AT KVEO, NO ROOM AT THE INN FOR DEFEATZAYASCORTEZPOWERS PAC

By Juan Montoya
A newly-formed specific purpose Political Action Committee had the doors slammed in its face by a local NBC affiliate when it tried to purchase $1,000 of air space for their one-minute ad urging voters to vote against Rick Zayas, Ruben Cortez, and Otis Powers in the upcoming Brownsville Independent School District elections in November.
The members of the DefeatZayasCortezPowers PAC had been trying to contract with KVEO to air their political ad for two days. During the first meeting, the station's manager, William Jorn, demanded of their media buyer that he produce the money up front before even talking about the time slots available for placing their one-minute ad.
When the group procured the money, they went to the station to meet with business manager Maria Fulford, only to be handed off to a station staffer who admitted he wasn't really a salesman but offered to help in selecting the time slots.
The group had their representative leave the group's ad on a beta video tape and awaited the decision, to be made by either Jorn or Fulford.
On Thursday afternoon, money in hand, their representative was told by Jorn that there were some complications.
"We have a problem," Jorn said. "This is a personal attack. If you get sued, I get sued. Then it's not just going to be your problem, but mine, too."
When the group's representative protested that the contents were merely a statement of facts and offered to produce documentation proving it, Jorn declined and told him that the station's attorney's would be reviewing the tape and that he should call back at 9 a.m. Friday.
"Our attorneys want to look this over and we'll let you know in the morning," he said.
This Friday, the group's representative was told over the telephone that the station had "no problem with the contents," but that it had no space to run the ad over the three days starting Friday through Sunday that the ad was to run.
"I could take your money but I have no space to place them," said an apologetic Jorn. "Why don't you try Channel 4? They might have some time for you."
The group's media buyer asked Jorn how, given the downturn in advertising, the station could have no space for the group's ad.
"We're doing alright despite that," he said.
Later, when another member of the PAC called up Jorn to confirm what the group's representative had said, a station spokesman called back to tell him that the station had formed a policy that it was not going to sell any advertising to anyone (candidate or otherwise) associated with the BISD elections.
"What does Channel 23 think it is?," asked an angry PAC member. "Don't they know those are the public's airwaves?" first they say they want the money up front, then they say the content is a personal attack, and then they say they have no space to sell. Our lawyers are already looking into this. If ever ac case had all the signs of prior restraint, this is it. We might own a television station before this is over and done with."
(Ed.: This blog was approached with a copy of the tape and after viewing it and assessing the documentation on its contents agreed to air it on our site. To view it, click on the You Tube icon on the top right side of the screen.)