For those who missed last week’s events, WRAL-TV in Raleigh published an article on its website entitled “Rural areas lead in concealed weapons permit rates.” Unfortunately, within the article a section entitled “Find concealed carry permit-holders in your area” contained a database of permit-holders searchable by address, unnecessarily exposing gun owners. After multiple lengthy discussions with GRNC, their concessions were not enough.
In response we asked gun-owners to contact WRAL-TV advertiser Chris Leith Dodge and insist they discontinue support of anti-gun media. Sources tell us that representatives of Leith Dodge have contacted WRAL about their inappropriate disclosure of handgun permit holder information. Now it is time to take the second step, and apply new pressure from another source.
STEP TWO
Leith Dodge is a limited advertiser with ads appearing on WRAL’s webpage only. Now we go after the big fish: Broadcast advertisers. Fred Anderson Toyota currently runs three expensive WRAL-TV broadcast ads per evening newscast. This high-level support of an anti-gun media outlet must stop.
GLASS HOUSES?
In an apparent attempt to shame gun owners, some media outlets have a history of publishing the names of gun purchasers. But that was many years ago, before the advent of the Internet. Things are now far more reciprocal. Last week we learned about reporter Mark Binker. Now let’s meet his boss and Station Manager, Jim Rothschild who has assumed the role of WRAL-TV mouthpiece on this issue.
But first, an admonition: DO NOT THREATEN OR HARASS JIM ROTHSCHILD. If you contact him, express your disappointment with the article …
BE POLITE, DO NOT THREATEN, and CALL OR EMAIL ONLY ONCE!
Jim was recently promoted from WRAL-TV Director of Operations to Station Manager just this January. He’s been with WRAL since 2010 after leaving a 29 year stint at St. Louis’s KMOV. It appears that his wife Pamela (now Qualy) did not join him in this move and still resides in Missouri as a 6th grade teacher.
Jim received a BA in Communications from University of Colorado, Boulder in 1974, and an MBA in 1996 from Fontbonne University – a Catholic institution in St. Louis. He currently lives at 2XXX Weston Green Loop in Cary, NC 27513. His townhome is currently assessed at $206,000.
Jim has a son, and two daughters. His son is a Duke graduate currently enrolled in the business program at Harvard. He is a Principal at a business consulting firm located in Boston, MA. Jim’s eldest daughter graduated from SMU in 2009 with a BA in psychology and creative advertising. She now works in Denver, CO as a Property Manager. Jim’s youngest daughter also just graduated from SMU and also lives in Denver.
The picture above was taken at this spring’s SMU graduation. From left to right are Jim’s son, eldest daughter, ex-wife and youngest daughter (the graduate).
In deference to the fact that WRAL-TV didn’t QUITE reveal the most personal information of concealed handgun permit-holders, we have withheld Jim’s exact address and additional information about his family even though they are available on the Internet as what Jim calls “public information.”
| Immediate Action Required |
We need you to do two things:
- CONTACT WRAL STATION MANAGER JIM ROTHSCHILD and let him know that you will shun both the station and its advertisers until such time that the concealed handgun permit-holder search engine is removed and an apology is made to NC permit-holders;
- CONTACT WRAL ADVERTISER FRED ANDERSON TOYOTA and let them know they are advertising with a media outlet bent on attacking gun rights, and that they should withdraw their advertising immediately.
CONTACT INFO
WRAL-TV General Manager JIM ROTHSCHILD: Email jrothschild@wral.com AND call him personally in his office at: 919-821-8520
WRAL advertiser FRED ANDERSON: Email sales@fredandersontoyota.com AND call him personally in his office at: 919-561-5441
| Deliver This Message |
Again: DO NOT BE RUDE OR THREATENING
-----------------------------------------------------------
To Fred Anderson Toyota:
Dear Mr. Anderson:
Unfortunately, your advertising dollars are being used to attack my rights. I’m sorry you have been caught up in this, but one of your major advertising venues, WRAL-TV, has attacked the rights of lawful North Carolina gun owners, subjecting them to criminal predation by releasing nearly complete addresses of concealed handgun permit-holders.
As you are probably aware, NC concealed handgun permit-holders are overwhelmingly law-abiding, politically conservative and fiscally responsible, making us your best customers.
Although I’m sure you have no intent to attack the right to keep and bear arms, your advertising dollars are being used to do precisely that. As such, I am asking you to contact WRAL and tell them to stop attacking law-abiding citizens and apologize for the attacks they have so far made.
If they fail to respond to your entreaties, I further ask that you withdraw all advertising expenditures from the station and let me know so that I can tout your Toyota dealership to lawful gun owners statewide as one who supports the rights of lawful Americans.
I look forward to patronizing your dealerships as supporters of the United States Constitution.
Respectfully,
-----------------------------------------------------
To Jim Rothschild:
Mr. Rothschild:
I find it difficult to fathom that you would be so journalistically irresponsible as to publish even partial addresses of concealed handgun permit-holders. Ignoring the fact that this group is overwhelmingly responsible, with a rate of criminal prosecutions just a fraction of the general population; ignoring the fact that permit-holders are threats to no one, making their location irrelevant to your readership, it amazes me that your legal department would allow you to print what may be tantamount to an invitation to burglarize unoccupied homes.
Your claims that the information is already public ring hollow: In truth, getting it requires a written inquiry from the State Bureau of Investigation. In truth, you are compromising the personal information of law-abiding North Carolinians not for public benefit, but instead as part of your effort to undermine the right to keep and bear arms.
Remove the information from your site immediately and make apologies to the concealed handgun permit-holders you have threatened. Until you do so, I will not only stop patronizing your station and website, I will actively work to deny you advertising revenue.
Respectfully,
Twitter users: send a message via this powerful social media by clicking the link below:
Hell yeah. Great job Brock!
ReplyDeleteKeep after it!:)
ReplyDeleteA similar tactic worked on the newspaper Commercoal Appeal in Memphis a couple of years ago. The lib editor went nuts.
ReplyDeleteTerry
Florida
The lib editor went nuts.
ReplyDeleteSmiling from ear to ear.:)
I've written both Mr Anderson and I've already had a couple rounds with Mr Rothschild.
ReplyDeleteEveryone keep up the good work. And send a Thank You to Chris Leith!
I've written both Mr Anderson and I've already had a couple rounds with Mr Rothschild
ReplyDeleteThanks.
By the way, this is precisely the reason I got my CCW in Florida.
ReplyDelete