Sinclair Shutting Down Local News Affiliates in Five Markets; How Can Users Get Local Programming Now?

Carriage disputes are a fairly common occurrence in the television industry. As companies who own TV stations try to maximize their value in an increasingly digital world, pay-TV distributors with fewer and fewer customers are trying to lower the amount they have to pay to keep those stations on TV. When the two sides clash over how much distributors should be doling out for the privilege of carrying a channel, the disagreement can lead to channels being dark for weeks.

It’s much less frequent that a station owner simply decides to shut down a group of channels they own, but that’s exactly what Sinclair Broadcasting Group (SBG) has decided to do. According to TVNewsCheck, Sinclair is shuttering news operations for five local channels it owns in as many markets; WGFL in Gainesville, Fla.; KPTH in Sioux City, Iowa; KPTM in Omaha, Neb.; WNWO Toledo, Ohio; and KTVL in Medford, Ore.

These channels will continue to exist, but they will no longer offer live, local news. Instead, the channels will bring users content from Sinclair’s The National Desk channel, which “provides real-time national and regional news from Sinclair’s television stations across the U.S.,” according to Sinclair.

As its name suggests, The National Desk provides mostly national programming, although there will be “opportunities” for local news cut-ins during the telecast. Employees at the affected stations were saddened by Sinclair’s actions, as well as by the fact that many lower-income viewers who utilize free, over-the-air broadcast channels as their primary source for local news will now be left in the dark.

“It’s a huge blow to a very vulnerable group of people,” said one dismissed Sinclair employee. They noted that channels like theirs reached “some of the most impoverished citizens in the country,” and that “free local news is paramount for many of our elderly and poor to stay aware, safe and educated. Information is power, and we just turned the lights off for many.”

If you live in one of these markets, you may be worried that your access to local news is about to be curtailed. You’ll still have options for watching other local affiliates, however, and if you’re a cord cutter there’s a good chance at least one live TV streaming service will carry the channels you’ll need to see live news. Much like when Sinclair-owned ABC affiliates left Hulu + Live TV in March, there are still options to see local content.

Best Alternatives in Gainesville, Florida

Best Alternatives in Sioux City, Iowa

Best Alternatives in Omaha, Nebraska

Best Alternatives in Toledo, Ohio

Best Alternatives in Medford, Oregon

An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that KMEG was still a CBS affiliate in Sioux City, Iowa. Effective May 12, KCAU and KTIV will be the only local TV news options in Sioux City

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