*** Exclusive feature. Must credit Y2K Newswire ***

CORPORATE CENSORSHIP IN KANSAS CITY!

(Story updated 2:24 pm Mountain Time, 11/18/1999)

Y2K Newswire has now learned and verified that a consortium of businesses in the Kansas City area are pressuring the local NBC affiliate -- KSHB-TV, channel 41 -- to yank the Y2K Movie, due to air this Sunday. This business consortium, we were told, includes, "..many, many city governments, many utilities, and many other organizations in this region."

In a fax obtained by Y2K Newswire, Kansas City's Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) explains they asked Channel 41, "...that they either not run the movie or that they provide a disclaimer and news coverage of how well the region is prepared." The fax also claims Kansas City Power & Light (KCPL) has written a similar letter.

Also in the fax: an admission that, "...there has been pressure from national groups not to show the movie..."

Y2K Newswire was told, in a telephone interview, this consortium also includes the local utility company: Kansas City Power and Light. Y2K Newswire learned, "It was a coalition representing a whole group in the Kansas City region. And that was the group that decided they wanted to send the letter [to suggest taking the Y2K Movie off the air]."

Y2K Newswire was also told that business consortium leaders had met with news staff to discuss the issue. "We've met with them, with the news directors, in talking about this, and they were certainly very responsive in that meeting in terms of wanting to ensure public safety if that became an issue..."

At press time, KSHB-TV had not responded to whether they would cave in to corporate pressure to yank the controversial movie.

Y2K Newswire spoke with an MARC spokesperson who confirmed the authenticity of the fax and reiterated concern that the movie might have unintended consequences, saying, "Our concern is for the safety of the residents of the greater Kansas City region. And anything that might create unnecessary worry regarding Y2K does concern us, yes."

But Y2K Newswire asks: if Kansas City area businesses are really concerned about the safety of residents, why don't they urge Channel 41 to run a safety-oriented Y2K preparedness education segment?

Interestingly, Y2K Newswire may agree that the Y2K Movie does not represent the apex of responsible television programming. Y2K Newswire suggests that replacing the movie with a documentary educating people about Y2K preparedness is far more constructive.

But don't expect business consortiums to rally behind this common sense idea. The Y2K Movie, apparently, isn't Must See TV.

EDITORIAL SEGMENT

Important Questions:

Where is the cry from businesses to banish TV violence? If they really care about the safety of the people, why do they tolerate televised murders and other gore?

If the businesses really care about safety, why didn't they urge the TV stations to air responsible Y2K education programs? Y2K Newswire is aware of one high-quality documentary that would help teach the people about Y2K: but affiliate stations refuse to run it, saying it's, "Too scary!"

Why do business consortiums believe they have the right to dictate what programs are appropriate for Americans to watch?

What does this say about the integrity of television stations who cave in to corporate pressure?

What about the advertising link? Don't these TV stations make their money from the advertisements run by the same companies urging them not to run the Y2K Movie? Isn't this, effectively, a form of advertiser blackmail? "You don't run the movie and we won't yank our ads..."

-- Diane (prepare@highlandtraders.com), November 19, 1999

Answers

thanks for the post diane.............this issue will be worth watching

-- kevin (innxxs@yahoo.com), November 19, 1999.

Did not see anything about this in today's edition of the Kansas City Star. Will check in tomorrow's "Y2k Watch" column that runs weekly on Saturdays.

Oh, and by the way....

MARC - the Mid America Regional Council co-sponsored the recent series of "Y2k Community Conversations" here in the KC Metro area.

I'll keep an eye on this and report back...

P.S. Mr. Wilferd just threw another log into the wood stove at the very mention of KCP&L...

-- Wilferd (WilferdW@aol.com), November 19, 1999.

These utilities in Kansas have not yet reported to be compliant:

--Seward Electric Department (Seward, Kansas)

--Radium Light Department (Radium, Kansas)

--Isabel City Electric Department (Isabel, Kansas)

--City of Herndon (Herndon, Kansas)

-- Hawk (flyin@high.again), November 20, 1999.

No mention of the possibility of the movie being pulled due to popular 'demand' by the 'business consortium'...:::sigh:::

They didn't mention the movie at all...

Their lead story today is how the fears over 911 were 'overblown'...

-- Wilferd (WilferdW@aol.com), November 20, 1999.

Wilferd,

As we're both KC residents and KC Star readers, I'm sure you're not surprised by the lack of investigative backbones at the Star. Each Sat. these Y2K column guys have focused on less contentious national or international issues. Has anyone even gone in and checked on the compliant claims of the city or our utilities? Heck no. I didn't even hear it mentioned in the recent mayorial race. I wish The Pitch would dig into this issue.

-- Downstreamer (downstream@bigfoot.com), November 20, 1999.

Downstreamer,

I have pretty much given up on getting any hard news about anything from the Star on a timely basis; it's not the same paper it once was. Those two "Y2k Watch" reporters are a joke.

And yes, I also thought The Pitch would have devoted some ink to this story. Rather disappointed that they haven't.

-- Wilferd (WilferdW@aol.com), November 20, 1999.

Just an update:

The movie was shown as scheduled, with only one disclaimer (at the start of the movie).

The ten o'clock news followed; the second story was a "Don't Worry -- Be Happy" message from the fine folks at the Mid America Regional Council, proud co-sponsors of the recent "Y2k Community Conversations" road show.

"Everything's up to date in Kansas City"????

We shall see.

-- Nick Cromwell (bugslayer@the.ready), November 21, 1999.