WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, released the following statement after Tribune Media Company announced it was “terminating” its merger agreement with Sinclair Broadcast Group.
“The termination of the Sinclair-Tribune merger is good news for people who depend on reliable and independent local news to stay informed. I’m proud to have worked with Senator Cantwell and the countless Americans who spoke up and helped stop this unprecedented corporate consolidation of local broadcasting. Any conglomerate this large would undermine independence and shut out diverse voices in the media and in local broadcasting. And this merger was especially dangerous given Sinclair executives’ blatant attempts to make local broadcasters parrot their political agenda—and Sinclair’s attempts to mislead the FCC to try and seize control of nearly 70 percent of local television audiences.”
