title: Gentamicin

text: Kidney dysfunction is monitored by measuring creatinine in the blood, electrolyte levels, urine output, presence of protein in the urine, and concentrations of other chemicals, such as urea, in the blood.


title: Gentamicin

text: About 11% of the population who receives aminoglycosides experience damage to their inner ear. The common symptoms of inner ear damage include tinnitus, hearing loss, vertigo, trouble with coordination, and dizziness. Chronic use of gentamicin can affect two areas of the ears. First, damage of the inner ear hair cells can result in irreversible hearing loss. Second, damage to the inner ear vestibular apparatus can lead to balance problems. To reduce the risk of ototoxicity during treatment, it is recommended to stay hydrated.


title: Gentamicin

text: Gentamicin is a bactericidal antibiotic that works by binding the 30S subunit of the bacterial ribosome, negatively impacting protein synthesis. The primary mechanism of action is generally accepted to work through ablating the ability of the ribosome to discriminate on proper transfer RNA and messenger RNA interactions. Typically, if an incorrect tRNA pairs with an mRNA codon at the aminoacyl site of the ribosome, adenosines 1492 and 1493 are excluded from the interaction and retract, signaling the ribosome to reject the aminoacylated tRNA::Elongation Factor Thermo-Unstable complex. However, when gentamicin binds at helix 44 of the 16S rRNA, it forces the adenosines to maintain the position they take when there is a correct, or cognate, match between aa-tRNA and mRNA. This leads to the acceptance of incorrect aa-tRNAs, causing the ribosome to synthesize proteins with wrong amino acids placed throughout (roughly every 1 in 500). The non-functional, mistranslated proteins misfold and aggregate, eventually leading to death of the bacterium. A secondary mechanism has been proposed based on crystal structures of gentamicin in a secondary binding site at helix 69 of the 23S rRNA, which interacts with helix 44 and proteins that recognize stop codons. At this secondary site, gentamicin is believed to preclude interactions of the ribosome with ribosome recycling factors, causing the two subunits of the ribosome to stay complexed even after translation completes. This creates a pool of inactive ribosomes that can no longer re-initiate and translate new proteins.


title: Gentamicin

text: Since gentamicin is derived from the species "Micromonospora", the backbone for this antibiotic is the aminocyclitol 2-deoxystreptamine. This six carbon ring is substituted at the carbon positions 4 and 6 by the amino sugar molecules cyclic purpurosamine and garosamine, respectively. The gentamicin complex, is differentiated into five major components (C, C, C, C, C) and multiple minor components by substitution at the 6' carbon of the purpurosamine unit indicated in the image to the right by R and R. The R and R can have the follow substitutions for some of the species in the gentamicin complex.


title: Gentamicin

text: Gentamicin is composed of a number of related gentamicin components and fractions which have varying degrees of antimicrobial potency. The main components of gentamicin include members of the gentamicin C complex: gentamicin C, gentamicin C, and gentamicin C which compose approximately 80% of gentamicin and have been found to have the highest antibacterial activity. Gentamicin A, B, X, and a few others make up the remaining 20% of gentamicin and have lower antibiotic activity than the gentamicin C complex. The exact composition of a given sample or lot of gentamicin is not well defined, and the level of gentamicin C components or other components in gentamicin may differ from lot-to-lot depending on the gentamicin manufacturer or manufacturing process. Because of this lot-to-lot variability, it can be difficult to study various properties of gentamicin including pharmacokinetics and microorganism susceptibility if there is an unknown combination of chemically related but different compounds.


title: Gentamicin

text: The complete biosynthesis of gentamicin is not entirely elucidated. The genes controlling the biosynthesis of gentamicin are of particular interest due to the difficulty in obtaining the antibiotic after production. Since gentamicin is collected at the cell surface and the cell surface must be perforated some how to obtain the antibiotic. Many propose the amount of gentamicin collected after production could increase if the genes are identified and re-directed to secrete the antibiotic instead of collecting gentamicin at the cell surface. Literature also agrees with the gentamicin biosynthesis pathway starting with D-Glucose-6-phosphate being dephopsphorylated, transaminated, dehydrogenated and finally glycosylated with D-glucosamine to generate paromamine inside "Micromonospora echinospora". The addition of D-xylose leads to the first intermediate of the gentamicin C complex pathway, gentamicin A2. Gentamicin A2 is C-methylated and epimerized into gentamicin X, the first branch point of this biosynthesis pathway


title: Gentamicin

text: When X is acted on by the cobalamin-dependent radical S-adenosyl-L-methionine enzyme GenK, the carbon position 6' is methylated to form the pharmacologically active intermediate G418 G418 then undergoes dehydrogenation and amination at the C6' position by the dehydrogenase gene, GenQ, to generate the pharmacologically active JI-20B, although another intermediate, 6'-dehydro-6'oxo-G418 (6'DOG) is proposed to be in-between this step and for which the gene GenB1 is proposed as the aminating gene. JI-20B is dehydroxylated and epimerized to first component of the gentamicin C complex, gentamicin C2a which then undergoes an epimerization by GenB2 and then a N-methylation by an unconfirmed gene to form the final product in this branch point, gentamicin C1.


title: Gentamicin

text: When X bypasses GenK and is directly dehydrogenated and aminated by the GenQ enzyme, the other pharmacologically relevant intermediate JI-20A is formed. Although, there has been identification of an intermediate for this step, 6'-dehydro-6'-oxo-gentamicin X2 (6'-DOX), for which the enzyme GenB1 is purposed as the aminating enzyme. JI-20A is then dehydroxylated into the first component of the gentamicin C complex for this branch, gentamicin C1a via a catalytic reaction with GenB4. C1a then undergoes an N-methylation by an unconfirmed enzyme to form the final component, gentamicin C2b.


title: Gentamicin

text: Gentamicin is only synthesized via submerged fermentation and inorganic sources of nutrients have been found to reduce production. Traditional fermentation used yeast beef broth, but there has been research into optimizing the growth medium for producing gentamicin C complex due to the C complex currently being the only pharmaceutically relevant component. The main components of the growth medium are carbon sources, mainly sugars, but several studies found increased gentamicin production by adding vegetable and fish oils and decreased gentamicin production with the addition of glucose, xylose and several carboxylic acids. Tryptone and various forms of yeast and yeast derivatives are traditionally used as the nitrogen source in the growth medium, but several amino acids, soybean meal, corn steep liquor, ammonium sulfate, and ammonium chloride have proven to be beneficial additives. Phosphate ions, metal ions (cobalt and a few others at low concentration), various vitamins (mostly B vitamins), purine and pyrimidine bases are also supplemented into the growth medium to increase gentamicin production, but the margin of increase is dependent on the species of "Micromonospora" and the other components in the growth medium. With all of these aforementioned additives, pH and aeration are key determining factors for the amount of gentamicin produced. A range of pH from 6.8 to 7.5 is used for gentamicin biosynthesis and the aeration is determined by independent experimentation reliant on type of growth medium and species of "Micromonospora".


title: Gentamicin

text: Gentamicin is produced by the fermentation of "Micromonospora purpurea". It was discovered in 1963 by Weinstein, Wagman et al. at Schering Corporation in Bloomfield, N.J. while working with source material (soil samples) provided by Rico Woyciesjes. When "Micromonospora purpurea" grows in culture it is a vivid purple colour similar to the colour of the dye Gentian Violet and hence this was why Gentamicin took then name it did. Subsequently, it was purified and the structures of its three components were determined by Cooper, et al., also at the Schering Corporation. It was initially used as a topical treatment for burns at burn units in Atlanta and San Antonio and was introduced into IV usage in 1971. It remains a mainstay for use in sepsis.


title: Gentamicin

text: It is synthesized by "Micromonospora", a genus of Gram-positive bacteria widely present in the environment (water and soil). According to the American Medical Association Committee on Generic Names, antibiotics not produced by "Streptomyces" should not use "y" in the ending of the name, and to highlight their specific biological origins, gentamicin and other related antibiotics produced by this genus (verdamicin, mutamicin, sisomicin, netilmicin, and retymicin) have their spellings ending in "~micin" and not in "~mycin".


title: Gentamicin

text: Gentamicin is also used in molecular biology research as an antibacterial agent in tissue and cell culture, to prevent contamination of sterile cultures. Gentamicin is one of the few heat-stable antibiotics that remain active even after autoclaving, which makes it particularly useful in the preparation of some microbiological growth media.


title: Paronychia

text: Paronychia is an inflammation of the skin around the nail, which can occur suddenly, when it is usually due to the bacterium "Staphylococcus aureus", or gradually when it is commonly caused by the fungus "Candida albicans". The term is from from "para" 'around', "onyx" 'nail', and the abstract noun suffix "-ia".


title: Paronychia

text: Risk factors include repeatedly washing hands and trauma to the cuticle such as may occur from repeated nail biting or hangnails.


title: Paronychia

text: Treatment includes antibiotics and antifungals, and if pus is present, the consideration of incision and drainage.


title: Paronychia

text: Paronychia is an inflammation of the skin around the nail, which can occur suddenly (acute), when it is usually due to the bacterium "Staphylococcus aureus", or gradually (chronic) when it is commonly caused by "Candida albicans".


title: Paronychia

text: The index and middle fingers are most commonly affected and may present with redness, swelling and pain. Pus or discharge may be present.


title: Paronychia

text: Acute paronychia is usually caused by bacteria. It is often treated with antibiotics, either topical (applied to the skin) or oral (taken by mouth), or both. Chronic paronychia is most often caused by a yeast infection of the soft tissues around the nail, but can also be traced to a bacterial infection. If the infection is continuous, the cause is often fungal and needs antifungal cream or paint to be treated.


title: Paronychia

text: Risk factors include repeatedly washing hands and trauma to the cuticle such as may occur from repeated nail biting or hangnails. In the context of bartending, it is known as "bar rot".


title: Paronychia

text: Prosector's paronychia is a primary inoculation of tuberculosis of the skin and nails, named after its association with prosectors, who prepare specimens for dissection. Paronychia around the entire nail is sometimes referred to as "runaround paronychia".


