Today T. Boone Pickens released the attached letter sent to NBC Universal CEO and President Jeff Zucker, describing his disappointment in the network’s decision not to run the latest Pickens Plan ad, entitled “Iran,” one in a series of non-partisan ads Mr. Pickens has developed to raise awareness among Americans of the need to lessen our $700 billion annual dependence on foreign oil. The 15 second advertisement, which has been approved by every other major broadcast and cable news network, focuses on an issue of great public importance and interest and advocates for increased use of natural gas.
“The ad plays an important role in the public debate by educating the general public about solutions to the problem,” the letter states. “We are puzzled by your decision not to run this ad because by not running it, you are selectively applying the First Amendment and denying your viewers access to information that is important to their education and understanding of the issue of energy independence.”
The script of the offending portion of the ad reads, “Get this one, Iran is changing its cars to run on natural gas, and we’re not doing a thing here, They’re doing this to use less oil, and sell it for a hundred and twenty
dollars a barrel. We can switch our cars to natural gas and stop sending our dollars to foreign countries.”
The letter concluded, “To deny this advertisement is to deny Americans from their fundamental right to information and the ability to make their own decisions. We hope you will reconsider your decision and that you will decide to allow this advertisement to appear on NBC as soon as possible.”
Below is a link to the ad referred to in the letter:
http://www.yousendit.com/download/Q01GZ296MGN6NE5FQlE9PQ
For more information about The Pickens Plan, please visit www.pickensplan.com.
Mr. Jeff Zucker
President and CEO
NBC Universal
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
Dear Mr. Zucker,
We represent T. Boone Pickens and the Pickens Plan. We write to express our profound disappointment and deep puzzlement that NBC Universal has chosen not to air Mr. Pickens’ most recent television advertisement.
The 15 second advertisement, entitled “Iran”, does discuss an issue of great public importance and interest. It concerns the nation’s ongoing energy issues and advocates for increased use of natural gas. It does not mention any individuals nor political parties. It is part of a series of non-partisan advertisements Mr. Pickens has been running to raise awareness among Americans of the need to lessen our dependence on foreign oil, which is the source of 70 percent of our oil consumption and is costing our country $700 billion a year in payments to foreign governments.
This ad plays an important role in the public debate by educating the general public about solutions to the problem. Earlier ads sponsored by Mr. Pickens introduced a discussion of energy dependency and broadly outlined specific solutions that would be explained in subsequent ads.
With rising gas prices, energy has emerged as the issue of greatest importance to the most voters in this year’s election. As The New York Times, reported recently, it is the number one issue in most Congressional campaigns (“Voters to Congressional Candidates: ‘Energy Is the No. 1 Issue'”, The New York Times, Friday, August 22, 2008, page A12). Your NBC News reporting has confirmed this fact. We are puzzled by your decision to not run this ad because by not running it, you are selectively applying the First Amendment and denying your viewers access to information that is important to their education and understanding of the issue of energy independence.
From the outset, the Pickens Plan has been completely non-partisan. We are not seeking to influence the election in any direction but rather simply seek to raise awareness of the energy issues facing the country, offering a solution and encouraging Americans to get involved. The response from Americans of all walks of life has been absolutely incredible. Mr. Pickens’ Town Hall meetings across the wind belt have been packed. Discussions have been thoughtful and enlivened. Government officials, elected officials and candidates from the Democratic, Republican, other political parties and Independents have been embracing the campaign and engaging in important dialogue with their constituents on energy.
At its core, this was the intent of the Pickens Plan. To deny this advertisement is to deny Americans their fundamental right to information and the ability to make their own decisions.
We hope you will reconsider your decision and that you will decide to allow this advertisement to appear on NBC as soon as possible.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Benjamin L. Ginsberg
Partner
Patton Boggs
