BALTIMORE, April 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: SBGI) today announced a new public service initiative, in partnership with the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), to provide consumers with important and timely news and information about the Coronavirus (COVID-19).  

The 4 – 8-minute television segments will be aired live on Baltimore's FOX 45 and will be shared as potential news and digital content for use by 73 Sinclair television station newsrooms across the U.S.  The segments will provide critical information from the medical and scientific team at UMSOM, which is one of the top biomedical research centers in the world and at the forefront of ongoing COVID-19 research.  The informational segments will also answer live questions from viewers. 

"We are honored to partner with a leading organization fighting on the front lines against this global pandemic to help share critical and potentially life-saving information for our viewers," said Chris Ripley, Sinclair's President and CEO. "I am proud of the tireless dedication of our entire Sinclair team during this crisis to deliver urgent news and information from important sources as we all work together to protect our communities around the country." 

E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs at UM, Baltimore, the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean, University of Maryland School of Medicine, commented: "We are fortunate to have faculty experts at the University of Maryland School of Medicine who are among the top scientists in the nation on infectious disease and vaccine development, and who are directly involved in conducting research and developing treatments for COVID-19.  We are excited to partner with Sinclair to provide critical information to viewers across the country who seek accurate medical information about COVID-19." 

A team of experts on Coronavirus, vaccine and therapy development, and disease response will be participating in these regular segments and will include:

• Kathleen Neuzil, MD, MPH, FIDSA, The Myron M. Levine, MD, DTPH, Professor in Vaccinology and Director of the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Dr. Neuzil is an expert on vaccines, respiratory illness and therapies;
     
• Wilbur Chen, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, adult infectious disease specialist, and scientist in the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health at the UMSOM. He has led numerous clinical trials for vaccines and is a respiratory illness specialist. He is also a top adviser to Maryland Governor Larry Hogan on COVID-19 response;
   
• Matthew Frieman, PhD, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at UMSOM, who has been researching coronaviruses for over a decade. In his laboratory, Dr. Frieman has been conducting important research using the novel coronavirus to test potential new therapies to treat COVID-19.  

About Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. 
Sinclair is a diversified media company and leading provider of local sports and news. The Company owns and/or operates 23 regional sports network brands; owns, operates and/or provides services to 191 television stations in 89 markets; is a leading local news provider in the country; owns multiple national networks; and has TV stations affiliated with all the major broadcast networks. Sinclair's content is delivered via multiple platforms, including over-the-air, multi-channel video program distributors, and digital platforms. The Company regularly uses its website as a key source of Company information which can be accessed at www.sbgi.net.  

About the University of Maryland School of Medicine 
Now in its third century, the University of Maryland School of Medicine was chartered in 1807 as the first public medical school in the United States. It continues today as one of the fastest growing, top-tier biomedical research enterprises in the world -- with 45 academic departments, centers, institutes, and programs; and a faculty of more than 3,000 physicians, scientists, and allied health professionals, including members of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and a distinguished two-time winner of the Albert E. Lasker Award in Medical Research. With an operating budget of more than $1.2 billion, the School of Medicine works closely in partnership with the University of Maryland Medical Center and Medical System to provide research-intensive, academic and clinically based care for nearly 2 million patients each year. The School of Medicine has more than $540 million in extramural funding, with most of its academic departments highly ranked among all medical schools in the nation in research funding. As one of the seven professional schools that make up the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus, the School of Medicine has a total population of nearly 9,000 faculty and staff, including 2,500 student trainees, residents, and fellows. The combined School of Medicine and Medical System ("University of Maryland Medicine") has an annual budget of nearly $6 billion and an economic impact more than $15 billion on the state and local community. The School of Medicine faculty, which ranks as the 8th highest among public medical schools in research productivity, is an innovator in translational medicine, with 600 active patents and 24 start-up companies. The School of Medicine works locally, nationally, and globally, with research and treatment facilities in 36 countries around the world. Visit medschool.umaryland.edu 

SOURCE Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.

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