Sinclair, Inc.

Sinclair, Inc. (SBGI), commonly known as Sinclair Broadcast Group, is an American telecommunications conglomerate and one of the largest television-station operators in the United States. Since its founding in 1971, the company has expanded to own or operate 178 television stations in 78 markets, covering more than 40% of U.S. households. Sinclair also owns regional sports cable networks, digital multicast networks (diginets), and streaming services.

By the early 21st century, Sinclair’s stations had reduced local news coverage in favor of national content and often aired editorials aligned more closely with conservative political positions than those of other broadcasters in the same markets. The company is headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland, an unincorporated community near Baltimore.

Early history and growth

Sinclair Broadcast Group was founded by Julian Sinclair Smith as Chesapeake Television Corporation with the launching of WBFF, an independent station in Baltimore, on April 11, 1971. In 1986 Smith and his sons—David, Fred, Duncan, and Robert—consolidated Smith’s three independent stations in Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Columbus, Ohio, under the Sinclair name. David D. Smith became chief executive officer (CEO) in 1988 and spearheaded the company’s aggressive expansion, often using local marketing agreements to operate stations licensed to other owners.

In 1995, Sinclair went public, with the Smith family retaining control. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 relaxed broadcast ownership limits, enabling Sinclair’s rapid expansion. That year, its purchase of River City Broadcasting expanded its portfolio to 28 television and 23 radio stations. By decade’s end, Sinclair had sold off its radio assets, grown to 89 television stations, and relocated its headquarters to Hunt Valley.

2000s–2010s Expansion

During the transition to digital broadcasting in the 2000s, Sinclair added digital subchannels and profited from retransmission fees paid by cable operators. The company pursued new ventures, including the American Sports Channel (2014) and Sinclair Original Programming, while continuing large-scale station acquisitions.

In 2017, Sinclair sought to acquire Tribune Media, a deal that would have made it the nation’s largest broadcaster. Tribune withdrew in 2018 after federal regulators raised antitrust concerns. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) later fined Sinclair $48 million for disclosure violations in connection with the deal. Sinclair nonetheless expanded its holdings, launching the streaming service Stirr in 2019 and acquiring 19 Fox Sports regional networks, renamed Bally Sports, later that year.

Political reputation and controversies

Sinclair is widely known for conservative-leaning editorial practices. Its stations aired a documentary critical of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004 and required anchors to read scripted commentaries criticizing “fake news” in 2018. During the 2016 presidential election, Sinclair programming often portrayed Republican candidate Donald Trump more favorably than his opponent Hillary Clinton.

In 2020, the company pulled a planned segment that spread misinformation about COVID-19’s origins.

In 2025, Sinclair again attracted national attention when it joined Nexstar Media Group in refusing to air Jimmy Kimmel Live! after the host’s remarks about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Sinclair called Kimmel’s comments offensive, demanded an apology, and urged donations to Kirk’s family and Turning Point USA, the conservative youth-oriented political organization Kirk founded in 2012. The dispute came amid FCC scrutiny and political pressure on broadcasters from the Trump administration.

Strategic shifts and proposed merger

In August 2025, Sinclair proposed spinning off its Ventures division, which includes the Tennis Channel and other assets unrelated to broadcasting, and merging its broadcast operations with Tegna (TGNA), a rival owner of 64 stations that separated from Gannett Co. (GCI) in 2015. The bid valued Tegna shares at $25 to $30 each, a premium over a competing offer from Nexstar Media Group (NXST) of $22 a share.

At the time of its offer, Sinclair had a market value of about $1 billion and carried more than $4 billion in debt, leaving it at a financial disadvantage against larger rivals such as Nexstar, whose market value was about $6.3 billion. Those constraints complicated Sinclair’s bid for Tegna and influenced its broader merger strategy. In the same month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit loosened FCC restrictions on local station ownership, a ruling that strengthened Sinclair’s case for the Tegna merger and was expected to encourage further consolidation in broadcasting.

Scripps stake and merger proposal

In November 2025, Sinclair acquired a roughly 8% stake in The E.W. Scripps Company (SSP) as part of an effort to pursue a possible merger between the two broadcasters. The share purchase furthered Sinclair’s pursuit of growth through consolidation following its earlier merger proposal to Tegna. Scripps owns more than 60 local television stations in over 40 markets in 22 states.

Days later, Sinclair submitted a formal bid to acquire all remaining shares in a cash-and-stock deal valuing Scripps at $538 million, or $7 a share—a 70% premium to the previous closing price of Scripps stock. The proposal would give Scripps shareholders a roughly 12% stake in the combined company. Scripps said its board would review the offer.