Ex-Fox News anchor Bill O’Reilly is reportedly in talks to return to television with Sinclair Broadcast Group, the nation’s largest television station owner.
Bill O’Reilly has been negotiating for a position with Sinclair. https://t.co/RYGGadPwSW
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) October 27, 2017
According to two sources familiar with the situation, O’Reilly has been in talks with Sinclair for some time and is “about midway” through negotiations. Sinclair, which is known for its conservative commentary, is considering putting O’Reilly on one of their local stations.
Furthermore, there’s a chance that O’Reilly could end up at a Fox affiliate. In May, Sinclair reached a deal to pay $3.9 billion for Tribune Media, which owns numerous Fox-affiliated stations. If the deal is approved by regulators, Sinclair would own more than 220 stations.
However, while he may end up back with his home network, O’Reilly wouldn’t be reporting the news. “What you are going to see is a syndicated show, not a news channel,” said one of the sources. “I know they’ve been talking about doing something in syndication and something that could air on [Tribune flagship station] WGN.” Additionally, the source said Sinclair is considering a two-hour block for O’Reilly, possibly beginning at 6 or 7 p.m., that is “anti-CNN, anti-MSNBC.”
As for the sexual harassment allegations surrounding O’Reilly, the sources said that they didn’t affect the negotiations. After The New York Times reported last week that O’Reilly had settled a $32 million sexual harassment claim against him by a former legal analyst, Lis Wiehl, Sinclair “took a pause but it didn’t really change anything for them.”
Sinclair has denied that they’re in talks with O’Reilly; unsurprising, given all the controversy surrounding the former Fox News host. If they do bring him on there will undoubtedly be backlash, but what true conservative network isn’t already use to that?
Do you think it would be a good idea for Sinclair to bring Bill O’Reilly back to TV? Share your thoughts below!
