WHITE HOUSE GOT PEEK AT TV SCRIPTS, GAVE INCENTIVES TO NETWORKS

WASHINGTON - The White House, in quiet collaboration with the major
broadcast television networks, has reviewed the scripts of such popular
shows as "ER," "Chicago Hope" and "Beverly Hills, 90210" and made
suggestions on at least two dozen programs to help them convey an
aggressively anti-drug message.

In exchange for their cooperation, a White House official confirmed
yesterday, the networks were freed from obligations to provide $22 million
in public-service advertising during the past two years, allowing them to
sell the lucrative time to corporate advertisers.

Alan Levitt, who runs the program in the White House drug-policy chief's
office, said his office reviews television scripts "to see if they're on
strategy or not" by portraying youth drug use in a negative light. If so,
the networks are given credits that enable them to sell more air time to
commercial advertisers rather than donating it for anti-drug and other
messages.

The arrangement, first reported by the online magazine Salon, drew swift
criticism. "If the public begins to believe that a message is only being put
forward because of financial remuneration, there's strong chance of
undermining the value of all our messages," said John Wells, executive
producer of "ER."

Wells, who said he had been unaware of the cooperation with the White House,
said the effort "implies that the programs you're watching can be influenced
by those kinds of financial incentives, and that's simply not the case."

Andrew Schwartzman, president of the nonprofit Media Access Project, said:
"The idea of the government attempting to influence public opinion covertly
is reprehensible beyond words. It's one thing to appropriate money to buy
ads, another thing to spend the money to influence the public subliminally.
And it's monstrously selfish and irresponsible on the part of the
broadcasters."

Some network executives said their companies submitted scripts for review in
advance, while others said the White House examined shows after they aired.
But all those interviewed yesterday said they never allowed the government
to dictate the programs' content.

Robert Weiner, spokesman for the drug-policy office, said the advertising
credits are granted for a prime-time program that "is a very positive
statement and has the proper message on drugs and is accurate. There's
nothing wrong with that. They've given us positive programs. If you've got a
good "ER,' that's certainly as important as an ad."

The unusual financial arrangement stems from a 1997 law in which Congress
approved $1 billion for anti-drug advertising over five years; this year's
allotment is $185 million. Networks that agree to participate are legally
required to provide a dollar-for-dollar match for each spot purchased by the
government by carrying public-service ads by nonprofit groups working with
the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

After some networks balked, administration officials worked out a
compromise. They said they would credit the networks for each entertainment
program with what they viewed as the proper message - up to three 30-second
spots per show - enabling network executives to sell that time to corporate
advertisers instead of using it for public-service ads.

For example, Levitt praised as "wonderful" a 1998 episode of ABC's "Home
Improvement" in which the parents (played by Tim Allen and Patricia
Richardson) confronted their oldest son about smoking marijuana, despite
their own past drug use, after discovering a bag of pot in the back yard.

The White House has worked with more than 100 shows, which may feature such
themes as "parents in denial" or "peer-refusal skills," Levitt said. He said
that the office's experts reviewed scripts in advance in perhaps 50 cases.
The contacts are generally with sales executives, not writers and producers,
Levitt said, and each network can receive credit for up to 15 percent of its
commitment for public-service ads.

Weiner, the White House spokesman, said: "This has all been aboveboard. . .
. We plead guilty to using every lawful means to save America's children."

Rep. Jim Kolbe, R-Ariz., chairman of the House subcommittee that oversees
the White House drug-policy office, said, "I'm not going to be wringing my
hands over the fact that we're getting some positive messages out. The
networks were willing to have some consultations on scripts. . . . If they
feel they're being strong-armed by (the drug-policy office), they can walk
away at any time."

Several network executives confirmed the government's financial incentives
but said they knew of no scripts that had been changed as a result.

Julie Hoover, an ABC vice president, said the network aired more
public-service announcements than were required and therefore did not
benefit from the advertising credits. Hoover said ABC has sent the
drug-policy office tapes of shows with anti-drug messages - including "The
Practice," "Home Improvement" and "Sports Night" - only after the programs
had aired.

Rosalyn Weinman, NBC's executive vice president of broadcast-content policy,
said in a statement that the network "never ceded control to the
(drug-policy office) or any department of the government. At no time did NBC
turn over scripts for approval." An NBC spokeswoman explained that the
network sent the White House scripts with drug-related plots for review
before being aired, "but we didn't take input from them - absolutely not."

The spokeswoman would not confirm or deny Salon's report that NBC redeemed
$1.4 million worth of ad time in exchange for several "ER" episodes that
dealt with drug abuse.

A CBS spokesman said the network had been able to recoup advertising time
for anti-drug plot lines on such hit shows as "Touched by an Angel," "Cosby"
and "Chicago Hope." But, he said, "the notion that a Hollywood producer
would change a script for the government is ludicrous. . . . All the shows
we've put on were going to go on anyway. So I don't know what the problem
is."

But producers at one CBS program, "Chicago Hope," resuscitated a script with
a strong anti-drug theme because of a suggestion from a television
executive. John Tinker, executive producer of "Chicago Hope," said he
reworked a script that had been put aside after getting a call from Mark
Stroman, then of 20th Century Fox Television, co-owner of the show, who
requested a drug-related script.

Although Tinker said he didn't revise the plot because of the request, he
said, "I do feel manipulated. It's not so much this particular instance in
which we seem to have been unwittingly involved. . . . I would have liked to
be told. If the president wants us to talk about drugs - could I be told?
I'd like to be told."

Fox spokesman Tom Tyrer said the network did not redeem advertising credits
for two shows - a "Beverly Hills, 90210" episode in which a character
descends into addiction and an "America's Most Wanted" segment in which
White House drug-policy chief Barry McCaffrey was interviewed. Tyrer said
that the producers were aware of the government program but that no scripts
were changed.