Sinclair Broadcast Group, the conservative media company that reportedly ordered its stations to run a documentary highly critical of presidential candidate John Kerry just weeks before the presidential election, has ties to the adult industry — its CEO once ran a company that specialized in processing pornographic 8mm films.
Last October 9, the Los Angeles Times reported that Sinclair ordered its 62 stations to preempt their regular programming in order to air Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal, a documentary about Kerry’s anti-war activities that was considered highly biased.
Public outcry and stockholder influence led Sinclair to change their plans, and they finally agreed to air a “news special” about Kerry’s service that was still considered favorable to Bush, but was for the most part more balanced.
Sinclair is ran by David Smith, who in the mid-1970s was a partner in a company called Cine Processors, according the Los Angeles Times, which cites public records and a former partner in the company as sources.
David E. Williams, Smith’s partner in the business, told the Times that Cine Processors’ sole business was the development of 8mm pornographic films.
According to Williams, the film company went out of business in 1975 or 1976 after police confiscated film and other materials during an obscenity raid. Baltimore police officials were unable to locate records of the raid, citing the decades since the raid took place as the reason why.
Smith repeatedly failed to respond to requests for comment from the Times regarding Williams’ allegations.
