TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Re: Alger Hiss [was: Re: Privacy Worries? Don't Print in color]

Re: Alger Hiss [was: Re: Privacy Worries? Don't Print in color]

hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com
28 Oct 2005 12:23:40 -0700

Henry wrote:

> <hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com> wrote:

>> A single person from Syracuse NY, who owned some grocery stores,
>> somehow managed to terrify the film/radio/TV business into firing
>> fingered communists.

> Oops, you've lost me now. Who's this, then?

Basically that's it. He was a food market owner and he announced he
would not carry products made by advertisers who supported communists
on TV and radio. The advertisers (who owned the shows in those days)
demanded that the broadcast networks fire the communists or fired them
themselves. This became the "Hollywood blacklist". Someone wrote a
book at the time "Red Channels" making further accusations.

My question is _how_ one person could intimidate big national consumer
product companies and networks into fear. So even if this guy goes
through with this threat, he's only one grocer in a small city. There
are other grocers in that town and of course other cities. I don't
understand how this one single guy had so much influence.

I mean, today lots of special interest groups pressure advertisers to
do this or not do that on the threat of a consumer boycott. Even
though these groups are pretty well organized their threats are
ignored.

One time, out of fear, The WB TV network pulled off a show. The
actors who worked for The WB were outraged and were ready to boycott.
Actually, under the specific circumstances at that particular time,
postponing the air date was not a bad idea.

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