At 2 TV Stations in Maine, What Al Gore’s Movie Says Isn’t News

[AlGore-08.com]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/30/business/media/30warming.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

How important is global warming in Maine? Not important enough for local television.

Michael Palmer, the general manager of television stations WVII and WFVX, ABC and Fox affiliates in Bangor, has told his joint staff of nine men and women that when “Bar Harbor is underwater, then we can do global warming stories.”

“Until then,” he added. “No more.”

Mr. Palmer laid out his policy in an e-mail message sent out during the summer. A copy was sent to The New York Times. Mr. Palmer did not respond to a phone message left with an employee of the stations nor to an e-mail message. But a former staff member confirmed the e-mail message that went out during the summer after the stations broadcast a live report from a movie theater in Maine where Al Gore’s movie on global warming, “An Inconvenient Truth,” was opening.

Mr. Palmer began his e-mail message: “I was wondering where we should send the bill for the live shot Friday at the theater for the Al Gore commercial we aired.”

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[wtmusic]

1. What. An. Asshole.

Denying hard evidence which will affect his kids' (and the planet's) future so he can save on his income tax next year.

That takes a very Special Kind of Asshole.

[marmar]

2. When Bar Harbor is underwater....

I hope nobody tosses that schmuck a life vest. What a troglodyte.

[MethuenProgressive]

3. The same FOX TV guy that fired the Bush DUI reporter?

Remember that one from the Gore/Bush election? A Maine FOX TV reporter broke a story about Bush's DUI record right before the election- and was fired

[qnr]

5. No, it wasn't a Fox affiliate at that time, it was a WB/UPN affiliate with

the call letters WCKD (wicked, it's Maine, after all). I think the Fox guy was much closer to Kennebunkport than to Bangor.

[qnr]

4. Ugh. I used to be a Master Control Operator at that station. One of the most

disorganized, ineptly run places I've ever been.