Charleston, SC WMMP Friday 10/22 8PM
Greensboro WXLV Friday 10/22 8PM
Greenville/Asheville WLOS Friday 10/22 8PM
Raleigh WLFL Friday 10/22 8PM
Posted on 10/19/2004 5:03:49 PM PDT by fleur-de-lis
At the last minute, Sinclair Broadcasting has reshuffled the broadcast schedule for their program on "Stolen Honor" and now call it "A POW Story: Politics, Pressure and the Media". The new schedule and content of the program is described in the Sinclair press release shown below in post #1. The original press release can be seen by clicking the "Sinclair Broadcasting" source above.
FL_engineer and I had spent many hours tracking down the old, now obsolete schedule from the individual Sinclair TV station web sites and other internet TV directories. This information was posted frequently on Free Republic. That seems to have been a useless exercise now. Very frustrating.
THE PROBLEM IS that many freepers have seen our previous posts and have "spread the word" with bad information. If you were one of those who were mislead as we were, we need to undo that damage and recontact people with the correct (I hope) information from the Sinclair web site. Again, just click the "Sinclair Broadcasting" source link above.
http://sbgweb2.sbgnet.com/press/release_20041019_87.shtml
Sinclair to Air "A POW Story"
BALTIMORE (October 19, 2004) - Sinclair Broadcast Group (Nasdaq: SBGI) announced today that on Friday, October 22, 2004 at 8:00 p.m. (7:00 p.m. central time) certain television stations owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. will air a special one-hour news program, entitled A POW Story: Politics, Pressure and the Media. In order to minimize the interruption of normally scheduled programming in those markets where Sinclair owns and/or programs more than one television station, the news special will be broadcast on only one of those stations. A complete list of stations which will be airing the program and the times of such broadcasts is attached.
The news special will focus in part on the use of documentaries and other media to influence voting, which emerged during the 2004 political campaigns, as well as on the content of certain of these documentaries. The program will also examine the role of the media in filtering the information contained in these documentaries, allegations of media bias by media organizations that ignore or filter legitimate news and the attempts by candidates and other organizations to influence media coverage.
Contrary to numerous inaccurate political and press accounts, the Sinclair stations will not be airing the documentary "Stolen Honor" in its entirety. At no time did Sinclair ever publicly announce that it intended to do so. In fact, since the controversy began, Sinclair's website has prominently displayed the following statement: "The program has not been videotaped and the exact format of this unscripted event has not been finalized. Characterizations regarding the content are premature and are based on ill-informed sources."
While the news special will discuss the allegations surrounding Senator John Kerry's anti-Vietnam War activities in the early 1970s raised by a number of former POWs in "Stolen Honor," it will do so in the context of the broader discussion outlined above. The program will be hosted by Jeff Barnd, the Emmy award winning co-anchor of Fox 45's 10:00 News which airs on WBFF-TV, Sinclair's flagship station in Baltimore, Maryland.
Joe DeFeo, Sinclair's Vice President of News commented that, "As with all news programming produced by Sinclair's News Central, A POW Story is being produced with the highest journalistic standards and integrity. We have not ceded, and will not in the future cede, control of our news reporting to any outside organization or political group. We are endeavoring, as we do with all of our news coverage, to present both sides of the issues covered in an equal and impartial manner."
In fact, Sinclair has been in private communication with Senator Kerry's campaign, including a recent face-to-face meeting with senior campaign officials, for approximately two weeks in order to negotiate participation in the special by either Senator Kerry or his designee. Although the Kerry campaign declined to participate, Sinclair has left the invitation open and will make every effort to accommodate the Senator up to the air date for the program should he become willing to present his viewpoint for Sinclair's audience.
David Smith noted that, "The experience of preparing to air this news special has been trying for many of those involved. The company and many of its executives have endured personal attacks of the vilest nature, as well as calls on our advertisers and our viewers to boycott our stations and on our shareholders to sell their stock. In addition, and more shockingly, we have received threats of retribution from a member of Senator John Kerry's campaign and have seen attempts by leading members of Congress to influence the Federal Communications Commission to stop Sinclair from broadcasting this news special. Moreover, these coordinated attacks have occurred without regard to the facts since they predated the broadcast of our news special."
Mr. Smith further stated, "We cannot in a free America yield to the misguided attempts by a small but vocal minority to influence behavior and trample on the First Amendment rights of those with whom they might not agree. I have been encouraged, however, by the thousands of e-mails and other messages I, and others, received supporting Sinclair's efforts to hold firm to its ideals in the face of a firestorm of controversy which, ironically, was actually based on misinformation. We also took comfort in the positions of other media organizations which supported our right to present this story notwithstanding any disagreement they may have with the content, as well as in the words of Michael Powell, Chairman of the FCC who refused to block the program, noting that to do so would be 'unconstitutional' and 'an absolute disservice to the First Amendment.'"
Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc., one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies, owns and operates, programs, or provides sales services to 62 television stations in 39 markets. Sinclair's television group includes FOX, WB, ABC, CBS, NBC, and UPN affiliates and reaches approximately 24% of all U.S. television households.
