am now a proud
Washington Redskins fan and the opinion
that only black people can legitimately
have an afro someone should tell that to
American folk singer Art
Garfunkle what what are you talking
about as I believe Paul Simon once said
there's no need to involve art gar fle
in any of this and and the thing is
Hyman is not Sinclair's only
conservative voice just recently they
they hired a man named Boris Epstein a
former Trump adviser who you may
remember from multiple TV appearances
last year where he made wild claims like
this one Barack Obama may have won in
2008 North Carolina due to Illegal
voting go ahead Jake sorry where where
are you getting that from Barack Obama
won in North Carolina because of voter
fraud 5% of voting in North Carolina may
have been by people who are non citizens
who should not have been voting and
swung North Carolina to Mr Obama now
obviously that is nothing even
resembling a fact the claim he's making
received a pants on fire from PolitiFact
and even if it were true which again it
isn't Obama still would have beat McCain
by 162 electoral votes which raises the
question do Trump surgan even know why
they are lying or are they driven by
some vague Instinct like when a cat sits
inside a box why are you doing that I
have no idea there's just something
inside me that tells me I
should and yet and yet Epstein is now
Sinclair's Chief political analyst and
has a regular segment called bottom line
with Boris let me show you a recent one
concerning a retracted story on CNN the
bottom line is this CNN along with other
cable news networks is struggling to
stick to the facts and to be impartial
in covering politics in general and this
President specifically oh come on that
could not be more pot calling the kettle
black if he said the bottom line is CNN
is a rejected extra from The Sopranos in
a JC Penny's tie whose voice sounds like
Sylvester Stallone with a mouthful of
bees but but Sinclair doesn't just lean
right with its commentators even its ad
breaks sometimes put a thumb on the
scale in 2010 Sinclair's Pittsburgh
affiliate pulled a 30-second Democratic
ad off the air after they received a
complaint and found that some claims in
the ad were unsubstantiated and look
that's a good thing it is good that they
were willing to take a stand to ensure
nothing inaccurate made its way on air
although just a few months later that
exact same station and multiple other
Sinclair Outlets add a 25-minute attack
ad on Democrats featuring assertions
like this during his presid presidential
election he wound up with a record
shattering $750 million in his campaign
to this day he refuses to report from
whence it came one reason might be that
some of it originated from the terrorist
group Hamas oh my god look look if you
are going to make up scary donors to the
Obama campaign why stop with Hamas just
keep going he won't say where the money
came from one reason may be that it
originated with this gang of coyotes
that has made billions selling human
babies to other hungrier
coyotes and look if the opinions were
confined just to the commentary or to
the ad breaks that would be one thing
but Sinclair can sometimes dictate the
content of your local newscast as well
and in contrast to Fox News a clearly
conservative Outlet where you basically
know what you're getting with Sinclair
they are injecting Foxworthy content
into the mouths of your local news
anchors the two people who you know and
who you trust and who's Onre chemistry
can usually best be described as two
people and the thing is you you may not
realize it's happening because Sinclair
and its digital news subsidiary Circa
not only produce and send packages to
their stations they even write scripts
that local anchors can use to introduce
the pieces for example just this Tuesday
night anchors at Sinclair stations all
over the country introduce a story about
Michael Flynn like this did the FBI have
a personal Vendetta in Pursuit uing the
Russia investigation of President
Trump's former National Security adviser
Michael Flynn did the FBI have a
personal Vendetta in pursuing the Russia
investigation of President Trump's
former National Security adviser Michael
Flynn did the FBI have a personal
Vendetta in pursuing the Russia
investigation of President Trump's
former National Security adviser Michael
Flynn did the FBI have a personal
Vendetta in pursuing the investigation
it could very well be true uh yeah but
you could say it could very well be true
about anything are all Peanut M&M's just
snake eggs painted different colors do
foxes walk on their hind legs when no
one is looking is there really only one
olon twin who's moving back and forth at
superhuman speed to trick the human eye
into seeing two of them all of those
things could very well be true and aside
from that one about the olon twins none
of them
are now now the story they were teasing
was that Michael Flynn had apparently
spoken up on behalf of a former FBI
agent in a gender disc discrimination
suit against the agency but it is a huge
stretch to get from there to an
agency-wide conspiracy to bring him down
the the problem is there is real power
in hearing your trusted local
newscasters using FBI and personal
Vendetta in a sentence if those same
newscasters somehow use the words Daniel
Stern and explosive ejaculation in the
same sentence you could never watch Home
Alone the same way again and Sinclair's
content can often not be optional they
regularly send out what are called must
runs segments that station managers are
directed to work into their broadcasts
both Boris Epstein and Mark Hyman
segments are must runs and so are some
new segments in fact let me give you a
taste of a must-run story uh that ran
just a month before last year's election
how can Americans especially blacks and
Latinos in America support Hillary
Clinton it's a surprising message coming
from a black Pastor but Evangelical
Bishop Aubry shines is spreading a
message of why he believes Hillary
Clinton's Democratic party isn't good
for black Americans party that gave this
country slavery the KKK Jim crola whoa
whoa whoa hold on hold on just just hold
on a second there because first
Democrats gave this country slavery it's
a little more complicated than that sure
someone gave me this haircut but I'm
accountable for being comfortable with
it liking it and keeping it around for a
morally repugnant amount of time look
and you you can maybe maybe see why that
could be news in Florida Tampa pasta
makes crazy video but that piece ran in
Columbus El Paso Omaha Syracuse Seattle
