Sinclair Broadcasting Reaches 40% of U.S. Households Through 294 Stations - Largest Owner of Local TV Stations Maintains Propaganda Infrastructure

By October 2022, Sinclair Broadcast Group owned or operated 294 television stations across the United States in 89 markets, reaching approximately 40% of American households and maintaining its position as the nation’s largest owner of local television stations. This unprecedented concentration of local news infrastructure enabled Sinclair to inject centrally-mandated content into trusted local newscasts, systematically shift coverage away from local issues toward national partisan politics, and weaponize the credibility of local journalism for coordinated propaganda—demonstrating how media consolidation directly threatens democratic discourse.

Academic research documented the systematic distortion Sinclair’s ownership caused. A study by Gregory J. Martin and Josh McCrain published in Political Communication found that “stations bought by Sinclair reduce coverage of local politics, increase national coverage and move the ideological tone of coverage in a conservative direction.” Specifically, Sinclair acquisition increased coverage of national politics by roughly 25% and decreased coverage of local politics by roughly 10%—a deliberate editorial shift that undermined local journalism’s core democratic function of holding local officials accountable.

The impact on newsroom capacity was even more severe. Research showed that “the amount of news content published overall steeply declined after a Sinclair acquisition. For instance, at one Montana station, the average number of stories produced weekly dropped from 410 pre-acquisition to 160 post-acquisition. For five out of six stations, local news content continued to slide.” This represented a 61% reduction in local news coverage—replaced not with quality national reporting but with cheaper, centrally-produced content and mandatory political commentary.

Studies identified a measurable “Sinclair Effect” in broadcast journalism: “Sinclair-owned affiliate stories exhibited more cable news-style elements,” including “more stories with dramatic elements, commentary, and partisan sources.” This transformation turned local news—traditionally focused on community events, local government, schools, and weather—into vehicles for partisan messaging disguised as journalism. The research showed that while stations “generally adhered to traditional journalistic principles, regardless of ownership,” Sinclair stations systematically incorporated propaganda techniques more associated with cable news opinion programming.

The 294-station infrastructure gave Sinclair enormous political leverage. The company could mandate “must-run” segments across all stations simultaneously, forcing local anchors with deep community trust to deliver centrally-scripted content. This capability was publicly exposed in the March 2018 viral video showing dozens of Sinclair anchors reading identical scripts about “fake news”—a coordinated propaganda operation only possible because of Sinclair’s ownership concentration. From 2017-2019, Sinclair mandated nine weekly segments featuring former Trump White House aide Boris Epshteyn, injecting roughly 13.5 minutes of daily pro-Trump propaganda into local newscasts nationwide.

Sinclair’s market dominance made it politically untouchable despite documented propaganda operations. The company’s 2017-2018 attempt to acquire Tribune Media would have expanded its reach to nearly 72% of American households, but the FCC blocked the merger in July 2018 over concerns about sham divestitures and undisclosed conflicts of interest. Even after this failure, Sinclair maintained control over 294 stations reaching 40% of households—demonstrating that regulatory intervention only prevented worst-case consolidation scenarios rather than addressing existing concentration problems.

The 40% household reach meant Sinclair controlled local news in numerous swing states and could influence electoral outcomes through coverage decisions. The company’s documented coordination with Trump’s 2016 campaign—offering better coverage in exchange for more access—and the seamless hiring of Trump White House aide Epshteyn in 2017 demonstrated explicit political alignment. This alignment had measurable impacts: research showed that Sinclair ownership affected viewer attitudes and voting behavior, with exposure to Sinclair-owned stations correlating with increased support for Republican candidates.

The democratic threat posed by Sinclair’s 294-station empire extends beyond partisan bias to the systematic destruction of local journalism’s civic function. By reducing local political coverage, cutting newsroom staff by 61%, shifting to national political narratives, and injecting must-run propaganda segments, Sinclair transformed local news from a check on local power into a tool for national political coordination. Communities served by Sinclair stations receive less information about school board decisions, city council meetings, zoning changes, local corruption, or community issues—the exact information citizens need to participate effectively in local democracy.

Sinclair’s maintenance of 40% household reach in 2022, despite years of documented propaganda scandals, demonstrated complete regulatory capture. The FCC had the authority to review broadcast license renewals based on whether stations served “the public interest, convenience, and necessity”—but Sinclair stations continued operating despite systematically undermining local journalism, reducing community coverage, and injecting partisan propaganda into newscasts. The failure to enforce broadcast license standards or prevent this level of ownership concentration represents abdication of regulatory responsibility and enables ongoing threats to democratic discourse.

The 294-station Sinclair empire stands as evidence that media consolidation is incompatible with democratic journalism. When a single politically-aligned corporation controls local news reaching 40% of Americans, “local news” becomes a fiction—replaced by centrally-mandated content designed to advance corporate and partisan political interests while exploiting the trust communities place in local anchors and stations.