DRUG OFFICE WILL END TV PREVIEWS

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Under fire for its involvement in Hollywood's
creative process, the U.S. government has clarified its stance on
rewarding networks that depict the evils of drugs.

The move followed several days of reports that the White House drug
control office inserted anti-drug messages into popular TV programs in
exchange for giving the networks back millions of dollars worth of
advertising time the government had bought at discount prices.

The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the networks
said this was old news, and the networks denied that they ever yielded
creative control of their programs.

The ONDCP stressed all along that it doesn't request to read or alter
scripts prior to air. But the networks do occasionally send scripts
prior to air to consult on how to depict drug issues, the office has
said.

Now the office has issued guidelines saying it will not review
episodes for pro bono credit until after a show has been broadcast.

Of the 109 programs that have been approved under the pro bono media
match formula, between 20 and 24 were sent to the drug czar's office
in various stages at the networks' request for input, according to the
ONDCP.

Confusion over the ONDCP's policies surfaced Friday, when ABC
Television Network president Pat Fili-Krushel told reporters that the
drug czar's office changed its rules this year and started requesting
an advance peak at scripts prior to broadcast.

The ONDCP said ABC misunderstood the request and that there was no
timetable dictating when a series episode should be submitted for
media match consideration.

Also in its guidelines, the ONDCP said it would continue to allow
media execs to determine how they meet the match, as long as it is
determined to be a 100% match for every federal dollar spent on media
outlets.

In addition, the drug czar's office will keep separate its practice of
providing scientific and technical assistance from its post-broadcast
valuation decisions, the ONDCP said.