Sinclair Press Release

Sinclair to Air `A POW Story: Politics, Pressure and the Media'
Tuesday October 19, 3:54 pm ET

BALTIMORE, Oct. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sinclair Broadcast Group (Nasdaq: SBGI - News) 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, CEO of Sinclair, 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


http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/041019/phtu047a_1.html

...it's a "Stop the Bleeding" letter to investors. Little late yall.

:shrug: I haven't followed the specific details.

Thanks ~

:hippie:

because of the big stick DU'ers and others poked in their eye.

becuase of the big stick DU'ers and other concerned citizens poked in their eye.

How many other documentaries will be featured? Pretending this is anything other than a Kerry attack? Then why bother?

rebuttal because this is fair and balanced!

And the WANT KERRY to come on to dis-respectful trick questioning and bad attitude.

sigh.....

:-)

It will still be an hour anti-Kerry commercial. DO you trust them when they will air the anti-Kerry film in their special and not a pro-Kerry film. They will probably air the worst parts and then try to claim they are credible.

NOT! Scummier than ever.

whacked for it. Now making it into news to avoid legal entanglements. The lawers must've seen serious trouble.

But, it is also proof that going to the sponsers works.

Good work DUers!

This is an admission of NOTHING. It's slime of the first order. They're doing exactly what they want to do, which is to defame Senator Kerry. This is in no way a victory for us.

They knew Stolen Honor was not gonna wash as a 'news' program and so they are attempting an end run. They haven't given up, but they are trying to protect themselves. And stok sinking. They are hurt. Good.


And where did I say it was a victory? I said contacting sponsers (and the FCC, FEC) is working. It has them scared of being found in violation of a whole lotta things and now they are repackaging it all, hoping their lawyers have found a loophole.

Good to find out where the loopholes are so you can snap them shut too.

Let's return local control to local stations by breaking up these obscene monopolies.

i've been mentally fiddling with this one for a week so far, and i still can't see a way to de-monopolize the media monopolies gracefully, yet.

So consumers can make up their own channel line up.

This would force the cable providers to offer what people ask for even if it is: BBC World News, CBC, Bravo, Logo. This would let smaller indy stations rise to national positions like the way indy websites do. Heck there could even be a DU channel in our futures.

This would be only one step but a good one I think.

definitely forcing the media to see how it faires in a true free market. i wonder tho, if something like that would further divide us as a nation, some opting for the right wing lineup and others otping for the leftwing lineup, etc etc.



I'm saddend that the 4th estate is a corporate whore. Sadly i don't know enough about how the media works, in order to figure out how to best to restore it's honor.

at least not for broadcast channels...its one for all and all for one when it comes to over the air broadcasting.

onenote

machine they are enabling?

Nah, they wouldn't want their viewers to know about the moonies part in their scheme.

and add some whining about the campaign to stop its broadcast prior to the election.

was trading about $6.16, jumped to $6.30 with a huge spike in volume. Either this was good news to investors, or the Smiths just bought a whole bunch of cheap shares back.

Sid

Hopefully this will cost them even more if the stock heads back down.

with their Insider Trading lawsuit. Let's see sell like a somabitch @14 and buy like a somabitch @6.15 after 'purposely' driving the stock down by alienating advertisers and viewers. It seems like the Smiths are fucked if they do and fucked if they don't. I'm heartbroken.

I hadn't seen the insider trading stuff.

Sid

A sucker's bet.

This is an obvious face saving change and even with what they wrote expect a heavily slanted piece against Kerry.

First Amendment Rights ;)

That's a newer development you know.

The First Amendment was created to protect individuals from oppression by the government, not to rescue telemarketers. Corporations only gained First Amendment rights in the courts during the last two decades. This must be reversed if large corporations are to be servants of society, not masters.

http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/ftcr/co/co003712.php3

They a for profit businesses, NOT people in essence. We are seeing how this change works on their behalf now. The airwaves belong to the people, also. Not how you can connect the two in this case by inference?

Here is some spin from Hyman, who was rather rude and condescending to Amy Goodman, IMHO. Cocky and swift on the lies and hype:
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/10/18/1438238

But only with an equal time clause. In that equal time we can run F 9/11.

Evidently WTWC has changed their mind. Thought they originally said that they were not owned by Sinclair and not required to do their bidding.

http://www.wtwc40.com/index2.html

Sinclair Response: To Stolen Honor


We welcome your comments regarding the upcoming special event featuring the topic of Americans held as prisoners of war in Vietnam. The program has not been videotaped and the exact format of this unscripted event has not been finalized. Characterizations regardings the content are premature and based on ill-informed sources. Massachusetts Senator John Kerry has been invited to participate. You can urge him to appear by calling his Washington, D.C. campaign headquarters at (202) 712-3000.You may call this station's parent company headquarters at (410) 568-1780 if you would like to make further comments on this matter. Thank you. Comments here.

mhyman@sbgnet.com

referring to, not 40.

http://www.wtwc40.com/index2.html

http://www.wtxl.com/news/index.html

"WTXL ABC NewsChannel 27 in Tallahassee is not owned by Sinclair Broadcasting and has no plan to air programming at the request of Sinclair Broadcasting."


