Just got a response from my local (San Diego) FOX Affiliate

[mexicanpizza]

Email Thread below. Read bottom up. I sorta feel bad for them.

Hi Mark,

Thanks for the quick response. As far as I can research...I'm not confused at all. You are both ultimately owned or are supported by FOX parent News Corp, correct?

-+Eric
- Hide quoted text -


On Jan 1, 2008 5:37 PM, Mark Bunker <[email protected]> wrote:

Hi, Eric.

You have us confused with FOX News. We are a local FOX affiliate and not connected to FOX News. Here is the contact info for them:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,77538,00.html

Keep raising your voice and letting people know your concerns.

Good luck and have a great 2008!

Mark Bunker
FOX6 Web Producer


________________________________
From: [email protected] [[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, January 01, 2008 5:23 PM
To: Viewer Feedback
Subject: Viewer Feedback: Ron Paul Exclusion will affect you!

name: Mexicanpizza
email:
city/neighborhood: Oceanside
phone:
subject: Ron Paul Exclusion will affect you!
message: Hey FOX6, As a long time SD resident and FOX6 viewer, I want to let you know that I am extremely displeased with FOXNEWS decision to exclude Ron Paul from their candidate forum taking place on Jan 6. I will cease watching your network and I have begun calling your local advertisers to explain the situation to them and to urge them to retract their support from a network that would INTENTIONALLY try to shape a Republican primary. Good day, mexicanpizza
ip: 123.45.67.89

EDITED: NEW UPDATE:

Not correct, Eric. There are a handful of FOX owned affiliates but we are not one of them. Our station is an affiliate of the FOX Network (which itself is part of Rupert Murdoch's NewsCorp along with FOX News) but our local news division and FOX News are not connected.

Nor will the FOX Network or our station, FOX6, run the debate in question. It is a program of the FOX News Channel. Applying pressure to them would be the best solution and with the coordinated efforts I'm reading about in the media, it may well pay off.

The same would hold true if you wanted us to book a guest or not book a guest on The O'Reilly Factor. We have just as much control or influence in that decion as we would in booking a guest or removing a guest from Countdown with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC. Absolutely none.

I happen to agree with you that he deserves a place in the debate. But we have no control over that. What I've done, after talking with other Ron Paul supporters, is suggest we cover the outrage as part of our local newscast. And I would urge you to continue to speak out and make your voice known.

I personally have all my representatives and the White House listed in my cellphone speed dial and am a great believer in speaking out. I'd simply suggest that we are not the ideal people for you to lodge your complaint.

Mark

I'm actually very impressed by this guy!! Go FOX6!!

 

[ItsTime]

Reply telling them you do not care, they have Fox in their name and you are now going to write their sponsors telling them you are boycotting. It is working to get PRO Ron Paul pieces on local privately owned Fox channels.

 

[rfbz]

from what I understand, some fox affiliates are owned by Newscorp, and others just use the name by some sort of agreement. Whichever the case though, we should still contact them. For those local networks not owned by Newscorp, hopefully they'll start viewing the Fox name as a liability rather than an asset.

 

[MsDoodahs]

So do I, cuz they're going to have to find a new network with whom to affiliate once local advertisers pull all that money. Maybe Rupert can take up the slack and pay them to advertise Fox News Channel on their local affiliate.

 

[ExpatinArgentina]

Nice going Eric

 

[Pride]

I got two replies

The first one:

WTLH-TV is a broadcast television station and has NO affiliation with FOX News, nor are we owned by News Corp. Your email is doing no more than jamming up my mailbox and has NO effect on your efforts. Please email FOX News if you want to voice your concern. We are NOT required to put any of these emails in our public file like so many of you have requested. We are NOT required to give any equal time on this issue. It’s a shame people in this day and age can’t understand the difference between a cable network and broadcast television stations. Since most of these emails aren’t even coming from our DMA your threats to boycott our sponsors is not applicable. Please email the website that prompted your concerns and let them know that they have steered you in the wrong direction. Most important is the fact that your concern is not being heard by the people you want to hear it.



Thank you,

dh

I can not post the second one, I believe it has copyright on it. It went something along the lines of "This station isn't owned by FOX and has nothing to do with FOX network presidential forum". They may not be owned by FOX, but they are still an affiliate.

