StopSinclair.org Announces Protest Ad Campaign;

StopSinclair.org Announces Protest Ad Campaign; Unlike Sinclair, StopSinclair.org Actually Pays for Ad Time; Television and Print Ads Slated to Run in the Battle Ground States; Ohio, Nevada and Wisconsin in Markets Boasting Sinclair Stations

10/21/2004 9:20:00 PM

To: National Desk

Contact: Sally Aman or Jenny Brennan, 202-544-7881; 703-919-6292 (cell); aman [at] a2pr.com or brennan [at] a2pr.com

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 /U.S. Newswire/ -- On the eve of Sinclair Broadcast Group's forced airing of a revised attack ad: A POW Story: Politics, Pressure and the Media, StopSinclair.org announced an ad campaign calling attention to Sinclair's partisan exploitation of public airwaves.

The 30 second television spots question the motives behind Sinclair's airing of a fake news show:

"When Sinclair broadcasting airs a fake news show; trying to throw the election to Bush; What do you suppose they're trying to hide? Well, here are some facts Sinclair Broadcasting somehow left out. American Dead In Iraq 1,099 (NY TIMES 10/19/04); Jobs Lost 585,000 (US. Bureau of Labor Statistics); Americans Who Have Lost Health Insurance Under Bush 5,200,000 (US Census Bureau); Unlike Sinclair Broadcasting, Running for Change has paid for this message; It's why Running for Change is responsible for the content of this advertisement; Vote for Change; Stop Sinclair.org; Paid for by the Running for Change PAC; And not authorized by any candidate or any candidates committee; Running for Change is responsible for this content.

Each print advertisement cites the local Sinclair-owned station where the attack ad will air and asks readers to demand the station not air such political propaganda. These advertisements expose the real motive behind Sinclair's efforts as diverting attention from President Bush's damaging record since 2000 and assert "George Bush is desperate. He can't win on the facts." The advertisements close with a call to action for readers to make their voices heard in the voting booths on November 2.

"By forcing stations to preempt regular programming and air this political attack ad, Sinclair is effectively giving a $9,900,000 illegal in-kind contribution Bush campaign," said Arkadi Gerney, Director of the Stop Sinclair Campaign. "Clearly, this is an outrageous abuse of public airwaves and people are incensed. In just 12 days we have collected 150,000 signatures demanding a halt to Sinclair's program, and in the past four days we have raised $140,545 in support of our ad campaign."

Full-page print ads are slated to run Friday, October 22 in The Columbus Dispatch, The Dayton Daily News, The Las Vegas Sun and The Badger Herald. Joe Slade White produced the television spot which will air from Friday, October 22, 2004 through Monday, October 25, 2004 as a paid ad on news programs in Columbus and Dayton, Ohio and Las Vegas, Nevada.

In addition to the ad campaign, StopSinclair.org supporters will gather at the White House at noon on Friday, October 22, to protest Sinclair's revised attack ad format. The group will deliver 150,000 signatures demanding the halt of the hour-long attack ad, along with a check symbolizing the $9,900,000 illegal in-kind contribution Sinclair is making to the Bush campaign.

StopSinclair.org is a campaign of the Running for Change Political Action Committee, a grassroots effort comprised of the Run Against Bush and Concert for Change Campaigns."

Related Links:

http://stopsinclair.org/ (to view ads and buy calendar)