Orlando TV Station Defends Airing of Anti-Kerry Infomercial! Outrageous!

[flpoljunkie]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/elections/orl-asecstolen01_tvst110104nov01,1,469401,print.story?coll=orl-home-headlines

TV station defends airing of anti-Kerry infomercial
By Hal Boedeker
Sentinel Television Critic

November 1, 2004

More than 100 callers blasted WKMG-Channel 6 on Sunday for airing an infomercial of Stolen Honor, a documentary that condemns Sen. John Kerry, two days before the presidential election.

WKMG General Manager Henry Maldonado defended the decision to sell the time. He said he handled the transaction Friday by phone and said he couldn't identify the purchasing group because he was out of town on business.

"It was a paid program," Maldonado said. "It was no different from selling knives. The time periods are set up for infomercials."

The Sinclair Broadcast Group caused a national furor in October when it announced plans to show the film that criticizes Kerry's anti-Vietnam War activism in the 1970s. Former prisoners of war lambaste Kerry's 1971 testimony to Congress about the war.

A half-hour version of Stolen Honor aired in Orlando at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. Sunday. Democratic consultant Dick Batchelor said he found it curious that WKMG had the time to sell so close to the election. "They're in business to make money, but it's a patently anti-Kerry piece of propaganda," he said.

more...

[liberalmuse]

1. Yes, it WAS different than selling knives!

They are trying to sell a President. I hope their asses get sued, or at the very least, their license is pulled! LYING BASTARDS!

[Skinner]

2. This actually doesn't bother me that much.

This isn't a sinclair-type situation. This is a paid informercial. To me, it doesn't really seem any different from buying a 30-second TV ad during a show.

(Puts on asbestos underpants)

[flygal]

3. I'll sheepishly hide behind you and agree

I had to think, what if we took an ad out. It might be a way to go next election.

*zip up flame-proof suit, duck behind Skinner*

[NYCGirl]

4. I un-sheepishly agree. The station management has the right to sell time

to anyone they wish. They may alienate some of their audience, but that's a chance they have to be willing to take. But they're totoally within their rights.

[w4rma]

6. Me neither. (nt)

[Tyler Durden]

7. Hate to say it, but he's right.

Unless you want to throw "Free Speech" out the window.

I would however suggest that the polite tactics of the past are officially history, and that if that is how they want to play, we have no choice but to do likewise.

It's not like we don't have TONS of "ammo" to fire at them, now is it?

[Orangepeel]

5. so by protesting, we went from having an infomercial that 6 people saw....

to a story in the Sentinel read by thousands. Great job!

I live in Orlando and was arguing with people about this yesterday. If the station had refused to sell airtime for a competing view, that's one thing, but AFAIK, they didn't.

Media can refuse to accept ads that they find objectionable, but they usually don't. They also don't check the truth of the claims. The "not responsible for content" disclaimer in front of informercials protects them legally.