Chicago Public Television Station WTTW Faces 'Member Boycott' Led by Conservative Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Andy Martin

Chicago Public Television Station WTTW Faces 'Member Boycott' Led by Conservative Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Andy Martin

CHICAGO, Feb. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Republican gubernatorial candidate Andy Martin will hold a Chicago news conference today, Monday February 27th, to announce that he has launched a "Member Boycott" of Chicago public television station WTTW.

Martin charges the station with political bias. Martin has created a web site, BoycottWTTW.com as a first step to attacking the station's liberal bias and mismanagement of taxpayer support. He also plans a lawsuit and complaint to the IRS to revoke the station's nonprofit status.

"I was contacted by WTTW in January -- by certified mail no less -- inviting me to a campaign debate/forum. Then they stopped responding to my letters. Chief executive Dan Schmidt retained high-priced lawyers to threaten me.

"I am offended that our tax dollars are going to support this arrogant, elitist institution that begs money from the innocent public and then spends this cash on high-priced lawyers to deny democracy to viewers.

"We have begun a web site, BoycottWTTW.com. The site is a work-in-progress. We hope to expand and continue after the current campaign. Instead of calling contributors 'members,' WTTW probably calls them 'suckers,' because they finance an institution that is more rigid and anti-democratic than even the commercial stations.

"Every other public television and radio station in Illinois has invited me to participate in their programs. WTTW is the sole holdout.

"Public television was supposed to be more open, more accessible, more avant garde and more democratic than commercial facilities; the reverse has happened. Political speech should be robust and open to the entire political spectrum, not just to a narrow segment of opinion favored by WTTW employees.

"The staff and management of WTTW are trying to nominate one of my opponents, an incompetent candidate who panders to liberal causes as a way of being a Democrat-in-Republican's clothing, and trying to stifle any debate or dissent directed at stopping this political travesty and charade.

"PBS guidelines bar any such political favoritism or content-based censorship.

"I have received the most absolute nonsense from the station. First they said they have 'rules;' but then when the rules can't be applied because there is no factual basis for them, they say the rules are ignored and then can do what they want. This is democracy? This is taxpayer-supported television? I think not," Martin will charge at his news conference.

"It's time to take away WTTW's cash hoard, and time to let the bluenoses who run the station know that in Illinois, the people should have a real voice, not just mouth the platitudes that liberals force feed them."

MEDIA CONTACT: Andy Martin Campaign (312) 440-4124

CHICAGO NEWS CONFERENCE DETAILS:

WHO: REPUBLICAN GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE ANDY MARTIN

WHERE: SE Corner of Wabash and Huron Streets, Chicago
(St James's Cathedral)

WHEN: Monday, February 27, 2006 5:00 P.M.

WHAT: ANDY MARTIN OPENS "MEMBER BOYCOTT" OF
CHICAGO PUBLIC TV STATION WTTW

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS:

Web: BoycottWTTW.com

Web: AndyforIllinois.com;

Blog: AndyontheIssues.blogspot.com;

E-mail: AndyforIllinois@aol.com;

Web: StopTopinka.us

Blog: JudyTopinka.blogspot.com

Web: StopKenoinIllinois.com

Blog: StopKenoinIllinois.blogspot.com

Source: Andy Martin

CONTACT: Andy Martin Campaign, +1-312-440-4124

Web site: http://www.andymartin.com/

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