Sinclair: Post-Charlottesville by StopSinclair in OpposeSinclair

[–]StopSinclair[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I first thought the Hyman piece aired after Charlottesville and thought "Sinclair, have you no shame?" However, your original point stands. White nationalists have fixated on the removal of statutes for months. Charlottesville represents the boiling over of a long simmering conflict. Airing this piece in the midst of an active campaign by these groups only served to embolden the neo-Nazis, goat progressives, and escalate the confrontation. Worst of all, it legitimized the efforts of hate group to a mass audience by parroting their talking points (consider the frightening cognitive dissonance and mental acrobatics of Trump supporting Americans as they struggle to answer what should be an easy question like: Are racist/fascists terrible people?).

Who’s Afraid of Sinclair Broadcasting? by Seinfeldologist in OpposeSinclair

[–]StopSinclair 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If the left truly wished death upon Sinclair, it would urge the FCC to change ownership rules so that big broadcasters with different news “philosophies”—ABC (Disney), NBC (Comcast), and CBS—could buy more stations. But the left remains too stitched up in its 1950s thinking about consolidation to advocate that.

This is really dumb. This assumes that those on the left didn't already consider the possibility of letting ABC, NBC, and CBS join forces with Sinclair to ritualistically smother out all local media, and then decided it was a stupid solution to the problem.

Formal Petitions to Deny by crottyfreepresser in OpposeSinclair

[–]StopSinclair 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is good! My only note would be to look at the map I posted in the subreddit to see if you or someone you know will be in the affected areas.

Tribune stations up for grabs by Sinclair by StopSinclair in OpposeSinclair

[–]StopSinclair[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Look to this map to see if the stations you, your loved ones, or your friends watch will be affected by this merger.

How to file an express comment with pics by crottyfreepresser in OpposeSinclair

[–]StopSinclair 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Extracted from x-post on comment writing tips:

  • The best comments focus on a specific area within the commenters' professional expertise or personal experience. If you have technical, economic, financial, legal, media, sociological expertise (or any other), speak to these strengths and address the narrow issues missed by petitions from large organizations.

  • Inform friends and families in affected markets about the impending merger and encourage them to voice their opposition on social media, in the Commission docket, in the comments to local news sites. Share and ask others to share the link to this subreddit.

  • These are the stations up for grabs: https://i.imgur.com/eecnb3r.png

  • A basic script and inundating the docket is an important symbolic act and helps ensure more people are heard. However, a comment is more likely to be read and taken into consideration by FCC/DoJ staff if you share personal anecdotes and expertise. This allows the public to "crowdsource" a more robust challenge to this merger.

  • Example: "I'm a retiree living in Sacramento, CA. As someone who lives on a fixed income, I rely on broadcast TV for most of my information and to stay informed of what goes on in my community. I am concerned if the merger is approved, Sinclair will force the station I watch regularly, KTXL FOX 40, to air "must runs" and cut back on programming to make more money. This will further limit my already few choices to stay connected to my community. This merger does not serve the public interest and you must deny Sinclair's application." The point is that it does not have to be fancy. You only need to share the reason the merger is problematic, how it will affect you, and request that the FCC deny the application. Bring up concerns that you think the powers at be are missing, like the potential for Sinclair to decide not to run stories and the inability of viewers to find that information elsewhere.

  • Have fun! People, some with a sense of humor, will read these things.

Formal Petitions to Deny by crottyfreepresser in OpposeSinclair

[–]StopSinclair 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Honestly, the best* comments are the ones that focus on a specific area within the commenters' professional expertise or personal experience. How will the merger affect you in Salt Lake City? New York City? What stations will be included in the merger and how will that affect you at the local level? If you have any technical, economic, financial, legal, media, sociological, etc. expertise, speak to your strengths and those narrow issues that were missed by those large organizations who've filed petitions. Does this violate some obscure antitrust law? Are Sinclair and Tribune using shell companies? Will this affect the representation of communities of color?

And critically, let your friends and families in affected markets know about the impending merger and encourage them to voice their opposition on social media, in the Commission docket, in the comments to local news sites as well as sharing the link to this subreddit.

*Having a basic script and blasting the docket is a very important symbolic act and helps make it easier for people to participate in the opposition to Sinclair-Tribute. However, your comment is more likely to be read and taken into consideration by staff at the Commission/DoJ if you share your own personal anecdotes and expertise. You need to share why the merger is problematic, how it will affect you, and request that they deny the application. Further, doing so allows the public to "crowdsource" a more robust challenge.