Thursday, December 02, 2004
(9:52 AM) | Adam Kotsko:
Controversial Ad
Yesterday, a message was sent out to all CTS students informing us that NBC and CBS had both refused to carry a denominational advertisement for the United Church of Christ, deeming it too controversial. The ad (viewable here) features two bouncers outside of an idyllic church setting, picking and choosing who is to be admitted, then cuts to a message contrasting the UCC's all-inclusiveness with the behavior of many churches. The networks' reasoning in their decision is disturbing: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."Not only is CBS betraying the public trust by refusing to play a paid advertisement that disagrees with the position of the current government, but it is also misrepresenting the content of the ad, which does not feature anyone, gay or straight, getting married -- only being welcomed in the church. This was apparently a last-minute decision by CBS and NBC:
"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."
Negotiations between network officials and the church's representatives broke down today (Nov. 30), the day before the ad campaign begins airing nationwide on a combination of broadcast and cable networks. The ad has been accepted and will air on a number of networks, including ABC Family, AMC, BET, Discovery, Fox, Hallmark, History, Nick@Nite, TBS, TNT, Travel and TV Land, among others.According to my sources, CNN has already done a story on the ad, and other networks, eager to pick up on a "controversy," are likely to follow. Many of my fellow pub patrons last night, most of whom are preparing for ministry in the UCC, hoped that the story would be picked up on the Daily Show as well.
Information on contacting the networks is available here. If you wish to make my fellow-students' dreams come true, you can suggest the story to Comedy Central here. As many have pointed out, the "controversy" surrounding this ad is a wonderful opportunity to highlight the oft-forgotten existence of liberal/progressive churches and perhaps to begin countering the lazy commonplace that the right wing has a monopoly on faith and morality.
UPDATE: I intended to mail this post to various bloggers to inform them about the story, but everyone I would have told about it already was running with it -- not just Slacktivist (who would be somewhat predictable), but also Josh Marshall and even the normally anti-religious Atrios. Does anyone know if the UCC has any legal recourse in this matter?
