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FCC Hammered for Scuttling Standard General-TEGNA Deal

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Kim, who is also Standard General’s Chief Investment Officer, said he is at a loss as to why the process played out the way it did. “We are well over a year. There’s never been a ruling-conforming TV acquisition. It’s never taken 180 days, which is the guideline the FCC uses,”
The post PRESS ROOM: FCC Hammered for Scuttling Standard General-TEGNA Deal first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

3 years ago

November 3, 2023

Oakland Post

By Barrington M. Salmon
NNPA Newswire

In February last year, TEGNA – which owns 64 television stations in 51 US markets –agreed to be acquired by Standard General for $8.6 billion, including debt. The deal was expected to close in late 2022. But an unanticipated hurdle came in the form of Federal Communications Commission Chair Jessica Rosenworcel who instructed the FCC’s Media Bureau to designate the deal for a hearing in front of an administrative law judge. “As part of the FCC’s mission, we are responsible for determining whether the grant of the applications constituting this transaction serves the public interest,” said Rosenworcel. “That’s why we’re asking for closer review to ensure that this transaction does not anti-competitively raise prices or put local newsrooms at risk.”

She said the judge needed to weigh in on “material concerns in the record related to how the proposed transaction could artificially raise prices for consumers and result in job losses.” At the time, observers and experts said if Rosenworcel’s decision did not kill the deal –as it had in other instances – it would delay a decision for months. In the end, the FCC left Standard General hanging for more than 420 days, never offering any reasons for the delay, ultimately opting not to bring the deal up for a vote and allowing the May 22 deadline to pass without comment. In the weeks and months before the May 22 financial deadline, Standard General’s founding and management partner Soo Kim, said in an exclusive interview, that Standard General fully expected “the FCC to come back and give updates, status reports and answer its remaining questions.” Indeed, he explained, when the deal came before the FCC, the expectation was that commissioners would study the details of the deal and schedule a straight up-and-down vote.

Kim, who is also Standard General’s Chief Investment Officer, said he is at a loss as to why the process played out the way it did. “We are well over a year. There’s never been a ruling-conforming TV acquisition. It’s never taken 180 days, which is the guideline the FCC uses,” said Kim, who was born in Seoul, South Korea, and moved with his family to New York City when he was five. “The presumption is that if the government is taking a long time, it’s because of weighty issues but we don’t know.”

Kim – an independent director of Bally’s Corporation and the preceding entity Twin River Worldwide Holdings, Inc. since 2016 – said the FCC hadn’t reached out or spoken to Standard General for six months. “It feels like a delay tactic. It’s pretty nuts. The presumption is that dealing with the government means there should be some response. There’s no precedent for no response at all,” he said. “It’s one thing if they said the deal is faulty. There’s nowhere to go. No recourse. We’ve answered every question the FCC posed. We can’t go to court. It’s sort of an interesting situation. There’s no analogy to this happening.”

Supporters of the deal agreed with Kim, who in a statement said, “The FCC Media Bureau’s unprecedented move to scuttle the Standard General-TEGNA transaction jeopardized a historic strengthening of local news and expansion of diversity in the ownership of local broadcast television stations, despite the transaction having widespread support and being consistent with all FCC regulations and precedent.” Former FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn agreed, saying she was one of those supporters pushing the FCC to schedule and take a straight up-and-down vote before the expiration of the deadline.

“It’s not like this applicant is a stranger. We can look at what they’ve done to see what they do. Full consideration by this full administrative body to vote on this issue could be game-changing,” said Clyburn, who was the publisher and general manager of The Coastal Times, a Charleston-based family-founded newspaper for 14 years. “He is making unprecedented promises that we all say we want and need, such as freezing employee numbers for three years, and $5 million to train employees.” “Soo agreed to freeze layoffs and develop pathways for different opportunities for employees. He signed MOUs and agreements. Then to be stuck in limbo by regulatory procedures, not even having a path to consideration, is harmful to the applicants. We’re hoping for a pathway not an exercise in futility.”

Clyburn, who served her two terms on the FCC from August 3, 2009, to February 19, 2013, said despite the challenges, she was hopeful the issue could be resolved. Some who opposed the deal include media mogul Byron Allen who came in second bidding for TEGNA, some labor union reps, and Common Cause, which takes issue with a hedge fund controlling television stations and other media outlets. The deal also drew opposition from House Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren who pressed Rosenworcel to very carefully vet certain aspects of the deal. Warren expressed concerns about the deal being an anti-competitive consolidation that might have led to increased retransmission-consent fees, layoffs, and reduced competition for ads.

But there were others, including Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Cathy MacMasters Rogers, who sided with Kim and Standard General and excoriated Rosenworcel in letters and hearings this summer. “Faced with a 2-2 Commission and a lawful transaction she wanted to kill, she skipped a Commission-level vote on the Standard General-TEGNA transaction and directed the FCC’s Media Bureau to do her bidding,” Cruz said. “And to top it off, there is widespread suspicion that the Chairwoman quashed the deal to benefit a longtime Democrat donor. (Her actions) “seriously damaged the FCC’s reputation and damaged broadcasters’ ability “to compete against big tech companies and provide local journalism.”

