WGN-TV

===Aborted sale to Sinclair Broadcast Group; sale to Nexstar Media Group===
{{Main|Attempted acquisition of Tribune Media by Sinclair Broadcast Group}}
[[Sinclair Broadcast Group]] announced their purchase of Tribune Media on May 8, 2017, for $3.9 billion,<ref>{{cite news |title=Sinclair Broadcast to buy Tribune Media for $3.9 billion, giving it control over 215 local TV stations |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2017/05/08/sinclair-broadcast-to-buy-tribune-media-for-3-9-billion-creating-nations-largest-tv-station-group/ |author=Todd Frankel |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=May 8, 2017 |access-date=May 8, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Sinclair deal means bad news for Chicago's Very Own |url=http://www.robertfeder.com/2017/05/08/sinclair-deal-means-bad-news-chicagos/ |author=Robert Feder |website=RobertFeder.com |date=May 8, 2017 |access-date=May 8, 2017}}</ref> a deal publicly met with consternation among station employees due to concerns about the influence the [[Conservatism in the United States|conservative]]-leaning group could potentially have on WGN's news content.<ref>{{cite news |title=Under Sinclair, WGN could be 'Chicago's very own' no more |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-tribune-sinclair-merger-wgn-0813-biz-20170810-story.html |author=Robert Channick |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=August 10, 2017 |access-date=August 10, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=What Sinclair Broadcast Group's Bid for Tribune Media Means for WGN |url=http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2017/05/23/what-sinclair-broadcast-groups-bid-tribune-media-means-wgn |author=Alexandra Silets |website=[[WTTW]] |publisher=Window to the World Communications, Inc. |date=May 23, 2017 |access-date=May 24, 2017}}</ref> In order to meet regulatory compliance, Sinclair opted to divest WGN-TV to a [[limited liability company]] controlled by [[Baltimore]]-based automotive dealer Steven Fader—who has acted as a business associate to Sinclair executive chairman [[David D. Smith|David Smith]]—for $60 million.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sinclair Is Divesting WGN, WPIX, But... |url=https://www.multichannel.com/news/sinclair-divesting-wgn-wpix-418287 |author=John Eggerton |periodical=Multichannel News |date=February 21, 2018 |access-date=July 19, 2018}}</ref> Under the terms of the deal, Sinclair planned to operating the station through [[Local marketing agreement|programming and sales service agreements]], and would hold an option to repurchase with eight years.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sinclair would still control WGN-TV despite proposed sale to Maryland auto dealer |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-sinclair-sale-wgn-tv-tribune-20180226-story.html |author=Robert Channick |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=March 1, 2018 |access-date=March 2, 2018}}</ref> Following public criticism of the proposed deal with Fader by FCC chairman [[Ajit Pai]],<ref name="auto">{{cite web |author=Cynthia Littleton |date=April 24, 2018 |title=Sinclair Revises Station Divestiture Plan Following Pushback From Regulators |url=https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/sinclair-tribune-media-station-sales-merger-1202785468/ |access-date=July 19, 2018 |periodical=Variety}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Robservations: FCC blasts Sinclair 'misrepresentation' in Tribune deal |url=https://www.robertfeder.com/2018/07/20/robservations-fcc-blasts-sinclair-misrepresentation-tribune-deal/ |author=Robert Feder |website=RobertFeder.com |date=July 19, 2018 |access-date=July 20, 2018}}</ref> Sinclair abandoned the deal and disclosed it would instead acquire WGN-TV directly.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sinclair now wants to buy WGN-TV in its bid to win FCC approval for stalled Tribune Media merger |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-sinclair-buy-wgn-tribune-fcc-20180718-story.html |author=Robert Channick |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=July 18, 2018 |access-date=July 19, 2018}}</ref> Despite this, the FCC instead voted to bring the merger up for a hearing by an [[administrative law judge]],<ref>{{cite web |title=FCC throws Sinclair/Tribune deal in doubt |url=https://www.robertfeder.com/2018/07/16/fcc-throws-sinclairtribune-deal-doubt/ |author=Robert Feder |website=RobertFeder.com |date=July 16, 2018 |access-date=July 19, 2018}}</ref> prompting Tribune Media to terminate the deal on August 9, 2018, and file a [[breach of contract]] lawsuit.<ref>{{cite news |title=Tribune withdraws from Sinclair merger, saying it will sue for 'breach of contract' |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2018/08/09/tribune-withdraws-sinclair-merger-saying-it-will-sue-breach-contract/ |author=Brian Fung |author2=Tony Romm |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=August 9, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Tribune Ends Deal with Sinclair, Files Breach of Contract Suit |url=https://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/tribune-ends-deal-with-sinclair-files-breach-of-contract-suit |author=Jon Lafayette |periodical=Broadcasting & Cable |date=August 9, 2018}}</ref>

Following the collapse of the Sinclair merger, [[Nexstar Media Group]] agreed to acquire Tribune's assets on December 3, 2018, for $6.4 billion in cash and debt.<ref>{{cite web |title=Nexstar to buy WGN owner Tribune Media for $4.1 billion |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-nexstar-tribune-media-20181202-story.html |author=Gerry Smith |author2=Nabila Ahmed |author3=Eric Newcomer |agency=Bloomberg News |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=December 3, 2018}}</ref> The transaction received approval by the FCC on September 16, 2019,<ref>{{cite news |title=Tribune Media sale to Nexstar approved by FCC; WGN-Ch. 9 no longer Chicago's very own |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-tribune-nexstar-sale-approved-fcc-wgn-20190916-hlbtp65ye5htxg3hnuunmo5nqu-story.html |author=Robert Channick |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=September 16, 2019 |access-date=September 17, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=FCC approves Tribune Media sale: What's next for WGN? |url=https://www.robertfeder.com/2019/09/16/fcc-approves-tribune-media-sale-whats-next-wgn/ |author=Robert Feder |website=RobertFeder.com |date=September 16, 2019 |access-date=September 17, 2019}}</ref> and finalized three days later.<ref>{{cite press release |title=Nexstar Media Group Completes Tribune Media Acquisition Creating The Nation's Largest Local Television Broadcaster |url=https://www.nexstar.tv/nexstar_completes_tribune_transaction_2019/ |website=Nexstar Media Group |date=September 19, 2019 |access-date=October 3, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Nexstar completes purchase of WGN owner Tribune Media |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-nexstar-tribune-sale-completed-wgn-20190919-i3ba4p4yibhfjo3vrki4ebe6ke-story.html |author=Robert Channick |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=September 19, 2019 |access-date=September 19, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Nexstar Completes Tribune Acquisition, Sean Compton to Head Programming |url=https://variety.com/2019/biz/news/nexstar-tribune-fcc-deal-complete-compton-1203334923/ |author=Cynthia Littleton |periodical=Variety |date=September 19, 2019 |access-date=September 19, 2019}}</ref>