AZ DK "flashmob" protests Phoenix ABC affiliate

[Desertrose]

Got this tonite...AZ DK team is awesome!!!!!
:yourock:

You guys rock! maybe we can wake some people up and prove that people do have power!!!

Following is a quick synopsis of the gathering tonight... 

Twenty +  Kucinich supporters gathered outside the Phoenix ABC affiliate (KNXV-TV) Thursday evening to raise community awareness of ABC's withdrawal of their embed reporter within the Kucinich campaign and their cancellation of an upcoming one-hour interview with Dennis.
 

Following a street vigil, 3 Kucinich supporters approached the station and rang a call-button and knocked on the doors until a guard appeared.  The guard was asked to see if someone inside wouldn't step out to talk with the group. 
 

Station Manager, John Culliton, soon came out and gave the group the opportunity to ask him for his comment on the situation.  Since he had NOT watched the debate (can you believe that??) the three Kucinich supporters explained that during the debate on Tuesday evening, Dennis Kucinich had challenged Ted Koppel by telling him that American voters would rather hear about the issues than about endorsements, money and the polls!  And then Dennis went on to tell him that even though his candidacy might be "inconvenient", he wasn't going to withdraw.  The following day, ABC withdrew their embed reporter in the Kucinich campaign and today ABC cancelled a one-hour Kucinich interview with an affiliate station inIowa.   The group meeting with Culliton, asked if he didn't think this was coincidental?
 

The group explained to Mr. Culliton that no candidates should be marginalized and none should be dismissed since not one vote had yet been cast!  (Culliton was also reminded that Kucinich, Sharpton, and Mosley-Braun were currently polling close to where Bill Clinton was polling at this relative point in his first run for the presidency.)   

 
Culliton agreed that this was a basic question of democracy.  He assured the group that he would contact "national" ABC, but could not guarantee that he would get a quick reply.  He did assure the group that he would email State Director, Kevin Spidel, on Friday and give him an update.  He also agreed to meet with representatives of the group in the near future to discuss media-related issues and left open the possibility for a future local feature piece on the issue.



Great report Sherry

:hug:
Peace & truth!
DR

[NYC]

1. Congratulations to them!

A job well done.

[LeftCoast]

2. Good work DK Flash Mob!

:thumbsup:

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. well done

Does not Matter who your candidate is. what ABC did is childish and not democratic.

[Desertrose]

4. I am proud of our DK team here in 'Zona

Kevin works his sweet little tail off...we have a very loyal and motivated bunch of DK supporters here in the state.

Always something going on....will have more news to post over the weekend...stay tuned!

:bounce:

Peace & truth
DR

[Zomby Woof]

5. that kicks booty!

:bounce: Crazy liberal DK Zonies!!! :D :loveya: :hug:

[Fleshdancer]

6. Great story!

Good job AZ Kucinch supporters!

I guess the time has finally come when the only way we can get our message across to the media is by face to face confrontation. We email, write letters, make phone calls, but it doesn't seem to get us anywhere so it looks like the Kucinich supporters are on to something.

[Tinoire]

7. Hmmm... Wonder where the nearest ABC affiliate to me is! n/t

[sandnsea]

8. Excellent!!

I actually never thought of protesting the local outlets. That is brilliant. We should put something in place for the election next year. Every time the media ignores or enables a Bush Lie, we need to flashmob every local station across the country. And keep supporting DK in this effort right now. I'm going to email my local ABC station and follow it up with a call tomorrow.

And I missed the Iowa cancellation story. Did any newspaper pick it up and do you have a link?

[goodhue]

9. way to go!

To express concerns to ABC, contact the following:

ABC Audience Response line at 818-460-7477. Press 4 to leave a message.
ABC News Washington DC Bureau at 202-222-7777, fax [phone]
ABC News Political Director Mark Halperin at 212-456-4545, fax [phone], email [e-mail]
ABC News President David Westin at 212-456-6200, fax [phone]
ABC President Alex Wallau at 818-460-5500, fax [phone], email [e-mail]

You can write letters to:

ABC News
47 W 66th St
New York, NY 10023-6290

Click here to sign a petition to ABC

[ajacobson]

10. Cool!

[no name no slogan]

11. ATTENTION MN DUers (and western WI DUers)

There will be a DK FlashMob happening TODAY at 4:45 pm in front of the studios of the Twin Cities ABC affiliate, KSTP!

Here's the address details for those who can make it:

KSTP TV - Channel 5 (ABC)
3415 University Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55114

The KSTP studio is actually right on the Minneapolis/St.Paul border, just west of MN hwy 280 and University Ave, less than a mile north of I-94.

So far, I know of at least 10 confirmed attendees, and many more of us will be there in spirit (I don't get off work until 6:00, otherwise I'd be there too!).

And don't forget to BUNDLE UP! It is freaking COLD out there today (2°F last I heard). BRRRRRRRRRRR!

