On March 5, 2021, Sinclair Media, which owns and controls WTVC and Fox and is located in Cockeysville, Md., gave the pink slip to its entire sports department.
Since March 5, 2021, WTVC and Fox no longer carries any coverage of sports, local or national, of any kind, during its local newscasts.
After the abrupt firing of the well-respected Dave Staley, who had worked at WTVC for 27 years, WTVC and Fox replaced its entire sports department with Sinclair Media’s additional political “coverage” of what is happening in Washington.
Braves coverage with video? Better watch WDEF. Chattanooga may be Braves Country, but we are a foreign country to WTVC and Fox. The news anchor may give you a box score, but don’t look for any Braves coverage on WTVC or Fox.
Will WTVC hire a sports guy to cover high school football? I certainly hope so since we consider high school football a religion around here. I will still watch WRCB for high school football coverage, hands-down the best in our market.
In addition, WTVC has stopped covering those teams that bond us as a community. Our homegrown Chattanooga Football Club, our Chattanooga Red Wolves or the Lookouts? WTVC’s community seems to be located in Cockeysville, Md., not Chattanooga. Instead of using local sports to bond, Sinclair Media has replaced it with its own political coverage meant to divide.
UT baseball in the College Worlds Series? Don’t expect any coverage on WTVC or Fox. They have struck out.
Roll, Tide, Roll? Not on your local Fox Station. Roll, Tide, Roll, down the toilet bowl.
Never to waste a golden opportunity to tell us what to think, Sinclair Media has replaced local sports coverage with extra coverage of what the Republicans and Democrats are doing in Washington. Instead of bringing us together as a community by showing the highlights of a local high school football game, Sinclair Media would rather remind us of what divides us as a country.
I don’t know about you, but I would prefer the highlights of the South Pittsburgh football game.
C. Mark Warren
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I totally agree. Their agenda is as divisive and biased as it gets.
I used to watch their news all the time but cannot tolerate it these days. Their Facebook page is the same.
It's easy to see the agenda and who it targets.
Joey Blevins
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I agree with Mark. Did everyone hear that? Mark Warren is right about the removal of sports from WTVC and local Fox.
Sports coverage by Dave Staley and his team was great and should be back on TV. Even in the austere days when Harve Bradley did a one man show, he covered news, weather and sports in a balanced and professional way. Why can’t we have balanced coverage on WTVC and local Fox?
Let them know your thoughts.
Ralph Miller
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Thankful for Channel 3, and Chattanoogan. com, of course.
Charlie Rucker
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When Channel 9 fired the sports department, they basically declared to the community that they don’t care about us, they only care about their agenda. Their agenda only consists of highlighting an extremely right wing perspective that fits their corporate outlook and disregards the local community.
Thankfully, we have choices that respect the local community.
Wayne Cook
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Why would you even tune in to begin with?
Mickey Spence
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I agree with all of the above. I will even include MSNBC , CNN , CNBC and now even ESPN. If I want unbiased news and information I watch the Animal Planet and Motor Trend networks as other than that I can formulate my own opinions based on what I see everyday.
Chattanoogan keeps me up to date on the rest. I gave up years ago with all the rest of the opinionated “reporting” from these news outlets (and I use the term “news” very loosely).
Chris Morgan