Media Action Center is a nonprofit group of concerned residents throughout the United States led by former Emmy-winning broadcaster turned media democracy advocate Sue Wilson. We successfully influence policy at the Federal Communications Commission and at local US TV and Radio stations to ensure We the People are truly served by Our publicly owned airwaves. MAC joined Frequency Forward in filing a Motion to Intervene in ABC/Disney v FCC to ensure viewers, who own the Public Airwaves and whose rights are paramount, has a seat at the table. MAC also joined a current Petition to Deny the broadcast licenses of DISNEY ABC at the FCC. In 2017, MAC forced Entercom to give up its $13.5 million license to KDND for killing a woman in a radio water drinking stunt. That same year MAC empowered local listeners across the country to take Alex Jones off their local radio dials. In 2000, we informed the Supreme Court in FCC v Prometheus Radio that multiple local TV stations with one corporate owner merely duplicate news stories on all its stations; a similar methodology is currently being used in legal cases trying to prevent the Nexstar/TEGNA merger.

Find full journalistic coverage of all this plus Sinclair Broadcasting's shell game and other public interest media issues at SueWilsonReports.com. See also Wilson's documentary "Broadcast Blues" which is more relevant today than when it premiered in 2009. Broadcast Blues.

Top Broadcasters Controlling Two Local Network Affiliate Stations in Same Local Market

 December 19, 2020

 

MAC Survey of Local Market News Content

As we consider whether the FCC should change the rules concerning how many local TV stations one company may license in one community, Media Action Center wanted to know how many local markets (Designated Market Areas or “DMAs”) already have one station group owning more than one Top Four (network affiliate) station. If so, in which markets, what size of markets, the minority population of those markets, and whether those stations offer the same or different local news on their two separate network affiliates.

Media Action Center researched this question to demonstrate that local news operations often result very similar, if not identical, news coverage on multiple TV stations in a single local market. These combinations are not adding anything to local news coverage in these communities.

 

Methodology:

Media Action Center volunteers researched the top ten largest TV Station groups in the country as defined by total revenue to provide such data. The data we produced is subject to some interpretation, but at least provides a snapshot for consideration. Volunteers reviewed websites, copyright information and local news reports to identify patterns. The Data Tables for every station group are provided below with hyperlinks for easy access for readers to independently review the findings. This research is not peer reviewed but does offer baseline information to illustrate the current state of local news in the communities studied.


 
NEXSTAR
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1o7KjXrH2576Mm1vu6kW63hPvu41NKlZZ

SINCLAIR BROADCASTING 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VSJiPmv8sgqbT_LJ-fiQmt1tGT0LkQVG

GRAY TV                                                                                                                        https://drive.google.com/file/d/1snw-ROVs0x_CaJwJ5HmAqAdasgXhgInQ

SCRIPPS                                                                                                                                     https://drive.google.com/file/d/1k7kNDzjN3OGzm69zQsuZEGXTBMpG_VkI

TEGNA
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YQfTwJFAwhIa93xx1jnazB7O_FbhgsHv