NY Times: WHNT’s Technical Glitches (Siegelman/60 Minutes)

[marmar]

Editorial
WHNT’s Technical Glitches


Published: February 27, 2008

In 1955, when WLBT-TV, the NBC affiliate in Jackson, Miss., did not want to run a network report about racial desegregation, it famously hung up the sign: “Sorry, Cable Trouble.” Audiences in northern Alabama might have suspected the same tactics when WHNT-TV, the CBS affiliate, went dark Sunday evening during a “60 minutes” segment that strongly suggested that Don Siegelman, Alabama’s former Democratic governor, was wrongly convicted of corruption last year.

The report presented new evidence that the charges against Mr. Siegelman may have been concocted by politically motivated Republican prosecutors — and orchestrated by Karl Rove. Unfortunately, WHNT had “technical problems” that prevented it from broadcasting a segment (the problems were resolved in time for the next part of the show) that many residents of Alabama would no doubt have found quite interesting.

After initially blaming the glitch on CBS in New York, the affiliate said it learned “upon investigation,” and following a rebuke from the network, that “the problem was on our end.” It re-broadcast the segment at 10 p.m., pitting it against the Academy Awards on rival ABC, before Daniel Day-Lewis won the best actor Oscar. As public criticism grew, it ran it again at 6 p.m. on Monday.

Stan Pylant, WHNT’s president and general manager, assured viewers that “there was no intent whatsoever to keep anyone from seeing the broadcast.” ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/27/opinion/27wed4.html?ref=opinion

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. K&R If we don't keep disclosing and discussing how far

these assholes will go, they will keep controlling the news

[Bozita]

2. Remember Harken Energy? ... Guess who owns the station.

"WHNT is owned by Oak Hill Capital Partners, a private equity firm whose lead investor is one of the Bass brothers of Texas. The brothers are former business partners of George W. Bush and generous contributors to Republican causes."

That's from the NYT editorial. Here's some background on the Bass brothers:

http://www.jonesreport.com/article/12_07/271207_media_c...

Bush associates still consolidating their hold on US media

Diane Sweet / Raw Story | December 27, 2007

Longtime associates of President George W. Bush are consolidating their hold on American media with a string of recent purchases, RAW STORY can report.

Conservative media mogul Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. announced of late the sale of 8 of its US television stations to a private equity firm -- Oak Hill Partners -- for an estimated $1.1 billion dollars that is expected to close sometime in 2008.

The deal leaves Murdoch with another 27 television stations in major US cities such as Boston, New York City, and Los Angeles, as well as The New York Post, a controlling interest in BSkyB, movie studio 20th Century Fox, and Wall Street Journal publisher Dow Jones & Co Inc.

Oak Hill Partners lead investor Robert M. Bass, a longtime associate of George W. Bush, is also the founder of Ft. Worth, Texas-based Bass Brothers Enterprises. Oak Hill issued a statement announcing the stations would be jointly managed by a broadcast holding company, Local TV, that was created by Oak Hill for the purpose of purchasing 9 other television stations from The New York Times previously this year.

more...

[peacetalksforall]

3. Folks, here is the most important part of that story -

"As public criticism grew, it ran it again at 6 p.m. on Monday."

As public criticism grew ...

Public criticism.

That's us.

They can't close us down, yet.

No tasers.

No false or concocted arrests.

Simple criticisms and protestestations.

This battle is about whether there is balance of power. The people are supposed to have a part in that power. We must stand up for what most of us were taught to belive was right for all of us - dignity, privacy, trial by jury, fair intentions-words-actions. Being able to hear and read about what is being done to us is our part in the power.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

4. One piece of democracy at a time, step-by-step into the abyss.

K & R

[ray of light]

5. k-R!!!!

[Supersedeas]

6. the FCC needs to take a look at this NOW!!

[marmar]

7. This FCC? I wouldn't hold out much hope.

n/t

[bamademo]

8. Yeah, isn't Colin Powell's son the head of the FCC

I bet he's impartial. :sarcasm:

[caligirl]

9. no, he left.