Illusion of Choice: Local Media (Brainwashing Cartel) List for Top 200 US Markets

Independent TV journalism no longer exists. Almost every broadcast station in the US is owned by one of a handful of conglomerate media companies who coordinate content amongst all their properties. The narrative they desire can be spread even more thoroughly when they own more than one of the standard ABC / CBS / NBC / FOX in the same TV market, which happens frequently.

If you haven’t seen the infamous “Sinclair Threat to Democracy” video, it is the perfect example of how this works. Regardless of how you feel about Trump, the message is clear: content is carefully scripted and coordinated across many networks.

Now multiply that type of content by several media companies in 200+ TV markets in the United States, and you can see how the same message can penetrate every corner of the US in a short amount of time.

As you scroll through each market, pay attention to two things: how often you see the same companies pop up (such as Sinclair, Nexstar, EW Scripps, Gray, etc) and then how many markets have several stations operated by the same company. I will also distinguish here that several stations are owned by a smaller company, but are operated by a larger company through licensing agreements and special partnership contracts. I have included the operator because they are the ones handling the presentation of the content.

In 1975, the Church Committee Congressional investigation into the CIA revealed that they employed a large number of news reporters across various media formats to push certain stories. If you believe that has stopped, I have some oceanfront property in Arizona for you. The Smith-Mundt Modernization Act of 2012 gave further opportunity for government agencies to interfere with the propagandizing of the news media.

The media itself is the “threat to our democracy” that Sinclair was trying to warn us about.