title: Paronychia

text: Painful paronychia in association with a scaly, erythematous, keratotic rash (papules and plaques) of the ears, nose, fingers, and toes may be indicative of acrokeratosis paraneoplastica, which is associated with squamous-cell carcinoma of the larynx.


title: Paronychia

text: Paronychia can occur with diabetes, drug-induced immunosuppression, or systemic diseases such as pemphigus.


title: Paronychia

text: Acute paronychia is an infection of the folds of tissue surrounding the nail of a finger or, less commonly, a toe, lasting less than six weeks. The infection generally starts in the paronychium at the side of the nail, with local redness, swelling, and pain. Acute paronychia is usually caused by direct or indirect trauma to the cuticle or nail fold, and may be from relatively minor events, such as dishwashing, an injury from a splinter or thorn, nail biting, biting or picking at a hangnail, finger sucking, an ingrown nail, or manicure procedures.


title: Paronychia

text: Chronic paronychia is an infection of the folds of tissue surrounding the nail of a finger or, less commonly, a toe, lasting more than six weeks. It is a nail disease prevalent in individuals whose hands or feet are subject to moist local environments, and is often due to contact dermatitis. In chronic paronychia, the cuticle separates from the nail plate, leaving the region between the proximal nail fold and the nail plate vulnerable to infection. It can be the result of dish washing, finger sucking, aggressively trimming the cuticles, or frequent contact with chemicals (mild alkalis, acids, etc.).


title: Paronychia

text: When no pus is present, warm soaks for acute paronychia are reasonable, though evidence to support its use is lacking.


title: Paronychia

text: Chronic paronychia is treated by avoiding whatever is causing it, a topical antifungal, and a topical steroid. In those who do not improve following these measures, oral antifungals and steroids may be used or the nail fold may be removed surgically.


title: Paronychia

text: No strong evidence has been found to recommend topical vs. oral antibiotics, and this may be physician-dependent based on experience. Antibiotics used should have "S. aureus" coverage. Topical antibiotics used may be a triple antibiotic ointment, bacitracin, or mupirocin. In patients failing topical treatment or more severe cases, oral antibiotics are an option; dicloxacillin or cephalexin can be used. Indications for antibiotics with anaerobic coverage include patients where a concern exists for oral inoculation; this would require the addition of clindamycin or amoxicillin-clavulanate.


title: Paronychia

text: Antibiotics such as clindamycin or cephalexin are also often used, the first being more effective in areas where MRSA is common. If signs of an abscess (the presence of pus) are seen, drainage is recommended.


title: Paronychia

text: Paronychia is more common in women than in men, by a ratio of three to one. Usually, they affect manual-labor workers or people in occupations that require them to have their hands or feet submerged in water for prolonged periods (e.g., dishwashers). Middle-aged females are at the highest risk of infection.


title: Dorian Gray (2009 film)

text: Dorian Gray is a 2009 British dark fantasy horror film based on Oscar Wilde's 1890 novel "The Picture of Dorian Gray", directed by Oliver Parker, and written by Toby Finlay (his first screenplay). The film stars Ben Barnes, Colin Firth, Rebecca Hall, Ben Chaplin, Emilia Fox, and Rachel Hurd-Wood. It tells the story of the title character, an attractive Englishman whose loveliness and spirit are captured in an enchanted painting that keeps him from aging. His portrait becomes further tainted with every sin he commits while he remains young and handsome.


title: Dorian Gray (2009 film)

text: "Dorian Gray" was released in the United Kingdom on 9 September 2009, by Momentum Pictures, having competed in the Official Fantàstic Competition at the 2009 Sitges Film Festival.


title: Dorian Gray (2009 film)

text: When a naive young Dorian Gray arrives in Victorian London to inherit an estate left to him by his abusive grandfather, he is swept into a social whirlwind by the charismatic Lord Henry "Harry" Wotton, who introduces Gray to the hedonistic pleasures of the city. Lord Henry's friend, society artist Basil Hallward, paints a portrait of Gray to capture his beauty. Gray makes a flippant pledge: he would give anything to stay as he is in the picture—even his soul.


title: Dorian Gray (2009 film)

text: Gray falls in love with budding young actress, Sibyl Vane, and proposes marriage. Lord Henry tells Gray that having children is "the beginning of the end", and after the two men visit a brothel, Gray leaves Sibyl. Heartbroken, the young woman commits suicide by drowning. Gray learns of her death from her brother, James ("Jim"), who reveals that Sybil was pregnant with Gray's child. Enraged, Jim tries to kill Gray before being carried off by the authorities. Gray's initial grief soon disappears as Lord Henry persuades him that all events are mere experiences and without consequence. His hedonistic lifestyle worsens, distancing him from a concerned Hallward.


title: Dorian Gray (2009 film)

text: Gray finds that Hallward's portrait of him has become warped and twisted, and realises that his off-hand pledge has come true; while the portrait ages, its owner's sins manifest as physical defects on the canvas. This results in Hallward's brutal murder after the artist reveals his secret. Gray dismembers and dumps Hallward's body in the River Thames, but the remains are recovered and buried.


title: Dorian Gray (2009 film)

text: Gray decides to travel the world and invites Lord Henry, but he declines, citing his wife's pregnancy. After a 25-year absence, Gray stuns everyone at the welcoming party with his unchanged youthful appearance. He becomes close to Lord Henry's daughter, Emily, a member of the UK suffragette movement, much to her father's disapproval.


title: Dorian Gray (2009 film)

text: Although Gray appears interested in changing his ways for Emily, matters are complicated when he is confronted by Jim. Jim is killed by an oncoming train while pursuing Gray in the London Underground. As Gray makes arrangements to leave London with Emily, Lord Henry's suspicions are confirmed when a study of old photographs triggers a memory where Gray had suggested that he would exchange his soul in return for eternal youth and beauty.


title: Dorian Gray (2009 film)

text: Lord Henry discovers the concealed portrait and Basil's blood-stained scarf. Gray declares that he is the personification of the life Lord Henry had fantasised about. Gray attempts to strangle Lord Henry but Lord Henry knocks him aside and exposes the portrait. Horrified at the twisted sight on the canvas, Lord Henry sets it alight and locks the attic to ensure that Gray and the painting are destroyed. Gray confesses his love for Emily and turns his back as Lord Henry drags his daughter out of the burning mansion. Resolving to end his suffering, Gray impales the painting with a poker, causing his body to age rapidly before the attic is consumed by an explosion.


title: Dorian Gray (2009 film)

text: A few months later, following a futile attempt to reconcile with Emily, Lord Henry, with his face partially burned, heads to his attic where he keeps the portrait of Gray as it was when Hallward painted it, grimly noting that nobody will look at it now. The portrait's eyes glow, implying that Gray's restless essence still resides within the painting, even after the destruction of his physical self.


title: Dorian Gray (2009 film)

text: Supporting parts are played by Pip Torrens as Victor, Gray's valet; Jo Woodcock as Lord and Lady Radley's daughter Celia; Max Irons as Lucius, a young man whom Gray assaults at a party for touching the key to the attic door; David Sterne as the theatre manager who first introduces Gray to Sibyl; and Douglas Henshall as Alan Campbell, an acquaintance of Gray's who is present when Jim Vane tries to strangle Gray.


title: Dorian Gray (2009 film)

text: The film began shooting in summer 2008 at Ealing Studios and locations across London and finished in October. The film received £500,000 of National Lottery funding via the UK Film Council's Premiere Fund.


title: Dorian Gray (2009 film)

text: The film received mixed reviews. , the film holds an approval rating of 44% on film review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 39 reviews with an average rating of 5/10. The site's critical consensus states: "Despite a lavish and polished production, "Dorian Gray" is tame and uninspired with a lifeless performance by Ben Barnes in the title role."


title: Nuclear power by country

text: The United States is the largest producer of nuclear power, while France has the largest share of electricity generated by nuclear power, at about 70%.


title: Nuclear power by country

text: China has the fastest growing nuclear power programme with 16 new reactors under construction, followed by India, which has 8 under construction.


title: Nuclear power by country

text: Among them, Italy closed all of its nuclear stations by 1990 and nuclear power has since been discontinued because of the 1987 referendums.


title: Nuclear power by country

text: Kazakhstan is planning to reintroduce nuclear power in the future. Belarus began operating one unit of its first nuclear power plant in June 2021 and expects to bring the second unit into operation in 2022.


title: Nuclear power by country

text: Spain and Switzerland are currently operating nuclear power plants while planning nuclear power phase-outs. Germany will complete the shut down of its nuclear fleet in 2022 and any restart has been ruled out on technical grounds.


title: Nuclear power by country

text: Taiwan is considering a phase-out. Austria (Zwentendorf Nuclear Power Plant) and the Philippines (Bataan Nuclear Power Plant) never started to use their first nuclear plants that were completely built.


title: Nuclear power by country

text: Sweden and Belgium originally had phase-out policies however they have now moved away from their original plans. The Philippines relaunched their nuclear programme on February 28, 2022 and may soon operate the mothballed Bataan Plant.


title: Nuclear power by country

text: Due to financial, political and technical reasons, Cuba, Libya and Poland never completed the construction of their first nuclear plants, and Australia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ghana, Ireland, Kuwait, Oman, Peru and Singapore never built their planned first nuclear plants. Some of these countries are still planning to introduce nuclear power. As of 2020, Poland is in advanced planning phase for 1.5 GW and plans to have up to 9 GW by 2040.


title: Nuclear power by country

text: Hong Kong has no nuclear power plants within its boundary, but imports 80% of the electricity generated from Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station located across the border, in which the power company of the territory holds stake. The government had also proposed to increase the share of nuclear energy to 50%.


title: Nuclear power by country

text: In 2021, Iraq declared it plans to build 8 nuclear reactors by 2030 to supply up to 25% electric power in the grid that suffers from shortages.


