BACKLASH begins against Sinclair (Wash.Dispatch) DU mentioned & linked!

[BUSHOUT]

Backlash Begins against Sinclair Broadcasting
October 13, 2004 03:08 PM


...outraged individuals turned into activists by organizing action against the company....

...Several prominent websites including DailyKos.com and DemocraticUnderground.com have compiled lists of advertisers and an array of contact information. ...

The efforts thus far have been effective. Several companies have expressed their intent to end advertising campaigns with SBGI affiliates who air the program. One television station, WTXL in Tallahassee Florida, in order to stay clear of any backlash made it clear that they were not owned by SBGI and will not air the attack film.

The outraged Americans show no sign of letting up on Sinclair Broadcasting and as a result the company may face severe financial difficulty well into the future.


read rest here

Outraged Americans! I like that!

We need to keep our main Sinclair Boycott page in tip-top shape and keep hammering these advertisers! Way to go DU!

[PROGRESSIVE1]

1. Good!!! Now when does Sinclair file for bankruptcy?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

9. Their stock is down again today.

-.15, now at $7.14.

[AVID]

2. keep up the LOCAL Pressure

[MalibuWaker]

3. That make it sound

like strictly a Dem Party effort rather than just outraged viewers. Just a thought

[blm]

5. But, it isn't a Dem party effort. It came from the grassroots, not DNC.

We pushed this action and the Dem party added their voice.

[MalibuWaker]

14. kidding yourself if you think

Democratic Underground does not sound synonomous with Democratic Parts.

[Oak2004]

30. Might sound synonymous

But at least some of us here (myself... anyone else??) are displaced liberal Republicans who have never registered as Democrats, and who have no immediate plans to become Democrats.

No one checks party registration at the door here (unlike certain events run by you-know-who).

[LynnTheDem]

7. Didn't want to bother actually READING

the article or the posts???

Just a thought.

"OUTRAGED AMERICANS" does not equate with "strictly Dem Party effort".

[Norquist Nemesis]

11. I see that as a good thing

to say outraged 'Americans'. Debunks the Bush assertion that Liberals are out of the mainstream. :thumbsup:

[BUSHOUT]

10. Which part of "Outraged Americans!" don't you understand? just a thought..

duh.

[nostamj]

17. and don't forget... INVESTORS

are outraged too. lawsuits are being filed.

the most aggressive campaign may be coming from dem/progressive efforts, but...

capitalists are none too happy either!

[Zhade]

40. Nice try.

[stepnw1f]

56. MalibuWaker? How about Starsky and Hutch.

Nice name there Fonzi....

[LynnTheDem]

4. We got the

POWAH!

[HysteryDiagnosis]

13. Who woulda thunk it?? Bits and bytes assembling themselves on the

other end of a phone line, or a cable... morphing into a group consciousness capable of bringing a corporate entity to its knees.

Now these people have to figure out how they are going to deal with the free flow of information... and the real deal is.. they can't.

Soooo, I would like to say right now... I feel your pain Sinclair... but I cannot say that you didn't have it coming to you.... heh, heh, heh.....

What a concept... an online community that can stand up for what is right and make a difference... can help to remove the scales from the eyes of anyone who may happen by... that can be linked to in emails to friends and relatives... now imagine if we didn't have it.... what shape would we be in right now?? Half of us would be ready to put a gun to our heads....

[blondeatlast]

39. As long as we have sites like DU/DailyKOS, etc., democracy WILL

prevail, even against the corporate whore media.

Now, let's get a moderate to LW House and Senate and break up the media monopolies.

Because WE CAN!

[Gothmog]

6. Good Job DUers

Keep up the pressure

[AnIndependentTexan]

8. edit the read rest here

the link that works
http://www.washingtondispatch.com/culture/archives/000649.html

the link you have
http://www.washingtondispatch.com/culture/archives/000649.html

[BUSHOUT]

12. thanks. link fixed above. I hate it when I do that! n/t

[AnIndependentTexan]

16. np I usually make mistakes too so can understand

[DesEtoiles]

15. don't let up for a minute

[Oreo]

18. Just got a reply from Pepsi

From: pepsimail
Hello!
Thank you for taking the time to contact us at PepsiCo. Accurate and
balanced journalism is important to us, and we appreciate your thoughts regarding Sinclair Broadcasting Group's upcoming plans.
We have no national advertising buys scheduled with Sinclair
Broadcasting, nor do we plan to advertise on the program in question.
We will also make our bottlers aware of this situation and share these
concerns so they can take them into consideration as they plan their
local marketing efforts. We will follow the resolution of this issue
closely.

Given your concerns, we also would suggest that you communicate your
views directly to Sinclair Broadcasting Group's President and Chief
Executive Officer, David D. Smith. He can be contacted at Sinclair
Broadcasting Group, 10706 Beaver Dam Road, Hunt Valley, MD 21030, or
via email at [e-mail]
Again, many thanks for bringing this to our attention. We value your
comments, and equally, the constructive spirit in which they are
offered.

