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

From: Mark Aitken <maitken@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: OpenDTV <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2004 16:31:47 -0400
News Release
 

Contact:   Barry Faber, General Counsel, 410-568-1500

 

*SINCLAIR TO AIR ?A POW STORY: POLITICS, PRESSURE AND THE MEDIA?*

 

    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


        
        
        

 

-- 

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
===================================
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or bad peace....?

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

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