The sale of several local television stations is up in the air because of a recent FCC decision. WNEP-TV parent company Tribune Media is assessing its options after the Federal Communications Commission gave a thumbs down to a pending $3.9 billion acquisition by media giant Sinclair Broadcast Group.  

As part of that deal, local Sinclair stations Fox 56 WOLF-TV, The CW-affiliated WSWB-TV and MyNetworkTV-affiliated WQMY, were to be sold to Standard Media Group, an affiliate of investment firm Standard General.

Both sales seem like they are off.  

Carl Abraham, news director at WNEP-TV, would not comment but released a statement from parent company Tribune Media about the order that sent the deal to an administrative law judge at the FCC, a move viewed by some as a death knell for such mergers.  

Tribune called the ruling “troubling.” “We are currently evaluating its implications,” the statement read. Tribune officials said they would be “greatly disappointed” if the transaction cannot be completed “but will rededicate our efforts to running our businesses and optimizing assets.”  

“Thanks to the great work of our employees, we are having a strong year despite the significant distraction caused by our work on the transaction and, thus, are well-positioned to continue maximizing value for our shareholders going forward,” the statement read.

Tribune, comprised of 42 television stations reaching about 50 million households, announced in May 2017 it entered into an agreement to be purchased by Sinclair for $3.9 billion.  

Sinclair, the largest owner of local television stations in the country including the local Fox 56 and its affiliates, has faced scrutiny from some media critics for having a conservative slant. It owns 173 stations in 81 markets. The acquisition would have given Sinclair ownership of 215 television stations in 102 markets.