hateful campaign ads

[piranha]

and stupid gay comedies are fine, but a message of inclusiveness is unacceptable to some of the major networks in the US.

i am going on a boycott of CBS and NBC. i find the second paragraph quoted below particularly chilling.

According to a written explanation from CBS, the United Church of Christ is being denied network access because its ad implies acceptance of gay and lesbian couples -- among other minority constituencies -- and is, therefore, too "controversial."

"Because this commercial touches on the exclusion of gay couples and other minority groups by other individuals and organizations," reads an explanation from CBS, "and the fact the Executive Branch has recently proposed a Constitutional Amendment to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, this spot is unacceptable for broadcast on the [CBS and UPN] networks."

Similarly, a rejection by NBC declared the spot "too controversial."

here's the entire press release from the united church of christ.

via ginmar.

Comments

[necturus.livejournal.com]

The man responsible for CBS and UPN is the chairman of Viacom Corporation, Sumner Redstone. Viacom also owns Infinity Broadcasting, which owns a couple hundred radio stations, and Westwood One Radio Networks.

NBC is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Electric. I don't know who the present chairman of GE may be.

We don't have to to buy products advertised on stations controlled by these companies. We don't have to admit to listening to or watching any of their stations in ratings surveys. Editors of local would probably love to hear from anyone who cares to write them letters, as it would give them an excuse to bash the broadcasters, who are their competitors for advertising dollars.

All of this assumes, of course, that this press release is for real, and not some Internet hoax.

CBS/NBC boycott

[pir-anha.livejournal.com]

*nod*. i am feeling a little weird about claiming that i won't buy products advertised on those stations since, well, i don't anyway (so while it'd be true, it's the sort of perversion of the spirit of the statement that i don't like). i'm just stating in my letters that i will no longer watch CBS' affiliate stations (nor read their websites) until they run the UCC ad.

whom i will write to about this, especially since in canada gay marriage is becoming law now.

i've already written the letters to the chairmen of CBS (les moonves), viacom, and GE (jeffrey r. immelt); i was boiling yesterday. i'll also write to the station managers of the washington affiliates, since those are the ones carried on our cable.

thanks for the additional ideas!

Re: CBS/NBC boycott

[necturus.livejournal.com]

I meant to say editors of local newspapers. Newspapers compete with radio and TV stations for ad dollars, and they love to bash their competitors.

Here in Boston the papers have already picked up the story; it figures prominently on the Boston Globe Web site.