posted December 02, 2004 10:06 AM              

CBS and NBC said the spot violates their policies against running ads that take positions on matters of public controversy.
A spokesperson at ABC told CNN that "we do not generally accept paid advertising that espouses a particular religious doctrine."

The 30-second spot, sponsored by the 1.3-million member United Church of Christ, features two muscle-bound bouncers standing outside a church, determining who may enter to attend a service and who may not. Among those kept out are two males who appear to be a couple.
Written text then appears saying, in part, "Jesus didn't turn people away. Neither do we."

The Rev. John Thomas, the UCC's president and general manager, said the rejection of the ad "really startled us."
"We thought we were doing an ad that was offering a graceful word of welcome and hospitality to all people, and that hardly seems controversial," Thomas told CNN's "Paula Zahn Now" Wednesday night.

"But they apparently looked at it through a very narrow lens and decided we're advocating for a particular social and cultural agenda."
"We were clearly not advocating any agenda in these ads other than the agenda of welcome and hospitality."

The Cleveland-based UCC, with 6,000 congregations, is one of America's oldest religious groups, with historic roots stretching back to the Puritan pilgrims of New England. It is also one of the few Christian denominations that allows openly gay and lesbian people to serve as clergy.
The church quoted CBS as saying that the ad was rejected "because this commercial touches on the exclusion of gay couples ... and the fact that 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."

A CBS spokesman confirmed that the ad had been rejected but would not comment directly on the UCC's characterization of the reasons for its action, saying only that the ad "was against our policy of accepting advocacy advertising." (...)
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/americas/12/01/us.church.adban/index.html

posted December 02, 2004 10:52 AM              

??!! why not? That would make sense if it were a government owned and operated network. But they are not. Are they? hmmmm

"because this commercial touches on the exclusion of gay couples ... and the fact that 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."

this qoute scares the sh!t out of me. CBS spokesperson/White House spokesperson - apparently its the same thing.