Deals

Sinclair to Sell and Still Run New York and Chicago Stations

Broadcaster outlines plans around Tribune deal in FCC filing
Sinclair needs approval from the FCC and Justice Department

Sinclair Broadcasting, Hunt Valley, MD.
Photographer: Jonathan Hanson/Bloomberg

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By Todd Shields

February 21, 2018 at 11:08 PM UTC

Updated on

February 22, 2018 at 2:41 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. said it would sell TV stations in New York and Chicago to help get regulators’ approval to buy Tribune Media Co. -- but the broadcaster also said it would still operate the properties that are crown jewels of the $3.9 billion proposed acquisition.

Selling New York’s WPIX and Chicago’s WGN was presented in a Sinclair filing Wednesday as a way to help meet the Federal Communications Commission’s limit for national audience reach, by knocking the population of two big cities out of the calculations.