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nTîTTïTTTnnnews
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C ounterprogramming
A
mid rumors that popular radio personality
Dr. Laura Schlessinger’s controversial day­
time talk show might be canceled soon, KGW-
TV seemingly is trying to be a better friend to
the area’s gay and lesbian community.
Program director
Brenda Buratti said the
station is donating
commercial time and
running a public serv­
ice announcement dur­
ing each episode. Two
advertisements
are
used on a rotating basis.
One of them fea­
tures Matthew Shep­
ard’s mother, Judy, giv­
Dr. Laura
ing an emotional ap­
Schlessinger
peal for tolerance. The
Human Rights Campaign produced the ad,
which is being aired nationally.
Buratti said the ratings for Dr. Laura have
been poor locally and across the country. As a
result, KGW recently moved the talk show from
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Its meager ratings apparently were not the
numbers the NBC affiliate wanted for a lead-in
to its noon news program. Buratti also said the
controversy surrounding show made it an inap­
propriate choice to run before the news.
Schlessinger, well-known for her disparaging
comments about gays and lesbians, has been tar­
geted by a national campaign to remove her
television show from the airwaves. Almost 100
advertisers have succumbed to the pressure—
mostly coming from members of the Stop-
DrLaura.com movement—and pulled out.
Philadelphia CBS affiliate KYW-TV became
the first station to drop Dr. Laura Nov. 10. The
announcement came the same day CBS affili­
ates in other top media markets— including
New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco
and Dallas— unanimously decided to down­
grade Schlessinger’s show to overnight timeslots
effective Nov. 13.
“Neither viewers nor advertisers seem to
want Dr. Laura," said Joan M. Garry, Gay & Les­
bian Alliance Against Defamation executive
director. “And the reason is obvious: No part of
the Viacom family—CBS stations or Para­
m ount— can sell Schlessinger’s messages of
exclusion and intolerance to a TV audience.
“We hope that other stations across the
country will follow CBS’ lead. G LA A D will
continue to watch Dr. Laura and educate
those advertisers who associate their brands
with the show.”
Although Schlessinger’s representatives
emphatically deny it, one well-placed source
told the New York Post that Paramount Televi­
sion has decided to pull the plug on the pro­
gram. “They’re shutting down production,” the
tipster insisted Nov. 9.
According to PlanetOut.com, Paramount
already is preparing a replacement for Schles­
singer’s show so they can retain her timeslot on
local stations once they drop her. The new pro­
gram reportedly will feature host Caroline Rhea
of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.
But Paramount is contracted for a season’s
worth of shows with stations around the coun­
try. And spokesperson Daniella Cracknell said
talk of its demise is premature.
“It’s not true,” she said. “We continue to
believe in the viability of the Dr. Laura TV
show, and we will continue to produce it for
those stations and the 187 other stations that
are part of the Dr. Laura station lineup.”
C hurch S ays
E veryone I s W elcome
A
s churches across the U nited States
struggle with the issue of whether to rec­
ognize and respect homosexuality among
members, the United Church of Religious
Science is taking a stand about its inclusion
regardless of sexual orientation.
The church has had a policy of inclusion for
some time, but earlier this year leaders resolved
to make it more public. The Rev. Annie Green
of the Portland Church of Religious Science
supports taking a public stand because so many
false ideas and excuses separate people.
“It is a time to understand and live the truth
that we must love our neighbors as ourselves,”
she said. “There is no need for exclusion ever.”
The church was founded by Ernest Holmes
in 1927 and is based in Los Angeles.
For more information call 503-261 -0677 or
send e-mail to REVGRN@aol.com.
O C A W rites C heck
on and Bonnie Mabon followed a Multno­
mah
County
Circuit Court judge’s
order and recently
paid $840 to Cather­
ine Stauffer.
The photojour­
nalist has an 8-year- Z
old judgment against Io
the Oregon Citizens
Alliance
for
$32,000. W hen her p
attorneys discovered £
the organization was Catherine Stauffer
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