From WNYC in New York, this is on the media.

I'm Brooke Gladstone.

And I'm Bob Garfield.

This week, we are reminded that lockstep support for President Trump is not limited to Fox News and the Internet.

The FCC public comment period is days away from ending on Sinclair Broadcasting's pending acquisition

of Tribune Media, a deal that would expand Sinclair's reach to 72% of U.S. households, and with it,

a vast platform for its conservative message. Even as the FCC contemplates a decision,

Sinclair bosses have ratcheted up the hard ride commentary.

They compel their stations to run.

But it's not a new practice in 2004.

For instance, the company produced a hit piece on then-presidential candidate John Kerry,

focusing on his Vietnam-era anti-war activism.

As I heard John Kerry speak, I could feel an inner hurt, no surgeon's scalpel could remove.

I felt the honor of fighting for my country decomposing, just as surely as if all the

battle ribbons have been stripped from my chest, leaving only torn patches, or once the

dignity of sacrifice been.

It's 2016 election coverage fawned over Trump, and ongoing White House coverage still does.

Whether that's because the company's ownership is right-wing, or because Sinclair struck a deal

with the Trump campaign for special access, or because Sinclair struck a deal with the Trump campaign for

special access, or because Sinclair depends on regulatory approval for the Tribune merger

is anybody's guess, although all of the above is a possible answer.

Felix Gillette is a staff writer for Bloomberg and recently profiled Sinclair.

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