Jay Rosen on Sinclair Broadcast Group

An important essay by Jay Rosen of NYU Journalism school: Sinclair Broadcast Group: What Are They Doing in the Middle of Our Election?

Rosen explains why the Sinclair phenomenon is novel and important.

The Sinclair Broadcasting isn't just another profit-driven corporation. Sinclair is positioning itself as a political empire made of television stations. In order to position itself as the leading purveyor of right wing propaganda, Sinclair must accustom the public to its own high profile partisan presence. Consumers and regulators are still uncomfortable with overt interference by media outlets. At this point, Sinclair is less interested in short-term profitability than in reshaping the political and cultural climate.

Rosen writes:

Sinclair wants something to do with who wins in November. And it's willing to take actions once unthinkable because the company thinks differently about what is permitted in political television. To risk a public fight over interference in an election is a major departure for a local broadcaster. Not only law, but broadly understood custom once prohibited it.

It would be a mistake to think of Sinclair as just one more company jockeying for favors in an election year.

[Via Orcinus.]

Edit: Fubar of Needlenose estimates that Sinclair's 11th hour favor is worth up to $2.5 billion. That's what it would have cost the Bush team to buy 42 minutes of airtime in those markets at the going rates.