-Pepsi-Cola Company


----- My Original Message-----
Sent: Monday, October 11, 2004 2:47 PM
To: SPA - Board Of Directors {PEP}
Cc: '[e-mail]'; '[e-mail]'; '[e-mail]';
'[e-mail]'; '[e-mail]'; '[e-mail]'
Subject: No longer a Pepsi drinker

In front of me is the last Pepsi I will drink until you stop advertising with Sinclair networks.
Affiliating your name and products with a network that airs Sinclair's
blatant political leanings over public airwaves is my reason.
Learning that they are forcing all of their stations to air anti John
Kerry propaganda was the last straw.
As a longtime Pepsi drinker, Frito eater, KFC goer... this is not going to be easy for me. I love your products.
I cannot however continue to buy products from a company that gives
money to companies like Sinclair.

[BUSHOUT]

21. Good. Tell them Sinclair airtime is being monitored between now and....

the time this show airs. If thier products appear, it's a lifetime ban.

Tell them they are not remaining neutral if they advertise in the interim...in the week prior to the "documentary". They will be supporting illegal partisan electioneering and they will be added to a lifetime ban list that will live in cyberspace forever!

In order for them to be neutral they will need to pull away from Sinclair during the days until the broadcast.

Otherwise, they're on "the list" permanently!

[progressivebydesign]

29. Cool! I drink A LOT of Pepsi!! n/t

[grace0418]

19. TAKE BACK THE MEDIA!

We're not going to let the GOP run our media any more!

[yardwork]

20. Call Pepsi at [phone]

I just spoke to a very polite and sympathetic Pepsi customer rep at the above number. She said that they were very interested to hear from consumers about this.

If Sinclair loses Pepsi in all their markets it will make a HUGE dent in their bottom line, which is already deeply in the red.

I got the biggest reaction when I mentioned that the Sinclair spokesman had publicly compared Democrats to holocaust deniars. She gasped! I said, "I buy Pepsi products and don't think the company would want to be involved with something like this."

She agreed.

Call Pepsi at [phone]

[BUSHOUT]

22. Excellent. They need to understand this is a mass movement and...

If any of thier long list of products appears on the stations then the list will be going on the fridge of hundreds of thousands if not millions and the ban will be lifetime.

We're not playing here. They are not politically neutral if they are advertising on these 62 stations between now and the airing of this repulsive partisan "news".

We are the majority.

[high density]

23. The little posting thing on the bottom of this article is getting Freeped

I'm not sure if it matters, but this is just an FYI if somebody wants to help.

[BUSHOUT]

24. Good for them. That's all they have left....blogging on news articles. nt

[George_S]

41. LOL, has to be the real McCoy, freerepublic.com

They are going down too :)

[DemocracyInaction]

25. Now have any of you learned anything

my dear god....a handful (and we are a handful--not exactly like millions come here) can move mountains. These fuckers get a few hundred e-mails and letters from people like us and they cave in. My god it actually takes only a few people can bring these corporations to their knees. We have always thought it takes millions. WE ARE IN CONTROL...now isn't that a pretty picture. Keep up the keyboard assault. We could take down this government. Talk about paper tigers.........

[Democrat 4 Ever]

26. Sinclair is not exactly on strong financial ground so this

should hurt. Report today said they were deep in debt. Also, said that an affiliate of Sinclair was awarded a no bid contract in Iraq (well, that is no surprise!) to provide communication services. (Can't remember the name right now. Anybody got any more info on this?)

[TexasBushwhacker]

54. It's called Sinclair Ventures

Here's their part of the SBGI website:

http://sbgweb2.sbgnet.com/business/ventures.shtml

[Oak2004]

34. Yes!!!

How do you think the looney right managed to abscond with a major political party, then steal our nation? It wasn't because most Americans, or even most Republicans, were freepish. It was because they understood the power of an organized activist minority, and they used that power.

It sure isn't the looney right's point of view that has made them powerful (sorry, DLC). When you ask people for where they stand on the issues, the vast majority of Americans turn out to be moderates or liberals. Only a very small number of Americans really operate those kool aid stands. Just think of our power when we combine organized activism with the bona fide support of the majority!

[Zhade]

42. "Sorry, DLC" - thanks for the laugh!

It's funny, because it's true. :D

[pearl]

51. I have been trying to say this for so long

Paper Tigers, all of them.

I worked on the 2000 campaign to stopdrlaura.com. It went the
same way. The sponsors tumbled like dominoes and the show was
DOA when it aired.

If we continue this kind of aggressive media war we might get through.

[G_j]

27. somebody actually called us Americans!

imagine that.

all kidding aside, this article is hopeful.
Please check out our community's website as an example of an effective grass-roots effort to fight Sinclair.

www.sinclairwatch.net

Wally Bowen a local activist (& friend) helped set this up and it was exciting to hear him on Democracy Now! today.

