Posted on 10/12/2004 10:29:52 AM PDT by LeftCoastNeoCon
Edited on 10/12/2004 11:02:58 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
FCC COMMISSIONER STATEMENT ON SINCLAIR AIRING OF ANTI-KERRY SHOW
Tue Oct 12 2004 13:39:02 ET
FCC COMMISSIONER COPPS CRITICIZES SINCLAIR CORPORATE DECISION TO PREEMPT LOCAL STATIONS FOR POLITICAL BROADCAST
Commissioner Michael J. Copps reacted to reports that Sinclair Broadcast Group will preempt more than 60 local stations across the country to air an overtly political program in the days prior to the Presidential election.
Copps stated: "This is an abuse of the public trust. And it is proof positive of media consolidation run amok when one owner can use the public airwaves to blanket the country with its political ideology -- whether liberal or conservative.Some will undoubtedly question if this is appropriate stewardship of the public airwaves. This is the same corporation that refused to air Nightline's reading of our war dead in Iraq. It is the same corporation that short-shrifts local communities and local jobs by distance-casting news and weather from hundreds of miles away.It is a sad fact that the explicit public interest protections we once had to ensure balance continue to be weakened by the Federal Communications Commission while it allows media conglomerates to get even bigger. Sinclair, and the FCC, are taking us down a dangerous road."
END
Commissioner
Michael J. Copps
Nominated May 1, 2001; confirmed May 25, 2001; sworn in May 31, 2001. Copps served until January 2001 as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Trade Development at the U.S. Department of Commerce, where he was previously Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Basic Industries. Copps came to Washington in 1970, joining the staff of Senator Ernest Hollings (D-SC) and serving for over a dozen years as Chief of Staff. He has also held positions at Collins and Aikman Corporation and the American Meat Institute. Before coming to Washington, Copps was a professor of U.S. History at Loyola University of the South. Copps received a B.A. from Wofford College and earned a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
From the FCC website.
Copps is Bush's Democrat appointment to the board. Perhaps his view is not shared by all.
Copps stated: “This is an abuse of the public trust. And it is proof positive of media consolidation run amok when one owner can use the public airwaves to blanket the country with its political ideology -- whether liberal or conservative. Some will undoubtedly question if this is appropriate stewardship of the public airwaves. This is the same corporation that refused to air Nightline’s reading of our war dead in Iraq. It is the same corporation that short-shrifts local communities and local jobs by distance-casting news and weather from hundreds of miles away. It is a sad fact that the explicit public interest protections we once had to ensure balance continue to be weakened by the Federal Communications Commission while it allows media conglomerates to get even bigger. Sinclair, and the FCC, are taking us down a dangerous road.”
That sounds like a statement by ONE Commissioner and not the FCC as a whole
Yet, almost every sitcom, every drama on teevee (not even counting the news) will have at least one insult to the President, Republicans or other non-democRATS as part of the script--and no one sees a problem with that? (Except me. I refuse to watch an awful lot of shows for this very reason.)
Maybe one of the October surprises is that there really isn’t a movie after all, but only rumors of movies just to tick off the Kerrorists.
Good point
Okay Freeper Researchers, dig up Commissioner Michael J. Copps info pronto.
This coward just stepped in NewMedia dogcrap.
No one cares because the two Johns are allready flushed down the sewer system.
OPs4 God Bless America!
Hello. :)
BigMack
See post 41! Freepers are fast!
I say, that boy's about as sharp as a bowlin' ball.
That's a bit misleading. There's 5 Commissioners. Commissioner Copps may or may not be the sole dissenting opinion. For him to suggest it's because of media consolidation run amok is disengenious and a weak argument because it was the FCC under the Clinton administraion that opened the door for consolidation, yet these Commissioners haven't done a thing about it except make statements on the issue. Don't misunderstand me, I like Micheal Powell. I just think he's made plenty of missteps as FCC Chairman.
You got that nailed. Good point.
HOLLINGS, ERNEST F VIA HOLLINGS FOR SENATE 07/28/1998 1000.00 98020214137
COPPS, MICHAEL J ALEXANDRIA, VA 22307 U S DEPT OF COMMER
DNC SERVICES CORPORATION/DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE 11/06/2000 1000.00 20036580560
I said the same thing yesterday, great psychological warfare from Sinclair. Interest in this movie is now way up, makes Kerry look scared, they got great free publicity.
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