BARBWIRE by ANDREW BARBANO Pirate Laureate of the High Desert Outback of the American Dream

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Sinclair already owns Fox11 and "operates" (remember that word) MyTV21.

Sinclair did an end-around by acquiring KRNV's "non-license assets" for $26 million and contracting "to operate or provide sales services to the station."

That's a distinction without a difference for consumers.

Sinclair now controls a dozen local over-the air digital channels, half unused.

TV-4 generated about $5 million in sales over the past year, which may reveal one reason for the deal. Perhaps Mr. Rogers saw flat income numbers which haven't much improved under the mythical economic recovery and decided he had better uses for the money—like more news programming in Las Vegas.

Sinclair says it will drop KTVU-Oakland's 10 O'Clock News in favor of expanding local coverage.

The Bay Area program, which airs on both TV-11 and TV-21, is touted as the number one late news in this market.

The current TV-11/21 local news show is rudimentary by the expensive standards of competitors but has shown more integrity than some.

Moonhowlers who expected the Fox affiliate's news department to emulate the racist demagoguery of the Fox cable channel have been delightfully disappointed.

Well aware that it covers the region from the Pacific to the High Desert Outback of the American Dream, the Oakland station does a respectable amount of regional news. I'll miss it.

I worry about the fate of KRNV's longrunning commentary shows.

Sam Shad's Nevada Newsmakers has originated there for two decades.

Jon Ralston's program has done well following the station's 6:00 p.m. newscast.

Rogers hisself does a five-minute daily interview at noon.

KRNV news went tabloid about a year ago and has shown some aggressive chops where Channels 8 and 2 are limp by management decision.

With the notable exception of Channel 4, local TV stations air the absolute minimum in public affairs programming.

When they do, it's intentionally bland. Tune in at 6:00 a.m. any Sunday.

As I noted last week, I have been getting hot and cold running news leads about stuff the legit media won't touch, largely because corporations are more risk-averse than NFL coaches.

Sinclair controls 164 stations in 77 markets nationwide.

Local TV now has almost no Nevada roots.

Which is why I'm working to bring back a community channel.

Stay tuned.

MINOR FOOTNOTE: Channel 3 in Las Vegas endorsed my candidacy for Congress in 1984 with Mr. Rogers delivering the on-air editorial.

I have never met or spoken with the gentleman to this day.

Be well. Raise hell. / Esté bien. Haga infierno. (Pardon my Spanglish.)

WEB EXTRAS...

SUPPORT THE RETURN OF COMMUNITY TV. Support the cause at Barbwire.TV by putting your money where my mouth is.

Keep sending show suggestions.

Current frontrunners include (pardon the pun) wild mustangs as canned goods, education,  i-Guns and gay Olympics.

  Please forward additional ideas or vote on the above.

  I encourage you to donate to the cause at Barbwire.TV/

The medium that shapes public opinion needs at least one refuge where it is not filtered through the distorted green eye shades of prissy corporate accountants for whom profit is the only priority; where self-censorship is the journalist's normal work environment and where all sins of omission are tacitly encouraged and forgiven with the wave of a balance sheet.

This is important.

HONOR YOUR DON. Keep sending comments supporting legendary Nevada photographer Don Dondero (1920-2003) for the Nevada Press Association Hall of Fame.

His life's work appeared worldwide, including the Tribune and most probably every newspaper in Nevada.

Enlist in the campaign to install Big Don.

Please send me your memories and endorsements via e-mail or to P.O. Box 10034, Reno NV 89510.

The Barbwire got the late Reno Gazette-Journal columnist Guy Richardson elected last year.

Let's go for a repeat.

Hope you and yours enjoyed a Happy Thanksgibleting.

Be well. Raise hell. / Esté bien. Haga infierno. (Pardon my Spanglish.)

Andrew Barbano is a 45-year Nevadan, chair of the Nevada César Chávez Committee, producer of Nevada's annual César Chávez Day celebration, first vice-president and political action chair of the Reno-Sparks NAACP, labor/consumer/civil rights advocate, member of Communications Workers of America Local 9413/AFL-CIO and editor of NevadaLabor.com and JoeNeal.org. As always, his opinions are strictly his own. Check local listings for other Nevada cable systems. E-mail barbano@frontpage.reno.nv.us. Barbwire by Barbano has originated in the Daily Sparks Tribune since 1988.

