Sinclair's problems go beyond anti-Kerry telecast ( Business Reality about other Media companies)

Baltimore Sun ^ | Oct 20, 2004 | Jay Hancock

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

THE MAINSTREAM media are scared or brainwashed, so this column must march into the breach, reporting the good news at Sinclair Broadcast Group that all the other journalists are ignoring.

The Hunt Valley-based chain has prompted national scrutiny by planning to air portions of a polemic on John Kerry's opposition to the Vietnam War on many of its 62 stations.

[TaxRelief]

Press release from Sinclair Broadcasting at:

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

[VOA]

Media Matters, a media advocacy group, announced it was underwriting the costs of
a shareholder action demanding equal time for opposing views.

ABC/CBS/NBC/CNN are nothing but Democratic 527s.
But they can't let a single broadcast group do a one-hour broadcast with a show
that would show the MSM valuing "diversity" of opinion.

[familyop]

So what we're seeing in the more "conservative" media is the effort to be "fair and balanced"--to air lies from the left/liberals about half of the time. And that does include Fox News.

On a side note related to the posted piece, businesses shouldn't have already yielded our future to the Democrat Party by caving in to Democrat investor tactics. Right after it was known that the President was elected in 2000, stocks took a fall from just that. ...not to mention the same tactic used to get their way on a lot of social issues ("affirmative action," "gay marriage," etc.) They've been playing games with the market ever since.

Some of us who don't have much economic power decided long ago that we'd rather starve than accept Democrat social (moral) policies, and that is what our Party is now riding on for the most part. Others will have to make the same decision, or it won't be long until all real properties are confiscated. Besides, most singles perceive voting socialist as a way of looking out for their own interests (writings on tactical issue of feminism and family by Engels, Mao, Lenin, Marx,...). So most singles vote Democrat and always will.

Also, there's something that more Democrats have been calling for every year and defining as what they believe to be the prevalent problem--ownership of private properties. If we allow them to, sooner or later, Democrats will either own (communism) or control (fascism) virtually all private properties.