title: Nuclear power by country

text: Of the 32 countries in which nuclear power plants operate, only France, Slovakia, Ukraine and Belgium use them as the source for a majority of the country's electricity supply as of 2021. Other countries have significant amounts of nuclear power generation capacity. By far the largest nuclear electricity producers are the United States with 771,638 GWh of nuclear electricity in 2021, followed by China with 383,205 GWh. As of August 2022, 438 reactors with a net capacity of 393,333 MWe are operational, and 56 reactors with net capacity of 57,848 MWe are under construction. Of the reactors under construction, 17 reactors with 17,365 MWe are in China and 8 reactors with a capacity of 6,028 MWe are in India.


title: Order of the Eastern Star

text: The Order of the Eastern Star is a Masonic appendant body open to both men and women. It was established in by lawyer and educator Rob Morris, a noted Freemason, and adopted and approved as an appendant body of the Masonic Fraternity in 1873. The order is based on some teachings from the Bible, and is open to people of all religious beliefs. It has approximately 10,000 chapters in twenty countries and approximately 500,000 members under its General Grand Chapter.


title: Order of the Eastern Star

text: Members of the Order of the Eastern Star are aged 18 and older; men must be Master Masons and women must have specific relationships with Masons. Originally, a woman would have to be the daughter, widow, wife, sister, or mother of a Master Mason. The Order now allows other relatives as well as allowing Job's Daughters, Rainbow Girls, Members of the Organization of Triangles (NY only) and members of the Constellation of Junior Stars (NY only) to become members when of age.


title: Order of the Eastern Star

text: The Order was created by Rob Morris in 1850 when he was teaching at the Eureka Masonic College in Richland, Mississippi. While confined by illness, he set down the principles of the order in his "Rosary of the Eastern Star". By 1855, he had organized a "Supreme Constellation" in New York, which chartered chapters throughout the United States.


title: Order of the Eastern Star

text: In 1866, Dr. Morris started working with Robert Macoy, and handed the Order over to him while Morris was traveling in the Holy Land. Macoy organized the current system of Chapters, and modified Dr. Morris' "Rosary" into a "Ritual".


title: Order of the Eastern Star

text: On December 1, 1874, Queen Esther Chapter No. 1 became the first Prince Hall Affiliate chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star when it was established in Washington, D.C. by Thornton Andrew Jackson.


title: Order of the Eastern Star

text: The "General Grand Chapter" was formed in Indianapolis, Indiana on November 6, 1876. Committees formed at that time created the "Ritual of the Order of the Eastern Star" in more or less its current form.


title: Order of the Eastern Star

text: The emblem of the Order is a five-pointed star with the white ray of the star pointing downwards towards the manger. The meaning of the letters FATAL surrounding the center pentagon in the emblem is only revealed to members of the Order. In the Chapter room, the downward-pointing white ray points to the West. The character-building lessons taught in the Order are stories inspired by Biblical figures:


title: Order of the Eastern Star

text: Traditionally, a woman who is elected Associate Conductress will be elected to Conductress the following year, then the next year Associate Matron, and the next year Worthy Matron. A man elected Associate Patron will usually be elected Worthy Patron the following year. Usually the woman who is elected to become Associate Matron will let it be known who she wishes to be her Associate Patron, so the next year they will both go to the East together as Worthy Matron and Worthy Patron. There is no male counterpart to the Conductress and Associate Conductress. Only women are allowed to be Matrons, Conductresses, and the Star Points (Adah, Ruth, etc.) and only men can be Patrons.


title: Order of the Eastern Star

text: Once a member has served a term as Worthy Matron or Worthy Patron, they may use the post-nominal letters, PM or PP respectively.


title: Order of the Eastern Star

text: The General Grand Chapter headquarters, the International Temple, is located in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C., in the Perry Belmont Mansion. The mansion was built in 1909 for the purpose of entertaining the guests of Perry Belmont. They included Britain's Prince of Wales in 1919. General Grand Chapter purchased the building in 1935. The secretary of General Grand Chapter lives there while serving his or her term of office. The mansion features works of art from around the world, most of which were given as gifts from various international Eastern Star chapters.


title: Order of the Eastern Star

text: The Order has a charitable foundation and from 1986 to 2001 contributed $513,147 to Alzheimer's disease research, juvenile diabetes research, and juvenile asthma research. It also provides bursaries to students of theology and religious music, as well as other scholarships that differ by jurisdiction. In 2000 over $83,000 was donated. Many jurisdictions support a Masonic and/or Eastern Star retirement center or nursing home for older members; some homes are also open to the public. The Elizabeth Bentley OES Scholarship Fund was started in 1947.


title: Order of the Eastern Star

text: The Prince Hall Order of the Eastern Star is the predominantly African-American equivalent of the Order of the Eastern Star.


title: Victoria Gotti

text: Victoria Gotti (born November 27, 1962) is an American writer and television personality. She is best known for being the daughter of Gambino crime family Mafia boss John Gotti.


title: Victoria Gotti

text: Victoria Gotti was born November 27, 1962, in Brooklyn, New York City. Her parents are mob boss John Gotti and Victoria (DiGiorgio) Gotti, whose father was of Italian descent, and mother was of half Italian half Russian ancestry. Gotti was raised in a two-story house in Howard Beach, New York, with her four siblings, which include brother John A. Gotti, sister Angel, and her younger brother Frank, whom she referred to as her "little doll".


title: Victoria Gotti

text: Victoria Gotti was a columnist at the "New York Post" and a reporter for WNYW, the New York City flagship station of the Fox Television Network.


title: Victoria Gotti

text: In 1995, Gotti wrote her first book, "Women and Mitral Valve Prolapse", which was inspired by and documented her own struggle with the illness. In 1997, she published her mystery novel "The Senator's Daughter", followed by more: "I'll Be Watching You" (1998), "Superstar" (2000), and "Hot Italian Dish" (2006). She additionally wrote the memoirs "This Family of Mine: What It Was Like Growing Up Gotti" (2009).


title: Victoria Gotti

text: From August 2004 until December 2005, Gotti was the star of "Growing Up Gotti", an American reality television series on the A&E Network, on which she starred with her three sons. In August 2005, days before the third season premiere of "Growing Up Gotti", Gotti stated that she had breast cancer. However, after being accused of faking her illness by various media outlets, she admitted soon after her initial announcement that she did have precancerous cells present in her breast, rather than an actual diagnosis.


title: Victoria Gotti

text: In early 2012, Gotti appeared as one of 18 contestants on the American reality television series "Celebrity Apprentice", which premiered on February 19. Gotti was eliminated in week 2 of the competition.


title: Victoria Gotti

text: On September 22, 2013, Gotti made a guest appearance on "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" alongside cast member Teresa Giudice, appearing in the season 5 episode "Hair We Go Again". She appeared on the show again in the season 6 episode "Roses Are Red, Dina Is Blue", which premiered on August 24, 2014.


title: Victoria Gotti

text: In December 2014, Gotti made a guest appearance in "Storm A-Brewin'", a fifth season episode of the VH1 reality show "Mob Wives". Despite having criticized the authenticity of that show in a 2012 radio interview, in which she characterized it as a "train wreck" and "not real", Gotti appeared in the episode for a scene in which cast member Angela Raiola seeks her advice on how to resolve her conflicts with her inner circle.


title: Victoria Gotti

text: On February 9, 2019, Lifetime aired the documentary film "Victoria Gotti: My Father's Daughter" which stars Chelsea Frei as Victoria Gotti and Maurice Benard as John Gotti. Victoria Gotti serves as the narrator, co-writer, and executive producer of this film.


title: Victoria Gotti

text: In 1984, Agnello married Victoria despite her parents' disapproval. The couple had three sons, Carmine, John, and Frank. The family lived in a mansion in Westbury, New York, that was the location in 2004 for the reality television series, "Growing up Gotti".


title: Victoria Gotti

text: In 2003, while Agnello was in jail, Victoria Gotti divorced him on grounds of constructive abandonment.


title: Victoria Gotti

text: In May 2009, foreclosure was approved on the $3.2 million mansion that Gotti was awarded as part of her divorce from Carmine Agnello.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (SBG) is a publicly traded American telecommunications conglomerate that is controlled by the descendants of company founder Julian Sinclair Smith. Headquartered in the Baltimore suburb of Cockeysville, Maryland, the company is the second-largest television station operator in the United States by number of stations (after Nexstar Media Group), owning or operating a total of 193 stations across the country in over 100 markets (covering 40% of American households), many of which are located in the South and Midwest, and is the largest owner of stations affiliated with Fox, NBC, CBS, ABC, MyNetworkTV, and The CW. Sinclair also owns four digital multicast networks (Comet, Charge!, Stadium, and TBD), sports-oriented cable networks (Tennis Channel and Bally Sports Regional Networks), and a streaming service (Stirr). On June 2, 2021, it was announced that Sinclair is a "Fortune" 500 company, having annual revenues of $5.9 billion in 2020.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: A 2019 study in the "American Political Science Review" 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 relative to other stations operating in the same market." The company has been criticized by journalists and media analysts for requiring its stations to broadcast packaged video segments and its news anchors to read prepared scripts that contain pro-Trump editorial content, including warnings about purported "fake news" in mainstream media, while Trump has tweeted support for watching Sinclair over CNN and NBC.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: The company's roots date back to 1958, when Julian Sinclair Smith, an electrical engineer, along with a group of shareholders, formed the Commercial Radio Institute, a broadcasting trade school in Baltimore, Maryland. Commercial Radio Institute later applied to build an FM radio station and construction permit was granted the following year, and WFMM-FM (now WPOC) signed on the air in February 1960.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: By 1967, Smith (as Chesapeake Engineering Placement Service) had applied for, and was granted, a construction permit for a new UHF television station in Baltimore.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: Chesapeake Engineering Placement Service changed its name to Chesapeake Television Corporation, and launched its founding television station property, WBFF in Baltimore, on April 11, 1971. The Commercial Radio Institute, by then a division of Chesapeake Television Corporation, later founded WPTT (now WPNT) in Pittsburgh, in 1978; and WTTE in Columbus, Ohio, in 1984. All three stations originally were independents, though WBFF and WTTE became charter affiliates of the Fox Broadcasting Company at its launch in 1986. The Fox affiliation in Pittsburgh went to higher-rated WPGH-TV, which would later be purchased by Sinclair in 1990.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: Chesapeake's first foray into local news came in the early 1980s when it launched a newscast on WPTT, a rarity at this time for stations not affiliated with the then-major networks (ABC, CBS and NBC). This newscast was called "WPTT News", and in the opening segment, the letters "news" were formed from a compass indicating the four cardinal directions. This opening segment, featuring then-anchorman Kevin Evans, appeared briefly (and was audible) in the movie "Flashdance" during a scene where Jennifer Beals' character returns home and turns on the television. The presentation was relatively low-budget, with the anchor simply reading copy, with no field video shots other than the weather read over a stock video shot denoting the conditions outside, and wasn't a factor in taking ratings away from then-market laggard WIIC-TV (now WPXI), much less solid runner-up WTAE-TV and then-locally owned Group W powerhouse KDKA-TV. As WBFF didn't air newscasts until 1991 and WTTE wouldn't air any newscasts from its 1984 sign-on until Sinclair purchased ABC affiliate WSYX in 1996, this marked the company's only foray into local news for years, a genre it would become much more involved in from the mid-1990s on.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: Smith's son David D. Smith began taking a more active role in the company in the 1980s. In 1985, the Chesapeake Television Corporation changed its name to the Sinclair Broadcast Group. In 1990, David Smith and his three brothers bought their parents' remaining stock and went on a buying spree that eventually made it one of the largest station owners in the country, through the purchases of groups such as Act III Broadcasting (in 1995) and River City Broadcasting (in 1996).


