Sinclair, Inc. has filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to acquire the broadcast licenses of five small television stations in Oregon, according to a review of regulatory documents.
The assets include one full-power broadcast stations, KPIC (Channel 4), and four of its translator stations that repeat the signal of KPIC to rural parts of the state.
KPIC serves as a semi-satellite of KVAL (Channel 13), the CBS affiliate in Eugene that Sinclair owns outright.
Semi-satellite TV stations typically carry local and national programming from another station, with local advertising specific to its community of license. The four translator stations that Sinclair seeks to acquire offer the same programming feed as KPIC.
The five assets are owned by South West Oregon TV, which is operated by the Smullin family. Sinclair acquired KPIC and KVAL in 2013 as part of its broader purchase of Fisher Broadcasting, but was forced to divest KPIC in order to satisfy federal ownership rules.
Those ownership rules are now in flux, as the FCC reviews proposals made by some broadcasters to ease certain regulations to allow broadcast groups to consolidate their operations.
It wasn’t clear how much the Smullin family will receive from the sale of KPIC to Sinclair, or whether the deal will gain regulatory approvals. The Smullin family also operates KOBI (Channel 5, NBC), which operates a full-time satellite in nearby Klamath Falls.
