roundtable: CNN Refuses To Run Anti-Telecom Bill Ads

roundtable: CNN Refuses To Run Anti-Telecom Bill Ads

CNN Refuses To Run Anti-Telecom Bill Ads

Anthony E. Wright (aewright@cme.org)
Fri, 20 Oct 1995 18:35:37 -0400 

Message-Id: <v02120d06acadc6e835b2@[205.197.91.5]>
Date: Fri, 20 Oct 1995 18:35:37 -0400
To: roundtable@cni.org
From: aewright@cme.org (Anthony E. Wright)
Subject: CNN Refuses To Run Anti-Telecom Bill Ads


10/20/95: An Ironic Reason Why You Should Oppose the Telecom Bill


CNN BLACKS OUT ADS AGAINST TELECOM REFORM (USA Today)
CNN REJECTS ADVOCACY ADS ON CABLE BILL (Wall Street Journal)
Also from: Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post


Turner Broadcasting System's CNN has refused to run advertisements which
state that cable and phone rates will go up under the proposed
telecommunications bill (H.R. 1555, S. 652) now pending in Congress.

"The company has an interest in the bill" stated CNN spokesman Steve
Haworth to USA Today. Turner, as well as major stockholders Time-Warner and
TCI, have been major supporters of the  Telecommunications Bill, which
would deregulate the cable industry and allow greater concentration of
ownership of media properties. The rejected ads state that phone and cable
rates will go up by billions of dollars, as estimated by the Consumer
Federation of America.

Public interest advocates like the Center for Media Education, Media Access
Project, Consumers Union and the Consumer Federation of America oppose the
bill precisely because it encourages the consolidation of the media
industry, which lessens the diversity of viewpoints in our national debate,
deters the free flow of information, and allows those (increasingly fewer)
people who control the media companies to stifle a free flow of
information.

Consumer advocates and the long distance industry, who sponsored the ads,
were surprised to find the ads rejected, since CNN ran ads in their own
interest against a 1992 law that regulated the industry. CNN also ran ads
by the long-distance companies earlier this year against the
telecommunications bill, but those ads did not mention cable rates.

--

If you need more information about why you should oppose this bill (and how
you can help stop this anti-consumer, anti-competition, anti-democratic,
anti-Internet bill), check out the ad hoc Web site against the bill at:

http://www.access.digex.net/~cme/bill.html

or send a messege with the word "alert" in the subject line to:

bill@CME.ORG


--
Anthony E. Wright                       aewright@cme.org
Coordinator, Future of Media Project    Center for Media Education

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