Republican U. S. Senate candidate Andy Martin will hold a
news conference today, Wednesday, August 27th to announce he has asked the
Federal Communications Commission to investigate abuses of federal monopoly
power by Hearst Television which owns WMUR-TV in Manchester ,
New Hampshire 7:00
P.M. ” Andy says, “but refuses to sell me the same time slot at 7:00 P.M. to reach a similar audience. New
Hampshire has become a media ‘colony’ of Hearst
Television on 57th Street
in New York . No company should
have such dictatorial media power over an entire state. Hearst is using its
media monopoly to nominate Scott Brown. (Brown's wife is a former Hearst
employee.) Whether you support or oppose Brown, I should have a fair
opportunity to take my case and my candidacy to the people. Hearst Television
is making a joke of democracy in our state.”
News from:
Andy Martin
Republican for U.S. Senator
www.AndyMartin2014.com
you can call Andy:
Tel. (603) 518-7310
Cell (603) 289-0276
Toll-free (866) 706-2639
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Blogs/web sites (partial):
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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
ANNOUNCEMENT
OF MANCHESTER , NH
ATTENTION
NATIONAL, POLITICAL, NEW HAMPSHIRE DAYBOOK &
ASSIGNMENT EDITORS
Andy says Hearst Television, which owns WMUR, is
giving Scott Brown and his two “debating dummies” free air time at 7:00
P.M. while refusing to sell Andy time at 7:00 P.M. on a different day
Andy says Hearst Television is using its monopoly
power to decide the outcome U.
(Manchester , NH August 25, 2014 )
Dear Granite Stater:
See if this sounds fair to you: the Hearst Television
company that owns WMUR-TV is giving free time for a staged “debate” between
Scott Brown and his two “debating dummies.” Hearst Television is refusing to
sell me a similar time slot to advertise my campaign. So Brown gets free time,
and Hearst will not even sell me the same time they are giving away for free. Is
that fair?
Federal law protects the right of access of federal
candidates to the air waves. If Hearst gives Brown and the dummies free time at
7:00 P.M., and won’t sell me time at 7:00 P.M., instead offering me time on
Sunday afternoon or after 11:00 P.M. when the audience is comparatively
infinitesimal, doesn’t that New York-based media dictatorship effective control
the outcome of elections in our state?
If a legitimate candidate is denied his right to purchase
comparable time, while the station is giving away near-prime time to its
favored candidate, democracy is a joke. You don’t have to support me or my
candidacy to realize that when strong-arm tactics are used against one
candidate they can also be used in the future against other candidates.
I have asked the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) to
investigative the monopolistic corporate behavior of Hearst Television and the
efforts of the company to rig the U. S. Senate election with biased coverage
(seen enough of Scott Brown yet?) and refusal to obey federal law by selling me
a comparable time slot to that being given away to my opponents.
Here is what I asked the FCC to investigate: (letter follows
without masthead information)
-----
Hon. Tom Wheeler, Chairman
Federal Communications Commission
I am a ballot-qualified candidate for the United States
Senate from New Hampshire in the
Republican Party primary on September
9, 2014 . Therefore, time is of the essence.
Ten (10) years ago I wrote the first report questioning the
family history of then-state Senator Barack Obama. I was the first independent
investigator to go to Hawai’i to
look into then-U. S. Senator Barack Obama’s family history. I wrote a book which
is a collection of my columns as well as a Psychological Profile of then-U.S.
Senator Obama (copy enclosed with the hard copy of this letter). My research
concerning President Obama has been remarkably prescient and remarkably
accurate.
The State of New Hampshire
has only one commercial TV station licensee, WMUR-TV, which is operated by
Hearst Television. The fact that Hearst has a local statewide monopoly makes my
situation somewhat unique and urgent.
WMUR-TV is conducting a bogus “debate” involving the
licensee’s preferred candidate for U. S. Senator, Scott Brown, and two
additional “sparring partners” for Brown, neither of whom has any recent
national exposure or meaningful experience in confronting a media phenomenon
such as Mr. Brown. As licensees now do, WMUR-TV has also enlisted a local
“patsy,” St. Anselm’s College, to act as a “sponsor” of the debate so the
broadcaster can claim that Equal Time rules do not apply. The station has been
remarkably crafty in seeking to insulate Brown from any meaningful opposition.
