> if two local newspapers close every week, then where else will people turn if not to their local Sinclair station?
This is a questionable substitution. Local TV news is heavily watched by 55+ Americans, with over a third of 18 to 34-year olds having never watched it [1].
I can't share a screenshot of the statistics due to copyright restrictions, but I can confirm that what user JumpCrisscross said (about the statistics) is true.
They're not. I worked in a local news station's news room (and grew up working in them alongside my dad). I would pull stories off an Associated Press feed [1], copy the scripts verbatim, and throw them into the rundown. It's one gigantic feed trough. People deny it because they want to feel like they're in control, but they're not. They're cattle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fHfgU8oMSo