Major local TV station owner Sinclair Inc. has revealed it has been conducting merger talks with rival E.W. Scripps .

In an SEC filing, the company said it had acquired 8% of Scripps Class A shares in the open market for $15.6 million.

Sinclair says a deal could be completed in nine to 12 months.

Scripps, whose market value is about $277 million, operates 60 local stations in 40 markets. It also owns the Ion broadcast network and multicast networks like Court TV, Bounce and Grit and is known for its annual spelling bee, which marked its 100th anniversary last summer. Ion has acquired rights to the WNBA and other women’s sports.

Like another proposed transaction in the local TV sector, Nexstar’s pending $6.2 billion bid to acquire Tegna , a Sinclair-Scripps combination would req

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