Sinclair just sez no
Station group refuses to carry pro-Kerry doc
By MICHAEL LEARMONTH
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NEW YORK -- Sinclair Broadcasting rejected an offer to broadcast "Going Upriver," a documentary favorable to John Kerry, as a counter-balance to its planned broadcast of parts of "Stolen Honor," a docudocu alleging that Sen. Kerry's anti-war activities prolonged the suffering of POWs.
Separately, a Consumers Union survey concluded that 78% of people polled who were aware of the documentary "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal" said Sinclair should air opposing points of view.
Sinclair plans to air parts of "Stolen Honor" today during primetime as part of a program called "POW Story: Politics, Pressure and the Media."
The broadcaster was offered the use of "Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry" as a counterbalance to the film for free by California philanthropist and Kerry supporter Deborah Rappaport.
Rappaport's initial offer to Sinclair was to buy an hour of primetime, pay for TV rights to the film, the cost of editing it down to 42 minutes and any network cancellation fees in addition to kicking in an extra $1 million.
Sinclair rejected that offer Wednesday but attorneys for both sides discussed other ways to include "Going Upriver," which paints a heroic picture of Kerry's Vietnam service and antiwar activities, into the program.
However, those talks broke down Wednesday night.
"They told us they do not sell blocks of primetime and were not willing to make an exception," Rappaport said. "They also said their broadcast was going to be fair and they want to take an objective look at all sides of the issue and we are standing by to see if that's what they do."
Rappaport and her husband, venture capitalist Andy Rappaport, have helped finance anti-war media messages including a billboard in Times Square that says, "Democracy is best taught by example, not by war" and a ticker atop a hotel on Broadway that shows the running cost of the Iraq war.
It adds $122,000 each minute.
The Consumers Union survey, conducted Oct. 19 and 20, found support for Sinclair's airing of "Stolen Honor" was split; 51% of those who had heard of the doc supported Sinclair's decision, 40% opposed and 9% had no opinion.
Of those who approve of Sinclair's airing of the doc, 68% said the broadcaster should air the opposing point of view.
"It's abundantly clear the public wants and expects balance, fairness and equal time from its local broadcasters when it comes to political issues," said Gene Kimmelman, senior director of public policy for Consumers Union.
Shares in publicly held Sinclair have staged a bit of a comeback this week after it announced it would not air "Stolen Honor" in its entirety. Shares closed slightly higher again Thursday, up 1% to $7.13 a share after gaining more than 8% Wednesday.
Sinclair's decision to air what critics expect to be a partisan anti-Kerry program on 40 stations two weeks before the election has caused the withdrawal of advertisers for the show, including Burger King, as well as numerous protests and the threat of at least two shareholder suits.
Date in print: Fri., Oct. 22, 2004, Los Angeles |
