In 1970s, the FCC forbid newspaper television cross-ownership, but grandfathered in NYTimes owned WQXR and Chicago Tribune owned WGN-TV and WGN-AM.
If the FCC had applied the rule more strictly, and not grandfathered WGN-TV, what might have happened? Would a spun off WGN-TV remian viable? Would it fold, remain independent, or reaffiliate with a network?