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: Sinclair pioneered the concept of the local marketing agreement (LMA) in American television in 1991, when it sold WPTT to its general manager Eddie Edwards (founder of Glencairn, Ltd., the Sinclair-affiliated licensee that would eventually become Cunningham Broadcasting) in order to purchase fellow Pittsburgh station WPGH-TV to comply with FCC ownership rules of the time that prohibited duopolies, while agreeing to allow Sinclair to retain operational responsibilities for the station. However, while LMAs would become an integral part of the company's business model in subsequent years, Sinclair's plans to acquire KOKH-TV in Oklahoma City through Glencairn, which would subsequently attempt to sell five of its 11 existing LMA-operated stations to Sinclair outright in turn (with Sinclair stock included in the deal) was challenged by the Rainbow/PUSH coalition (headed by Jesse Jackson) to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1998, citing concerns over a single company controlling two broadcast licenses in the same market in violation of FCC rules. The coalition argued that Glencairn passed itself off as a minority-owned company (Edwards is African American) which, since the Smith family controlled most of the company's stock, was technically a Sinclair arm that planned to use the LMA with KOKH to gain control of the station and create an illegal duopoly with KOCB. In 2001, the FCC levied a $40,000 fine against Sinclair for illegally controlling Glencairn. Sinclair became a publicly listed company in 1995, while the Smith family retained a controlling interest.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: In 1994, Sinclair signed a deal with Paramount and its UPN network, bringing five affiliates WPTT-TV in Pittsburgh, WNUV-TV in Baltimore, WCGV-TV in Milwaukee, WSTR-TV in Cincinnati and KSMO-TV in Kansas City to the network. In 1996, Sinclair bought out Superior Communications for $63 million. In 1997, Sinclair reached a deal with The WB to convert many of the UPN affiliates to The WB. Following the disputes, in August 1998, Sinclair and UPN signed a new agreement. On February 25, 1998, Sinclair bought out Sullivan Broadcasting for $1 billion. In 1998, Sinclair bought out Max Media Properties, for $252 million. On November 8, 2004, Sinclair sold off KSMO-TV in Kansas City to Meredith Corporation for $26.8 million. In December 2004, Sinclair divested KOVR-TV in Sacramento to Viacom (now Paramount Global) for $285 million.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 14, 2009, Sinclair stated that if the company could not refinance its $1.33 billion debt or if Cunningham Broadcasting became insolvent due to nonpayment on a loan worth $33.5 million, Sinclair may be forced to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. However, the company seemingly recovered its financial fortunes enough, as it would begin a major string of acquisitions involving television stations and other properties two years later.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: The beginning of the 2010s saw Sinclair's acquisition strategy intensify. Ring of Honor (ROH), a professional wrestling promotion, was purchased on May 21, 2011, for an undisclosed amount. ROH's flagship program "Ring of Honor Wrestling" was consequently added onto the schedules of many Sinclair-operated stations. Four Points Media Group was purchased on September 8, 2011, for $200 million (equivalent to $ in ); Sinclair assumed managerial control of the stations from Nexstar Broadcasting Group; Four Points owner Cerberus Capital Management paid Nexstar cash compensation for the prematurely terminated time brokerage agreements. Sinclair then purchased Freedom Communications' television stations on November 2, 2011, for $385 million (equivalent to $ in ), making Sinclair the ninth-largest broadcast group in the United States.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: At the same time, Sinclair purchased WWHO, a CW affiliate in the Columbus, Ohio, market, from LIN TV; owing to Sinclair's existing Columbus duopoly of WSYX and WTTE, WWHO was resold to Manhan Media, who entered into a shared services agreement with Sinclair. A groupwide affiliation renewal with Fox reached on May 15, 2012, included an option for Sinclair to purchase WUTB, Baltimore's MyNetworkTV station, from Fox Television Stations before March 31, 2013. Sinclair purchased WUTB and resold it to Deerfield Media—controlled by Manhan Media owner Stephen P. Mumblow—on November 26, 2012, pairing with WBFF and WNUV; concurrently, Fox had an option to purchase up to any combination of six different MyNetworkTV and CW stations in four different markets from Sinclair, which it declined.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: Sinclair acquired six stations from Newport Television, along with existing operational agreements for two other stations, for $412.5 million (equivalent to $ in ) on July 19, 2012, as part of a larger dispersal of Newport's 22-station portfolio. That same day, Sinclair purchased Tampa station WTTA for $40 million (equivalent to $ in ). Two of Sinclair's existing stations in markets affected by the Newport deal, WSTR-TV and KMYS, were sold to Deerfield Media. Deerfield also acquired KBTV-TV, Beaumont, Texas's Fox affiliate, from Nexstar, with Sinclair assuming operations and merging it into CBS affiliate KFDM. The non-license assets of ABC affiliate WHAM-TV in Rochester, New York, were sold by Newport to Sinclair, with Deerfield purchasing the station's license.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: Cox Media Group sold five television stations, their smallest by media market rankings, to Sinclair on February 25, 2013, with Deerfield Media assuming ownership of Cox-operated KAME-TV in Reno. Three days later, Sinclair purchased Schaumburg, Illinois–based Barrington Broadcasting on February 28, 2013, including six other stations operated by Barrington. The former Cox and Barrington stations are operated through subsidiary Chesapeake Television, focusing on smaller markets and with management separate from Sinclair proper. Two Barrington stations, along with the lease for a third, were initially set to be transferred to Cunningham Broadcasting, but were ultimately sold to an affiliate of Northwest Broadcasting owner Brian Brady.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: Prevailing in a bidding war with LIN Media, Sinclair purchased Fisher Communications on April 11, 2013, for $373.3 million (equivalent to $ in ), including 20 television stations in the western United States, operational control of one station, and three radio stations in Seattle. This deal also returned Sinclair to radio ownership since the divestment of their radio portfolio between 1999 and 2000. The deal was initially met with financial scrutiny; the law firm Levi & Korsinsky notified Fisher shareholders with accusations that Fisher's board of directors were breaching fiduciary duties by "failing to adequately shop the Company before agreeing to enter into the transaction," and Sinclair was underpaying for Fisher's stock. Shortly after the announcement, a lawsuit was filed by a Fisher shareholder; the suit was settled in July 2013 and the merger approved shortly thereafter.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: Titan TV Broadcast Group sold four stations, along with operating agreements for two stations, to Sinclair on June 3, 2013. Prior to the deal, a seventh station, KDBC-TV in El Paso, Texas, to Cunningham, fueling speculation KDBC-TV would be consolidated with Sinclair-owned KFOX-TV. Sinclair exercised its option to purchase KDBC-TV outright citing KDBC-TV's fourth-place ranking in the El Paso market while KFOX ranked sixth, making it permissible under FCC duopoly regulations. Dielectric Communications, a key supplier of television broadcasting antennas, was purchased from SPX on June 18, 2013. SPX had intended to close down all of Dielectric's operations by the end of July, in turn threatening a FCC-proposed incentive auction and subsequent repacking of television broadcast spectrum.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: As part of a refocus on the "Politico" website and newspaper, Allbritton Communications sold their seven station portfolio—including Washington, D.C.'s WJLA-TV—to Sinclair on July 29, 2013, for $985 million (equivalent to $ in ). This deal was complicated by multiple regulatory hurdles and a proposed barring of future joint sales agreements (JSA) by the FCC. Originally planning to divest four Sinclair-owned stations in three markets with Allbritton stations to Deerfield and Armstrong Williams-controlled Howard Stirk Holdings, and continuing to operate them under JSAs, Sinclair then announced on March 21, 2014, intentions to divest three stations and one existing LMA to independent third parties. Unable to find a buyer, Sinclair proposed on May 29, 2014, to return to the FCC the licenses for WCFT-TV in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, WJSU-TV in Anniston, Alabama, and WCIV in Charleston, South Carolina, transferring the intellectual properties of those three stations to existing Sinclair-owned stations. One other Allbritton station, WHTM-TV in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was sold to Media General for $83.4 million (equivalent to $ in ). After nearly a year of delays, the deal was approved by the FCC on July 24, 2014, and completed on August 1. WCIV, WCFT-TV and WJSU-TV were ultimately sold to Howard Stirk Holdings.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: Sinclair announced the purchase of eight stations owned or operated by New Age Media on September 25, 2013. As part of the deal, three stations—WSWB in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, WTLH in Tallahassee, Florida, and WNBW-DT in Gainesville, Florida—would be sold by owner MPS Media to Cunningham, with Deerfield purchasing WTLF in Tallahassee. New Age Media and MPS Media terminated the deal on October 31, 2014, more than a year after it was announced. Sinclair purchased the non-license assets for all eight stations and began operating them through master service agreements the next day.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: Sinclair signed an agreement in June 2014 to carry the classic film subchannel network GetTV in 33 markets by the end of September. In July of that year, Sinclair announced the launch of the American Sports Network (ASN) service, operating within its Sinclair Networks company. This service, which produces and distributes college sports broadcasts, is primarily carried on Sinclair stations. ASN was created as part of the company's foray into original, non-news content creation beyond Ring of Honor Wrestling and school sports. Subsequently, on August 21, 2014, the company announced the formation of Sinclair Original Programming, a new division concentrating on entertainment and commercial content. The company also announced plans for a future cable news network. The Original Programming division chief operating officer was announced as Arthur Hasson, general manager of Sinclair stations in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. On August 20, 2014, Sinclair announced that it would swap WTTA in Tampa and KXRM-TV and KXTU-LD in Colorado Springs to Media General in exchange for WJAR in Providence, Rhode Island, WLUK-TV and WCWF in Green Bay and WTGS in Savannah, Georgia. The deal was part of Media General's merger with LIN Media, the owner of WLUK and WCWF and operator of WTGS at that time, as both Media General and LIN owned stations in the three markets, requiring both companies to sell off stations in conflicting markets due to the FCC's recent decision to scrutinize sharing agreements between stations owned by different licensees. The swap was approved by the FCC alongside the Media General-LIN merger on December 12, 2014.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: On September 3, 2014, Sinclair announced the purchase of Las Vegas NBC affiliate KSNV-DT from Intermountain West Communications Company for $120 million. As Sinclair already owns a duopoly in Las Vegas (KVMY and KVCW), the company will sell the license assets (though not the programming) of one of the three stations to comply with FCC ownership restrictions, with the divested station's programming being relocated to the other stations. The purchase of KSNV's non-license assets was completed on November 1, 2014. On September 11, 2014, the license assets of WCIV were sold to Howard Stirk Holdings (pending FCC approval) and aside from sharing studio space with WMMP (which will retain the ABC affiliation and current programming of WCIV), will have no operational control from Sinclair, saving the station from being forfeited back to the FCC. Similar sales were filed with the FCC for WBMA-LD satellite stations WCFT-TV on September 24 and WJSU-TV on September 28. Sinclair continued its push into original programming. Since May 2015, three deals were made to expand American Sports Network beyond college sports. In June, subsidiary Sinclair TV Group, Inc. formed Tornante-Sinclair LLC, a TV production company, with Michael Eisner's Tornante Co. With MGM on October 31, 2015, Comet was launched as a sci-fi broadcast subchannel network. On October 12, Sinclair Original Programming and the programming department was merged into Sinclair Programming and moved into Sinclair Television Group.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: On January 27, 2016, Sinclair Broadcast Group announced that it would acquire Tennis Channel for $350 million. The channel's corporation comes with $200 million in net operating losses that SBGI can use to offset future income thus reducing taxes. Sinclair's news operations had launched six drone teams in September 2016. Initial stations getting drone teams were in Washington, Baltimore, Green Bay, Wisconsin, Columbus, Ohio; Tulsa, Oklahoma and Little Rock, Arkansas. In the mid-2010s, Sinclair launched "Refined", an online local lifestyle web magazine run in conjunction with local Sinclair stations. The third was announced for DC under WJLA-TV. In December 2016, SBG announced TBD, a new digital subchannel network aimed towards millennials, with a focus on digital content. It began broadcasting on February 13, 2017. At NATPE, SBG and MGM announced a second TV network, Charge!, on January 17, 2017, to begin broadcasting in the first quarter of 2017. Sinclair had two rounds of executive promotions announced in November 2016 and effective January 1, 2017, with chair and CEO David D. Smith moving up to executive chairman while CFO Christopher Ripley becoming president and CEO. In the second round, David Amy was promoted from chief operating officer to vice chairman with responsibility for corporate marketing, human resources and the networks group, while Steven Pruett move from co-COO of Sinclair Television Group to executive vice president and chief TV development officer.