TV Middletown: Airing group’s fundraiser ‘inconsistent’ with bylaws

TV Middletown’s board president recently acknowledged the local cable access station violated its own bylaws by broadcasting a November 2012 fundraiser for the Community Pregnancy Center.

Merrell Wood, TV Middletown’s founder, criticized the station’s board and executive director for their decision to air the “River of Life” fundraising banquet, which he said had a stated goal of encouraging “personal and public support of the right to life philosophy.” Wood said TV Middletown’s bylaws and coverage policy states that the station strives to avoid programming that is promotional, political or religion-oriented or contain libelous or slanderous material.

In a May 7 letter to the station’s executive director, Ty Thomas, and a host of other community leaders, Wood maintained that some of the speakers at the fundraiser used words that were “libelous or slanderous” and that the event had promotional, political and religious overtones. Wood said he had “no issue” with the pregnancy center’s mission or work, but felt TV Middletown should make equal on-air time available to organizations that hold opposing views.

Thomas, in an initial response to Wood’s letter on May 24, said the station’s policy outlines its intention to “not favor any particular belief system … but rather to provide a forum for all viewpoints.” He called the fundraiser “a significant event” in the community that “falls within the bounds of that policy.”

But Board President Mike Scorti replied to Wood’s letter July 17, saying Wood was “correct” about the programming being “inconsistent” with the station’s bylaws and thanking him for bringing the matter to his attention. Scorti called the decision to air the fundraiser a “one time diversion from TVM’s mission and principles.”

However, Scorti said the station would not be programming with a counter point of view to the pregnancy center’s because that would be a further violation of those bylaws.

“TVM’s management and board take seriously TVM’s integrity, reputation and mission, and we welcome objective, reasonable criticism,” Scorti wrote. “Based on the criticism you supplied, the management and board have redoubled their efforts to assure compliance with the organization’s operating procedures.”