[goodhue]

12. yes

I'll be there. I'm kind of bummed I didn't put on my long johns this morning but I didn't know I'd feel compelled to stand outside in artic weather for DK. But the hearts will be warm.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

15. Darn!

90 minutes late!

How did it go?

[goodhue]

22. Making it about the Issues

It went well. There were about 12 of us and it was really cold. Here is are pictures and audio. About half the folks are not in the photos because they were warming up in drug store across the street. Did I mention it was really cold.

http://www.minnesotaforkucinich.com/Articles/ABCProtest/ABCProtest.html

[Lydia Leftcoast]

28. I recognize many of those local Kucitizens!

Darn, that's what I get for not checking DU earlier in the day. I would have been there.

But thanks for your efforts!

[TexasSissy]

13. Great Going!

I'm not a DK supporter, but I fully support the right of us all to be exposed to DK and his opinions. ABC does not own the "airwaves."

[DJcairo]

14. C'mon guys, ABC gave your guy more coverage than anyone else

Besides, people like Braun, Sharpton and him are just in it for their 5 minutes of fame. Kucinich's message is recycled Ralph Nader and we all know how much that guy loves our democracy. Well, let's say he loves it enough to give us 4, maybe 8 years of Bush. Go drink some decaf.

[ThirdWheelLegend]

17. " Go drink some decaf."

While I was drinking decaf I clicked on that little picture of the sleeping guy. Not sure what happened.

:shrug:

[DemBones DemBones]

21. SNARF!

Gee, where did he go? :evilgrin:

[AnAmerican]

18. Just can't stand a lil democratic action can ya

:eyes:

Freedom of assembly, remember that one??

You have your opinion....I have already given it way too much attention.

[Zomby Woof]

19. if you think DK is in it for fame

You pretty much destroyed the credibility of the rest of your argument.

Unlike Nader, DK has held TWO major elective offices, and is in his third term as the representative from one of Ohio's most diverse districts. He beats the GOP where he lives, which is no easy feat.

He is a man of great modesty and self-effacement, running a positive campaign about the PEOPLE. Nader? Never held office, and does have a gargantuan ego.

No comparison. Good bye. :hi:

[goodhue]

26. good point

and DK is in his fourth house term!

[Zomby Woof]

27. thanks!

I knew which year he was elected, and still missed a finger! :D

[no name no slogan]

23. Maybe because he was the only one who actually SAID SOMETHING

Pardon me, but who on that stage Tuesday night actually SPOKE UP about the corporate whore media, and its obsession with polls, money and endorsements? Who CHALLENGED Ted Koppel to his face about his line of questioning, and got the LOUDEST applause the whole night?

I don't think it was John Kerry or Howard Dean.

Once again, Dennis Kucinich leads on the issues. He did it with Diebold (posting their "copyrighted" docs to his congressional website), with the IWR, the PATRIOT act, and now does it again by pointing out the idiocy of the corporate media. How many other candidates, currently serving in congress, have done what he has done?

The answer, of course, is NONE.

And what's this with "Five minutes of Fame?" Give it a rest already!

Kucinich is only one of two candidates who was DRAFTED to run for President of the United States. He's not in this for the "fame" any more than Kerry is in it for the money.

Dennis is running because thousands of people asked him to run, after hearing/reading his "Prayer for America" speech. They (like me) wanted a REAL alternative to the current crowded field of corporate centrists and business-friendly "liberals". They wanted somebody who's NOT AFRAID to call Bushco on their lies, who's NOT AFRAID to champion a single-payer universal health care plan, who's NOT AFRAID to tell the truth about NAFTA and the WTO (and is willing to march in protest about it too!). They want somebody who is willing to change the status quo, and not buy into the "don't rock the boat" mantra that the Dems seem so happy with these days.

[hippywife]

24. Last I looked

they are the only three that are in it to make real change. The others are just riding on the fact that Bush is a miserable failure...after the fact. Kucinich has been calling the Bush Adminstration on their lies and manipulations since a full year before the attackon Iraq. Kucinich has proved time and again he isn't afraid to call like like it is before others finally wake up and see it because the evidence, or lack there of, is finally in front of their faces.

Remember, Kucinich voted no on the IWR and the PATRIOT Act, while the others voted yes because they were either manipulated by the Bush fear mantra themselves or were afraid their constituents were. Dennis did no such thing. He risked his position once again for what was right and, once again, he has been vindicated. Prayer for America was delivered in February 2002.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/03.28I.Kucinich.Prayer.htm

He is a true public servant and not a politian that merely places his finger in the wind before he speaks.

Oh, and great going AZ and MN and every other group that got out there this weekend. :)

[genius]

16. Good job Arizona people.

Keep up the good work.

[Myra]

20. Great work you guys!

Thank you.

[LWolf]

25. Awesome report.

Can we get some press for it?

:hi: