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Subject: 90's Channel Press Release
>From: robg@halcyon.com (Rob Glaser) > >Thought this would be of interest. Feel free to forward/report. For >further information, please contact John directly. > >Open Platforms, anyone? > >Rob > >>X-Sender: schwartz@cscns.com >>Date: Fri, 20 Jan 1995 23:42:47 -0700 >>To: robg@halcyon.com >>From: schwartz@usa.net (John Schwartz) >>Subject: 90's Channel Press Release >>Content-Length: 4511 >>X-UIDL: 790716089.002 >> >>Rob: This press release (or varient thereof) went out to a considerable >>range of trade, progressive, and consumer press today. I also posted it to >>the telecomreg and roundtable mailing lists, to which I subscribe. I would >>appreciate your help in getting it posted widely. Please feel free to >>re-post it. If you would prefer, I would be pleased to post it in >>additional locations you suggest. >> >> John >> >> >> PRESS RELEASE >> >>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION >> CONTACT: >> JOHN SCHWARTZ >> (303) 442-2707 >> >> >> >> TELE-COMMUNICATIONS, INC. EXCLUDES LIBERAL NETWORKS >> FROM NEW POLITICAL PROGRAM PACKAGE >> >> Gingrich Stars, But the Liberal 90's Channel is to Get the Ax >> >> >> BOULDER, COLORADO, January 20, 1995. The 90's Channel---the nation's >>only full-time liberal television network---today charged that >>Tele-Communications Inc. is shaping its recently-announced political program >>package to favor powerful right-wing interests. >> "Just look at this biased line-up," said John Schwartz, president of the >>Boulder-based 90's Channel. "There is National Empowerment Television, >>starring Newt Gingrich and the National Rifle Association; The American >>Conservative Network; and two non-partisan channels---C-SPAN2 and the American >>Political Network. TCI also has long carried Pat Robertson's Family Channel, >>and owns part of it." >> Denver's Rocky Mountain News recently published details of the new >>political programming line-up. >> TCI has made no arrangements to carry a liberal network. >> Since it went on the air in 1989, the Boulder, Colorado- based 90's >>Channel has carried a diverse mix of controversial programs with a liberal >>point of view. The network has criticized the Persian Gulf war, revealed >>inhumane prison conditions, reported on President Bush's Iran-contra ties, >>championed the rights of gays and lesbians, backed trade union organizers and >>exposed corporate polluters. >> Ironically, part of The 90's Channel's cable carriage now comes from TCI, >>which runs the network on seven of its more than 1,000 systems. "Far from >>adding us on more systems, all indications are that TCI plans to delete the >>channel when our current agreement expires later this year," said Schwartz. >>"We have received no response to our repeated inquiries concerning continued >>carriage, or inclusion in the new political programming package." >> "There is, however, a published account that TCI 'absolutely' will not >>keep the channel once the current contract expires," Schwartz added. >> In August, 1992, TCI informed The 90's Channel of its intention to drop >>the network on all its systems. The channel took TCI to court and negotiated >>an agreement for carriage through October 31, 1995. >> TCI is the world's largest cable operator, and serves approximately >>one-quarter of all cable subscribers in the United States. >> "The public needs to be concerned about TCI's monopoly control over >>information," said Jeff Cohen, the executive director of FAIR, the New >>York-based media watch group. "While cable often offers 50 channels or more, >>the cable company has almost absolute discretion over what is carried and what >>isn't. The fact that TCI is using its control for ideological purposes is >>very disturbing." >> "This is not the first instance where a cable company has abused its >>monopoly power," observed Jeff Chester, executive director of The Center for >>Media Education, a Washington-based public interest group. "For instance, it >>has been widely reported that TCI and other cable operators have even blocked >>the plans of other media giants like NBC and Fox to create all-news channels >>which would compete with the Cable News Network because CNN is owned in large >>part by cable companies. But here we have a blatant instance of a cable >>company's thwarting the competition of ideas, and favoring one ideology over >>another. This control over political communications is a direct threat to >>American democracy." >> >>Copyright 1995 Denver Area Educational Telecommunications Consortium, Inc. >> >> >>This press release may be freely reposted, as long as its entire contents are >>transmitted. >> >> >> > > >
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