Market & Stations To Air "A POW Story"
Baltimore WBFF Friday 10/22 8PM
Birmingham WTTO Friday 10/22 7PM
Buffalo WUTV Friday- 10/22 8PM
Cedar Rapids KGAN Friday 10/22 7PM
Champaign, IL WICD Friday 10/22 7PM
Charleston, SC WMMP Friday 10/22 8PM
Charleston, WV WCHS Friday 10/22 8PM
Cincinnati WSTR Friday 10/22 8PM
Columbus WSYX Friday 10/22 8PM
Dayton WKEF Friday 10/22 8PM
Des Moines KDSM Friday 10/22 7PM
Flint WSMH Friday 10/22 8PM
Greensboro WXLV Friday 10/22 8PM
Greenville/Asheville WLOS Friday 10/22 8PM
Kansas City KSMO Friday 10/22 7PM
Las Vegas KVWB Friday 10/22 8PM
Lexington WDKY Friday-10/22 8PM
Madison WMSN Friday-10/22 7PM
Milwaukee WVTV Friday-10/22 7PM
Minneapolis KMWB Friday-10/22 7PM
Nashville WZTV Friday 10/22 7PM
Norfolk WTVZ Friday 10/22 8PM
Oklahoma City KOKH Friday 10/22 7PM
Paducah KBSI Friday 10/22 7PM
Pensacola/Mobile WEAR Friday 10/22 7PM
Peoria WYZZ Friday 10/22 7PM
Pittsburgh WPGH Friday-10/22 8PM
Portland WGME Friday 10/22 8PM
Raleigh WLFL Friday 10/22 8PM
Richmond WRLH Friday-10/22 8PM
Rochester WUHF Friday 10/22 8PM
Sacramento KOVR Friday 10/22 7PM
St. Louis KDNL Friday 10/22 7PM
San Antonio KABB Friday 10/22 7PM
Springfield, MA WGGB Friday 10/22 8PM
Springfield, IL WICS Friday 10/22 7PM
Syracuse WSYT Friday 10/22 8PM
Tallahassee WTWC Friday 10/22 8PM
Tampa WTTA Friday 10/22 8PM
Tri Cities WEMT Friday 10/22 8PM
I get a bit of a chuckle knowing that it will run in Michael Moores hometown.
Ping!
you know, WHO was the brillant person that advised Sinclair to go public with this SO FAR in advance that the crazies at the DNC have time to do all this damage....they should have just told their stations they were going to do a show.....NO NAME.....then 2 days before, announce it and be done with it.....
I'm proud to live in the same zip code as the Sinclair headquarters!
I think they're strategy was brilliant.
I live within 4 miles of the Sinclair offices here, in fact they are two doors down from my husbands offices....I dont understand you saying their strategy was brilliant...what do you mean?? their stock is falling, their advertisers are pulling....I still think they should have waited......
Just means we boycott the Advertizers that pulled out. Along with that POS company Legg Mason for making the stock go down in the first place. Turn about is fair play after all.
Umm, don't you think that the controversy has given this show a LOT more exposure and free advertising than they would have had if they quietly announced it 2 days in advance? If you ask me this was good strategy. Nothing like a bit of controversy to drum up interest.
Short-term problems that they will fully recover from.
Incidentally, I checked the WBFF lineup for Friday Night, October 22nd @ 8PM using TIVO and I don't see the program listed. Did you have any luck???
Thank you. They never did really say they'd air the whole thing, so I'm not at all disappointed. It still airs on one channel in our area (originally, they'd said two of them would air it), so I'm delighted. I'll be watching, definitely.
To answer your questions:
a) I think they're strategy is brilliant since they'll get a lot more coverage by airing it on the same day and not just showing the documentary "Stolen Honor". By having it also presumably tell the story of the attacks that they've received by the DNC, etc. it'll strenghten their cause. On a local radio station here the VP said that he wasn't concerned about short-term financial reprecusions. He said that it couldn't compare to what the POWs went through!
b) I just checked my WBFF lineup with my ReplayTV and it hasn't been updated yet either. I assume it will tomorrow. I think both Tivo and ReplayTV do this daily.
You are incorrect.
This was the plan all along. Newspapers thought they would air the whole thing, but from day one, the statement on their website was that characterizations of the program were inaccurate.
We just wanted to think they would air the whole thing.
It never was the plan.
Earned Credibility
vs.
Parasitical-elite Illusions
How upstanding are the Swift Boat Veterans? What is their veracity? Do they hold firm to principle regardless of partisan politics?
Does the honest truth -- facts presented in full context -- need to be exaggerated or will they not stand solid as a rock on their own?
A POW Story: Politics, Pressure and the Media, will be no different.
Finally, a non-status-quo, "mainstream media" source is presenting a complete picture. Conversely, the status-quo mainstream media has been careful to ensure biased reporting. The mainstream media has foisted on it's customers -- attacking President Bush and any source that dares report the complete facts as well as purposely neglecting to hold John Kerry's feet to the fire -- massive amounts of misinformation.
Compared to Kerry, George W. Bush is a real man.
Compared to President Bush, John F. Kerry is pipsqueak masquerading as man.
Compared to the mainstream media, Sinclair Broadcasting Group is a highly valued pro-civilization asset and transparent facilitator of free-market capitalism.
Compared to Sinclair Broadcasting Group, the mainstream media outlets are highly destructive anti-civilization frauds and camouflaged facilitators of terrorism.
Yep here is the plan.
From 10/13/04
HYMAN (Sinclair): Yes, there's a plan to use some of it. We have no idea how much. If, for example, Senator Kerry decides to join us for an hour, then we may only use one or two brief clips. And use the bulk of what he has to tell us as part of that program.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1250600/posts
Damage my butt. These stations have gotten tons of publicity, and people will watch.
Please read Post # 2 at the following thread:
Sinclair won't run all of 'Stolen Honor'
WorldNetDaily.com ^ | Wednesday, October 20, 2004 | Art Moore
Posted on 10/20/2004 12:23:53 AM PDT by JohnHuang2
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1250745/posts
What, and lose all this awesome free publicity? :o)
LET THE POWs BE HEARD ONCE AND FOR ALL!
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