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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAjit Pais Ties to Sinclair Broadcasting Under Investigation At FCC
http://fortune.com/2018/02/18/ajit-pai-sinclair-broadcasting-investigation/As reported by the New York Times, the investigation is focused on Pais decision to relax rules limiting the ownership of television stations by a single company. Pai reinstated a technologically obsolete rule known as the UHF discount, giving some television stations less weight in calculating whether a single owner exceeds a legal cap limiting its reach to 39% of the U.S. population.
That rule change effectively creates a loophole that would allow Sinclairs planned $3.9 billion acquisition of Tribune Media, which would put Sinclair stations in 72% of U.S. households. That would represent a historic level of media consolidation, which has long been criticized as a threat to healthy democratic discourse. Despite the spread of online news, television is still the dominant source of news for Americans.
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One major backer of the investigation into Pais decision is Frank Pallone, a Democratic Congressman from New Jersey. Pallone told the Times that for months I have been trying to get to the bottom of the allegations about Chairman Pais relationship with Sinclair Broadcasting. Some of those allegations were unearthed in a Times investigation last August, which found that Pai had communicated closely with Sinclair executives as he rolled back rules, and that his decisions often aligned closely with Sinclair priorities.
democratisphere
(17,235 posts)The Sinclair deal had better be stopped along with the proliferation of their propaganda pushing.
Fred Sanders
(23,946 posts)every federal government department is not on the trail of some massive Trump related corruption, not to mention many others.
democratisphere
(17,235 posts)uponit7771
(90,347 posts)Enoki33
(1,587 posts)destruction of our democracy by the dissemination of opinion as facts. Sinclair sees profits in propaganda. Their ownership expansion has to be eventually rolled back.
democratisphere
(17,235 posts)this much influence in news reporting and media.
mwooldri
(10,303 posts)If anything, there should be a Low VHF discount, as those low channels do not perform so well in the digital age. Stations that saw sense during the digital transition went *TO* UHF from VHF.
But yeah looks like current FCC changed the rules to benefit Sinclair Broadcast Group.
PaulX2
(2,032 posts)Haahahaaaahahaaaha.
Only poor powerless crooks get arrested.
The FBI would never look at obvious crimes committed by the filthy rich. Jails are to be filled by poor low lifes. Not "the haves" if anyone ever noticed.
ProudLib72
(17,984 posts)I hope Pai goes down over this.
Kurt V.
(5,624 posts)Stonepounder
(4,033 posts)He meant that he was going to drain it all into his Administration.
BobTheSubgenius
(11,564 posts)Again..NOTHING would surprise me these days.
SCVDem
(5,103 posts)This administration encourages it.
Can I get the final exit from Soylent Green?
RandomAccess
(5,210 posts)you can't help your friends. Right??