From a donor to FSTV and INN:
FSTV Gags Independent National Newscast The Free Speech TV network (FSTV), widely perceived as a progressive broadcast provider, has forced its daily evening news show, International News Net (INN), to cancel production. Now in its seventh year as a reliable source of high-quality, in-depth daily reporting on world affairs, INN has now been forced to halt production through a pattern of discriminatory revenue- sharing and scheduling practices. These include selective blocking of the viewer donor base, discriminatory revenue-sharing, and exclusion from prime-time scheduling in key communities. Both INN and its "parent" FSTV network are viewer-supported. But FSTV has now refused requests from INN, as well as major donors and guests for the newscast, to be scheduled at airtimes convenient for viewers on the West Coast--where financial support for both FSTV and INN have traditionally been strongest. Meanwhile, FSTV has arbitrarily allowed on-air fundraising and prime time access for other daily informational programs. As a result of FSTV policies, unfairly favored programs are growing disproportionately, while INN, denied the same advantages, has faced extinction. Ironically, FSTV has used the highly-reputed INN "brand" to raise money for itself, but does not allow INN, its so-called "broadcast partner," to make on-air appeals for funding--or even to share in the revenues gained from the network's annual two-month fundraising drive, to which INN has drawn many viewers. INN believes that the world of alternative media has been severely harmed by FSTV's treatment of its flagship program. Without an independent platform such as INN to challenge and inform the mainstream media, countless journalists will have one place less to tell their vital stories; and INN's international audience will be deprived of a great independent daily global newscast. In the recent past, I have contributed $x,xxxx to both FSTV and INN. Therefore, as a donor and a citizen who wants to stay informed, I ask that FSTV made a good faith effort to come to terms with INN. Sincerely Rich Mxxxx For more information, please contact: INN: Lenny Charles: Creator, Producer, on air 917-293-8509 Claire Brown: Interviews and guest database 310-479-9698 Val Van Cleve: news 212-431-5987 Tom Kiely: Creator, on air interviews 917-837-1211 FSTV: Jon Stout FSTV general manager 303-442-8445x116 Eric Golatis FSTV program director 303-442-8445x108 Than Reader FSTV operations manager 303-442-8445x102 Ashley Seymor FSTV development 303-442-8445x128 --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to Mark Crispin Miller's "News From Underground" newsgroup. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to newsfromunderground-unsubscr...@googlegroups.com OR go to http://groups.google.com/group/newsfromunderground and click on the "Unsubscribe or change membership" link in the yellow bar at the top of the page, then click the "Unsubscribe" button on the next page. For more News From Underground, visit http://markcrispinmiller.com -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