 

... if it's supposedly from a fair perspective?

trying to reframe the debate because they are losing.

Time to push harder to take these fuckers down. I'm so appalled they had to contend with vile language, aren't you?

is that the Kerry campaign declined to participate. I hope they continue to do so. These scumbags should not be dignified by the presence of Kerry or anyone connected to him.

dupe station-ownership will only carry it on one station. That much less hate going out to the cosmos! :)

high school football game, at a movie or out to dinner. This will only affect the hard-core Kerry haters who have no life.

The show is on at a time that won't (hopefully) attract viewers. Friday nights are bad tv nights...and one of the top ranked shows is Joan of Arcadia, which draws a lot of "family viewing".

onenote

I don't trust these sinclair a-holes a bit. This is supposed to make it seem more balanced, as if they actually caved in, but I'm guessing their "program" will be as biased against Kerry as ever.

Now they're just in print LOOKING as if they're making an effort.

What a crock. I just don't trust them.

My hope remains that most people would rather watch baseball or joan of arcadia or whatever the &*#% else is on opposite this propaganda.

and use Moore's "undue influence" to justify their own actions

A little late for such a squirming bit of additional hypocrisy, but it has more to do with the shareholder revolt, loss of station sponsors and our grass roots efforts here. They want people to back off because the opposition is working.

You really have to nail bastards to the ground to actually make them stop, which shows how grimly necessary this useless effort for Bush is.
Can't even give up and save their own sorry corporate hide. The favors are called in and Sinclair will go right to the brink for their pal.

One hand clapping for the weasel's twist.

Keep pushing. The loss of sponsors is making headlines in local papers such as in Oregon and Washington.

and specifically asked "ARE YOU AIRING 'STOLEN HONOR'?" I was told yes. They did not say "No, we are airing 'A POW Story'".

Definite back peddling going on.

to hold firm to their "ideals?"

LOL. They must be the republicans from the cheaper side of the tracks. Because your stock is plummeting straight down.

"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 . . ."

We have been so mean to poor David Smith and his stupid company.

And by the way, I'd love to hear some of the vile messages people left for him.

I'll call the other one and make sure they're NOT showing it.

"At no time did Sinclair ever publicly announce that it intended to (air 'Stolen Honor.')"

Yeah, right. The LA Times and Jon Leiberman were just making stuff up.

This company is going down and we're just getting started.

the program should not air period. nice try sinclair. :grr:

and that when the going gets tough, right-wing slimeballs backpedal to save their asses. A one-hour show on a Friday will not swing the election.

and we can get them down to a three minute new brief.

on them and there advertizers

We cannot rest until they are destroyed.

Any broadcaster that attacks Americas democracy through illegal electioneering deserves everything they get.

Any advertiser who stands beside then deserves to be boycotted.

Defend America.

To Sinclair:

What part of $0 don't you understand?

'Stolen Honor' 'A POW Story' or whatever you call it is only the tip of the iceburg. We've put up with your fascist propaganda for years. We're not going to take it anymore. Your company is going down.

And to CNN: you are next.

these folks deserve our disdain if for no other reason than their dickish reaction to the Names of Honor reading on Nightline.

They need to know the "messages" can be sent on both sides of the political spectrum and our buying power WILL have an effect.

All they are going to do is show big portions of Stolen Honor and try to indict the news media for not telling the world about how bad JK is..In many ways its worse than just showing Stolen Honor, because now the point is going to be that as a "news" judgment they will argue that Stolen Honor is the truth and its being suppressed by the "liberal" media....

onenote

see...I think this isn't the last movement they've had. It's like the tug of war. once one team starts to drag the other team....it often is just a matter of time before they come crashing to your side.

The amount of horseshit in this news release, if packaged in 2-cubic-foot bags and palletized, would easily sell for thousands of dollars.

just got it in my e-mail:
David Brock statement on Sinclair announcement

http://mediamatters.org/items/200410190011

"Sinclair Broadcast Group's statement this afternoon -- that it will not air the anti-Kerry film Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal in its entirety without commercial interruption this Thursday -- is a step toward addressing the concerns voiced in recent days by Media Matters for America and many others. MMFA had announced its intention to underwrite a shareholder action against the company in the event that Sinclair had not altered its plans by 5 p.m. today. We will be watching to see if Sinclair fulfills its stated pledge to air an impartial newscast in place of the anti-Kerry communication, and we trust that all sides of the issues addressed will be fairly and equally represented. I hope that the broadcast Sinclair is planning to air on Friday will meet the concerns of advocates for quality media and shareholders alike."

David Brock
Media Matters for America

investigating the allegations that Bush didn't show up for Guard duty in Alabama? that Bush intentially lied to the American people about WMDs?
What hypocrisy!