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: On March 1, 2017, Sinclair bought Tennis Media Company for $8 million, which includes the Tennis.com website and "Tennis" magazine; the deal also includes up to $6 million in earnout if certain targets are reached. Sinclair intends to integrate the properties with Tennis Channel. On April 21, 2017, following the reinstatement of the "UHF discount" (a policy that counts television stations broadcasting on UHF channels by 50% of their total audience towards the FCC's 39% market cap), Sinclair announced its intent to purchase Bonten Media Group for $240 million. The sale was approved on June 30, and the sale was completed September 1.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: On May 8, 2017, Sinclair announced its intent to acquire the Chicago-based Tribune Media for $3.9 billion. The sale would have given Sinclair ownership of additional stations within the top-10 markets, along with ownership of a stake in Food Network, WGN America, and other additional assets, To comply with Department of Justice antitrust and FCC ownership regulations, it was suggested that Sinclair would have to divest stations in multiple markets.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: The concerns about Sinclair potentially creating an oligarchy in the broadcast television industry – alongside Nexstar Media Group, which has a station portfolio of similar size – led public interest groups to attempt to block the purchase by preventing the UHF discount from being reinstated. On June 1, 2017, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals issued a seven-day administrative stay to the UHF discount rulemaking, in order to allow review of an emergency stay motion filed by The Institute for Public Representation (a coalition of public interest groups comprising Free Press, the United Church of Christ, Media Mobilizing Project, the Prometheus Radio Project, the National Hispanic Media Coalition and Common Cause) on May 15. The coalition argued that the UHF discount was no longer logical from a technical standpoint (as stations that transmit on the UHF band have typically maintained better digital signal quality than those transmitting on VHF, a reversal of the technical issues with both bands during the analog era) and would trigger a wave of mergers and acquisitions in the broadcast television industry that would further reduce diversity in station ownership. The D.C. Court of Appeals denied the emergency stay motion on June 15, 2017, though it is still subject to a pending court proceeding to appeal the UHF discount implementation. On February 21, 2018, Sinclair informed the FCC that it planned to sell off Tribune stations in New York City, Chicago, and San Diego, while seeking waivers to purchase the Tribune stations in Indianapolis, South Central Pennsylvania, and the Piedmont Triad. Sinclair is expected to enter into LMA's to operate WPIX and WGN-TV, while selling off KSWB outright. Overlapping stations in Seattle, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, Oklahoma City, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Norfolk, Virginia, and Des Moines, Iowa will be sold off to unaffiliated third parties. On July 16, 2018, FCC chairman Ajit Pai was reported to have "serious concerns" about the transaction and proposed a hearing before an administrative law judge. On August 9, 2018, Tribune Media announced that it had terminated the sale agreement with Sinclair, and that it had filed a $1 billion lawsuit against the company for breach of contract. Tribune Media CEO Peter Kern stated that the sale "cannot be completed in an acceptable timeframe, if ever"; the suit cited Sinclair's "belligerent and unnecessarily protracted negations" with the Department of Justice and FCC over regulatory negotiations in order to maintain control of stations that it was advised to divest, as well as violations of the sale agreement requiring divestitures of stations to not result in any threats of regulatory scrutiny.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: Following the failed acquisition of Tribune Media, Sinclair has mentioned publicly about buying Fox Sports Networks, as well as the stations owned by Cox Media Group. In January 2019, Sinclair launched an OTT multi-channel streaming service Stirr providing free streaming access to local Sinclair station content as well as on-demand shows and films. On February 13, 2019, Sinclair and the Chicago Cubs announced a new regional sports network, Marquee Sports Network, to start in 2020 with exclusive rights to Cubs' games. On March 9, 2019, Sinclair purchased a minority stake in YES Network. While Sinclair did not bid on the Cox stations, on April 26, 2019, it was reported that Sinclair was the successful bidder for Fox Sports Networks at $10 billion. On August 22, 2019, Sinclair completed the acquisition of FSN and thus FSN is now a wholly owned subsidiary and becoming sisters to Marquee.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: On January 27, 2020, Sinclair announced that it would sell WDKY-TV in Lexington, Kentucky, and the non-license assets of KGBT-TV in Harlingen, Texas, to Nexstar Media Group for $60 million, as part of a settlement between the two companies over Sinclair's failed acquisition of Tribune Media, which was ultimately acquired by Nexstar. The transaction was completed on September 17, 2020.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: On May 7, 2020, the company was fined $48 million to settle investigations related to reports and statements made to the FCC. In August 2020, Sinclair reached a $25 million settlement agreement for its shareholders related to three lawsuits. Of the $25 million, $20.5 million will be paid into a settlement fund.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: In March 2021 Sinclair laid off 550 employees, which represented about 5% of its workforce, citing the COVID-19 pandemic. On June 2, 2021, it was announced that Sinclair is a Fortune 500 company, with annual revenues of $5.9 billion in 2020, placing it at 465 on the annual listing of the largest U.S. companies. The company has 10,000 employees as of 2021, and acquired an additional office building near its main Hunt Valley headquarters to accommodate an additional 260 employees.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: On the first of April 2021 Sinclair anchorman Reed Cowan said that if WE Charity did not pay him $20 million, he would use Sinclair Broadcast Group's television platforms to disparage a Canadian charity which builds schools in Africa.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: In 2021, Sinclair began merging primary programming of stations it was in an LMA with Sinclair sidecars onto subchannels of stations Sinclair owns outright, replacing the sidecar stations programming with subchannel network affiliations on their main signal. Among the stations affected were KBTV-TV in Port Arthur, Texas (merged onto KFDM), WRGT-TV in Dayton, Ohio (merged onto WKEF, though WRGT-TV did maintain a primary MyNetworkTV affiliation), WVAH-TV in Charleston, West Virginia (merged onto WCHS-TV), KFXA in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (merged onto KGAN), and original Sinclair signee WTTE in Columbus, Ohio merging onto WSYX. While in at least one case (Columbus) the move was done due to the transition to ATSC 3.0, there are no explanations for the other stations.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: On October 17, 2021, Sinclair was struck by a ransomware attack affecting the internal servers and workstations of its television stations, after the alleged hackers breached the stations' internal broadcasting systems via an Active Directory domain that interconnected the company's corporate and local IT networks. The incident had disrupted some of its office and operational networks (including internal servers, email servers, corporate phone lines, and workstations and news graphics systems at the company's stations), and resulted in data being taken from its server network. Many of Sinclair's stations saw varying disruptions to programming in the days following the attack; many of its stations were able to produce their newscasts using limited internal resources (while generally being unable to display lower-third and/or full-screen graphics), while a few were forced to preempt them outright for a few days afterward. Many scheduled NFL game telecasts on the 17th were disrupted on its NBC, CBS and Fox affiliates (replaced by a different game feed or by alternative programming). Sinclair also supplied alternative programming feeds to fill airtime on some of the affected stations due to varying difficulties in transmitting and receiving certain syndicated program feeds or to occupy timeslots normally filled by newscasts (mainly from company-owned multicast networks like Stadium and TBD, or via a feed of its syndicated newscast "The National Desk"). Ransomware experts later indicated that the attack was likely linked to Evil Corp., a Russia-based cybergang that was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2019 and had been accused prior to the attack of attempting to rebrand itself to evade the sanctions; the hackers are believed to have disseminated the Macaw ransomware strain (which was also linked to a similar cyberattack that hit Olympus Corporation's corporate server network on October 10) within Sinclair's servers.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: On March 3, 2022, Sinclair announced that they would sell the Ring of Honor wrestling promotion to Tony Khan, who is the principal owner of rival All Elite Wrestling.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: Sinclair had experimented with using a centralized news organization called "News Central" that provided prepackaged news segments for distribution to several of the group's stations. These segments were integrated into programming during local news broadcasts. Mark Hyman, a high-ranking executive at Sinclair, also created "The Point", a series of conservative editorial segments that were broadcast on stations operated by the group that maintain news departments.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: In October 2015, Sinclair premiered "Full Measure", a syndicated public affairs program hosted by Sharyl Attkisson.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: On July 1, 2017, Sinclair launched a new daily morning kids' TV block called KidsClick, partnering with This TV. The block was moved to TBD in 2018, and was eventually discontinued 8 months later.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: In June 2020, Sinclair announced it would launch "a headline news service" that would air weekday mornings (6:00 AM – 9:00 AM local time) and rely on news-gathering services of Sinclair's stations as well as original content, similar in format to "NewsNation" produced by Nexstar Media Group for WGN America. The show, titled "The National Desk", launched on January 18, 2021, and airs on Sinclair's CW and MyNetworkTV-affiliated stations along with its Fox-affiliated stations that do not have their own local morning news shows. On September 27, 2021, "The National Desk" expanded to a two-hour evening newscast, airing 10 pm to midnight Eastern Time.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: Sinclair's stations have been known for featuring news content and programming that promote conservative political positions. They have been involved in various controversies surrounding politically motivated programming decisions, such as news coverage and specials during the lead-ups to elections that were in support of the Republican Party. A 2019 study by Emory University political scientists Gregory J. Martin and Josh McCrain in the "American Political Science Review" 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 relative to other stations operating in the same market." A 2021 study found that viewers in areas with a Sinclair TV station had lower approval of President Barack Obama and were less likely to vote for Democratic presidential nominees.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: The "Washington Post" noted that WJLA-TV's news content began to exhibit a conservative slant following Sinclair's acquisition of the station (including having also established a partnership with the conservative Washington Times newspaper), while the company also produces pieces from a Washington bureau that similarly exhibit a conservative viewpoint. Sinclair executive David Smith met with Donald Trump during the 2016 election year, in which he told the future president, "We are here to deliver your message." It was part of a pitch to have reporters embedded in the Trump campaign.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: In 2004, Sinclair's political slant was scrutinized by critics when it was publicized that nearly all of Sinclair's recent campaign contributions were to the Republican Party. In particular, the Center for Public Integrity showed concern that the Republican slant of Sinclair's news programming, along with Mark Hyman's history of government lobbying (such as for the FCC to loosen rules regarding concentration of media ownership—a factor that has assisted in the company's growth), made its stations provide "anything but fair and balanced news programming." Hyman disputed these allegations by stating that its newscasts were "pretty balanced" and that "the reason why some on the left have characterized us as conservative is that we run stories that others in the media spike."


