[opendtv] Re: SINCLAIR TO AIR “A POW STORY: POLITICS, PRESSURE AND THE MEDIA”

  • From: "Dewey Weaver" <dweaver@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: OpenDTV <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2004 16:35:34 -0400

AMEN!!
---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: Mark Aitken <maitken@xxxxxxxxxx>
Reply-To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2004 16:31:47 -0400

>News Release
> 
>
>Contact:   Barry Faber, General Counsel, 410-568-1500
>
> 
>
>*SINCLAIR TO AIR =93A POW STORY: POLITICS, PRESSURE AND THE MEDIA=94*
>
> 
>
>    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 =93Stolen Honor=94 in=
 
>its entirety.  At no time did Sinclair ever publicly announce that it 
>intended to do so.  In fact, since the controversy began, Sinclair=92s 
>website has prominently displayed the following statement: =93The 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.=94
>
> 
>
>    While the news special will discuss the allegations surrounding 
>Senator John Kerry=92s anti-Vietnam War activities in the early 1970s 
>raised by a number of former POWs in =93Stolen Honor,=94 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=92s 
>10:00 News which airs on WBFF-TV, Sinclair=92s flagship station in 
>Baltimore, Maryland.
>
> 
>
>    Joe DeFeo, Sinclair=92s Vice President of News commented that, =93As 
>with all news programming produced by Sinclair=92s 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.=94
>
> 
>
>    In fact, Sinclair has been in private communication with Senator 
>Kerry=92s 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=92s audience.
>
> 
>
>    David Smith noted that, =93The 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=92s 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.=94
>
> 
>
>    Mr. Smith further stated, =93We 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=92s 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 =91unconstitutional=92 and =91an absolute disservice to the Fi=
rst 
>Amendment.=92=94
>
> 
>
>    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
>
>
>       
>       
>       
>
> 
>
>-- 
>
>Regards,
>Mark A. Aitken Director, Advanced Technology
>
>***********************************
>Sinclair Broadcast Group
>10706 Beaver Dam Road
>Hunt Valley, MD 21030
>Business TEL: (410) 568-1535
>Business MOBILE: (443) 677-4425
>Business FAX: (410) 568-1580
>E-mail: maitken@xxxxxxxxxx
>Text PAGE: page.maitken@xxxxxxxxxx
>www.newscentral.tv
>www.sbgi.net
>=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
>=93There never was a good war
>or bad peace....=94
>
>~ ~ ~ Benjamin Franklin ~ ~ ~
>***********************************
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>
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> 
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