On May 8, 2017, Hunt Valley, Maryland-based Sinclair Broadcast Group announced that it would acquire Tribune Media for $3.9 billion, plus the assumption of $2.7 billion in debt held by Tribune. Had the deal received regulatory approval by the FCC and the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division, the transaction would have brought WPHL under common ownership with CBS-CW affiliate WHP-TV in Harrisburg. (Sinclair intended to sell Tribune-owned Fox affiliate WPMT in Harrisburg and, to address a separate conflict with Tribune-operated ABC-affiliated sister WNEP-TV, the Scranton virtual triopoly of Fox affiliate WOLF-TV, CW affiliate WSWB and MyNetworkTV affiliate WQMY to Standard Media Group to address ownership conflicts related to the deal.) Because of WPHL's status as a MyNetworkTV affiliate with limited local programming, some analysts initially believed that Sinclair may choose to sell WPHL to Fox Television Stations to form a duopoly with Fox owned-and-operated station WTXF-TV, which would make WPHL a MyNetworkTV O&O. However, Sinclair did not include WPHL in a subsequent $910-million sale of seven Tribune-owned stations to Fox Television Stations that was announced on May 9, 2018. It is asserted that Pennsylvania's status as a swing state in presidential elections may have been considered a deciding factor in Sinclair choosing to acquire WPHL.