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: In 2017, all Sinclair news-producing stations began inserting a waving American flag into the right corner of its lower third news graphics. With the American flag having been seen in recent years as a symbol of conservatism, this was seen by some as a reinforcement of the political slant of Sinclair.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: At times, Sinclair has disciplined hosts who have stepped over the line regarding propriety; for example, its host Jamie Allman, from station KDNL in St. Louis, resigned and his show was canceled after he said of Parkland student-turned-activist David Hogg that he was "getting ready to ram a hot poker up David Hogg's ass."


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: Sinclair has faced scrutiny from some media critics, as well as some of its station employees, for the conservative slant of their stations' news reporting and other programming decisions, and how the company's rapid growth has aided the airing of content that supports these views. Sinclair has also faced criticism over business practices that circumvent concentration of media ownership regulations, particularly the use of local marketing agreements, accusations that the company had been currying favor with the Trump administration in order to loosen these rules and about its management lacking diversity and being totally controlled by a single family. Critics including former "CBS Evening News" anchor Dan Rather have described Sinclair's practices as being "an assault on our democracy" by disseminating what they perceive to be Orwellian-like propaganda to its local stations.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: Sinclair often mandates its stations to air specific reports, segments, programs and editorials, referred to as "must-runs"; the full-length programs airing on the weekend include Armstrong Williams's weekly talk show, and "Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson". The practice has been criticized by some of Sinclair's stations' news staff due to the viewpoints they propagate; in 1996, after CEO David Smith was arrested in a prostitution sting, he ordered Sinclair's Baltimore station WBFF to produce reports on a local drug counseling program as part of his community service sentence. The order was criticized by WBFF reporter LuAnne Canipe. Following the September 11 attacks, Sinclair ordered its stations to read editorials in support of President George W. Bush's response to the attack. The "Baltimore Sun" reported that WBFF staff internally objected to the editorial, as they felt that the endorsement would "undermine public faith in their political objectivity". The station, however, complied with the mandate.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: Newsroom employees of KOMO-TV in Seattle told "The New York Times" they felt the national pieces were low quality, and were too politically skewed for the city's progressive audience. One employee admitted they had tried to reduce their prominence by deliberately scheduling them during lesser-viewed portions of newscasts such as around commercial breaks as an act of malicious compliance with Sinclair's must-run rules. However, in March 2018, KOMO aired a must-run segment during prime time about some Americans' belief in the existence of a deep state in the federal government, a concept Trump has blamed for undermining his presidency.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: In April 2017, Sinclair announced it had hired Boris Epshteyn, who was briefly the White House assistant communications director for surrogate operations for the Trump administration, and a senior advisor of Donald Trump's presidential campaign, as chief political analyst. All Sinclair stations were required to air Ephsteyn's commentary, "Bottom Line with Boris" nine times per week.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: In July 2017, the HBO news comedy program "Last Week Tonight" devoted a segment to discussing Sinclair, where host John Oliver presented clips of various anchors using an identical script describing the FBI as having a "personal vendetta" against Michael Flynn, clips of Mark Hyman editorials (in which he compared multiculturalism and political correctness to a cancer epidemic, and stated that marriage was a solution to domestic abuse), and joked that the "Terrorism Alert Desk" segments defined terrorism as "anything a Muslim does". Oliver felt that it was inappropriate for local newscasts to advance political positions. Oliver pointed out, as an example, the fact that Sinclair's "Terrorism Alert Desk" reported in 2016 that Islamic State militia in Iraq had killed nine youth by slashing them in half with chainsaws; such news originated from an anonymous-sourced report published by "Iraqi News", lacking any confirmation from independent outlets and was treated with extreme caution even by British tabloids such as the "Daily Mail" and the "Daily Mirror" and by far-right website "Breitbart News", leading Oliver to ironically remark that he did not know it was possible to "dip beneath the journalistic standards of "Breitbart"".


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: The must-run segments usually only apply to those stations that have their own news department. For Sinclair stations where the newscast is operated by an external newsroom, the contracts generally forbid Sinclair from interfering with editorial control.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: On December 11, 2019, it was reported that Sinclair had dropped Epshteyn's commentary segments, with plans to encourage stations to prioritize local investigative journalism and coverage of the 2020 U.S. presidential election.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: In April 2004, ABC broadcast a special episode of "Nightline" where host Ted Koppel listed the names of soldiers killed in the 2003 invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq. Sinclair ordered its seven ABC affiliates not to air the episode; the company claimed the broadcast "[appeared] to be motivated by a political agenda designed to undermine the efforts of the United States in Iraq", and undermined a then-ongoing effort by its Washington bureau to report on positive, "untold" stories from Iraq under occupation that were being ignored by mainstream media outlets. ABC stated that the segment was meant to be "an expression of respect which seeks to honor those who have laid down their lives for this country."


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: Later in October 2004, just two weeks prior to the 2004 presidential election, it was reported that all 62 of Sinclair's stations would preempt prime time programming to air "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal", a documentary critical of U.S. presidential candidate John Kerry's anti-Vietnam War activism. The film was produced by Carlton Sherwood, a former associate of Tom Ridge, and accused Kerry of prolonging the Vietnam War because of his anti-war activism. The organization Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, an anti-Kerry organization in the 2004 election year, was cross-promoting the film as part of a $1.4 million advertising campaign. In response, the Democratic National Committee filed a legal motion with the Federal Election Commission stating that it is inappropriate for the media organization to air "partisan propaganda" in the last 10 days of an election campaign. As this controversy made the news, with a number of Sinclair advertisers pulling their ads and Sinclair stock dropping 17% in eleven days, Sinclair announced that it had never intended to air "Stolen Honor" in an hour slot in the first place, indicating that it might instead show clips of the video in a discussion panel format. Ultimately, Sinclair did not broadcast any such show. Following the incident, Sinclair fired its Washington bureau chief Jon Lieberman for publicly criticizing the film in "The Baltimore Sun" as "biased political propaganda."