 

[Spirit of '76]

I'd recommend not pissing off the local broadcast stations, as they are our best chance to get coverage and have absolutely nothing to do with Fox News or the decision to exclude Ron Paul from the forum.

Of course, you're free to shit where you sleep if you want...

 

[Andrew-Austin]

Reply telling them you do not care, they have Fox in their name and you are now going to write their sponsors telling them you are boycotting. It is harassing/intimidating in order to get PRO Ron Paul pieces on local privately owned Fox channels.

Fixed?

 

[sean1982]

boycotting local affiliates is not going to change anything. the email in post #6 is right...this is misdirected attention. spend your time/energy going after the right people.

 

[Gordon]

I got two replies

The first one:



I can not post the second one, I believe it has copyright on it. It went something along the lines of "This station isn't owned by FOX and has nothing to do with FOX network presidential forum". They may not be owned by FOX, but they are still an affiliate.

That was actually kind of funny. But that station CAN get in trouble. By FCC Rules they HAVE to allocate some free air time to the public. They usually do this early sunday mornings at 4-5 am.

You could try to get on the air or make a formal complaint with the FCC.

 

[SeanEdwards]

Reply telling them you do not care, they have Fox in their name and you are now going to write their sponsors telling them you are boycotting. It is working to get PRO Ron Paul pieces on local privately owned Fox channels.

Bingo.

Tell them to make-up whatever excuse helps them sleep at night, and that you couldn't care less. Tell them that you will hold them and their sponsors responsible regardless. Make it their problem.

 

[SeanEdwards]

boycotting local affiliates is not going to change anything. the email in post #6 is right...this is misdirected attention. spend your time/energy going after the right people.

You are wrong.

 

[mexicanpizza]

Updated first post with his next (very impressive) response.

 

[matthylland]

Updated first post with his next (very impressive) response.

thats great!

 

[Pride]

Not correct, Eric. There are a handful of FOX owned affiliates but we are not one of them. Our station is an affiliate of the FOX Network (which itself is part of Rupert Murdoch's NewsCorp along with FOX News) but our local news division and FOX News are not connected.

Nor will the FOX Network or our station, FOX6, run the debate in question. It is a program of the FOX News Channel. Applying pressure to them would be the best solution and with the coordinated efforts I'm reading about in the media, it may well pay off.

The same would hold true if you wanted us to book a guest or not book a guest on The O'Reilly Factor. We have just as much control or influence in that decion as we would in booking a guest or removing a guest from Countdown with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC. Absolutely none.

I happen to agree with you that he deserves a place in the debate. But we have no control over that. What I've done, after talking with other Ron Paul supporters, is suggest we cover the outrage as part of our local newscast. And I would urge you to continue to speak out and make your voice known.

I personally have all my representatives and the White House listed in my cellphone speed dial and am a great believer in speaking out. I'd simply suggest that we are not the ideal people for you to lodge your complaint.

Mark

The message is getting through. Keep the pressure on! Contacting FOX affiliate news networks can and will make a difference.

 

[Hangly Man]

The local affiliates of any network are usually pretty decent people.

 

[Eponym_mi]

Tread very lightly with local affiliates. If you come down on them too hard, you'll dry up coverage of your local efforts. Our real battle is with the corporate goons in NY.

 

[Spirit of '76]

The local affiliates of any network are usually pretty decent people.

Exactly. And our best chance to get coverage on stuff like this is from local broadcast stations, even Fox affiliates like this one.

But don't expect the coverage to be fair if we treat them like assholes. Treat them decently, be reasonable, and act like a decent human being when they interview you.

If we act like jerks to them, and then they give us negative coverage, we have no one to blame but ourselves.

 

[Naraku]

Our real battle is with the corporate goons in NY.

QFT. Even some Fox News journalists are pro-Paul.

 

[Cyclone177]

Reply telling them you do not care, they have Fox in their name and you are now going to write their sponsors telling them you are boycotting. It is working to get PRO Ron Paul pieces on local privately owned Fox channels.

This producer sounds like a pretty cool guy. It sounds like he is going to cover the story, I wouldn't badger him, rather keep being positive. Volunteer to come down and do an interview or something. Good work overall!