A US administrative law judge has dropped a hearing into Sinclair Broadcast’s US$3.9 billion bid to purchase Tribune Media because the deal had failed and further proceedings would be an “academic exercise.”
But Administrative Judge Jane Halprin said in an order released on Tuesday, March 5, allegations that Sinclair, the largest US broadcast station owner, may have misled regulators “are extremely serious charges that reasonably warrant a thorough examination.”
Tribune terminated the sale of 42 TV stations in 33 markets to Sinclair, which has 192 stations, in August. A month earlier the Federal Communications Commission referred the deal for a hearing, questioning Sinclair’s candor over the planned sale of some stations and suggesting Sinclair would effectively retain control over them.
Full Content: Variety
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