WJAR-10’s Parent Company Sinclair Pushing Trump’s 2020 Agenda

WJAR-10’s Parent Company Sinclair Pushing Trump’s 2020 Agenda

Sinclair Broadcasting, the owner of WJAR-10, is doubling down with content to support President Donald Trump.

The media company made national headlines last August. Now, Sinclair stations are running segments that "promote" Trump's immigration policies.

Media experts across the country voiced deep concerns last year about Sinclair Broadcasting, after it had its news anchors and reporters across the country voiceover a corporate message that sounds much like language often used by Trump.

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

SEE VIDEO AT BOTTOM OF STORY

In Providence, this carefully crafted message was read in the Rhode Island market by WJAR’s Frank Coletta, Alison Bologna and other Channel 10 on-air staff. Coletta recently retired.

"This is largely what Sinclair is all about. It's had different manifestations in the past, [so] it shouldn't be that surprising," said Merrill Brown, founding Editor-in-Chief for MSNBC.com in an interview with GoLocal LIVE. "But it's a wake-up call to people all across the country about how important local TV news is, and how the nationalization of it -- ideological or not -- is a big problem for our communities."

SEE SINCLAIR VIDEO ABOVE

Now, Sinclair has teamed with the Trump administration on a number of fronts.

“Ken Cuccinelli, the acting U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services director, is the latest Trump administration official to sit down for a softball interview with conservative local TV giant Sinclair Broadcast Group. In a recent ‘must-run’ segment for Sinclair local news stations, Cuccinelli and chief political analyst Boris Epshteyn defend a wave of recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids,” reports Media Matters.

The pro-Trump immigration policy segment was broadcast on Sinclair stations across the country.

Sinclair reporter Epshteyn ended the segment with his own commentary, saying, “What ICE is doing is not a targeted attack on people in our country. It is our government enforcing our laws. Period. Enforcing these laws and being pro-immigrant are not mutually exclusive.”

Sinclair's White House Access

This immigration segment was preceded by the new White House press secretary giving her first interview to Sinclair.

Stephanie Grisham gave her first TV interview to Sinclair’s Eric Bolling.

Bolling, a former Fox News host who was fired amid sexual harassment reports, hosts a weekly online show for Sinclair. 

"Fox News on Friday announced that it will part ways with host Eric Bolling after an investigation into sexual-harassment allegations. 'Fox News Channel is canceling ‘The Specialists,’ and Eric Bolling and Fox have agreed to part ways amicably,' the cable-news outlet wrote in a statement," reported the Daily Beast in June, 2017. 

The LA Times reported, "The law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, investigated allegations that Bolling used his cellphone to send unsolicited photos of male genitalia to current and former female colleagues at the network."

Despite Bolling's history, his Sinclair program has become a regular stop for administration officials and Republican members of Congress.

Sinclair, who owns 200 local stations across the country has close tied to the to Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner.

As reported in December of 2016, “Politico is reporting that Sinclair Broadcasting made a deal with the Trump campaign for better access. This is not the first time that WJAR's parent company has been tied to pushing a conservative agenda.