Anti-Kerry film to air in prime-time

[dissention]

I'm working on a list of contact information for Sinclair and their 62 ****ty affiliates but until I post it, go to the FCC website and register a complaint. Also, make sure to mention that you would like Sinclair's license to be brought up for review; they should have their license revoked immediately. And if all else fails, picket your local Sinclair station; I am next week. Let them know that their Nazi tactics are not goign to be accepted.

http://money.cnn.com/2004/10/11/news...ex.htm?cnn=yes

Anti-Kerry film to air in prime-time
Nation's largest TV chain orders all 62 stations to show movie without commercials next week.
October 11, 2004: 12:40 PM EDT

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of the largest chain of television stations in the nation, plans to air a documentary that accuses Sen. John Kerry of betraying American prisoners during the Vietnam War, a newspaper reported Monday.

The network has ordered all 62 of its stations to air "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal" without commercials in prime-time next week, the Washington Post said, just two weeks before the Nov. 2 election.

Sinclair's television group, which includes affiliates of all the major networks, reaches nearly a quarter of all U.S. television households, according to the company's Web site. But the affiliates owned by the major television networks reach a larger percentage of U.S. homes because they are in the largest markets.

The company made news in April when it ordered seven of its ABC-affiliated stations not to air a "Nightline" segment that featured a reading of the names of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq; a Sinclair executive called that broadcast "contrary to the public interest."

Calls to Sinclair by CNN/Money were not immediately returned Monday.

Media Matters for America, a liberal watchdog group, has written a letter to Sinclair asking the company to cancel reported plans to air the film between now and the Nov. 2 election, the group said in a statement.

"Sinclair's plan to air anti-Kerry propaganda before the election is an abuse of the public airwaves for what appears to be partisan political purposes," Media Matters CEO David Brock said in the letter.

The letter warned Sinclair that its plan could constitute a violation of broadcast regulations requiring equal time for political candidates, as well as the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law, the group said.

Sinclair's top executives include members of the controlling Smith family, who have been strong financial supporters of Bush's campaign, the Post said in its report.

Sinclair executives have given nearly $68,000 in political contributions, 97 percent of it going to Republicans, since the beginning of the year, according to the Los Angeles Times.

According to the report, "Stolen Honor" focuses on Kerry's antiwar testimony to Congress in 1971 and its effect on American POWs in Vietnam, and was produced independently of Sinclair.

The anti-Kerry film states that the senator's testimony hurt the American war effort and undercut morale among the troops.

Sinclair (SBGI: down $0.05 to $7.45, Research, Estimates) shares were little changed on Nasdaq Monday.

[DrummerDeanna]

I was just reading about that in the local paper - disgraceful....

[dissention]

Originally Posted by DrummerDeanna

I was just reading about that in the local paper - disgraceful....

Just read that the DNC just filed a complaint.

[DrummerDeanna]

Originally Posted by dissention

Just read that the DNC just filed a complaint.

Good for them!! We're kicking around the idea of trying to do a story on that since one of our local stations is one of the forced...

[DeeGeMe]

But how far will the DNC be able to get since Sinclair has said that they plan to air this as an "editorial" which isn't governed by the FCC? These people are beneath contempt but I don't know how we'll be able to stop them. That being said, I've already fired off e-mails, made phone calls, and made a complaint with the FCC.

[dissention]

Originally Posted by DeeGeMe

But how far will the DNC be able to get since Sinclair has said that they plan to air this as an "editorial" which isn't governed by the FCC? These people are beneath contempt but I don't know how we'll be able to stop them. That being said, I've already fired off e-mails, made phone calls, and made a complaint with the FCC.

How can it be an editorial if it was produced independently of Sinclair? AND - this is clearly an in-kind contribution to the Bush Cheney campaign and the FEC is going to have a hard time not seeing that. It doesn't make any sense to go after advertisers like some people are saying because it's being presented commercial-free.

[Hawkeye]

Can I ak how this is ANY different then what Farenheit 9/11 was as an Anti Bush film.

[Patti]

I emailed a complaint to the FCC. This is outrageous.

[Patti]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye

Can I ak how this is ANY different then what Farenheit 9/11 was as an Anti Bush film.

Big difference, Hawkeye. This is airing on national TV, free. If you wanted to see Fahrenheit 9/11, you had to go to the theatre and pay to see it. That plus forcing the stations to air this is plain wrong. It's also free advertising for Bush/Cheney, which has to violate all sorts of campaign rules. I'll defer to the experts here about that.

