Sinclair - take action

Dear MoveOn member,

We have a media emergency. Sinclair Broadcast Group is now instructing their 62 local stations, many in battleground states, to pre-empt regular programming to air a Kerry smear piece two weeks before the election. This unprecedented move would be direct electioneering by a corporate media giant -- and against federal election law.

Sinclair is apparently willing to take this risk to their business because this is an election that hangs in the balance. It's our job to make them understand exactly the risk they face, if they choose to pursue partisanship rather than a broadcaster's duty to the public or even their own business interests.

One of the key things we can do today is put pressure on each of the local stations, which have a responsibility by law to serve their community interests. Can you make a call, right now, to your local station? You can look up your local station at:

http://www.sinclairwatch.org/act?z=12866

SinclairWatch.org is a new site maintained by our friends at Free Press. Free Press is also encouraging citizens to pledge to fight Sinclair stations' license renewals, if Sinclair follows through with using their stations for electioneering. Real local opposition to license renewal will be taken very seriously. If you don't have a station in your area, the site makes it easy for you to file a complaint with the FCC and contact Sinclair's headquarters. Just click the link above to get started.

Please let us know you called, at:

http://www.moveon.org/sinclair2.html?id=4344-1654194-RkJW8YyYxrW6FreXrjIhTA

Besides the complaints that will surely be filed through the FEC and FCC, Sinclair will certainly hear from advertisers who face being implicated in this scheme and stockholders who face losing value in their investments in Sinclair.

I've attached an excerpt from an article in the Washington Post below, which gives the details of this story.

Thanks for everything you do.

Sincerely,
--Noah T. Winer
 MoveOn.org
 Wednesday, October 13th, 2004

Sinclair Stations to Air Anti-Kerry Documentary
By Paul Farhi
Washington Post Staff Writer

Monday, October 11, 2004; Page A07

Sinclair Broadcast Group of Maryland, owner of the largest chain of television stations in the nation, plans to preempt regular programming two weeks before the Nov. 2 election to air a documentary that accuses Sen. John F. Kerry of betraying American prisoners during the Vietnam War.

Sinclair has ordered its 62 stations, some of which are in the critical swing states of Ohio, Florida, Iowa and Wisconsin, to air "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal" during prime-time hours next week. The Sinclair station group collectively reaches 24 percent of U.S. television households.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22788-2004Oct10.html