WJLA's Staff Meets the New Owner

DC sources tell FTVLive that Sinclair CEO David Smith and his circle of executives visited WJLA this week.

Smith met with the staff and started out trying to downplay the misconceptions many have about Sinclair. He tried to downplay the fact that Sinclair leans hard to the conservative side and tried using the company's station in Seattle as a "liberal" example.

Smith talked about the vast network of stations they own, and how they help one another. Paraphrased example: “Say you want live coverage about the “invasion” – you could call our El Paso or Brownsville station to set one up.” We presuming the "invasion" he was referring to was the stream of people crossing the US's southern border. 

Insiders say that Smith took questions but he offered vague answers if anything in response.

One bored staffer counted words, saying that Smith used the word “money” 83 times during his hour and a half chat. He also used the word “truth” 34 times.

Responding to a question about station management structure, he recognized current WJLA General Manager Bill Lord for his hard work and success. He explained why he would not be moving forward with the station.

The general manager position at Sinclair is a sales job, and all Sinclair GM’s are in the field selling, something Lord does not do.