NEWS: Two Networks Bar Religious Commercial, page 1

Two top news agencies, NBC and CBS, have rejected an advertisement from the United Church of Christ, which shows the Church's inclusiveness with pictures of two beefy bouncers turning away a gay couple, a Latino woman and a disabled man outside a church and a slogan "Jesus didn't turn people away. Neither do we." CBS, in its written explanation of its rejection, said that the advertisement showed only one side of a controversial issue, while NBC has simply said that the advertisement was "too controversial," without further elaboration. In return The Rev. John H. Thomas, president and general minister of the United Church of Christ said that the advertisements had nothing do with anything other than the church.

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Thomas said he believes that since the presidential election, the major broadcast networks "are nervous about an ascendant conservative movement."

"Rather than uphold a kind of freedom of the airwaves, they're deciding it's wiser to censor some perspectives than to court reaction from the right," he said.

Church officials said they did not attempt to buy time on the third major broadcast network, ABC, because it has a blanket policy against religious advertising. But they said the bouncer ad will air on numerous other networks and cable channels, including ABC Family, AMC, BET, Discovery, Fox, Hallmark, Travel, TBS and TNT.

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By all means this subject is controversial, but is NBC and CBC nervous about supporting the increasing conservative movement, kick started by Bush's reelection last month, or are they just too afraid to being labeled conservative, which they already are?

[edit on 12/2/2004 by surfup]