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: In November 2010, it was reported that five Fox affiliates and one ABC affiliate owned by Sinclair broadcast an infomercial critical of then-President Barack Obama, "Breaking Point: 25 Minutes that will Change America", which was sponsored by the National Republican Trust Political Action Group. The infomercial painted Obama as an extremist, and claimed that, during the 2008 presidential campaign, he received some campaign money from the Hamas terrorist group, and that Obama said in a speech, "You want freedom? You're gonna have to kill some crackers! You gonna have to kill some of those babies." The special also discusses Obama advisers Van Jones and John Holdren, as well as Obama staff Anita Dunn, Kevin Jennings, Carol Browner and Cass Sunstein – all in an unflattering light; in one case, the special claimed that Holdren said that trees should be permitted to sue humans in court. The infomercial aired at various times during the weekend of October 30, 2010, on Sinclair-owned stations in Madison, Cape Girardeau, Lexington, Pittsburgh, Des Moines, and Winston-Salem – all in swing states vital to the 2010 elections.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: On November 5, 2012, six Sinclair stations in swing states aired a special focusing on issues surrounding the presidential election occurring the next day, such as the Libyan civil war and health care reform; the special consisted of a series of segments which were presented by the local anchors at each station. While scheduling of the special was at the discretion of each station, Columbus, Ohio ABC affiliate WSYX pre-empted both "ABC World News" and "Nightline" to air it. The special was met with controversy for showing a bias against Obama and focusing little on Republican candidate Mitt Romney, as opposed to showcasing both candidates equally. A Sinclair staff member disputed these claims, stating that "no one is disputing the facts of the stories that aired in the special," and that its decision on which markets to air the special was influenced by their "news value" and resonation with the public.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: On December 16, 2016, Jared Kushner, son-in-law of then-President-elect Donald Trump, stated that it had reached deals with Sinclair to give the company extended access to the Trump campaign, in exchange for airing, without further commentary, interviews with the Republican Party candidate on its stations, which Kushner said had a better reach than cable networks such as CNN. Sinclair VP of news Scott Livingston stated that the company wanted to "give all candidates an opportunity to voice their position and share their position with our viewers", as part of an effort towards "tracking the truth and telling the truth" and allowing Trump to "clearly state his position on the key issues". He also stated that Sinclair had made similar offers to the Hillary Clinton campaign (Clinton did not accept offers to do interviews with Sinclair, according to Livingston, though her running mate, Tim Kaine, did). A spokesperson for the Trump campaign stated that the deal did not involve monetary compensation, and that it had attempted to make similar deals with other local station groups such as Hearst Television.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: A December 22, 2016 "Washington Post" review of Sinclair's internal documents, as well as reviews of the newscasts and public affairs programming on the company's stations, revealed that more broadcast time was given to favorable or neutral coverage of Trump's campaign than to other candidates in the primary and general election campaigns of 2016. The coverage included distribution of reports favorable to Trump's campaign or challenging to Clinton's on a "must-run" basis, as well as Sinclair managers offering local reporters and anchors questions of "national importance" to use in interviews with candidates (a common company practice, according to Livingston, so that other Sinclair stations can share the content).


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: In May 2017, in response to Sinclair's announced intent to acquire Tribune Media, Craig Aaron, president/CEO of media advocacy group Free Press, accused Sinclair of currying favor with the Trump administration through the interview arrangement with Trump, the group's February hiring of former Trump campaign aide Boris Epshteyn as a political analyst, and executive chair David Smith's meetings with then-FCC commissioner Ajit Pai prior to his appointment as the agency's chair in exchange for deregulating media ownership rules to allow the company to expand its broadcasting portfolio.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: In March 2018, CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter obtained an internal memorandum sent by Sinclair, which dictated that its stations must produce and broadcast an "anchor-delivered journalistic responsibility message" using a mandated script. The promos contain language decrying "biased and false news", and accusing unnamed mainstream media figures of bias. Stelter states that the script is written to sound like it's the opinion of the local anchors, despite the text being in fact a mandate from corporate management. At least 66 Sinclair-owned stations produced their own version of the message, with the first being aired on March 23, 2018. Sinclair-owned WMSN-TV refused to air the message (although its news is produced by Morgan Murphy Media-owned WISC-TV).


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: The promos began to receive mainstream media attention after the sports blog "Deadspin", as well as "ThinkProgress", posted video compilations featuring all of the promos being played simultaneously. The promos have been criticized as in regard to the greater political context of "fake news" in the media for media bashing, comparing it to the rhetoric of Donald Trump in regard to these topics. Sinclair maintains that its "must-runs" are standard procedure often covering a wide variety of issues such as news updates regarding terrorism and other public matters the company has an opinion on while remaining "committed to reporting the facts". After the compilations went viral, Trump responded to the promos on April 2, 2018, defending the company as being "far superior to CNN and even more Fake NBC, which is a total joke."


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: I'm extremely proud of the quality, balanced journalism that [proper news brand name of local station] produces. But I'm concerned about the troubling trend of irresponsible, one sided news stories plaguing our country. The sharing of biased and false news has become all too common on social media. More alarming, national media outlets are publishing these same fake stories without checking facts first. Unfortunately, some members of the national media are using their platforms to push their own personal bias and agenda to control 'exactly what people think'. This is extremely dangerous to our democracy… We understand Truth is neither politically 'left or right.' Our commitment to factual reporting is the foundation of our credibility, now more than ever.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: On April 2, 2018, Sinclair Broadcast Group released a statement on their website in response to what it called "unfounded media criticism." The statement cited a Monmouth University poll that found large majorities of Americans believe that traditional news media outlets report fake news. Sinclair maintains that the promos "served no political agenda." Sinclair responded by posting a video on its website that attacked CNN for "dishonesty and hypocrisy" in their coverage of the Sinclair must-run promo; Sinclair equated Stelter's warnings about "fake news" as similar to Sinclair's warnings in its must-run promo.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: Several outlets called for an advertiser boycott of Sinclair-owned stations. A report in "Advertising Age" magazine suggested that a boycott would not be easy, since it involves users first identifying the station as a Sinclair station, and then figuring out which advertisers are putting commercials on that station, and then discouraging those advertisers.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: In addition to above, Sinclair has also supported Israel describing it as a "true democracy of the Middle East".


