wfn.org | [UCC NEWS] ABC airs 'Focus on Family' ads, rejects UCC's

[guessb@ucc.org]

United Church of Christ
United Church News
The Rev. J. Bennett Guess, News Director
216/736-2177, guessb@ucc.org

May 3, 2005

After twice rejecting UCC's ad, ABC airs 'Focus on the Family' commercial

The communications director of the 1.3-million-member United Church of
Christ is questioning a decision by ABC television to allow James Dobson's
Focus on the Family to air two commercials during the network's season
finale of "Supernanny" on May 2.

In an Associated Press story (May 2), Focus on the Family's president and
CEO, Jim Daly, said the spots were an attempt by his organization to offer
"faith-based" advice on parenting, despite the fact that ABC executives
have twice denied recent similar requests by the UCC to purchase network
time as part of its national advertising campaign.

"Focus on the Family is clearly a religious organization," the Rev. Robert
Chase, director of the UCC's communication ministry, told United Church
News. "Here's yet another illustration of how a particular narrow agenda
makes up the rules as they go along, while another religious viewpoint
cannot even purchase time on the people's airwaves to proclaim an
all-inclusive message."

In December and March, the three major networks denied a purchasing request
by the Cleveland-based UCC. NBC and CBS rejected the UCC's 30-second ads as
"too controversial." ABC, however, sidestepped the fray by maintaining
that
it has a blanket policy against all religious advertising.

"Why are the network executives so willing to bow to this narrow agenda of
the religious right?" Chase told United Church News. "Why is one religious
viewpoint continually accommodated by the network elites?"

"Focus on the Family may be using a non-sectarian come-on, but what kind of
assurances can ABC provide that Focus on the Family's follow-up literature
is respectful of all faiths, respectful of non-traditional families,
respectful of the one million kids that have same-sex couples as parents?"

The apparent hole in ABC's advertising policy has not been lost on internet
blogs. Below are a few recent posts:

Media Matters: Is ABC providing airtime to Focus on the Family after
denying it to United Church of Christ?
http://mediamatters.org/items/200505020008

Talking Points Memo: You may recall
 http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2005_05_01.php#005606

AmericaBlog: ABC accepts ad from Focus on Family after rejecting
gay-friendly Christian Church
http://www.americablog.org/

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