Former NFL player and motivational speaker Vince Papale compared the Newsmax-DirecTV battle to David and Goliath.
Papale, who played for the Philadelphia Eagles, appeared on Friday's "John Bachman Now" to discuss Sunday's Super Bowl and Newsmax being deplatformed by DirecTV.
As an undrafted wide receiver who played three seasons in the NFL, Papale said Newsmax needs to fight for itself and conservative voices being silenced.
DirecTV customers call toll free at 877-763-9762 to complain, demand Newsmax is returned! Oppose censorship – sign The Petition – Click Here
"You really need to stand up for what you believe in, everything you believe in. You can't let somebody say 'no' if you really believe that you've got something going there," Papale told co-host Bianca de la Garza.
"Like they were telling me that I was too old, never played college football, blah, blah, blah ... and you have all the noisemakers out there. So you really have to make your voice known, and you do it in a positive way.
"Either sign the petition or make a phone call; do whatever you feel you have to do. It's almost like a David and Goliath; and all of us right now, we're sort of the Davids of the world."
DirecTV has claimed both Newsmax and OAN were removed as "cost-cutting" measures at the same time the company reported profits last year of $2.7 billion.
This week DirecTV claimed Newsmax was demanding "excessive fees" that would cost them in the "tens of millions" of dollars.
Newsmax has denied these claims, saying it was seeking a fee of about $1 per cable subscriber per year, among the lowest fees asked for in cable, and that total amount of the deal was a fraction of "tens of millions."
"This was never about the fees being excessive," Chris Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax, said. "DirecTV's position has always been that Newsmax — of all cable news channels — should never get any cable fee whatsoever, not one penny. "
DirecTV continues to carry 22 left-leaning news channels, many with much lower ratings than Newsmax. And of those channels get license fees.
Actions to Take Now
1. DirecTV customers call toll free at 877-763-9762 to complain, demand Newsmax is back on air!
2. Call your congressman or senator at 202-224-3121 and demand they stop AT&T/DirecTV's censorship of NEWSMAX — ask them to give you a date on the hearings!
3. Go to our online petition and get more info: iWantNewsmax.com.