SINCLAIR UNDER SIEGE

摘要

David Smith makes no apologies. 1.The CEO of Sinclair Broadcast Group sparked a firestorm with a plan to air a controversial documentary knocking presidential hopeful John Kerry in the 39 markets where the 11th-largest TV station owner operates. 2. Investors howled. The stock dipped. Democratic lawmakers urged the FCC to investigate the "improper use of public airwaves." Burger King pulled its ads. And activists promised to block its future purchases of TV stations. 3. Now, despite an apparent retreat-Sinclair scheduled a news program about the documentary, rather than simply airing it-Smith remains defiant. "Politics is nothing new in the news business," he said last week, sitting in the penthouse boardroom of Sinclair's suburban Baltimore headquarters. "In spite of what people might say to the contrary. It's a fact of life. It's reality. I have no objections to politics in news as long as it's disclosed. It's when news attempts to present itself as fair and balanced and in fact isn't." 4. More than anything, the debate raging over Sinclair's rationale reflects a larger truth in broadcasting: The public believes the airwaves are just that—public. The intensity of the outcry from investors, advertisers and Sinclair's own viewers underscores the reality that no one owner truly "owns" its station. And for a company whose fortunes are so dependent on greater regulatory freedom, Sinclair has handed a fresh round of ammunition to critics of deregulation.