In the fourth quarter of 2012, Sinclair Broadcast Groups’ local net broadcast revenues were up 33.7% and national net broadcast revenues were up 58.8% compared to the year-ago quarter.
Sinclair had operating income of $119.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2012, compared to operating income of $63.5 million during the year-ago quarter. Net income also rose to $59 million vs. $22.7 million. Political revenues were $54.1 million for the quarter and $96.9 million for the year.
“2012 was a remarkable year for our Company,” David Smith, President-CEO of Sinclair, said in a statement. “We successfully closed on 30 TV stations, recorded record levels of political advertising, benefited from a rebound in the automotive advertising category, and achieved historic levels in key financial metrics.