WASHINGTON, D.C. — The SVP/Deputy General Counsel of the NAB has exited the nation’s chief broadcast media lobbying group after 10 years to accept a key legislative and regulatory advocacy role at the company helmed by Chris Ripley.
As of today, Patrick McFadden will serve as SVP/Global Public Policy and Communications at Sinclair Inc. It puts him in the driver’s seat at Sinclair on overseeing the development and implementation of the company’s “comprehensive legislative and regulatory strategy to support the policy and advocacy goals.”
The arrival of McFadden from the NAB likely gives the company greater clout on Capitol Hill and, potentially, at the FCC, which has been unkind to Sinclair in recent years — most notably the Pai Commission’s decision to send the company’s proposed merger with Tribune Broadcasting to an Administrative Law Judge for a hearing. That act served as the catalyst in the deal’s dissolution; the FCC under Ajit Pai’s leadership claimed Sinclair had proposed sidecar deals to meet local ownership rules that involved parties too close to Sinclair, leading the Chairman to call out “sham” deals designed to keep Sinclair in the driver’s seat.
Now, with McFadden in place, Sinclair’s goal is to prevent any such action from repeating as Sinclair moves ahead as a vibrant broadcast TV station owner in the coming years.
“I’m very excited to join the Sinclair team,” McFadden said. “Sinclair is a leader not only in program content distribution with its tremendous portfolio of broadcast stations but also as a vanguard for multiple new businesses using that sophisticated platform. I look forward to helping the company advance its strategic initiatives to continue to provide local news and entertainment to viewers at home and on the go as well as the many new opportunities on the horizon.”
“We’re delighted to welcome Patrick as a key contributor to our executive group,” said Ripley, Sinclair’s President/CEO. “He brings a wealth of critical experience to the cutting-edge broadcasting platform as it expands for all types of content distribution. He knows the issues, the people and the technology that underpin our business and is well-respected throughout the industry. He’s part of the elite corps of innovative and nuanced thinkers who are representative of Sinclair’s visionary culture.”
Over his decade at the NAB, McFadden was involved in multiple, complex regulatory challenges including ATSC 3.0 licensing and deployment, spectrum allocation/protection, media ownership and content distribution. Prior to joining the NAB, McFadden practiced telecommunications law in the Washington, D.C. office of Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP where he specialized in policy advocacy, litigation, regulatory compliance and negotiations for wireless, wireline and VoIP service providers and communications device manufacturers.
With reporting from Adam R Jacobson in Boca Raton, Fla.