I understand Hearst’s motivation. Brown is a cash machine
for broadcasters. Brown brings in millions in Wall Street cash to support his
candidacy, because his vote in the senate is for sale. Brown also brings in
millions in Democratic Party opposition advertising seeking to expose his
perfidiousness and defeat him.
Well enough.
WMUR-TV is broadcasting its “debate” at 7:00 P.M.
I asked the licensee to sell me half an hour at 7:00 P.M. (on a different day) so I can
counteract the free time being given to Brown and his sparring partners.
WMUR-TV has refused to sell me the same time slot that they
are making available for free to my opponents. In substance, WMUR-TV’s position
is a corruption and perversion of the Communications Act. To give free time to
my opponents and to refuse to sell me the same time slot so I may reach the
same audience effectively locks me out of any access to that audience and dooms
my campaign.
I do not believe any licensee, Democrat or Republican,
should have such monopoly power (Hearst is a Democrat-leaning corporation; they
have wined and dined the incumbent senator, Jeanne Shaheen, at their offices in
New York City .)
The issue presented is not a complex one. Can a licensee
which holds a monopoly position in a state give free time to some candidates,
and then refuse to sell the same time slot to another excluded candidate,
claming the free time slot is not covered by any form of equal access or equal
time opportunity? I think not. The drafters of the Communications Act never
contemplated such an extortionate position of power for a licensee to exercise.
I ask the Commissioners to take immediate action to protect
my right as a candidate to purchase the same time slot (local access, a half
hour, one time, some time between 7:00 P.M. -
8:00 P.M. ) that is being made available for free to my opponents.
The licensee has offered to sell me time on Sunday
afternoon, or late at night, but obviously these alternative time slots are not
remotely similar to the audience being made available to my primary opponents
at 7:00 P.M.
Increasingly we are becoming a feudalistic nation, where
corporate might makes right, and where broadcast licensees have contempt for
the public interest they are supposed to serve.
Most respectfully, I ask that the spirit of the
Communications Act, that licensees must operate in the public interest and not
solely in the corporate interest, be honored. The spirit of our Constitution
should also be respected. The contumacious monopoly attitude of Hearst should
be rejected.
Respectfully submitted,
ANDY MARTIN
-----
I hope you will agree with me that New Hampshire should not
be a “colony” of Hearst Television in New York, where Hearst executives get to
ban candidates from the airwaves and decide who gets free air time and who will
be denied his or her federal right to purchase air time. Hearst’s corporate
behavior is despicable. Every New Hampshire
citizen suffers and our democracy is diminished when the Hearst TV monopoly is
allowed to dictate the outcome of elections in our state.
Loyally,
Andy
-----
News conference details: Manchester ,
NH August
27, 2014
WHO:
New
Hampshire U. S. Senate candidate Andy Martin
WHAT:
Andy Martin asks the FCC to
investigate WMUR-TV’s refusal to sell him TV time comparable to the time slots
being given away to his opponents
WHERE:
WHEN:
Wednesday, August 27, 1:30
P.M.
LINKS TO THIS STORY (cut and paste the entire link below and not
just the underlined portion):
http://www.andymartin2014.com/
ABOUT ANDY:
Andy is a
legendary New Hampshire-based muckraker, author, Internet columnist, talk
television pioneer, radio talk show host, broadcaster and media critic. Andy’s
family immigrated to Manchester Merrimack River and he lives around the corner from where
he played as a small boy. He has forty-five years of background in radio and
television. He is the author of “Obama: The Man Behind The Mask” [www.OrangeStatePress.com]
and he produced the Internet film "Obama: The Hawaii’ Years”
[www.BoycottHawaii.com]. Andy is the Executive Editor and publisher of the
“Internet Powerhouse,” www.ContrarianCommentary.com.
He comments on New Hampshire USA
Andy has also been a leading corruption fighter in American
politics and courts for over forty-five years and he is executive director of
the National Anti-Corruption Policy Institute. He is currently sponsoring www.AmericaisReadyforReform.com.
See also www.FirstRespondersOnline.us;
www.EnglishforAmerica.org
He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of
Illinois College of Law and is a former adjunct professor of law at the City
University of New York (LaGuardia CC, Bronx CC).
UPDATES:
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Andy's columns are also posted at ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com ContrarianCommentary.wordpress.com
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[NOTE: We try to correct any typographical errors in our stories; find the latest version on our blogs.]
--------------------------
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Andy Martin 2014 – All Rights Reserved
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