Cable Takes a Stand, Beyond the Reach of Reprisals

NEW YORK — The television offerings are unapologetically political, and they are airing on the eve of the most hotly contested presidential election in recent memory. Yet in a political season in which charges of partisan manipulation by the media have been commonplace, a glut of left-leaning preelection programs such as "Fahrenheit 9/11: A Movement in Time" has caused nowhere near the uproar sparked by the Sinclair Broadcast Group's plan to air a film attacking Sen. John F. Kerry.

The cavalcade of anti-Bush administration programming, unlike the proposed Sinclair broadcast, is airing on cable TV -- the Sundance Channel and Independent Film Channel, New York-based networks that reach millions of paying subscribers across the country but fall outside the reach of media regulation that governs the public airwaves. That means there is no government agency to handle complaints, for one thing.

For another, since neither channel carries commercials, they are not vulnerable to the kind of Internet-coordinated advertiser boycott that spooked some investors in Sinclair, which ultimately changed its plans and on Oct. 22 aired a news program instead of the full anti-Kerry film "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal."

Some on the right have tried to stir up outrage about the cable shows, available on the upper tier of many systems across the country. The conservative National Review ran a commentary noting that Sinclair's plan "pales in comparison to the political high jinks" at Sundance, which was accused of orchestrating a "Dump George Bush film festival." Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly also took up the cause.

But the protests have not resonated widely so far.

The Independent Film Channel's preelection programming includes tonight's airing of "Fahrenheit 9/11: A Movement in Time," a half-hour show that looks at the viewers' response to Michael Moore's anti-Bush administration film, which earned $119 million at U.S. box offices. (Independent Film Channel is one of the movie's distributors.)

The channel also put together a last-minute deal for a Monday broadcast of filmmaker David O. Russell's 35-minute film "Soldiers Pay," which takes a look at both sides of the Iraq war from the troops' point of view. The film has some sources who support the war but also looks at pilfering by soldiers and a shortage of supplies.

Sundance, which is partly owned by actor Robert Redford, as well as NBC, Universal and Viacom, has a more extensive political lineup.