美国国家公共电台 NPR Sinclair Broadcast Group Has Deal To Buy Tribune Media's TV Stations

 

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Sinclair Broadcast Group is based in Maryland. This is a conservative company that owns more local TV stations than any other company in the country. And Sinclair is about to get bigger with a $3.9 billion deal with Tribune Media. If regulators approve this deal - and that's likely - Sinclair would own - or run more than 200 stations as NPR's David Folkenflik reports.

DAVID FOLKENFLIK, BYLINE¹: It is the opposite of a household name, but Sinclair is well known in both media and political circles. While it is publicly traded, the company is controlled by the four Smith brothers of Baltimore County. Their push for expansion has been impressive, but their reach has largely been limited to smaller to medium markets. The Tribune Media deal would give Sinclair entree² to the nation's three largest markets in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. And it would have a place in seven of the nation's top 10 markets.

Sinclair agreed to take on $2.7 billion in debt to do the deal. Under the leadership of new chairman, Ajit Pai, the Federal Communications Commission has relaxed regulations that would have made it harder for Sinclair to expand. The company's conservative philosophy plays out in the commentaries that run on many of its stations, and in its news coverage³ as well, which has created tensions within its newsrooms over the years. During last year's campaign, Sinclair gave Donald Trump⁴ sympathetic coverage and required stations to broadcast certain must-run stories that reflected poorly on Democratic nominee⁵ Hillary Clinton.

In December, Politico reported that Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, boasted the campaign had traded access for favorable treatment by Sinclair, a claim the company rejected. The Smith brothers have produced programs to run on stations throughout its chain in the past, and they've toyed with the possibility of creating a national conservative outlet⁶ to compete with Fox News. A top Sinclair official called the deal transformational yesterday, suggesting that the acquisition may put them closer to those ambitions. David Folkenflik, NPR News.

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 entree   

n.入场权，进入权

参考例句：

• She made a graceful entree into the ballroom.她进入舞厅时显示非常优雅。
• Her wealth and reputation gave her entree into upper-class circles.她的财富和声望使她得以进入上层社会。

3 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

4 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

5 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

6 outlet   

n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄

参考例句：

• The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。
• Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。