“The opposition has changed constantly,” said Kim. “They say that we’d raise rates for consumers and fire a lot of employees. They also told us they don’t like hedge funds or private equity in the media. It is another misconception – state pension funds, retirees, large institutional investors – that’s our base.” Kim said the FCC’s decision puts a chill on the prospect of future minority investment in broadcasting and sets the stage for unfair treatment from bureaucrats towards future parties with transactions before the commission. FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr told a reporter after an April FCC hearing he was deeply concerned about the delay because it went against the FCC’s publicly stated support for diversity.

“I believe the application deserves a straight up-and-down vote. Diversity is important. The FCC should remove any impediments,” said Carr, the senior Republican on the FCC who once served as the agency’s general counsel. “It’s been a year-long process. Local news is sputtering by the moment.” With that reality, Carr said, the FCC needs to create incentives adding that the deal – if approved – would represent “a really break-glass moment.”

“Hundreds of local newspapers have shut down over the last few years alone. This trend is part of a broader decline in the investments necessary to sustain the journalists and reporters that are vital to communities across the country,” Carr said in a Feb 24, 2023, joint statement with Commissioner Nathan Simington after the public review. “Many of the nation’s local TV stations are trying to step up and expand their newsgathering operations. At this moment, the FCC should be working to encourage more of the investment necessary for these local broadcasters to innovate and thrive. It does the opposite today. After a protracted, nearly yearlong review, the commission should be providing the parties with a decision on the merits – not an uncertain future.”

The post PRESS ROOM: FCC Hammered for Scuttling Standard General-TEGNA Deal first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring Review — Is This $136K EV Sedan Worth It?

AUTONETWORK ON BLACKPRESSUSA — Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, but it still feels elegant instead of trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

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2 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

Oakland Post

The 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring is the kind of luxury EV that makes people stop and ask a simple question: Is this really better than a Tesla Model S, Mercedes EQS, or BMW i7? At $136,150, it has to do more than look futuristic. It has to feel special every time you get in it.

Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, yet it still feels elegant rather than trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

Inside is where the Air Grand Touring really makes its case. The 34-inch Glass Cockpit Display and retractable Pilot Panel screen give the cabin a clean, modern look that still feels different from other EVs. The Tahoe Extended Leather and Lucid Black Alcantara headliner lifts the sense of occasion, and the front seats are a highlight. They are 20-way power-adjustable, heated, ventilated, and include massage. That matters because luxury buyers at this price expect comfort first.

Rear passengers are not ignored either. You get 5-zone heated rear seating, a rear center console display, and power rear and rear side window sunshades. Add in the Surreal Sound Pro system with 21 speakers, and the Air feels like a true long-distance luxury sedan.

Lucid also gives this car serious EV hardware. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive system, 900V+ charging architecture, and Wunderbox onboard charger are big talking points. Buyers in this segment care about range, charging speed, and everyday ease, not just raw performance. That is where the Lucid continues to stand out.

On the technology side, the Air Grand Touring includes DreamDrive Premium, with 3D Surround View Monitoring, Blind Spot Warning, Automatic Park In and Out, Automatic Emergency Braking, and a Driver Monitoring System with distracted and drowsy driver alerts. This one also has DreamDrive Pro, which adds future-capable ADAS hardware.

There are still some real-world annoyances. Based on your notes, the windshield wiper control is hard to find and use, and that matters more than people think in a high-tech car. When controls become less intuitive, even a beautiful interior can feel frustrating.

Still, the 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring succeeds where it matters most. It feels luxurious, advanced, comfortable, and thoughtfully engineered. For buyers who want an EV sedan that feels truly premium and less common than the usual choices, this Lucid makes a very strong case.

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Snoop Dogg Celebrates 10 Til’ Midnight at the Compound

LOS ANGELES SENTINEL — The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles.

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2 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

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Snoop Dogg celebrated the premiere of 10 Til’ Midnight at his Inglewood recording studio & multipurpose facility, The Compound, but the night felt like much more than an album release. It felt like Los Angeles. It felt like legacy. And it felt like another major move from one of the city’s greatest cultural architects as he continues to prove that he is not just dropping music — he is building moments, shaping narratives, and pushing the culture forward in real time.

What made the event so powerful was the clarity behind the vision. During a panel conversation with DJ Hed, Snoop opened up about the heart behind 10 Til’ Midnight, explaining that the project was created to help bridge older and younger generations while also speaking to the long-standing divisions between Bloods and Crips in a unique way through film. That alone gave the project a different kind of weight. This was not just about songs. This was about using creativity as a tool for connection. This was about taking a story rooted in Los Angeles and telling it in a way that could bring people together.

Snoop Congratulated By Rapper & Fellow 10 Til Midnight Cast Member G Perico (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles. The film was shot in the city, including at WePlay Studios in Inglewood, which gave the entire project an even deeper hometown feel. It was not just a West Coast story in content — it was a Los Angeles-made production from the ground up.

