Contacting the advertisers makes a difference. The advertisers are paying attention. Once again, here is the link to a database of Sinclair advertisers, with information on how you can contact them to let them know your displeasure with their partisan use of your public airwaves.
Since I saw my insurance company, State Farm, listed in the database, I shot off a letter last night to politely let them know I was displeased with them doing business with Sinclair under these circumstances and would consider taking my business elsewhere if they continued to do so. Here’s what they wrote back today:
State Farm purchases national advertising time with the major television networks.
Many local stations, including Sinclair Broadcasting Corporation’s television stations, are affiliates of the networks and carry network programming. State Farm does not buy national advertising from Sinclair.
As a company, we take great care to be sensitive to programming that some people may find offensive. We monitor programming content rigorously. State Farm is non-partisan and does not endorse any candidate or political party. Reflecting these practices, State Farm does not, nor do we plan to, place national advertising on programs which are partisan in nature such as “Stolen Honor.”
We value customer opinions and treat these matters with the utmost importance. Once again, thank you for contacting State Farm to share your opinion.
That’s good news! Buy State Farm insurance! And keep up the good work! Sinclair’s stock prices seem to be plummeting around all of this (see chart at top-right), which is also good news! You may want to check in with your Mutual Funds as well — here’s a list of the major funds invested in Sinclair — to see if they may be invested in Sinclair (SBGI) and sell ’em off if so! The epicenter for the Sinclair Boycott is at this blog. Keep an eye on it.
I too have done business with State Farm for decades and wrote a letter of protest. I received the same form letter as yourself. I emailed back, however, and asked if SF advertises nationally on, for example my local Sinclair affilitate ABC, would that not trickle down to the affiliates? They then asked for a phone number and best time to reach me to discuss personally.
Although I’m impressed with SF’s response, I’m still researching to see how my dollars with them contribute to the Sinclair affiliates. I’m not certain yet that SF will not lose my longstanding business.
Do you, or any readers have more information or perhaps can explain the situation to better my understanding?
Thanks. Kate
I don’t currently have any more info on SF specifically, but if you speak with them, please share the results of your conversation with us here!
Please let them know that ANY support of Sinclair Broadcast Group will be announced publically and held against them! (Take good notes on that phone call!)
I spoke with a very pleasant rep of SF. Again, I was told SF only advertises nationally and that it would be local advertisers of the affiliates that would be involved.
SF seems very concerned about this, particularly concerned about how and why they were on the boycott list. They feel they have no input on the affiliates as they don’t buy advertising locally with them. Still, I’m not so sure major advertisers cannot influence affiliates.
Sinclair plans to broadcast, to my knowledge, Stolen Honor w/o ads, so boycotting any local "Joe Blow’s Furniture Outlet" wouldn’t help. My local Sinclair affiliate is ABC in St. Louis.
ABC has shown willingness to deal with Sinclair’s political agenda when it went around its own Sinclair affiliates to offer the “Nightline” episode (reading the names of the fallen soldiers) to nonaffiliates in those same Sinclair markets. Perhaps the affiliates ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox that Sinclair holds could be contacted.
Sinclair would have to preempt regular programing to show SH, which they can do for local important stories but SH is not a local news event, etc.
The 3 major networks ABC, CBC, NBC still have a hold over advertiser dollars, regardless. I suspect State Farm’s response is directly related to the fact that angry consumers can hurt business big time. I asked if SF has any pressure to apply to the networks and they said no, but in the world of big business I find this a little doubtful, or that their response would have been as concerned.
Sinclair has never fared well as a publically traded company, 95% of shares family owned, and I believe their backing comes from investors who are willing to take a loss in order to promote their own political agenda, i.e. there’s rightwing money behind them. Very concerning as Sinclair reaches 25 % of US viewers.
I do know that an affiliate station exchanges air time and money with the national network. The affiliate’s revenue comes from local advertising and network compensation for running the network’s programs and advertising. So, ABC, etc. pays Sinclair to run programs with national advertisers. I think as I suspected SF or any national advertisers $$ get to Sinclair affiliates through this manner.
Hope this is helpful. I’m looking at changing from SF but still researching to see how affiliates and Sinclair interact.
Thanks, Kate
Wha?
"Contrary to numerous inaccurate political and press accounts, the Sinclair stations will not be airing the documentary ‘Stolen Honor’ in its entirety," the Baltimore-based company said in a statement.
Sinclair said it would air a special news program on Friday called "A POW Story: Politics, Pressure and the Media" that would discuss the allegations surrounding Kerry’s anti-Vietnam War activities.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/new...ir_dc&e=2
"MMFA had announced its intention to underwrite a shareholder action against the company in the event that Sinclair had not altered its plans by 5 p.m. today. We will be watching to see if Sinclair fulfills its stated pledge to air an impartial newscast in place of the anti-Kerry communication, and we trust that all sides of the issues addressed will be fairly and equally represented. I hope that the broadcast Sinclair is planning to air on Friday will meet the concerns of advocates for quality media and shareholders alike."
http://mediamatters.org/items/200410190011
Changing titles and showing SH in part doesn’t change the intent of Sinclair, regardless whatever statements they issue. I think pressure from bloggers has had an impact though.
Cheers to internet activists.
Kate.