A Tucson woman has succeeded where director Michael Moore failed: She is making sure the anti-Bush documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" gets on television before the Nov. 2 election.
Radio producer Elaine Higginbotham has Moore's permission to air the controversial film on local public-access television.
The broadcast means that an estimated 150,000 local cable subscribers could be among a select few able to view the film without having to rent the DVD.
"I'm not aware of other places where it has been scheduled," said Sam Behrend, executive director of Access Tucson, which operates public-access TV stations in the area.
Neither is Higginbotham, who considers airing a film that takes a highly critical look at the U.S. invasion of Iraq as a valuable public service.
"I look at this film as educational," said Higginbotham, a John Kerry supporter.
Higginbotham asked Moore if she could air "Fahrenheit 9/11" when he visited Tucson on Oct. 11 as part of a national speaking tour. His response to her request, she said, was unequivocal and captured on tape.
"Yes, of course," he said. "Burn, baby, burn. Please do that … and please try to get as many people as possible to see it before the election."
Moore could not be reached for comment, but Behrend said Higginbotham signed a release indicating she has permission to air the film.
It would not be unheard of for Moore to sacrifice profits in the name of politics and give away the rights to the film, which has made more than $216 million worldwide since it was released in June. Last week he offered to allow the conservative Sinclair Broadcasting Group to air the film for free as a counterbalance to "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal," a film that attacks Kerry's anti-Vietnam War activities. Sinclair scrapped plans to broadcast the entire film on Tuesday after it was confronted by rising political and financial pressures. Instead, it will run a news program incorporating parts of the film on 40 of its 62 stations, including those in the key battleground states of Florida and Ohio. The company does not operate stations in Arizona.
Moore had hoped to air "Fahrenheit 9/11" on the In Demand pay-per-view service owned by Time Warner, Comcast and Cox Communications. But the company recently canceled the planned Nov. 1 broadcast, citing "legitimate business and legal concerns." Comcast and Cox are the main cable providers for the Tucson area.
Spokesmen for both companies say they do not exercise any "editorial control" over cable access programming. The same holds true for the city and Access Tucson.
"It really is a public forum and the only restriction really is that the programs be noncommercial," Behrend said.
But that hands-off policy has not stopped at least one city leader from expressing outrage at the broadcast.
City Councilwoman Kathleen Dunbar called it proof of Access Tucson's "liberal agenda," and said "Stolen Honor" should be aired in the interest of balance. "If they do one they should do the other," the North Side Republican said.
But Behrend noted that Access Tucson's 140 weekly shows run the gamut. They include one from the ultra-conservative John Birch Society, which will air immediately before "Fahrenheit 9/11" on two occasions.
Earlier this year, Dunbar supported an effort to reduce public funding to Access Tucson. This year, the cable service received $761,200 from the city but that amount was more than offset by the $3.7 million in subscriber fees paid to the city by Cox.
Counteract the left!!!
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1252980/posts
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1252865/posts
Contact the local BC people and tell them. IF they don't want to act find the state organization and tell them, keep working your way up. Once phone call from a pub lawyer should either stop 9/11 or get an opportunity for Stolen Valor. This is pretty blantant.
Because, communism is on it's way to America. The MSM is controlled, now this! We need to wake up & realize that the Democratic party is no more, it is as close to communism as it can be!
I live in Tucson. I just sent a letter to Mike Wilson whose movie "Michael Moore Hates America" has just started screening in Minn. It would be neat if I can return the favor to that fat socialist liar.
October 22, 2004
Due to a conflict with the films distributors, Fellowship Adventure Group LLC, Michael Moores Fahrenheit 9/11 will not be shown. Elaine Higginbotham, Access Tucson member and local cablecast sponsor of the film has decided to pull the 12am October 25th screening from the schedule. Elaine is still trying to negotiate with the distributors for the October 29th and November 1st Cablecast times.
To the best of our knowledge, Access Tucson member Bill Bowler will be screening Stolen Honor as part of his show The Pastors Study on Sunday, October 24 at 1pm on Access Tucson channel 72.
http://accesstucson.org/news/f911stlnhnr/
My comment:
Once again, Moore made a promise he could not keep. I guess the distributors of the film have not already made enough money from this bit of tripe!