KFBK 1530 AM is answering the promise Sinclair Broadcast Group could not keep: The radio station is airing the political film, “Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal.”

Radio host Tom Sullivan will air the film Friday at 1 p.m. in audio form. The station will present the film commercial-free, and Sullivan will take calls from listeners during the 2 p.m. hour.

“People haven’t had the opportunity to see “Stolen Honor,” Sullivan said. “ I thought it would be fair for people to at least hear it.”

“Stolen Honor” is a film that speaks with Vietnam veterans who feel betrayed by Democratic Sen. John F. Kerry’s anti-war activities in the 1960s. The veterans claim Kerry confessed to war crimes committed by U.S. soldiers that prisoners of war were being tortured to admit.

“This is a story that needs to be told,” said Charlie Gerow, head of marketing for “Stolen Honor.”

Sinclair Broadcasting Group had authorized an Oct. 22 prime-time debut of the film on its 62 televisions stations. Kerry supporters initiated an immediate protest of Sinclair advertisers and forced lawsuits to prevent the broadcasting group from airing the film.

Under intense political pressure, Sinclair rescinded plans to air “Stolen Honor” and instead played “A POW Story: Politics, Pressure and the Media,” a film more about the about the media attention the broadcasting group received and less about Kerry’s war activities.

The Democratic National Committee said Sinclair should not have aired the film because the “so-called ‘documentary’…was written, produced, and funded by extreme right-wing activists.” A petition against Sinclair Broadcasting is still available on their Web site, www.democrats.org.

Sullivan, however, believes “Stolen Honor,” like the anti-Bush film “Fahrenheit 9-11,” have a place in the social discourse. The radio host’s actions have garnered him raves from the film’s producers.

“We are obviously very pleased that anyone can experience ‘Stolen Honor’ in any fashion,” Gerow said. “We are glad to know [Sullivan] is out there and we want to encourage [radio hosts] across the nation to follow suit.”

Move America Forward, a group that supports President George W. Bush’s decisions in Iraq, also praises Sullivan.

“I think it’s fabulous,” said Siobhan Guiney, executive director of Move America Forward. “Hooray for Tom Sullivan for having the courage and the convictions to air something very newsworthy.”
Not all are praising Sullivan’s actions, however.

According to the radio show host, angry listeners emailed Sullivan at KFBK with pleas not to show the film.

“I started receiving emails from people telling me how horrible I am for doing this,” Sullivan said. “Those are the same people who are for free speech if only they agree with it.”

Those calls for censoring the film only bolster Gerow’s opinion that citizens should see the movie.

“When writing the tagline, ‘the movie John Kerry doesn’t want you to see,’ I didn’t realize how true it might be,” Gerow said. “We have emails from the Kerry campaign to radio stations and TV stations telling them not to show ‘Stolen Honor.’ What is John Kerry afraid people might see?”

The Kerry campaign could not be reached for a response.

Gerow said voters are welcome to visit www.stolenhonor.com to watch the full movie.