When Sinclair Broadcast Group announced its intent to buy Tribune Media in a blockbuster merger last May, the company predicted that regulators would quickly wave through the deal.
But 10 months later, Sinclair remains locked in a prolonged battle with Justice Department antitrust officials over how many stations it must sell to get their approval. It is latest cloud over Sinclair’s $3.9 billion deal, coinciding with an internal investigation underway at the Federal Communications Commission into the agency’s relationship with the company.