[Hawkeye]

oh that makes sense. This is quite wrong then.

[dissention]

Originally Posted by Patti

Big difference, Hawkeye. This is airing on national TV, free. If you wanted to see Fahrenheit 9/11, you had to go to the theatre and pay to see it. That plus forcing the stations to air this is plain wrong. It's also free advertising for Bush/Cheney, which has to violate all sorts of campaign rules. I'll defer to the experts here about that.

It's using public airwaves to make an in-kind contribution to a presidential campaign; it's wrong and the FEC will bar them from airing it. The "editorial" argument is bogus because the film was made independently from Sinclair and they had absolutely nothing to do with its being made. It would be like me, the owner of Dissention Boradcasting, an affiliate of ABC, taking Outfoxed and airing it as a company editorial. PLUS - they are airing it in place of ABC primetime programming without any advertisements. It's wrong.

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye

oh that makes sense. This is quite wrong then.

but the question to me is would the same people outraged by this be outraged with the same vehemence (letters, phone calls, etc.) if MM released F-911 next week I they would be - then great because fair is fair. Food for Thought.

BTW - I know nothing of this new tirade - I assume it is not really facts as much as opinion - and therein is the difference for me. MM is not my fav., but at least MM put the facts out there - almost all of it is true. I think there was one thing that was timewise incorrect, but the distinction was without a difference. Granted MM took some facts out of context and never explained them or never told you the other side of the story (I mean don't you think there are some mom's who are proud their son's died in service and are with W 100% - yet we do not see that) - but he did present facts - no two ways about that.

P.S. Dissention - I am not arguing with you again about my last paragraph

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by dissention

It's using public airwaves to make an in-kind contribution to a presidential campaign; it's wrong and the FEC will bar them from airing it. The "editorial" argument is bogus because the film was made independently from Sinclair and they had absolutely nothing to do with its being made. It would be like me, the owner of Dissention Boradcasting, an affiliate of ABC, taking Outfoxed and airing it as a company editorial. PLUS - they are airing it in place of ABC primetime programming without any advertisements. It's wrong.

I am unsure the FEC will see it that way as they certainly have not stopped some of other clear violations like Swift Boat Vets and Soros

[dissention]

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

but the question to me is would the same people outraged by this be outraged with the same vehemence (letters, phone calls, etc.) if MM released F-911 next week I they would be - then great because fair is fair. Food for Thought.

Big difference. F9/11 was a theatrical release and just came out on video and DVD. The FEC ruled that if any advertisements for the video release mentioned Bush, they would then be in violation of FEC rules. Sony and Lion's Gate will not permit Moore to air it on television unless it goes to pay-per-view, but they have certain windows in which films have to wait a period of time before they are available for PPV, usually a month and a half. What is being done here is a broadcasting company with access to 25% of televisions in the US is airing an in-kind campaign contribution to the Bush campaign that knocks down Kerry for three hours. On the public airwaves. On stations that can be viewed without even having cable.

Now, if Sinclair was granted permission to air F9/11, I'd say do it. Air the anti-Kerry flick and the anti-Bush flick. But they will not do that because they are trying to influence the election in Bush's favor. And don't forget, this is the same company that censored Nightline because they felt the Nightline broadcast was "too partisan." Gimme a f*cking break, you GOP sluts.

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

BTW - I know nothing of this new tirade - I assume it is not really facts as much as opinion - and therein is the difference for me. MM is not my fav., but at least MM put the facts out there - almost all of it is true. I think there was one thing that was timewise incorrect, but the distinction was without a difference. Granted MM took some facts out of context and never explained them or never told you the other side of the story (I mean don't you think there are some mom's who are proud their son's died in service and are with W 100% - yet we do not see that) - but he did present facts - no two ways about that.

P.S. Dissention - I am not arguing with you again about my last paragraph

I know, but this isn't about Michael Moore. You cannot compare the two films.

[dissention]

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

I am unsure the FEC will see it that way as they certainly have not stopped some of other clear violations like Swift Boat Vets and Soros

Yet again, big difference. Sinclair Broadcasting is not a 527 group, is it? And the 527 groups must stop running the ads for a period of time before the election, according to the FEC. When the FEC looks at the ties between Sinclair and the Bush campaign ($68,000 in donations), you don't think that they are going to see this broadcast as an in-kind contribution? Of course they will and the broadcast will be brought to a screeching hault.