ABC Turns Down Gay Rights Ad

The Associated Press

By DAVID BAUDER

NEW YORK (AP) A gay rights group that wanted an antidiscrimination ad to
run during the ``Ellen'' episode where the lead character reveals her
homosexuality has been turned down by ABC.

Despite the network rejection, the Human Rights campaign said a majority of
local ABC affiliates have agreed to run the television commercial.

The ad depicts coworkers expressing surprise that a former colleague has
been fired from a job because she is a lesbian. It is designed to build
support for a federal law banning job discrimination due to sexual
orientation.

ABC says it has a blanket policy against issueoriented ads and this
commercial fell into that category. ``Topics of this nature are better
discussed in news programs,'' said Janice Gretemeyer, ABC spokeswoman.

The rejection is ironic given ABC's hopes that the April 30 ``Ellen''
episode, which will feature Oprah Winfrey, Laura Dern and k.d. lang, is a big
ratings grabber, said David Smith, a spokesman for the campaign.

``They have determined that an actual depiction of a fact of life for gay
people in this country falls under the judgment of controversial
advertising,'' he said. ``We strongly disagree with that judgment on their
part. We believe they have made an error.''

ABC's decision is somewhat mitigated by its courage in permitting the
``Ellen'' story line and strong progay corporate policies, he said.

Smith's group went the more expensive route of trying to persuade local
affiliates to run the ad. Traditionally on primetime shows, separate time is
set aside for ads bought through the network and through local affiliates.

The Human Rights Campaign found, to its mild surprise, that 59 of the 74
stations it turned to agreed to run the ad. Seven affiliates turned it down
and the rest didn't give an answer, Smith said.

Ads were purchased in 29 markets, including Boston, Denver, Los Angeles, San
Francisco, Washington, Seattle and Bismarck, N.D.

Cities where affiliates turned down the ad were Chicago; Houston; New York;
Philadelphia; Wilmington, N.C.; and Nashville and Knoxville, Tenn.

``We basically don't take advocacy advertising,'' said Art Moore, spokesman
for WABCTV in New York City.

ABC's Gretemeyer also said there was no inconsistency between turning down
the ad and the network's current monthlong antidrug campaign. ABC has been
pushing antidrug messages through public service announcements, news
specials and story lines in some entertainment programs.

``Public service spots are completely different from ads,'' she said.