Sinclair Broadcasting Group Poised to Break Election Laws

Got it. I'd have no problem with that...the showing equal parts.

JustWonders:

Um, it seems to have already severely backfired on Sinclair, as their stocks have dropped considerably, and they are now backpedaling on their original intent in broadcasting this screed. I can't imagine how this latest news would backfire on the Dems whatsoever. This all makes sense; a publicly held company trying to circumvent Federal election laws by pre-empting REGULAR programming on easily accessible stations in SWING STATES, was decidedly SLAMMED by their stockholders. I can't imagine how much more overt and obvious this could look to the American people.

What I find fascinating is the continuous comparisons between F/911 and Stolen Honor. They can't even GET Stolen Honor in the theaters, whereas F/911 has made record profits, is hugely popular on pay-per-view, and is being sold in record amounts across the country. That to me indicates an insatiable hunger by the American people (and the world) to see this film about the most corrupt administration in my memory.

Neoconservatives can bitch all they want regarding Kerry's "record," but as they've alread lied repeatedly about it, my take is just to no believe anything they say anymore.

They have completely lost ANY remote sense of trust I may have had in this administration, especially right after 9/11 happened.

Cool, JW.

Good point about already backfiring, Dookie.

And to make this even MORE fair, how about pre-empting ALL of their affiliates, not just those in SWING STATES? Will Sinclair make that concession next? I doubt it. But these concessions they've made already is a bit of a surprise, but not entirely unpredictable.

Preposterous. You sell yourself short; your capacity to imagine that which is not is most respectable. For overt, obvious, documented reality, consider SBGI's performance over the past year:



Its perfectly fine for you to enjoy Sinclair's financial woes, but there is no reason to assume The Democrats have been instrumental in the long downward slide. Those boys have real problems, evidenced handily merely by pulling up their past couple years' balance sheets. The proximate cause of share price decline has been Sinclair's ongoing assumption of significant debt ... incurred as natural consequence to leveraged expansion. It remains to be seen whether the current share price level offers a true buying opportunity, but the company's fundamentals, and cashflow, do appear sound enough to support the debt. It should be noted the issue is trading at a roughly 2X premium over book value, another indicator of some promise. While I hadn't been paying any attention to this stock, the research I've done so far has put it on my radar and induced me to play it forward, hedging against further substantial decline. Thanks.

Good luck, timber.

As long as their stock does poorly, it's fine with me. We don't have to attribute the cause to Sinclair's attempt to do political mischief...

I don't see where dookiestyx said anything about democrats being the cause of their financial woes anyway. He just said that the stockholders made their views felt about the film. (or words to that effect) (i am pretty sure)

'9/11' to air on public-access TV


Movie times

● "Fahrenheit 9/11" on Access Tucson:

● Monday, Oct. 25 at 12 a.m. on channel 72

● Monday, Nov. 1 at 12 a.m. on channel 72

● Friday, Oct. 29 at 4:59 p.m. on channel 73

The film already aired once this week on Access Tucson.


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...

Source

Okay now democrats... lets hear the outrage...

I think the impact of the Moore farce has shot it's wad.

Not now. Forget it. No Way!

After all that defending ya'll did?

wha...huh?...that's preposturous!

timberlandko:

I never mentioned Democrats regarding Sinclair's financial difficulties. But it's pretty darn funny to hear you assume, albeit blindly, that I did.

That is a clever avatar, dook :wink:

It's also really funny that anybody would take this anti-Kerry screed seriously, when:

-- It's completely one-sided

-- Eighteen U.S. Senators are demanding an FCC investigation

-- The owner of the firm pushing the anti-Kerry film was a Bush appointee, and provides rental space for the production company, as well as handling the checks

-- It is slanderous

-- It is chock full of lies,and more lies,and the liars who coordinate the lying

-- And full of political neoconservative cynicism designed to demonize, smear, and destroy an otherwise highly intelligent and credible challenger who is shaking up an utterly desperate and dispicable Bush campaign

OCCOM BILL:

Thanx!!! Adobe Image Ready, Photoshop and Illustrator are a stunning trio of creativity and design.

It's stunning all right!

Who cares now? I will still vote for Bush and you will still vote for Nader.