An INJUNCTION will be sought against Sinclair's broadcast of Stolen Honor

[Lex]

This from www.mediamatters.org:

"At 10 a.m. today, a letter from Glickenhaus & Co., a Wall Street firm with clients who hold stock in Sinclair, was delivered to the CEO of Sinclair, David D. Smith, and the company's board of directors, demanding that they immediately "provide those with views opposed to the allegations in the film an equal opportunity to respond." If an answer to Glickenhaus' demand is not received by close of business today, Tuesday October 19, additional remedies, including an injunction in a court of law prior to the first scheduled airing of Stolen Honor October 21, may be sought."

http://mediamatters.org/items/200410190004

The actual letter is linked at the above site as well.

[dogtag]

1. As Sherlock used to say, the plot thickens. (n/t)

[Robert Oak]

2. Score and the answer to rogue corporations

stockholders and giving them more power in democratizing the corporate
entity.

Hope this law firm is ruthless.

[Lex]

3. Stockholder suit is where I thought the best prospects

lay for gumming this whole thing up for Sinclair.

Looks like it may happen.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. Shareholder action might be the only way

to deal with any kind of corporate shenanigans. Buy a few shares of stock, then show up at the annual meeting and raise holy hell. If necessary, get with other disgruntled stockholders and sue their sorry asses. Want to do a job on any of the big media companies? Everybody by a share or two of their stock, and take it from there....

[Emboldened Chimp]

5. Has trading been halted on SBGI stock?

It's been stuck at $6.32 for over an hour...

[Mike L]

7. Probably the bottom. That's usually how it goes.

[Emboldened Chimp]

8. Check that, it's down to $6.29...

[Mike L]

6. The DNC should have already gotten an injunction.

[IIgnoreNobody]

18. All they did was file a complaint with the FCC.

This is an entirely different matter.

[onenote]

9. before we get too excited

I'm not too hopeful (and a little bit worried) about the "injunction" strategy. I love the fact that shareholders are going after Sinclair's principals on insider trading claims and I have been urging friends to join me in requesting that Sinclair's advertisers pull their ads and make their objections known..

but I just don't see much chance for success in a suit seeking an injunction. For one thing, the courts are reluctant to impose a "prior restraint" on speech (as opposed to ordering an after-the-fact remedy). My fear is that if a court finds (as it might) that airing the damn program doesn't put Sinclair's licenses at risk (and given how toothless the FCC's rules are, how could they find otherwise?), the suit actually could end up seeming to give an air of legitimacy to Sinclair's broadcast that it otherwise would not and should not have.

onenote

[Lex]

10. onenote, have you seen this story about the offer to show "Going Upriver"

It looks like several strategies are coming together.

It's over at http://www.atrios.blogspot.com/

-------------------

"Investors To Present Sinclair Broadcasting

With Business Offer to Run 'Going Upriver,'
Critically Acclaimed Kerry Documentary

Seek to Balance Unprecedented Showing of anti-Kerry 'Stolen Honor' on TV Chain

Deborah Rappaport, 'Going Upriver' Producers
Available at News Conference Today

Deborah Rappaport will discuss her offer to the Sinclair Broadcasting Group to purchase time to air the highly regarded film "Going Upriver; The Long War of John Kerry," as a balance to the broadcasting of an anti-John Kerry film, which Sinclair is planning to air on its 62 television stations.

Investors and philathropists Andrew and Deborah Rappaport of Redwood City, CA, have contacted the Baltimore-based chain, seeking to inject fair play into its plan to show a 42-minute film called "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal."

Ms. Rappaport will be joined by the executive producers of "Going Upriver," Vincent Roberti and Bill Samuels on the conference call."

