Calling local Sinclair news stations--reaction and info from one...

[DemMother]

I got an e-mail from the woman who supervises the Kerry-Edwards phone bank where I volunteer on weekends.

She writes:

"I called the news room of a Sinclair affiliate and learned that most folks at the station are as eager as we are to stop Sinclair from airing this. The honchos at Sinclair have asked to see all comments each affiliate receives. Our calls can make a difference..

Call each affiliate listed below. Ask for the Newsroom. Then ask to speak to the News Director or Station Manager. Otherwise speak to a reporter or whomever you can speak to at the station.

Tell them exactly how you feel. Suggestions: you can say you feel their parent company's hijacking democracy. That they're using propaganda to sway an American election. That their news will no longer have any credibility. That they're crushing American values. They're abusing the airwaves that belong to the public. That you intend to boycott their advertisers and their station. If they want to eliminate half of their viewing audience for one commercial-free hour, that's the risk they'll be taking. Please don't curse or rant, just be firm and let them know how serious you are about this. Make sure they intend to pass this on to Sinclair."

This is her list (probably posted in a few other places).

I think any self-respecting journalist--and I'm sure there are quite a few at these local stations--would be dismayed by Sinclair's plans.

KVOR
2713 KOVR Drive
West Sacramento, CA 95605
[phone]



KVWB & KFBT
3830 S. Jones Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89103
[phone]



KABB & KRRT
4335 NW Loop 410
San Antonio, TX 78229
[phone]



KOCB & KOKH
1501 NE 85th St.
Oklahoma City, OK 73131
[phone]
[phone]



KMWB
1640 Como Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55108
[phone]



KDSM
4023 Fleur Drive
Des Moines, IA 50231
[phone]



KGAN
600 Old Marion Road, NE
Cedar Rapids, IA 54202
[phone]



KSMO
10 E. Cambridge Circle Dr.
Kansas City, KS 66103
[phone]



KDNL
1215 Cole Street
St. Louis, MO 63106
[phone]



WMSN
7847 Big Sky Dr.
Madison, WI 53719
[phone]



WCGV & WVTV
4041 N. 35th Street
Milwaukee, WI 53216
[phone]



WYZZ
2714 E. Lincoln Street
Bloomington, IL 61704
[phone]



WICD
250 South Country Fair Drive
Champaign, IL 61812
[phone]



WICS
2680 East Cook Street
Springfield, IL 62703
[phone]



KBSI & WDKA
806 Enterprise St.
Cape Girardeau, MO 63703
[phone]



WSMH
G-3463 W. Pierson Road
Flint, MI 48504
[phone]



WTTO & WABM & WDBB
651 Beacon Pky W, Ste 105
Birmingham, AL 35209
[phone]



WZTV & WUXP & WNAB
631 Mainstream Drive
Nashville, TN 37228
[phone]



WEMT
3206 Hanover Rd., PO Box 3489
Johnson City, TN 37602
[phone]



WDKY
836 Euclid Avenue
Lexington, KY 40505
[phone]



WKEF & WRGT
1731 Soldiers Home Road
Dayton, OH 45418
[phone]
[phone]



WSTR
5177 Fishwick Drive
Cincinnati, OH 45216
[phone]



WSYX & WTTE
1261 Dublin Road
Columbus, OH 43215
[phone]



WCHS & WVAH
1301 Piedmont Road
Charleston, WV 25301
[phone]
[phone]



WEAR & WFGX
4990 Mobile Hwy.
Pensacola, FL 32506
[phone]



WTWC & WTXL
8440 Deerlake Road
Tallahassee, FL 32312
[phone]



WTTA
Bay Television, Inc.
7622 Bald Cypress Place
Tampa, FL 33614
[phone]



WMMP & WTAT
4301 Arco Lane
Charleston, SC 29418
[phone]



WLOS & WBSC
110 Technology Drive
Asheville, NC 28803
[phone]
[phone] (Greenville, SC office)



WXLV & WUPN
3500 Myer Lee Dr.
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
[phone]



WLFL & WRDC
3012 Highwoods Blvd, Ste 101
Raleigh, NC 27604
[phone]
[phone]



WRLH
1925 Westmoreland St.
Richmond, VA 23230
[phone]



WTVZ
900 Granby Street
Norfolk, VA 23501
[phone]



WBFF & WNUV
2000 W. 41st Street
Baltimore, MD 21211
[phone]



WPGH & WCWB
750 Ivory Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15214
[phone]



WUTV & WNYO
951 Whitehaven Rd.
Grand Island, NY 14072
[phone]
[phone]



WUHF
360 East Avenue
Rochester, NY 14604
[phone]



WSYT & WNYS
1000 James Street
Syracuse, NY 13203
[phone]



WGGB
1300 Liberty Street
Springfield, MA 01102-0040
[phone]



WGME
1335 Washington Ave
Portland, ME 04103
[phone]

[BUSHOUT]

1. Kick. THIS AFFILIATE LIST NEEDS TO BE CONTACTED.

[DemMother]

2. It's also listed in the main thread on Help stop Sinclair's...

n/t

[9119495]

3. One of the great dems in my town works for the

Sinclair affiliate here. She must be going nuts. I think about how her job will be affected by people boycotting them because of a decision from the top. It hurts, but how can we let democracy be hijacked?

[LittleClarkie]

4. I called a Tim Cusprisin from the Journal Sentinel

Who wrote about the program in his column today. Surprised I got him and not a machine.

He essentially agrees that it's hypocritical to call this "news" and not Ted Koeppel's listing of the dead.

My thought is that, considering many on the right have argued that F 9/11 is an op/ed piece and not a documentary, and Stolen Honor is comparably slanted in the other direction, then it is additionally hypocritical to call it "news".

I asked Tim about the legality of Sinclair owning two stations in Milwaukee. He said that the regs had been loosened enough to allow it, and in fact there is a corporation that owns 5 radio stations in Milwaukee.

I asked what the chances were that we could get "Going Upriver" or somesuch on to counterpoint. He commented that while other right leaning groups like Clear Channel are more interested in money, to the point of putting on AAR on in liberal leaning areas, Sinclair appears to be more ideological and willing to take a hit financially. They aren't interested in fairness, just in getting Bush elected, essentially.

He did bring up a good point though. He said he could understand the DNC commenting on this story, that they essentially had to, but that in raising a stink they were essentially advertising the film.

I asked why these people were willing to alienate at least half their viewership. His take on the two stations here in Milwaukee, WB and UPN affiliates, was that their demographic was apolitical young people and that he expected the special to have low ratings. Anyone willing to watch it is already against Kerry so they will be essentially preaching to the choir.

I asked how they could call it "unscripted" when we know it's a documentary. He figured they were going to couch it before and after with a panel discussion. I didn't suppose they were going to invite the vets for Kerry to that discussion. No, once again, it's not about fairness. And they say Kerry is invited, but it would be an ambush at best.

So, he said essentially what we already know, but made me think that this is more a distraction from the issues than anything else. It's just Swiftee redux in movie form. So I think I will be spending more of my time getting out the vote than fighting this thing, at least here in Milwaukee. Perhaps just one letter to each affiliate telling them I will never watch their programing again, but that's about it.