Sinclair Broadcast Group isn’t looking to challenge Fox News’ position as the leading conservative voice in cable news, but the country’s largest television station operator’s latest acquisition could at least trigger a major shift in the local TV news landscape.

Chris Ripley, CEO of Hunt Valley, Md.-based Sinclair, told Variety in a new cover story that his company has no current plans to launch a national cable news channel that might compete with right-leaning Fox News, even though Sinclair had considered that very idea within the past few years. “Our strength is local news,” he told Variety. “The market for national cable news is very well served.”

Local news is more than just Sinclair’s strength. The company’s recent agreement to pay $3.9 billion for Tribune Media would give Sinclair control of more than 200 local TV stations, reaching roughly 72% of the television-owning households. In the words of Variety, the Tribune Media deal, which still requires approval from federal regulators, would turn Sinclair into “a broadcast colossus the likes of which the industry has never seen.” (Interestingly, Fox News-parent company 21st Century Fox was also rumored to be kicking the tires on a Tribune Media deal before Sinclair pulled the trigger.)

The deal also gives Sinclair a minority stake in the Food Network and full ownership of the general entertainment cable channel WGN America. So, even if an all-news cable network isn’t in the works, those channels combined with Sinclair’s massive (and growing) footprint give the broadcaster the opportunity to have much more of a presence on the national stage. But, that possibility is exactly what has Sinclair’s critics concerned that a wider reach will give the company a massive platform to push a conservative political message.

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As Fortune has noted, Sinclair executive chairman David Smith is a prominent supporter of President Donald Trump, and the broadcaster has been criticized for what is seen by some as its efforts to use the company’s numerous TV outlets to promote conservative views that mirror those of the White House. Trump adviser (and son-in-law) Jared Kushner reportedly told a group of executives ahead of last year’s election that the Trump campaign had an agreement with Sinclair to provide access to the candidate in exchange for “fairer” coverage. (Sinclair later denied that it offered preferential treatment of Trump, saying instead that it agreed to air uncut video of interviews with Trump and other candidates on local news affiliates.)