Petition to Deny Filed Against Sinclair License Renewal
The FCC should set the licenses of Sinclair and its sidecar companies Deerfield and Cunningham for hearing, said a petition to deny Tuesday against the renewal applications of Sinclair’s WBFF Baltimore, Cunningham’s WNUV Baltimore and Deerfield's WUTB Baltimore. Ihor Gawdiak,…
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the Columbia, Maryland, viewer, also filed a petition to deny against the FCC’s settlement with Sinclair (see 2006290054). A “litany of documents” show “the principals of Cunningham and Deerfield are cronies of Sinclair and have no stake or risk in the business,” Gawdiak said: “They are effectively employees who serve at the whim of Sinclair.” The same ownership issues that led to the hearing designation order exist in Sinclair’s relationships with Cunningham and Deerfield, the petition said. All of Deerfield's and Cunningham's leadership has “close, multiyear connections to Sinclair or one of its controlling shareholders,” and a web of agreements limiting the decisions the companies' nominal owners can make without Sinclair’s permission meant they have no control over their daily operations, the petition said. Cunningham CEO Michael Anderson can't buy any equipment, and records appear to indicate Cunningham doesn't own any broadcast equipment, Gawdiak said. Sinclair guarantees much of Deerfield's and Cunningham's debs and compensates them for expenses, and agreements require principals of Cunningham and Deerfield Sinclair to assign the agreements to a third party of Sinclair’s choosing, the petition said. Sinclair didn’t comment.