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B4 The Bell, Pre-Weekend April 30


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Hit 1104-1105 target at the bell.

 

Holding Spoo shorts thru the weekend.

 

Sell in May, staying right here (not going away) to watch the possible carnage.

 

1080 is the next target if the bulls can't a squeeze a rally of some sort, though there could be strong support at 1085.

 

We'll see......

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Common Cause: Gagging Ted Koppel: Action Needed!posted by :: infoZine Staff :: 04/30/04 @ 03:21:32 PM :: views

Sinclair Broadcast Group, one of the largest owners of TV stations across the country, yesterday made a unilateral decision to deprive hundreds of thousands of viewers the right to see tonight's Nightline broadcast honoring the soldiers killed in Iraq.

 

Washington - That a corporation can tell the citizens in the communities they are supposed to serve that they have no right to view this program shows the incredible power of media consolidation.

http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/st...sView/sid/2169/

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Cap'n,

What irks me is the fact that a nation claiming to have the best-trained soldiers in the world, and claiming to be there to impose democracy on Iraq, has soldiers using their lack of Geneva Convention training to excuse abuses that any reasonable person knows to be outrageous.

All of which was prominently featured on 60 Minutes. That guy is going to jail for a long time, this time on the other side of the bars. His excuses played on Sunday night on national television in the US were too lame and too disgusting for words. No civilized human being acts this way. Geneva convention or otherwise. 60 minutes also took to task the General who oversaw the operation for inadequate training and control. Man is she in a big heap of shit.

 

The Detroit News is not 60 Minutes. 60 Minutes has been the most influential TV news magazine in the US for 30 years. It is watched religiously by millions millions and millions of Americans every week, and it is extremely influential in affecting public opinion, and political opinion. It make a while for the firestorm to reach full force, but I believe it will.

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Sinclair Responds to Senator McCain

Friday April 30, 2:17 pm ET

 

 

BALTIMORE, April 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The following is a copy of Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.'s (Nasdaq: SBGI - News) letter sent today to Senator McCain regarding the Company's decision not to air this evening's episode of "Nightline."

April 30, 2004

 

 

Senator John McCain

Chairman

United States Senate Commerce Committee

U.S. Senate

Washington, DC 20510

 

Dear Senator McCain:

 

 

I am writing to respond to your letter to me regarding Sinclair Broadcast Group's decision not to air this evening's episode of "Nightline."

 

Let me begin by saying that no organization more fully supports our military than Sinclair. In no way was our decision intended to show any disrespect to the brave members of our military, particularly those who have sacrificed their lives in service of our country. To the contrary, our decision was based on a desire to stop the misuse of their sacrifice to support an anti-war position with which most, if not all, of these soldiers would not have agreed.

 

Senator McCain, together with you, I also support the President's decision to go to war in Iraq. Moreover, while I don't disagree that Americans need to understand the costs of war and sacrifices of our military volunteers, I firmly believe that responsible journalism requires that a discussion of these costs must necessarily be accompanied by a description of the benefits of military action and the events that precipitated that action. To those who would accuse Sinclair of censorship, we ask that they consider the daily decisions of network shows like "Nightline" as to what issues to cover and how they are to be presented, decisions that necessarily involve ignoring other issues and points of view that the networks choose not to present to the American public.

 

Sinclair's news coverage during the last year has reported on all aspects of the war in Iraq, including the tragic loss of lives of military combatants. In fact, we will be replacing "Nightline" this evening with a balanced report addressing both sides of this controversy. It is worth noting that "Nightline" and its host, Ted Koppel, have ignored repeated requests from Sinclair to comment on their decision regarding the content of tonight's program.

 

It is "Nightline's" failure to present the entire story, however, to which Sinclair objects. "Nightline" is not reporting news; it is doing nothing more than making a political statement. In simply reading the names of our fallen heroes, this program has adopted a strategy employed by numerous anti-war demonstrators who wish to focus attention solely on the cost of war. In fact, lest there be any doubt about "Nightline's" motivation, both Mr. Koppel and "Nightline's" executive producer have acknowledged that tonight's episode was influenced by the Life Magazine article listing the names of dead soldiers in Vietnam, which article was widely credited with furthering the opposition to the Vietnam war and with creating a backlash of public opinion against the members of the U.S. military who had proudly served in that conflict.

 

In closing, I would like to quote for you the words of Captain Kate Blaise of the U.S. Military. Captain Blaise served in Iraq as a member of the 101st Airborne Division and suffered the loss of her husband Mike who was killed while also serving in Iraq. In commenting on exactly the type of practice which "Nightline" intends to employ, Captain Blaise had this to say:

 

"I was watching the news, watching this anti-war demonstration and they

were reading off names of soldiers who had fallen in Iraq and they read

off my husband's name. That made me very angry because he very

strongly believed in what he was doing and they were using his name for

a purpose that he would not have approved of."

 

 

I hope that this letter has adequately addressed your concerns and explained why Sinclair has taken this action. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss this with you in greater detail. In addition, if you are available, we would be delighted to provide you with a chance to be part of our program this evening discussing this issue.

 

Sincerely yours,

 

 

David D. Smith

 

 

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040430/phf033_1.html

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MCCAIN LETTER TO SINCLAIR BROADCAST ON PREEMPTION OF NIGHTLINE

For Immediate Release

Friday, Apr 30, 2004

 

U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) issued the following letter today to Mr. David Smith, President and CEO of Sinclair Broadcast Group, in response to the preemption of this evening?s Nightline program:

 

I write to strongly protest your decision to instruct Sinclair?s ABC affiliates to preempt this evening?s Nightline program. I find deeply offensive Sinclair?s objection to Nightline?s intention to broadcast the names and photographs of Americans who gave their lives in service to our country in Iraq.

 

I supported the President?s decision to go to war in Iraq, and remain a strong supporter of that decision. But every American has a responsibility to understand fully the terrible costs of war and the extraordinary sacrifices it requires of those brave men and women who volunteer to defend the rest of us; lest we ever forget or grow insensitive to how grave a decision it is for our government to order Americans into combat. It is a solemn responsibility of elected officials to accept responsibility for our decision and its consequences, and, with those who disseminate the news, to ensure that Americans are fully informed of those consequences.

 

There is no valid reason for Sinclair to shirk its responsibility in what I assume is a very misguided attempt to prevent your viewers from completely appreciating the extraordinary sacrifices made on their behalf by Americans serving in Iraq. War is an awful, but sometimes necessary business. Your decision to deny your viewers an opportunity to be reminded of war?s terrible costs, in all their heartbreaking detail, is a gross disservice to the public, and to the men and women of the United States Armed Forces. It is, in short, sir, unpatriotic. I hope it meets with the public opprobrium it most certainly deserves.

 

 

-end-

http://mccain.senate.gov/index.cfm?fuseact...Content_id=1276

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