Smoking Guns... "Sinclair Broadcast Group announced that it closed on the acquisition of the non-license assets of NBC affiliate KRNV Reno, Nev. (DMA 107), from Intermountain West for $26 million, giving it a triopoly in the market." (TVNewsCheck.com 11-25-2013) "...Because the license was not included, the deal does not require FCC approval. Sinclair has already closed on the deal. However, according to one station valuation expert, in deals in which assets are split from the license, the FCC likes to see 20% of the total valuation allocated to the license. That suggests the station is worth around $32 million. In Reno, Sinclair also owns KRXI, the Fox affiliate, and operates KAME, an MNT outlet, under a local marketing agreement. The price represents a 5.2x multiple of the average 2012-2013 cash flow including synergies, Sinclair said...." (ibid) EDITOR'S NOTE: $26 million divided by 5.2 = $5 million. As to what such "synergies" might be, it may mean eliminating duplication between the three stations and is often a euphemism for firing people. "Last year was a political year which greatly increases income. I would guess on the high side at $20 million for the year. Honestly, I'm pretty sure it's less," stated a longtime local broadcast executive. "I am convinced that local television stations would cease to exist without the regular infusion of millions in political advertising," the old pro added. ...and more ammo.. Nevada Day Required Reading The Lady in the Red Dress The Barbwire's classic Nevada Day column written in 1983 The compleat history of the Silver State in 500 words SO WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? Sparks Tribune 10-31-2013 and previously Barbano on the Barbwire plots new TV season Barbwire Special Web Edition / 10-21-2013 Barbwire: Nevada not really a state No, we were not Battle Born in Kenya Top 10 reasons Nevada lives in the 19th Century Barbwire by Barbano / Expanded from the 10-17-2013 Sparks Tribune Low-income penalty: Nevada socks it to the working poor BARBANO: Nevada is one big company town Dennis Myers / Reno News & Review 10-10-2013 State of Health National health care comes up against a very sick state. WHAT'S IN IT FOR US? Dennis Myers / Reno News & Review 10-10-2013 USA at crossroads: New Deal or new Confederacy? Barbwire by Barbano / Expanded from the 10-10-2013 Sparks Tribune UPDATE—>Bill Moyers: Shutdown is simply secession by other means We Don't Need No Education The continuing Barbwire series ...and more ammo yet The Post-Dated Recession: Pay me now or pay me later Barbwire by Barbano / Expanded from the 9-6-2012 Daily Sparks Tribune The Post-dated Recession By Joshua H. Silavent / Daily Sparks Tribune / 5-3-2011 Union decline and rising inequality in two charts by Colin Gordon Economic Policy Institute / 6-5-2012 Used in journalist Mark Robison's extensive Hard Labor: Nevada unions tout role in helping workers, firms, economy (Sunday 2 Sept. 2012 Reno Gazette-Journal, page one, Reno Rebirth section of the print edition). Union men Jim Burrell, Paul McKenzie and Guy Louis Rocha did the movement proud. Not included in the RGJ online edition. WOMEN AND UNIONS — ORPHAN MAJORITIES The Barbwire Labor Day column Reno Gazette-Journal / 9-3-2012 Nevada Press Assn. Better Newspaper Contest HAT TRICK: Barbwire takes first place three years in a row. The winning entries Suing for Schools: The 20-year shuck Expanded from the 2-21-2010 Daily Sparks Tribune Click here to view the show on your desktop RED flags flying low over Sparks Expanded from the 1-10-2010 Daily Sparks Tribune The wrath of self-righteous racism Expanded from the 11-8-2009 Daily Sparks Tribune Government contacts Nev. congressional delegation Nevada Legislature State of Nevada Secretary of State Carson City Clark County City of Las Vegas Douglas County Reno City Council Sparks City Council Washoe County Commission Washoe Registrar of Voters The campaign against forcibly-paid newspaper obituaries And they wonder why the newspaper business is dying?   The Dean's List    The Dean of Reno Bloggers could very well be Andrew Barbano, self-described "fighter of public demons," who started putting his "Barbwire" columns online in 1996 and now runs 10 sites. RENO NEWS & REVIEW, 11-9-2006 The 2009 first-place Nevada Press Association award winners Tony the Tiger & the flaky NFL Barbwire / 11-30-2008 Deregulation is never having to say you're sorry Barbwire / 8-3-2008 Nevada: A good place to visit, but do you want to live here? Barbwire / 6-15-2008 The 2008 first-place Nevada Press Association award winners The price of a piece / 6-17-2007 Boxing Pandora /9-23-2007 The Lady in the Red Dress 10-28-2007 1997 Pulitzer Prize entries The life and times of Travus T. Hipp The best who ever was

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Copyright © 1982-2013 Andrew Barbano

Andrew Barbano is a 45-year Nevadan, editor of NevadaLabor.com and JoeNeal.org; and former chair of the City of Reno's Citizens Cable Compliance Committee, He is producer of Nevada's annual César Chávez Day celebration and serves as first vice-president, political action chair and webmaster of the Reno-Sparks NAACP. As always, his opinions are strictly his own. E-mail barbano@frontpage.reno.nv.us.

Barbwire by Barbano moved to Nevada's Daily Sparks Tribune on Aug. 12, 1988, and has originated in them parts ever since.
Whom to blame: How a hall-of-famer's hunch birthed the Barbwire in August of 1987
Tempus fugit.

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