Posted on 10/12/2004 10:45:12 AM PDT by blogblogginaway
FCC COMMISSIONER STATEMENT ON SINCLAIR AIRING OF ANTI-KERRY SHOW Tue Oct 12 2004 13:39:02 ET
FCC COMMISSIONER COPPS CRITICIZES SINCLAIR CORPORATE DECISION TO PREEMPT LOCAL STATIONS FOR POLITICAL BROADCAST
Commissioner Michael J. Copps reacted to reports that Sinclair Broadcast Group will preempt more than 60 local stations across the country to air an overtly political program in the days prior to the Presidential election.
Copps stated: “This is an abuse of the public trust. And it is proof positive of media consolidation run amok when one owner can use the public airwaves to blanket the country with its political ideology -- whether liberal or conservative. Some will undoubtedly question if this is appropriate stewardship of the public airwaves. This is the same corporation that refused to air Nightline’s reading of our war dead in Iraq. It is the same corporation that short-shrifts local communities and local jobs by distance-casting news and weather from hundreds of miles away. It is a sad fact that the explicit public interest protections we once had to ensure balance continue to be weakened by the Federal Communications Commission while it allows media conglomerates to get even bigger. Sinclair, and the FCC, are taking us down a dangerous road.”
END
Translation: I am a liberal and I'm mad as heck !!
Official Bio:
Commissioner
Michael J. Copps
Nominated May 1, 2001; confirmed May 25, 2001; sworn in May 31, 2001. Copps served until January 2001 as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Trade Development at the U.S. Department of Commerce, where he was previously Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Basic Industries. Copps came to Washington in 1970, joining the staff of Senator Ernest Hollings (D-SC) and serving for over a dozen years as Chief of Staff. He has also held positions at Collins and Aikman Corporation and the American Meat Institute. Before coming to Washington, Copps was a professor of U.S. History at Loyola University of the South. Copps received a B.A. from Wofford College and earned a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Looks like Bush appointed him, but he's a Dem. Hopefully if Bush wins a second term we can have the mother of all house cleanings in all Federal jobs and agencies.
Here is what we know about this guy.
Mr. Copps served until January 2001 as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Trade Development at the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Mr. Copps moved to Washington in 1970, joined the staff of Senator Fritz Hollings (D-SC) and served for over a dozen years as Administrative Assistant and Chief of Staff.
Mr. Copps, a Democrat, was nominated by President George W. Bush on May 1, 2001, and confirmed by the Senate on May 25, 2001.
Sound like the lone whiner to me. I guess they aren't shutting it down:)
Hey Commissioner - BITE ME !
"Fair" to you means "seeing things your way".
No, Mr. Copps, a violation of the public trust is pretending a forged memo is real and seeking to deceive the American public to destroy the sitting President in a re-election campaign.
"Looks like Bush appointed him, but he's a Dem. Hopefully if Bush wins a second term we can have the mother of all house cleanings in all Federal jobs and agencies."
He can't do that in this case. I have worked on FCC committees, and the body has 5 commissioners. The party in power gets 3 and the other side gets 2. It was a dem slot that opened, so W had no choce in the deal.
All this guy is doing is running his mouth. It has zero consequences in the real world. If this was ever put to a vote by the Commission, it would be 3-2 for the pubbies.
-Toonces
Is he officially speaking for the FCC?
The Soviet Politburo didn't like criticism either. Look where it got them.
Licorice: "Licorice reporting for duty.
He assured my master, Savior Kerry, that on the other hand
"Farenheit 911" the week and nights before the election will be
'no problema' for the DNC."
BUSH DID SAY HE MADE SOME APPOINTMENT MISTAKES, GUESS WHO?
From Opensecrets.org, here are his political contributions:
COPPS, MICHAEL J
ALEXANDRIA,VA 22307
U S DEPT OF COMMER
11/6/2000
$1,000
DNC Services Corp
COPPS, MICHAEL J
ALEXANDRIA,VA 22307
AMERICAN MEAT INSTITUTE
4/27/1990
$200
American Meat Institute
COPPS, MICHAEL J DR
ALEXANDRIA,VA 22307
US DEPT OF COMMERCE
11/5/1996
$250
Clinton, Bill
COPPS, MICHAEL J DR
ALEXANDRIA,VA 22307
AMERICAN MEAT INSTITUTE
2/14/1989
$200
American Meat Institute
COPPS, MICHAEL J
ALEXANDRIA,VA 22307
U S COMMERCE
7/28/1998
$1,000
Hollings, Ernest F
COPPS, MICHAEL J DR
ALEXANDRIA,VA 22307
AMERICAN MEAT INSTITUTE
11/18/1991
$250
American Meat Institute
COPPS, MICHAEL J DR
ALEXANDRIA,VA 22307
COLLINS AND AIKMAN
9/8/1992
$500
Hollings, Ernest F
Why doesn't Copps go after the Sundance channel, then? Last I heard, they were having a Kerry lovefest on their channel. Nary a peep from Copps.
Nope...no bias here! (/sarcasm)
Sorry,Mike go back to worrying bout Janet's Nipple
This is the clown who has made the fcc a laughing stock not Powell
Bill Clinton and American Meat?
Something you wanna tell us,Mike?
Yet another shining example of liberal free speech: we say whatever we want, you shut up.
When I see a Cobb's statement slamming ABCNBCCBSCNN for airing all Kerry propaganda, all the time....his opinion might carry some weight.
Drudge needs to be told to mention that Copps is a Democrat in this piece - then it all makes sense!
Also, it's just so SWEEET to know that there's nothing anyone can do about the airing of Stolen Honor because it seems as if Sinclair has strong convictions and will not compromise on anything.
Finally, some justice for REAL Americans when it comes to the media.
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