Staples Pulls Ads From Sinclair Stations

By George Anderson


Management at the Sinclair Broadcast Group, owners of 62 television stations around the country, has been accused of being an overt supporter of conservative political causes in the past.


The company came under scrutiny during the recent presidential election when it announced plans to air a news program before the vote that many saw as a thinly disguised attempt to discredit Democratic candidate John Kerry.


Groups such as the liberal Media Matters for America began a campaign to ask advertisers to pull advertising from Sinclair stations as a sign of protest against the company’s attempt to influence the election results.


Target, McDonald’s and Staples were among those companies petitioned to find alternate venues for broadcasting their commercial messages.


In what appears to be a direct reaction to that call, Staples announced it is pulling advertising support for news programs run by Sinclair.


“In general, we don’t explain decisions regarding our media buys,” said Staples spokesperson Owen Davis. “But we did consider the concerns expressed by our customers with some politically partisan programming, specifically The Point.”


The Point, according to the Chicago Tribune, “is a nightly commentary by Sinclair executive Mark Hyman during newscasts on most of Sinclair’s stations that often supports Republican policies.”


Moderator’s Comment: Will Staples’ decision to pull advertising from Sinclair news programs have an impact on where consumers choose to buy office supplies?

George Anderson – Moderator

BrainTrust

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