FCC Isn’t Sinclair-Tribune’s Only Potential Roadblock

Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc.'s proposed $3.9 billion purchase of Tribune Media Co. is in trouble at the Federal Communications Commission, but that isn’t the only potential problem for the merger.

The FCC is on the verge of sending the merger to an administrative hearing that industry observers say could kill the deal. But there are two other ways that could happen.

First, review of the deal is also ongoing at the Justice Department’s antitrust division under a different set of legal criteria than the FCC used. That review could still result in either a different set of required divestitures than ...