More Responses to the Nightline/Sinclair flap:
STLViewer: I live in the St. Louis market, where Sinclair killed the local news department at the ABC affiliate immediately after 9/11. ABC 30 News had just won the regional Emmy award for best newscast. Now, we get "Family Feud" before "World News Tonight" and "Nightline," and holes during local weather "Good Morning America." By the way, GMA and WNT have their lowest ratings in the country here in St. Louis.
"Nightline: UpClose" did not air once in St. Louis, and "Jimmy Kimmel Live" almost didn't get a chance either. Several times a month, an entire night of programming is preempted for an old syndicated movie or "Just Shoot Me" reruns.
When the war in Afghanistan first broke, KDNL-TV stuck with infomericals instead of network coverage. On every major breaking news event afterward, including the northeast blackout and shuttle Columbia tragedy, St. Louisans were without Peter Jennings or Charlie Gibson; it is now Channel 30 policy not to broadcast ABC News Special Reports - no matter what the situation.
ABC has reportedly attempted to purchase KDNL-30 several times, but Sinclair's price is supposedly incredibly high. The poor ABC represenatation is an embarassment to St. Louis, a major market, and does not appear to be remedied in the near future.
I take issue with Sinclair's preemption of tonight's "Nightline" for the above reasons. However, I do believe that Ted Koppel is conveying a political opinion by singling out only those Americans lost in Iraq. No such gesture has ever given by a major news organization to the men and women who lost their lives in Afghanistan and other fronts on the War on Terror.
That is wrong; nevertheless, what Sinclair has decided to do is just as offensive.
Brent:
On the whole Nightline mess... I do have some reservations that Nightline is doing this for political reasons. I wish they would also show war dead from Afghanistan and also show the good that has come from the conflict. Nevertheless, I think this a great tribute to those who have fallen and I will be watching, with tissues. :-(
I am a supporter of the war too, have been from Day 1.
Mark: Contest time: What does David D. Smith, Sinclair Broadcasting president, have in common with Hitler, Mussolini, Castro, Stalin, Mao, Nikita K. and hundreds of other despots? Yes, censorship was(is) their favorite sport! Our American soldiers have given their lives so Smith can deny us what they died for??? It's called freedom, Mr. Smith. Abraham Lincoln understood it. Why can't you??? Type your suggestion here.
Jason:
Koppel plans to undermine War on Terror support. A patriotic tribute
would include uplifting coalition successes in Iraq, and would include
9/11 footage to remind us that war was declared on us, not started by
us, and nonparticipation is not an option.
Koppel plans to demoralize the nation with an orgy of mourning.
Koppel plans to make Nielsen points off the nation's brave war dead.
I ask that Mr. Smith be resolute in his decision not to air sedition
dressed as patriotism.
Anonymous:
I am beginning to wonder about the sanity of the people of America. They talk, talk, talk, talk and then talk some more over a issue and then rush on to the other one with no real sense being made of the first one. To watch this is to see
how the people need to get serious about the election and
the war. Get out and do something for either of these
issues. This continual whining of the people who could be doing some good somewhere is not going to change any one minds. They are
stuck in their ideas and will never change. It is getting to
be a problem of who gets stung
next, be it left or right and
if some of the ranting media should make an effort to grow up.
Rita: If ABC reported all the happenings in Iraq, the bad and the GOOD - Ted Koppel's show wouldn't be coming across as antiwar propaganda. But since ABC does not report the positive news coming out of Iraq, and more importantly, ignores huge stories like the Oil for Food scandal that directly impacted France & Russia's decision to not support the US in the war on Iraq, it creates an appearance, in the case of Ted Koppel, of promoting an adgenda.
Steven:
I am very disappointed in the decision to not air ABC's Nightline. It is clear that it was a politically motivated decision to willfully choose to ignore the brave men and women who have died in the Iraq War. It will not stand that Sinclair Broadcasting has made this decision. I will avoid Sinclair Broadcasting programs in the future, and do my best when I can to tell everyone to do the same.
It’s fine for a business or organization to have political views that are in favor or not in favor of the war, but it is not alright to censor a tribute to the fallen. As a supporter of the Iraq War (yes, a proud supporter) giving national attention to the names one by one would have been a heart felt thank you for their sacrifice. Yet you have not only avoided that, but added insult to injury by showing your actions as being a malicious failure to remind the public of what they did.
A public apology is the least Sinclair Broadcasting could do for refusing to air a program that would have individually honored the memory of those who have fought to protect our rights including free speech.
Anonymous: I agree with Sinclair. Koppel and the other "opinion/ideology deliverers" masquerading as journalists are wrong.
CNWatcher: I applaud the decision of news orginizations to expose Sinclair's agenda. It's too bad viewers of those Sinclair stations in the crucial swing states don't get the same information. I hope the "competing" papers are paying attention -- and reporting the facts.
RMG: Has as it come to this? The syndicate of TV stations censors what we can see? What did these men die for?
Matthew:
I was writing to you because, like you, I'm pretty irate about SBGI's
decision not to show the names of the soldiers who have died in Iraq. It's
great that you went to their headquarters, but I was wondering if there was
another way to hit them where it really hurts: the sponsors on their TV and
radio stations.
Since I don't live in an area that gets their broadcasts, I can't do this
the easy way (watch a station, write down the names of companies that have
commercials), and I'm having little luck on internet searches. So I was
curious if you might have ideas on how to get a list of advertisers? That
way, when I mail my letter to them, I can mail copies to their sponsors
letting them know that I think SBGI's decision is cowardly and I will
boycott companies that support them until they reverse their decision.
If enough people write these sorts of letters to their sponsors, maybe
they'll change their mind. Even if they don't, it'll be a major headache for
them.
mrb: as someone who has worked in tv for the past 7 years, prior to that for 3 governors 2 republican and 1 democrat all I can say is Sinclair is the one who is biased. they insulted the nation and the family of those who have served and fallen, for all of us by their refusal to air Nightline this evening. they took the sacrifice of those brave men and women and turned it into a polictial game...if you have a inkling of conservative leaning or liberal leanings boycott the sinclair stations
michel:
again ted koppel proved why if you got into television journalism, theres a reason why nightline has always been the show you wanted to work for. this evening took my breath away the price we have paid as a nation is beyond comprehension. War has a price and we saw it tonight and whether you agree with this one or not...we all owe a debt to those families who have lost a loved one in service to all of us
John: I am watching this right now and I have one comment on this. ABC if they
were going to do this should have done these young men and women the
honor of running it commercial free. The commercials that interrupt this
powerful moment feel out of place and tacky