Green Bay Tulsa and stations all over
the country and to be fair Sinclair
didn't let all that pastor's assertions
go go by completely unchecked uh they
did have the brief appearance of balance
by bringing in this political scientist
to fact check the video video but he was
given far less screen time than the
pastor and the voiceover undercut him at
every turn bulock says that shines
Cherry Picked his history but if you
have the whole context of history and
where these uh the things are mentioned
where they actually miss pieces then you
would not be pers be persuaded at all so
about that history when it comes to the
KKK historians generally agree it was
created in post Civil War reconstruction
by democrats and later Southern
Democrats were behind the Jim Crow laws
yes that was the party of the South and
as I mentioned over time those parties
have actually shifted in terms of what
their membership bases I absolutely love
his frustration as he tries to explain
that now is not 100 years ago you almost
expected to say I'll prove it neither of
us are wearing bowler hats and that
woman over there has a job all of which
supports my theory that as I've
mentioned now is not 100 years ago a and
here's the thing the must runs are not
just individual pieces they are also
recurring features like poll questions
which can range from benign to pretty
leading what did you think of today's
Comey testimony do you think it was all
about substance or theater do you think
enough is being done to battle street
gangs in the US do you trust information
from unnamed sources in the Washington
Post stories why are cable news channels
airing so much coverage of the Trump
Russia story so here are the options
it's bias against the president
for higher ratings or it's a really
important story okay there is a clear
slant to those questions and answers I
can't wait for the inevitable poll how
would you describe the way Donald Trump
looks in athletic wear a Adonis likee B
Herculean C striking for a man of his
age or D not my thing but I'd still hit
it but perhaps the most troubling thing
of all is that Sinclair has a daily must
run segment called the terrorism alert
desk that is right they report on
terrorism every single day whether there
is something major to report on or not
which means that sometimes the updates
contain things like this the company in
charge of security for the Wimbledon
tennis tournament says the ring leader
of the London Bridge attack did apply
for a job now he was not interviewed and
no interview was scheduled he just
filled out an online application an Isis
flag was found hanging in a neighborhood
in New hampsh
it was taken down and police are looking
into who put it there from the terrorism
alert desk in Washington I'm Lindsay
mastes another alerts my grandma heard a
loud noise a man with a beard asked me
when the next bus is coming and Iran
still exists from the terrorism alert
desk in Washington I am just about done
with this and look look there is no
doubt that the terror alert desk has
also featured some truly terrifying
stories Isis has carried out a gruesome
public execution in Iraq they sliced
nine teens in half with a chainsaw now
that caught our attention because it
feels like the sort of thing we'd have
seen reported elsewhere so we tried to
track down that story and it originated
with an anonymously sourced report on
something called Iraqi news we weren't
able to find any outlet that had
independently verified it and even when
it was picked up by British tabloids and
Breitbart they were careful to distance
themselves with language like it has
been claimed and reportedly and I did
not know it was possible to dip beneath
the journalistic standards of
Breitbart that's like being too bad a
chef to work at a carnival food cart
look your fried ham is unimaginative and
Bland and we cannot have that we're
Uncle Sticky's discount ham
wagon but but they reported it like it
was a fact and what was perhaps even
weirder about that chainsaw segment was
the story that closed it out and Mayors
in 22 French towns are ignoring a high
court ruling that says Banning burkinis
is illegal more than 30 towns initially
outlawed the swim swimwear worn mostly
by Muslim women from the terrorism alert
desk I'm Michelle Marsh what the
that is not about terrorism it's just
about Muslims by that definition
terrorism is anything a Muslim does
tonight Mersa Ali on the cover of GQ
Kareem Abdul Jabar sneezed in an airport
and happy birthday to far aaria this has
been your terrorism alert
desk now now to their credit in the face
of all of this some Sinclair stations
are fighting back against their parent
company for instance their station in
Seattle KO has engaged in clever acts of
rebellion like airing must runs at times
of low viewership in fact their only
airing of the story about the New
Hampshire Isis flag was at 4:54 a.m. so
it was basically only seen by people in
hospital waiting room customers at
24hour 71s and Craig just go to bed
Craig get your together and go to
bed but the truth is if you work at a
Sinclair station there is only so much
that you can do and and should this
Tribune acquisition go through there are
going to be even more good journalists
having to see their hard work placed
alongside terrores nonsense just as
there'll be even more unsuspecting
audience members who'll be getting a
heaping do of Sinclair's content
possibly without realizing it so you
should find out who owns your local
stations and bear that in mind as you
watch and for any Tribune station that
could soon be taken over we've produced
a little video so you can alert your
viewers don't think of it as a must run
think of it more as a probably should
run take a look hello I'm Steve shripper
from The Sopranos and I'm probably not
the last guy with an accent wearing a
cheap tie standing in front of a green
screen that you're going to see on this
channel and I'll tell you why this
station could soon be owned by Sinclair
broadcast group so you might see this
guy with this logo or
this desk and if you do just
know that wasn't produced by this
station because the people at this
station know that local news should
never be about cheap scaremongering or
advancing a political agenda it should
only be about weather Sports my team
investigations and human interest
stories featuring cute animals like this
pop belly
pig look at this little guy he's called
pork chop anyway I'm Steve sherifa
telling you if this becomes a s class
station good luck with that
[Applause]
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