Sinclair Broadcast Group is in talks to hire former Sony TV chairman Steve Mosko in an unspecified role, the Financial Times reported Sunday.
Mosko, who left Sony last June after 24 years, was credited with rebuilding Sony’s TV production, particularly with prime-time shows like AMC’s “Breaking Bad,” NBC’s “The Blacklist,” ABC’s “The Goldbergs” and Netflix’s “Bloodline.”
A Sinclair Broadcast Group spokesperson declined to comment; Mosko did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
The move signals Sinclair Broadcast’s possible interest in building up original programming in the wake of last month’s announcement of the $3.9 billion acquisition of Tribune Media. The deal gives David Smith’s company 223 TV stations covering nearly three quarters of the country.
The deal marked the first major acquisition of a TV broadcasting group announced since the FCC voted in April to overturn a 2016 decision limiting the number of television stations some broadcasters can own.
Chicago-based Tribune Media operated 42 TV stations and WGN radio, and reached more than 43 percent of the nation including major markets like New York, Chicago and Miami. Sinclair had operated 171 TV stations in 81 markets, mostly in the South and Midwest.
Dismissing speculation that Sinclair intends to build its own nationwide network and abandon its affiliate status with existing networks like Fox and NBC, Sinclair told the Financial Times that it would create “overlay networks” supplying content in parts of the day when its current network partners do not.
“Sinclair is not going to be competing or replacing the existing networks, we will instead augment and enhance,” it said in a statement.