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: Professional wrestler David Starr has criticized the company due to Ring of Honor holding an event in Israel where Starr was involved in a match against Jay Lethal and Matt Sydal on April 21, 2019, amid a fan boycott. The video was removed due to allegations of antisemitism.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: In July 2020, Sinclair Broadcast Group scheduled to air an interview of "Plandemic" creator Judy Mikovits and her lawyer Larry Klayman, conducted by Eric Bolling on the "America This Week" show. During the interview, Mikovits was introduced by Bolling as an "expert in virology"; she put forth a baseless claim that American health official Anthony Fauci created the COVID-19 virus and sent it to China. Bolling did not argue against Mikovits' allegation or fact-check it on-air, although he claimed that he had indeed argued against Mikovits by calling her allegation "hefty". Sinclair Broadcast Group distributed the interview to its local stations, and also released the interview online, with an on-screen graphic of "Did Dr. Fauci create COVID-19?" After media reports regarding the interview emerged, Sinclair received substantial criticism, resulting in Sinclair cancelling televised broadcast and removing the video from Sinclair-affiliated websites.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: In the summer of 2006, Charter Communications streamlined its operations, which included selling off portions of the cable system's service franchises that it considered to be "geographically non-strategic". Charter's Huntington-Charleston, West Virginia franchise was purchased by Suddenlink Communications. Sinclair requested a $40 million one-time fee, and a $1-per subscription per month fee from Suddenlink for retransmission rights of both ABC affiliate WCHS-TV and Fox affiliate WVAH-TV on the Suddenlink cable system. This led to a protracted media battle and smear campaign between the two companies, and Sinclair pulled the two stations off of Charter's systems in the neighboring Beckley, West Virginia market. After several weeks of negotiations, the two companies reached an agreement which allowed WCHS-TV and WVAH-TV to continue transmission over the Suddenlink cable system. The terms of the agreement were not released to the public.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: Mediacom filed an antitrust lawsuit against Sinclair in October 2006, claiming that the group insisted on blanket carriage of 22 Sinclair-owned/managed stations across Mediacom-operated service areas where Sinclair operates a television station regardless of market differences. The District Court for the Southern District of Iowa denied Mediacom's injunction motion on October 24; the cable provider filed an appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, but dropped the request on December 13. Sinclair's retransmission agreement with Mediacom was originally set to expire on December 1, 2006, but the group later extended the deadline to January 5, 2007. Despite the extension, the two sides remained at an impasse over how much money Mediacom should pay Sinclair for carriage of its stations. On January 4, the Federal Communications Commission's Media Bureau denied Mediacom's complaint, stating that Sinclair failed to negotiate with Mediacom in good faith. After failing to respond to Mediacom's offer to take the dispute to binding arbitration before the deadline, Sinclair pulled all 22 stations from Mediacom's lineups shortly after midnight on January 6.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: Despite a plea from Iowa's Congressional delegation urging the two sides to submit to binding arbitration, Sinclair rejected the plea on January 11. The two sides discussed the dispute in front of Iowa lawmakers on January 23. On January 30, 2007, Senators Daniel Inouye, chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and Ranking Member Ted Stevens signed a letter addressed to FCC chairman Kevin Martin. The impasse ended on February 2 when Mediacom announced that it had reached a retransmission agreement with Sinclair for undisclosed terms. All 22 stations were restored to Mediacom systems shortly after the agreement was announced. Mediacom lost 14,000 subscribers during the last quarter of 2006 and an additional 18,000 subscribers during the first quarter of 2007.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: In December 2009, Sinclair announced that it would pull all of its stations from Mediacom systems for the second time in three years if a new carriage agreement was not reached by midnight on December 31. The impasse had threatened coverage of the January 5 Orange Bowl in Iowa, where the Hawkeyes played, and the January 7, 2010 BCS National Championship Game in Alabama. Mediacom and lawmakers from Iowa and Alabama asked the FCC to intervene. On December 31, Mediacom and Sinclair agreed to an eight-day extension of the retransmission agreement that permitted Sinclair's stations to remain on Mediacom until January 8. Both sides reached a one-year retransmission agreement on January 7, one day before the interim agreement was set to expire.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: Sinclair was also involved with retransmission negotiations with Time Warner Cable at the same time as the Mediacom dispute in 2006 and 2007; however, in this case, the two sides reached an agreement on January 19, 2007.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: In November 2010, Sinclair announced that it would pull 33 of its stations in 21 cities from Time Warner Cable on January 1, 2011, if the two parties did not come to an agreement. The deadline was subsequently extended to January 14, 2011. Regardless of the outcome, Time Warner Cable was obligated to carry Fox network programming on its systems due to a deal reached with the network earlier in 2010; however, the agreement did not extend to syndicated and locally produced programs on Sinclair's Fox affiliates. The two companies reached an agreement on January 15, 2011, shortly after the deadline was extended by another 24 hours.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: In a January 5, 2007, article, "Broadcasting & Cable" reported that Sinclair might pull 30 stations from Comcast systems after its retransmission agreement was slated to expire on February 5. Comcast was granted an extension to March 1, and again to March 10. Comcast stated that it would not pay cash for retransmission rights, but was willing to barter, for example, promoting Sinclair stations on cable channels carried by Comcast devoid of any advertising payments by the company. On March 9, Comcast and Sinclair jointly announced a four-year deal for retransmission rights, expiring on March 1, 2011.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: Sinclair and Comcast came to a new agreement for continued carriage on March 3, 2011; this agreement was negotiated without any public statements or announcements.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: Dish Network's retransmission agreement with Sinclair Broadcast Group was slated to expire on August 13, 2012. If an agreement had not reached by that time, 74 Sinclair stations would have been blacked out, including the affiliates of three of the major networks. A representative for Dish Network stated that Sinclair is "...seeking a massive price increase that would force Dish to pay more to carry Sinclair's stations than it pays to any other broadcaster." A Sinclair representative, meanwhile, stated that it "believes significant doubt exists as to whether or not a new agreement will be reached with Dish." Dish Network subsequently set up its own website regarding the dispute. Dish and Sinclair came to an agreement on August 16, averting the removal of its any of the group's stations.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: On August 25, 2015, ten days after the 2012 retransmission agreement had expired, Dish customers lost access to 129 Sinclair stations, resulting in the largest local television blackout in history.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: DirecTV's retransmission agreement with Sinclair was slated to expire on February 28, 2013. If an agreement had not been reached by that date, 87 Sinclair stations would have been blacked out by the satellite provider. Representatives for Sinclair noted that they "...have been negotiating for quite some time in an effort to reach a new agreement, at this time it does not appear that these efforts will be successful. Although Sinclair does not believe that it is constructive to negotiate its private business relationships in public, Sinclair is informing the public in advance of the end of carriage because it is aware of the impact on a segment of the public from the end of the relationship between the Sinclair stations and DirecTV." DirecTV stated "we will compensate Sinclair fairly, but our customers should not be forced to pay more than twice as much for the same programs that remain available completely free of charge over the air and online." A new carriage agreement was reached between Sinclair and DirecTV on February 28, hours before the previous deal was to have expired.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: Most of the television stations run by Sinclair are owned by the company outright; however, the company operates many others through either a local marketing agreements or shared services agreements. The company's stations are affiliates of various television networks, like ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: Sinclair also owned or managed several affiliates of the WB and UPN networks, which both launched in January 1995. In September 2006, The WB and UPN merged their operations into a new network, The CW. Eight of Sinclair's WB stations, along with independent station KFBT (now KVCW) in Las Vegas, became affiliates of the new network. At the same time, Sinclair aligned 17 of its stations (ten former WB affiliates, six former UPN stations, and independent WFGX) with MyNetworkTV, a programming service owned by Fox's parent News Corporation. Sinclair's relationship with Fox/News Corporation was also strengthened after Sinclair agreed to a six-year affiliation renewal for its 19 Fox-affiliated stations. The deal also included flagship WBFF in Baltimore, despite Fox already owning a station in that same market, MyNetworkTV owned-and-operated station WUTB; Sinclair would eventually purchase WUTB outright in 2012.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: Sinclair Television Group, Inc. is a subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcast Group that owns television stations in mid-sized markets.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: In June 2015, Sinclair TV Group, Inc. formed Tornante-Sinclair LLC, a TV production company, with Michael Eisner's Tornante Co. With MGM on October 31, 2015, Comet was launched as a sci-fi broadcast subchannel network.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: Chesapeake Television is a subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcast Group that owns television stations in smaller markets. Chesapeake was founded in 2013, to acquire small-market stations purchased through Sinclair's run of acquisitions.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: As early as January 2013, Sinclair was looking at forming a new subsidiary group for its smaller-market stations. With the February 2013 announcement of the company's purchase of Barrington Broadcasting, Sinclair announced the formation of a subsidiary for this purpose, Chesapeake Television, to be headed by Steve Pruett (former CEO of Communications Corporation of America and the current chairman of the Fox network's affiliate board). The four stations, as well as a fifth acquired through an LMA, that Sinclair purchased from Cox Media Group and the Barrington stations formed the initial nuclei of the group.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: Keyser Capital sold on March 7, 2017, Alarm Funding Associates, LLC to Riverside Partners' RPAFA Investors, LLC for $200 million netting pre-tax $70 million.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: The companies listed below are separate corporations, effectively shell companies, formed to hold the licensed assets of television stations, where SBG would run afoul of FCC ownership regulations. Sinclair then signs local marketing agreements to actually control, operate, and program the stations, with the purposes of the shell merely to answer to the FCC and public about license matters, often with Sinclair's explicit input (unless so restricted by individual regulations against a station). The companies include, in addition to those mentioned in some detail below:


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: In 2021, Sinclair began to consolidate the major network affiliations on the DT1 channels held by Deerfield, HSH, Mercury and Cunningham stations to sister stations directly owned by Sinclair onto their DT2 or DT3 subchannels, effectively leaving many of these stations to carry only subchannel networks and be wholly uncompetitive in their markets.


title: Sinclair Broadcast Group

text: Cunningham Broadcasting (formerly known as Glencairn Ltd.) is a station holding company affiliated with Sinclair Broadcast Group via a relationship with the company's owners. Per a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Cunningham is owned by the estate of Carolyn Beth Cunningham Smith (from whom the company derived its name), the estate of Sinclair's controlling shareholders' parent, and trusts for the children of Sinclair's controlling shareholders. All but one (WYZZ-TV, managed by Nexstar) of Cunningham stations have local marketing agreements with Sinclair-owned/managed stations. Glencairn/Cunningham, based on ownership and agreements, has served merely as a shell corporation.


title: Franciscans

text: The Franciscans are a group of related mendicant Christian religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include three independent orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest contemporary male order), orders for women religious such as the Order of Saint Clare, and the Third Order of Saint Francis open to male and female members. They adhere to the teachings and spiritual disciplines of the founder and of his main associates and followers, such as Clare of Assisi, Anthony of Padua, and Elizabeth of Hungary. Several smaller Protestant Franciscan orders exist as well, notably in the Anglican and Lutheran traditions (e.g. the Community of Francis and Clare).


title: Franciscans

text: Francis began preaching around 1207 and traveled to Rome to seek approval from Pope Innocent III in 1209 to form a new religious order. The original Rule of Saint Francis approved by the Pope did not allow ownership of property, requiring members of the order to beg for food while preaching. The austerity was meant to emulate the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Franciscans traveled and preached in the streets, while staying in church properties. Clare of Assisi, under Francis's guidance, founded the Poor Clares (Order of Saint Clare) of the Franciscans.


title: Franciscans

text: The extreme poverty required of members was relaxed in the final revision of the Rule in 1223. The degree of observance required of members remained a major source of conflict within the order, resulting in numerous secessions. The Order of Friars Minor, previously known as the "Observant" branch, is one of the three Franciscan First Orders within the Catholic Church, the others being the "Conventuals" (formed 1517) and "Capuchins" (1520). The Order of Friars Minor, in its current form, is the result of an amalgamation of several smaller orders completed in 1897 by Pope Leo XIII. The latter two, the Capuchin and Conventual, remain distinct religious institutes within the Catholic Church, observing the Rule of Saint Francis with different emphases. Conventual Franciscans are sometimes referred to as minorites or greyfriars because of their habit. In Poland and Lithuania they are known as Bernardines, after Bernardino of Siena, although the term elsewhere refers to Cistercians instead.


title: Franciscans

text: The name of the original order, (Friars Minor, literally 'Order of Lesser Brothers') stems from Francis of Assisi's rejection of extravagance. Francis was the son of a wealthy cloth merchant, but gave up his wealth to pursue his faith more fully. He had cut all ties that remained with his family, and pursued a life living in solidarity with his fellow brothers in Christ. Francis adopted the simple tunic worn by peasants as the religious habit for his order, and had others who wished to join him do the same. Those who joined him became the original Order of Friars Minor.


title: Franciscans

text: The First Order or the Order of Friars Minor are commonly called simply the Franciscans. This order is a mendicant religious order of men, some of whom trace their origin to Francis of Assisi. Their official Latin name is the . Francis thus referred to his followers as "Fraticelli", meaning "Little Brothers". Franciscan brothers are informally called friars or the Minorites.


title: Franciscans

text: The modern organization of the Friars Minor comprises three separate families or groups, each considered a religious order in its own right under its own minister General and particular type of governance. They all live according to a body of regulations known as the Rule of Saint Francis.


title: Franciscans

text: The Second Order, most commonly called Poor Clares in English-speaking countries, consists of only one branch of religious sisters. The order is called the Order of St. Clare (OSC), but prior to 1263 they were called "The Poor Ladies", "The Poor Enclosed Nuns", and "The Order of San Damiano".