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Ad featuring gay couple and their family "too controversial" for one California station
We reported a while back that the group GetToKnowUsFirst.org was producing a series of PSAs featuring gay couples and their families as a response to Proposition 8 passing in California in November. Yesterday one of the ads ran in 42 of the state's 56 counties before, during and after the Inauguration telecast ... but not on one station, in particular. According to a press release from the organization, KABC refused to run the ad, deeming it "too controversial" to run during the Inauguration, as "many families will be watching". Check out the ad over at the organization's website and tell us if you think it's "too controversial". Heck, watch it with your family and see if their heads explode or something. Submitted by on Wed, 2009-01-21 08:56. |
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"Too controversial"........
If I was a hard-line conservative Christian bible beater.... maybe..... but not from what I've seen in this ad. I am very happy to say that KABC is not one of the local stations in this area or on the cable network I subscribe to so I am not forced to watch programming from the point of view where they deem matters like this as "too controversial" and where I would have to organize a boycott of the station and it's advertisers....
"Controversial"
KABC = LA
THNAK YOU!!!!
I hope your e-mail was "direct" and to the point where it hurts.... As for this station being a "Disney" station.... they need to come to the real world and see that the GLTB community should be accepted as part of the family, not as an outcast. Disney has made a lot of cash off of us and now it's time they paid some of it back!
Too Late?
They did run a Spanish language ad...
...featuring America Ferrera, Tony Plana and Ana Ortiz from Ugly Betty:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMQf0kumpZQ
I just don't understand...
Re: I just don't understand...
And I suppose...
They could help drum up opposition to Kenneth Starr's effort to Dissolve the 18,000 SSM's currently standing. Is there any word on how good or bad a case he has there?
"In spite of language, in spite of intelligence and intuition and sympathy, one can never really communicate anything to anybody"-Aldous Huxley
never too late
... that's what they say.
This organization grew out of the complaint that the No on 8 campaign didn't show real families and in that regard they are too late. But there is an ongoing battle for Equal Marriage Rights in California. There are cases filed with the state Supreme Court. The court could refuse to hear these cases, if for no other reason than the public has voted and voiced their will. The courts are influenced by public opinion. So, if they decide not to hear it, the law will not be overturned.
However, if there is a huge change in public opinion the court will feel pressured to hear the cases and perhaps overturn Prop 8. I agree that this type of campaign is vital in the fight to overturn Prop 8.
On the matter of KABC, If you are a subscriber or live in the area do contact the station and ask pointed questions , for instance what is it exactly that they found offensive in the ads. And keep asking until you get an answer. Try calling and snail mail as well.
Don't stop with the station, contact your Cable Provider, too. While I would be nicey nice to KABC I would lay it on thick and heavy to the cable provider, even if you don't subscribe to this particular station but you are a costumer to the Cabel Provider, and they owe you an answer part of the fees you pay cover the cost of the cables even if you aren't watching all the show that are broadcast through them.
Ask: "Why should I subscribe to any of your channels if you promote this type of blatant discrimination? What, I'm going to find out next that all of your channels discriminate?" Follow that up by asking if they have contacted KABC to find out why the commercials were banned. ENCOURAGE THEM TO DO SO on your behalf and follow up to get an answer.
If you write for a blog or publication, you should contact the PR director for your Cable Provider and ask them for an opinion and for their help in finding an answer that you can use. I'll tell you right now, it is easy to bitch at a telephone receiver, the hardest thing to do is get them to answer a direct question, like "why?" because the answer will always sound something like, "because we are bigots." Keep asking them why.
If I were to protest anyone, it would be to urge the Cable provider to drop that station from their line up.
Unfortunately
KABC is the ABC affiliate here in the Los Angeles area, so any campaign to get it dropped by cable systems will fail miserably. Even if cable systems could drop a basic cable major network affiliate like KABC (which I don't believe they're allowed to do by law) the backlash against any system dropping the channel that airs Lost, Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives (to name 3 of their more-popular shows) would be huge and deafening.
On the other hand, contacting the station and pressing for an answer to what they objected to in the ad is an excellent suggestion. If nothing else, it will definitely make them think twice about rejecting similar spots in the future.
What is decent KABC?
The local stations are given a certain number of slots which they can determine the price for and who to sell to. But if those are slots on a major broadcast network that seems like it would be a little expensive even for the local spot, unless they are able to break the slots down for the cable broadcast and sell neighborhoods rather than the entire broadcast territory. Either way the ad revenue would be going to the local station and they would be liable. And KABC needs to explain to the public how these are covered in their policy. I get the feeling that this is the work of some right wing nut who owns KABC and has absolutely nothing to do with "policy."
My experience is that the Networks tend to have a hands off approach to the affiliates sales. But a big enough controversy and they will apply pressure from the inside. Contacting any of the local sponsors would be effective if it were an organized effort, like eMail bombing, again I would make the focus information rather than boycott asking the sponsors to answer the question for you. (KABC sales rep. "here's the prospects for the new contract for next month, you'll notice the rates have only gone up slightly." Ford dealership, "yeah, my customers want to know why you're being such a dick.") Starting with the major local sponsors like the auto dealerships and any specifically named sponsors on the local newscasts. Directing them to the site and asking if they find the ads offensive, again asking them to explain.
The controversy should be over what is decent. (Bigotry is not) Rather than whether or not the station has a right to deny the ad (they probably don't but you may end up looking worse for taking them to court over it.).
Here are the things we need to do...
I know it's lame, but contact KABC...they probably have a circular file for this stuff, but in the old days, they had to report stuff like this to the FCC...
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/index
I am hopeful that the FCC will take new leadership on areas such as this. One particular area that we NEED TO WORK FOR is "CAFETERIA" style TV! We, the CONSUMERS, not the cable/satellite companies decide what channels we pay for, no more bundling, no more subsidizing nauseating Christian TV.
They work for us, now. I'm sure they'll be happy to hear from you: http://www.fcc.gov/
Write to your Congressperson: http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml#ca
They ALSO can't wait to hear from you!
And lets not forget our Senators:
boxer.senate.gov/contact
feinstein.senate.gov
Thanks for your help!