That’s me. Exhausted from the weekend. Looks like next weekend is all planned out, already. I have dandelions sprouting in the front yard, so I need to spread some weedkiller on the lawn. Plus, as I noted in the post just below, I’ll be buying some new fencing and patching some holes. I think the drama of the missing pup is part of what zapped me!
However, today, morning fog burned away before noon and we had an almost spring-like day. Spring, though, means “rain”, and that’s exactly what we got by afternoon.
Now, let’s dig into the “blatant stupidity” file from the weekend. Let me explain something about network television and how the signal gets to your local TV station. It’s delivered via satellite. I spent the better part of the last ten years dealing directly with that type of technology. It’s called “point to multi-point”, meaning one signal goes up to the satellite and can be picked up by multiple points on the ground below. Much more cost-effective than running fiber-optic cable from New York or Los Angeles to every TV station in America. However, that means that scenarios such as described below, must be blamed on the local station. Either their network satellite receiver went out (and they all have backups) or somebody deliberately blacked out the program. If there were transmission problems at the network, EVERY station would experience the problem. That did not happen.
Update on the Media Blackout of 60 Minutes story…
Okay, people from Northern Alabama and Mobile – very southeast – are letting me know that the show was blocked – black screen – during the Siegelman segment of 60 Minutes ONLY. I also got one email from Florida saying that they had strange GOP “Dem’s are soft on terror,” commercials. People, let me make myself clear here. If it is indeed true that so many people were blocked from viewing a show about DOJ corruption, then we are well into the arms of fascism. Please [...]
Note that the family that owns the station that blacked out the story is a sizable contributor to the GOP.
Continue, on the jump:
Profiles In Politicization: 60 Minutes Finally Airs Siegelman Story
60 Minutes finally aired the Siegelman prosecution investigation story last night. (Everywhere except the northern third of Alabama, where the Bass family apparently owns the airwaves and refused to show the report.) Scott Horton, who has been all over this story from day one had this to say:[...]
Important Updates to Siegelman Blackout Story in AL
[Update -- The matchless Emptywheel fleshes out her skepticism at Firedoglake. Apparently, the rebroadcast on the local news picked up only a segment of the 60 Minutes broadcast, and so omitted "the part of the story that detailed plans to intentionally use the Federal Justice system to take out a political rival."] The 60 Minutes Siegelman blackout story in Alabama has evolved since [...]
UPDATE: Alabama Democratic Party Calls for Special Prosecutor
Tags: Siegelman, 60 Minutes
2 responses so far ↓
Almost There « The Krile Files // February 28, 2008 at 5:37 pm |
[...] up the comments, but the GOP in Alabama is going after 60 Minutes over the Don Siegelman story. We’ve talked about it before, so – here’s the other [...]
xinunus // March 4, 2008 at 4:45 pm |
Did you know that WHNT-TV19 was less than a year ago owned by The NEW YORK TIMES? The company that owns the station now bought it from the NYT’s. Do you not find it ironic that the NYT’s is doing a hit piece on a station it owned less than a year ago? Would they have done this piece on this station if it still owned it? I doubt it very seriously. Also did you know that the general manager of WHNT-TV19, Stan Pylant, is a registered Democrat and he became the station manager less than 3 months ago? These stories about a conspiracy are a bunch of none-sense. This is just another reason to waste tax payer dollars. Do we not have better things to spend our hard earned money on in this country?