On Saturday, it will rerun "National Anthem: Inside the Vote for Change Concert," a combination of concert footage and interviews with musicians such as Bruce Springsteen who are supporting Kerry's campaign.
On Monday, the channel will air three films from producer Robert Greenwald: "Unprecedented," a harsh look at the 2000 vote in Florida, "Uncovered," about the Iraq war, and the premiere of "Unconstitutional," about "the erosion of American liberties following the passage of the USA Patriot Act." Then comes the TV premiere of the film "Bush's Brain," a critical look at Bush advisor Karl Rove.
In addition, Sundance plans a live election night special hosted by liberal comedian Al Franken.
Matthew Felling, media director for the Center for Media and Public Affairs, which monitors TV content, said comparing the Sundance and Independent Film Channel programs to the Sinclair plan was like comparing "apples and broccoli. Sinclair was broadcasting a slanted program over free airwaves and calling it news. Sundance is airing slanted content over paid cable lines and calling it entertainment."
Sinclair stations, which reach nearly 25% of all U.S. homes with television, are available free over the air in their markets to anyone with a TV set and an antenna -- and local cable systems are required to carry them for their customers as well. "As a trade-off, they serve as trustees for the public interest," said Andrew Schwartzman, president of the Media Access Project, a Sinclair critic. "Sundance doesn't have that obligation, and as a consequence doesn't come close to the audience," he added.
Of 110 million U.S. homes with television, Sundance has 21 million paid subscribers nationwide and the Independent Film Channel has 32 million. But their programs, which aren't rated by Nielsen, are viewed by just a fraction of those subscribers. Both cable channels are targeted toward upscale, educated viewers.
Evan Shapiro, the Independent Film Channel's senior vice president of marketing, said the programs weren't meant to take sides. "These are filmmakers whose voices we believe deserve to be heard.... During the war and this election cycle, mainstream media has served as a filter.... Our young intelligent audience is dying for something that isn't put through that corporate filter." He added that if the channel found a legitimate filmmaker with a pro-Bush film, "we'd air it. We have been looking." Sundance President Larry Aidem noted that his channel's recent airing of "With God on Our Side: George W. Bush and the Rise of the Religious Right" had elicited positive e-mail from Bush supporters, and said Sundance is negotiating for the film "Michael Moore Hates America."