[IIgnoreNobody]

28. lol

[mzmolly]

31. Good deal!

;) "Outraged Americans" ... I like that too.

[oregon_dem1]

32. Sinclair is going down!

This is becomming a HUGE story thanks to the effort of everyone here. I just returned from the Edwards rally in Eugene, Oregon, and Edwards even mentioned it onstage. Do not let up. With this type of pressure, the advertisers will have no choice but to pull their ads. Image is everything to them.

Keep up the hard work and get everyone you know involved.

[xultar]

33. Keep it up till they BEG for Mercy...!!! n/t

[dave502d]

35. This is cool,this forum rules.

[Mr_Spock]

36. I won't be happy 'till Smith & Hyman are in the gutter begging for food.

These guys cannot be permitted to enjoy a normal life at all. Persue them to the ends of the Earth.

[peace4all]

37. nice! but don't let up !!

[peace4all]

38. btw, I nominated this

[snowbear]

43. quick question

Is the airing of their 90 minute attack ad a "done deal"..

Or are we still waiting final word from... whoever makes the final word?

I asked this a couple nights ago, but my question got swept down stream :crazy:

I guess I just want to know that "something" is still in the works that could possibly halt the airing of it.

~ thanks for any info :-)

[G_j]

45. supposedly it is

and Sinclair is not known for backing down!
All the more reason to continue to press on all fronts.
We can't let up for a moment. Down with Sinclair!!!

[tsuki]

44. Thank you...

I just returned from a County Democratic Meeting where they were trying to organize and get the word out (about Sinclair Broadcasting.) They had a little info from the DNC. So I gave them your info and told them "these guys have it going on!" (Forgive the outdated language...southern woman of an indeterminate age here.) They will be contacting Tallahassee and Pensacola...and the FCC. Told them a national boycott was being called against the advertisers. You're great.

[NC_Nurse]

48. Cool!

Welcome to DU! :toast:

[napi21]

46. If that one statement is true, why not go after the stations?

One television station, WTXL in Tallahassee Florida, in order to stay clear of any backlash made it clear that they were not owned by SBGI and will not air the attack film.


I think it's great to go after the advertisers...that's where SBGI's bread & butter is, but if ONE station can say they aren't owned, and aren't going to listen, then we should also go after the individual stations!

[TexasBushwhacker]

55. According to the SBGI website

They have an "outsourcing agreement" with WTXL, but kudos to them for not showing the program. Unfortunately, SBGI owns another station in the Talahassee market (WTWC - NBC).

[snowbear]

47. gj

Thanks for the response. I just thought maybe there was still a legal question pending about the timing, content, etc..

:(

[G_j]

50. unless they are ordered not to air it by the FCC

or the Fed Election Commission, or a judge orders them not to because of one of the lawsuits..
None of these things has happened ..YET

[sontec]

49. CALL [phone]

A sporting goods store in MADISON...Found on another
thread...this guy is a piece of work...basically told me F-OFF...
I started off very polite. Umm...then it went awry.

[PerfectSage]

52. Email to Pepsi Board

Dear Sir/Madam

I am very concerned about the Sinclair Broadcasting Group’s decision to force it’s affiliates to air “Stolen Honour” prior to the American elections, whereas in the past they refused to air a program honouring dead soldiers serving in Iraq. Very hipocritical. I feel that this airing of “Stolen Honour” is an illegal campaign contribution and is an abuse of free and fair elections. The Sinclair Group says that they are impartial and just want to inform people of new Viet Nam allegations related to John Kerry.

In my opinion the Sinclair Broadcating Group’s real ulterior motive is to influence key swing states in George Bush’s favour. George Bush in return for this aid will further deregulate the American airwaves that will allow the Sinclair Group to make changes to it’s organizational structure and the number of stations/city that increase profitability.


Therefore, I am sorry to inform you that I will be boycotting all Pepsico and Yum Brands products for the next month and that this boycott could become permanent unless ALL Pepsico and Yum Brand advertizing is pulled from ALL Sinclair Broadcating Group stations before these illegal broadcasts occur.

For me this includes the fastfood chains: A&W, Taco Bell and KFC.
And these products: Pepsi, Lays, potato chips, Dorito’s(gonna miss these a lot) Miss Vickies potato chips, Lipton Iced Tea, Aquafina water and Gatorade.

I will greatly appreciate all efforts by Pepsico and Yum Brands to convince the Sinclair Broadcasting Group not to air these illegal broadcasts and/or to permanently pull all advertizing from their stations if these illegal broadcasts occur.

I will be monitoring over the internet, the actions of Pepsico and Yum Brands and hope that this unfortunate situation will be resolved to my satisfaction. I look forward to to a reply from a company spokesperson.

Thank You for your kind assistance.

[evilqueen]

53. WoohawWoohaw

I guess Eleanor Roosevelt was right... a small group of thoughtful people really can change the world. (And I helped!) *grins*