[onenote]

11. yep

and I think its a good approach. It will be interesting to see how Sinclair reacts. From a business standpoint, they ought to accept to cut off the controversy. But my bet is that they're too pigheaded and freeperish to yield an inch, at least until they begin to think that the $$ pain will continue after the election.

onenote

[featherman]

12. Note to Tweety: now THAT's "hardball" in realpolitik terms

not your pandering punditry

[tishaLA]

13. NY State Comptroller also filed an inquiry

You can read it here, but I don't know how to copy and paste with Adobe files

[Lex]

14. Looks like Sinclair is getting hit from all sides.

Good.

[Road Scholar]

15. Hey, an Injunction, what a great Idea!!

Wonder who thought of that. I hope it works.I hope every democrat boycotts all their ads 'till they(Sinclair) go outta business.

The FCC got off light too, even considering it's chairman is. They're sworn to uphold the law, I know they could lean in favor of their constituents, but outright breaking the FCC laws.Cheeese Louise.

[barb162]

16. I emailed the FCC demanding they lift Sinclair's license for their

brazen, partisan attempt to influence the election. I am so tired of this damn crap from these repukes!

[calimary]

17. Guys, it seems to me that all of this is uncharted territory for the Bad

Guys. And that's a VERY good thing.

For years, I mean YEARS, ever since the rise of limbaugh and gingrich and the Pox "news" network and the ruthless, relentless persecution of Clinton, the Bad Guys have learned one thing:

They hit, and we don't hit back. We cower, or whimper in pain, or whine a little in complaint, or cave, or hang our heads in desolation. That's SO yesterday.

They are UTTERLY UNACCUSTOMED to what's now boiling over in hot cauldrons all over the country. They are NOT USED TO being fought back, or being hit back, or being hit back, HARD. They assume that their old template that always worked will continue to work. They hit us and we don't even know what hit us til it's too late. They assume we will continue to give in to our discouragement and limp home.

The fact that this Sinclair business has turned into such a HUGE mess, a (pardon the expression) pig-fuck, a many-headed hydra monster, is probably coming as a serious shock to them. They did not plan on any serious challenges, OR consequences for their evil. They just did not. They've always gotten away with it up til now, why shouldn't things just continue that way, 'eh?

Well, it's a brand new era these last few months. Our side has started fighting back with everything we've got. The Sinclair people, and the swifties (I'll bet they're STILL shocked that there is the Texans for Truth group and other such) and the 527s (mostly pro-Democrat and pro-liberal) and other elements in this fight have actually come up and stood in the way. There have NEVER been serious consequences for any of their wrong-doing. They've NEVER had to pay for it. It's NEVER, EVER cost them. Til now. Even limbaugh is getting a serious run for his money in the New York metro market according to the latest ratings - Al Franken is nipping at his heels on Air America. They never expected it, and it's a multi-level, many-headed assault coming at them from every direction. They are NOT used to this, and they did NOT expect it.

This is a GOOD THING. A VERY GOOD THING. They've awakened a sleeping giant. And they literally don't know what's hit them now. Especially with this Sinclair business. Trouble, challenges, threats of litigation, loss of huge fortunes and stock value and market value, accusations of insider trading, consumer boycotts, angry letters to the editor, the works! It's coming at them from every direction and they're completely unprepared for this.

For a change, their rotten behavior is going to start costing them. This is a new template that they are unfamiliar with. We are leveling the playing field. And as we saw in 2000, the only way folks like these can win is if they cheat, or load the dice, or mark the cards, or bribe the dealer. They cannot win on a level playing field. And that's where we've maneuvered them.

If there are no consequences, there is no motivation for reform, or change, or responsibiity or accountability. They won't play fair unless they're forced to. Soooooo...we've begun to apply a little force. Instead of one or two lonely little notes piping up here and there, we have an entire philharmonic orchestra playing loudly and vigorously. This is something they just did not count on, or foresee. And because they didn't forsee this, they had nothing prepared to head it off. And so MUCH of it to have to head off, too! It's spiralling out of control on them - too many holes are being sprung, or drilled, in the dike. Many more holes than they have fingers.