Unions Haven't Backed Up Claims, Say Standard, Tegna and CMG
The unions opposing the Standard General/Tegna deal haven’t demonstrated that the acquisition goes against the public interest or that the broadcasters misrepresented their plans, and the FCC should approve the transaction, said Standard, Tegna and Cox Media Group, which is…
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owned by investor Apollo Global Management, in a response filing Thursday. Under the merger agreement, Standard will soon face a "ticking fee" if FCC approval isn't forthcoming (see 2210280062). The opposition from the Communications Workers of America's NewsGuild and National Association of Broadcast Engineers and Technicians sectors doesn’t protect jobs at Tegna, the broadcasters said. “The extended review resulting from the petitioners’ repeated requests for documents and delay has created uncertainty for TEGNA’s employees as they head into the holiday season,” said the filing. “If Standard General wants to prove that there are no misrepresentation issues, it can immediately release all of the documents for everyone to see,” said NewsGuild President Jon Schleuss in a news release Friday. Standard “repeatedly asserted on the record to the FCC that it ‘does not intend to reduce station-level staffing’ but its 12 major lenders apparently relied on Standard General’s financial projections showing just the opposite,” said the release. “If Standard General actually had a plan to conduct post-closing station layoffs, such plans would have necessarily involved the creation of scores of documents,” said the broadcaster filing. “Yet NewsGuild presents not a single one to support its claims.” TEGNA station employees “will be more secure in the hands of a private company that has repeatedly affirmed its intent to preserve jobs at those stations than they would be if TEGNA remains subject to the economic pressures that a public company necessarily faces,” the broadcasters said.