David D. Smith

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David D. Smith
Born
David Deniston Smith

(1950-09-01) September 1, 1950 (age 73)
NationalityAmerican
TitleExecutive chairman, Sinclair Broadcast Group
Political partyRepublican [citation needed]
SpouseJane Smith[1]
ParentJulian Sinclair Smith

David Deniston Smith (born September 1, 1950) is an American businessman who is the executive chairman of Sinclair Broadcast Group (SBGI) since January 2017, having been its president and CEO from September 1990 to January 2017.[2] In 2024, he acquired majority ownership of The Baltimore Sun.

Early life[edit]

David Deniston Smith[3] is the son of Julian Sinclair Smith (1921–1993), founder of Sinclair Broadcast Group, and Carolyn Beth Cunningham.[4] He has three brothers—Frederick, J. Duncan and Robert.[4] As a child he lived in the Bolton Hill neighborhood of Baltimore, and attended Baltimore's City College High School,[5] graduating in 1969.[6]

Career[edit]

From 1971 to 1978, Smith worked at WBFF (run by his father), in charge of maintenance operations.[6] He devised a plan for "selling pornographic videos in Baltimore's red-light district during the 1970s."[7] He founded Comark Communications in 1978.[8]

In 1985, WBFF was rebranded, with two other stations, as Sinclair.[6] David Smith served as the chief executive officer and president of Sinclair Television Group, Inc. from 1988 to January 2017.[9] He "built Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. into the largest owner of television stations in the U.S.,"[9] and he was profiled by The New York Times in 1998.[10] He has served as its executive chairman of SBGI since January 1, 2017. It has been reported that every news station under Sinclair's umbrella is required to syndicate commentary that comports with its owners' ideological views.[11][1]

In September 2013, his shareholding in SBGI was valued at $268 million.[4] His total calculated compensation was $5,206,439 as of fiscal year 2016.[8]

In an August 1996 prostitution sting, Smith was charged with committing an "unnatural and perverted sex act" (oral sex) in a Sinclair company vehicle. He was sentenced to community service, which was fulfilled by having Sinclair station WBFF produce reports on a local drug counseling program.[12][13]

Prior to Ajit Pai's appointment as chairman of the FCC, Smith had met with Pai to discuss deregulation of the FCC's media ownership rules. This meeting, plus Sinclair having been granted additional access to Donald Trump's presidential campaign, resulted in accusations that Sinclair was currying favor with the Trump administration in exchange for deregulation of the industry.[14][15][16]

In January 2024, he reached a private agreement to buy The Baltimore Sun from Alden Global Capital.[17]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Brown, Sloane (January 22, 2011). "Closet Secrets". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on April 4, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  2. ^ "David D. Smith". Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. Archived from the original on August 18, 2017. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  3. ^ "SBGI Company Profile & Executives – Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. Cl A". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c Morrell, Alex (September 28, 2013). "Who Got Rich This Week: The Owners Of Two Family-Run Businesses With Decades Of Broadcasting And Retail Experience". Forbes. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  5. ^ Ellison, Sarah (February 16, 2024). "Sinclair's Recipe for TV News: Crime, Homelessness, Illegal Drugs". The Washington Post.
  6. ^ a b c Wofford, Ben (April 24, 2018). "Sinclair Broadcasting's Hostile Takeover". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  7. ^ Hylton, Wil S. (November 6, 2005). "Not Necessarily the News". GQ. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  8. ^ a b "David D. Smith: Executive Profile & Biography". Bloomberg. August 14, 2017. Archived from the original on August 15, 2017.
  9. ^ a b Wilen, Holden (November 2, 2016). "Sinclair's David Smith to step down as CEO". Baltimore Business Journal. Archived from the original on March 30, 2017. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  10. ^ Carter, Bill (October 4, 1998). "Is Television's Future In This Man's Hands?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 6, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  11. ^ Levitz, Eric (March 8, 2018). "Local News Anchors Are Being Forced to Deliver Pro-Trump Propaganda". Intelligencer. New York. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  12. ^ Boehlert, Eric (October 22, 2004). "Sleaze and smear at Sinclair". Salon.com. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  13. ^ Hermann, Peter (August 15, 1996). "Broadcasting official charged in sex stakeout Sinclair president, woman arrested in company car". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  14. ^ Battaglio, Stephen (May 8, 2017). "Sinclair Broadcast Group to buy Tribune Media for $3.9 billion plus debt". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  15. ^ Littleton, Cynthia (May 8, 2017). "Sinclair Broadcast Group Sets $3.9 Billion Deal to Acquire Tribune Media". Variety. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  16. ^ Johnson, Ted (May 8, 2017). "Sinclair Will Come Under Scrutiny as It Seeks Approval for Tribune Merger". Variety. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  17. ^ Mirabella, Lorraine (January 15, 2024). "The Baltimore Sun purchased by Sinclair's David D. Smith". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 15, 2024.


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