An Open Letter to NBC's Jeff Zucker

Coffee260 | 12/08/07 | Coffee260

[coffee260]

Jeff Zucker
President and Chief Executive Officer, NBC Universal
30 Rockefeller Plaza
12th Floor
New York, NY 10112

Dear Mr. Zucker,
My name is Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx. I've served in the military over seas. I know how hard it is to be away from family during the holidays. I can remember how the slightest mention or reminder of home, family, or loved ones would send my stomach and my emotions into full throttled anxiety. The feeling was an unbearable reminder of the overdose of loneliness I regularly experienced. But whenever I heard from home, in a letter or on the telephone, it was like a huge burden was lifted off my shoulders making my job much easier.

That is why when I heard about NBC's refusal to air a holiday advertisement meant to thank troops for serving overseas I could not stay silent. NBC's rejection of Freedom’s Watch's ad because the web address FreedomsWatch.org appears in the TV spot might be well intentioned company policy. However, not airing the ad while following that policy does more harm than good. The policy, however well intentioned, should be waved in this instance. Our military deserve to hear from America during this holiday season telling them thank you. Trust me, the comfort this will bring them will be priceless. And NBC, and you, Mr. Zucker, would be giving them a great Christmas gift by not enforcing this policy just this once. Please reconsider?

Sadly, and with deep regret, if NBC doesn't wave their policy, which is NBC's absolute right, I will have no choice but to officially disassociate myself, and my business with anything involving or relating to GE and NBC Universal. I will not watch your programming. I will not buy your products. I will not recommend your products. And I will officially, for ever after, associate GE and NBC Universal as an organization that holds American military members in less regard than a somewhat meaningless company policy. I hope this will not be the case.

I own a chain of preschools. And on a daily basis I personally interact with hundreds, and sometimes thousands of military and non-military families and as well as service members. Unfortunately, I will not in good conscious stay silent on this issue. I will have no choice but to bring this situation to the attention of every person I come into contact with. I will use my limited but fairly significant platform to inform everybody I can about this unfortunate decision by NBC. I will also, respectfully, call for a boycott of GE's products which will include NBC Universal. And because my schools produce a bi-weekly newsletter that's sent out to all parents and guardians I will be sure and include this story in it as well as a detailed list of GE products they may choose to boycott.

This isn't something done for personal gain. Nor is it a political vendetta or revenge of any kind. This is an attempt by myself to get NBC to wave, this once, a policy that hurts our military members serving over seas. In fact, any actions taken on this matter will be an unwelcome inconvenience on my part. But knowing first hand the feelings of sadness from being away from family during the holidays gives me more of a perspective on this matter, therefore I know it's importance. There is no way to repay our military and their families for them sacrificing so much. Telling them thank you this holiday during these trying times is a start that NBC should gladly embrace. Please reconsider your policy for the sake of our military members?

Thank you for your prompt attention to this request.
Very Truly Yours,

Xxxxxx Xxxxxx

 

[coffee260]

An Open Letter to NBC's Jeff Zucker

 

In case you feel like emailing Mr. Zucker here's his email address: jeff.zucker@nbcuni.com

 

[gathersnomoss]

Wasn’t it Bob Hope who provided the Viet Nam Christmas tours that were telecast on NBC? I certainly believe that Bob would tell the “green” peacock network to shove it.

[AnAmericanMother]

Substitute "conscience" for "conscious".

Substitute "waive" for "wave".

Not just being nit-picky. How seriously a corporate flunky will take you depends in large part on the spelling and grammar of your letter. Sad but true.

[coffee260]

Bless you. I hope it isn’t too late? I will make a note of my mistakes. Again thank you.

[StarCMC]

Kudos to you, Coffee!

[StarCMC]

And just so you know - NBC is being selective in their application of this "policy" at best. They were the network that ran "Live Earth" (hat-tip to Pinkbell for that info) and it's pretty hard to convince anyone that AlBore is NOT political.

Click here for more.

[AnAmericanMother]

No problem, I'm in the business. And it's a terrible shame, but when the 'powers that be' read a letter, they often use errors as an excuse to ignore the content. Especially if they don't really want to pay attention to the content.

And it's an EXCELLENT letter. If I were an NBC exec, I would be saying, "Uh-oh. This person has CONTACTS."

I don't watch NBC, so saying I would never watch them again would be an empty threat. But saying that I plan to spread the word among a large and identified group of people with a clear line of communication . . . THAT is an effective promise!

[CenTex]

May all of their peacocks catch bird flu....

[Uriah_lost]

We should go over his head, straight to the top of GE!!

[TigersEye]

This is what comes of not trying and hanging traitors.
Domestic enemies become emboldened and the weak become confused.

[trustandobey]

Thanks for the e-mail address, I just sent him my opinion. Thanks for your service!

[StayoutdaBushesWay]

Great letter and thanks for the email addy, I’ve expressed my feelings as well.

[eleni121]

BIG TIME BUMP

Get those email out and do not buy any General Electric products...GE controls 82% of NBC

[maine-iac7]

a corporate flunky will take you depends in large part on the spelling and grammar of your letter

You are assuming they'd know the difference? LOL

[eleni121]

A good chart of who —owns what-—unfortunately it’s from the NAGS ——GE owns NBC

http://www.nowfoundation.org/issues/communications/tv/mediacontrol.html

[Wil H]

I wasn’t anywhere near as polite..

“Jeff,

Ever wonder why your dwindling ratings are in the toilet and continuing to spiral downward?

It’s because the people just aren’t buying your anti-America shtick.

When you reject advertising encouraging viewers to thank our troops you reveal your hate for America and also your left wing ideological agenda.

Quoting an arcane “company policy”, that you don’t enforce for left wing causes, doesn’t fool anyone. We are not as stupid as you contemptuously think we are.

And that’s why the people continue to reject you and your programming; they don’t like what you have come to stand for.

Don’t try and argue - go read your ratings! .... and weep!

It’s not the customer that is wrong, it’s the product you are trying to sell them.

Your product stinks, it stinks of news bias and anti-American sentiment.

You will soon be a bad memory.

Good Riddance.”

[eleni121]

This Leftie runs the news division at NBC...
Steve Capus

steve.capus@nbc.com

[fish hawk]

BINGO

[AnAmericanMother]

Well, SOME of them do . . . you’re probably right, though, since odds are the intern reading the letter was edumakatid in the publik shools . . . .

[P-Marlowe]

Not just being nit-picky. How seriously a corporate flunky will take you depends in large part on the spelling and grammar of your letter. Sad but true.

Are you assuming that Jeff Zucker can spell? A guy with as few brain cells as Jeff Zucker would not notice any spelling errors. It is a wild assumption to think the guy can even read.