That matters because, in a city like this, authenticity still carries weight. Snoop understands how to make sure that what he creates does not just represent Los Angeles on the surface, but actually comes from it.

What also makes 10 Til’ Midnight significant is that it represents another major step in Snoop’s evolution as both an artist and executive. Public reporting around the project identifies it as his 22nd studio album, but the bigger story is what it represents in this season of his life. This is one of several consecutive moves he has made in his 50s that show he is still building, still expanding, and still finding new ways to reinvent what the next chapter looks like.

Snoop Dogg at the Premiere of 10 Til Midnight (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

Now, as the head of Death Row Records and the newly aligned leader of Death Row Pictures, he is taking the brand into a new dimension. That is what made this moment feel bigger than music. Snoop is not just protecting the legacy of Death Row — he is stretching it. He is expanding it beyond records and into film, visual storytelling, and larger creative worlds that can continue carrying the label’s impact forward. Public reporting has noted that this project arrives as part of that broader cinematic push.

That is a major Los Angeles move because the city has always been built on the intersection of music, film, neighborhood identity, and cultural storytelling. With 10 Til’ Midnight, Snoop is leaning all the way into that intersection.

The room at The Compound reflected that. It felt like a private premiere, but it also felt like a statement — a reminder that Snoop Dogg’s staying power has never been based only on nostalgia. It comes from his ability to remain connected, remain visionary, and remain in tune with how to move the culture without losing the essence of who he is.

That is why this premiere mattered. It was not just about celebrating another album. It was about witnessing a Los Angeles legend continue to evolve, continue to unify, and continue to use art to tell stories that hit deeper than entertainment alone.

In that sense, 10 Til’ Midnight became more than a project launch. It became another example of how Snoop Dogg is still taking Los Angeles to the next level — using music, film, and legacy together to build something bigger than a moment.

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OP-ED: Small Businesses Need Minnesota to Act on Pass-Through Tax Policy

MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN RECORDER — A Twin Cities immigrant entrepreneur who built several businesses including grocery stores in underserved neighborhoods is calling on Minnesota lawmakers to extend the Pass-Through Entity tax option before it expires, warning that its loss would hit small businesses already recovering from Operation Metro Surge with higher federal tax bills.

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2 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

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A Twin Cities Small Business Owner Is Urging Minnesota to Extend a Tax Policy That Could Save Thousands of Businesses

By Daniel Hernandez | Minnesota Spokesman Recorder

I came to the United States as a teenager with a clear goal: to build something meaningful through hard work. I put in long days in construction, restaurants, and landscaping; doing whatever it took to learn, save, and eventually start my own business.

Over time, I built and ran several successful ventures, including an event photography company, a magazine, a tax and accounting firm, and now grocery stores serving neighborhoods across the Twin Cities where other retailers chose not to invest. I’ve created jobs, supported families, and committed to communities that deserve stability and opportunity.

That’s why I’m speaking out now.

Small business owners in Minneapolis and the communities we serve are recovering from serious disruptions, including the impacts of Operation Metro Surge. That event hit immigrant communities especially hard. In my own case, I lost nearly half of my 60 employees and saw revenue drop by about 85%. While I worked to provide competitive wages, health benefits, and paid time off, the real hardship fell on the people who lost their jobs and income.

Even as we rebuild, small businesses are facing another challenge. The Minnesota Legislature is considering letting an important tax policy expire: the Pass-Through Entity tax option.

Here’s what that means in plain terms.

Many small businesses, including mine, are pass-through businesses. That means the business itself doesn’t pay income tax. Instead, the owners report the income on their personal tax returns. But under current federal rules, there’s a limit on how much state tax we can deduct. That often leads to higher federal tax bills.

The Pass-Through Entity option fixes that. It allows the business to pay the state tax directly, which means the business can fully deduct those taxes on its federal return and lower the total amount of income taxed federally. The result is straightforward: small business owners pay less in federal taxes, without reducing what the state collects.

This policy is not new or controversial. Thirty-six states already offer it. It doesn’t cost Minnesota anything, it’s revenue neutral. And it benefits more than 66,000 businesses across the state.

In a state where the cost of doing business is already high, it’s hard to understand why we wouldn’t offer the same basic tax treatment as states like California and Illinois.

Small businesses have carried a heavy load in recent years, through a pandemic, rising costs and public safety disruptions. We’ve adapted, reinvested and stayed committed to our communities. What we need now are practical policies that support that work, not make it harder.

If the Minnesota House does not act soon, many businesses will face significantly higher federal tax bills. That’s money that could otherwise be used to hire workers, raise wages or reinvest in local neighborhoods.

I urge Gov. Tim Walz and members of the House Tax Committee to pass House File 3127 and extend the Pass-Through Entity election.

Small businesses are the backbone of our communities. We’ve proven our resilience. Now we need our state leaders to show the same commitment to us.

Daniel Hernandez is the owner of Colonial Market located at 2100 E. Lake St.

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