Tuesday, October 19, 2004
They're Desperate! They're Unscrupulous! They're . . . Kamikaze Republicans!
Sinclair Broadcasting's stock price has lost $90 million in shareholder value since they announced their intention to show their anti-Kerry film. Shareholders and others are preparing lawsuits against the company. One group wants to force the company to provide equal time to the Kerry campaign; another claims group officials profited unfairly by taking profits before the announcement of the film. They fired their Washington bureau chief for denouncing the film. Eighty advertisers have pulled their advertising from the chain's stations. Although Sinclair denies that they have made a final decision about the program, it's beginning to appear in TV listings across the country. And that seems to me to make it harder for them to back out of airing it, even if they decide they want to, at least until they think of a way to spin backing out as some kind of victory.
Could Sinclair officials be willing to sink their own company for the chance that they might influence the election? It's hard to see any other explanation. As one of my readers noted this morning, the Sinclair film may be the vehicle by which the Bush campaign intends to launch its October Surprise, a final devastating smear attack on Kerry. So I'll bet Sinclair will go ahead with the program, consequences be damned, and deal with the fallout later.
Recommended Reading: Slate's latest electoral college projection has Kerry winning 282-254. Say it with me, everybody: "Your mouth to God's ear."
Sinclair Broadcasting's stock price has lost $90 million in shareholder value since they announced their intention to show their anti-Kerry film. Shareholders and others are preparing lawsuits against the company. One group wants to force the company to provide equal time to the Kerry campaign; another claims group officials profited unfairly by taking profits before the announcement of the film. They fired their Washington bureau chief for denouncing the film. Eighty advertisers have pulled their advertising from the chain's stations. Although Sinclair denies that they have made a final decision about the program, it's beginning to appear in TV listings across the country. And that seems to me to make it harder for them to back out of airing it, even if they decide they want to, at least until they think of a way to spin backing out as some kind of victory.
Could Sinclair officials be willing to sink their own company for the chance that they might influence the election? It's hard to see any other explanation. As one of my readers noted this morning, the Sinclair film may be the vehicle by which the Bush campaign intends to launch its October Surprise, a final devastating smear attack on Kerry. So I'll bet Sinclair will go ahead with the program, consequences be damned, and deal with the fallout later.
Recommended Reading: Slate's latest electoral college projection has Kerry winning 282-254. Say it with me, everybody: "Your mouth to God's ear."
