Two networks reject church's commercial

By The Washington Post

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Officials of the Cleveland-based denomination, which has nearly 6,000 congregations and 1.3 million members, said the 30-second ad is intended to boost name recognition and attract members. "Jesus didn't turn people away. Neither do we," the ad says.

In a written explanation to the church's ad agency, CBS linked the ad to the issue of same-sex marriage and said it does not accept advertising "on one side of a current controversial issue of public importance."

NBC's rejection notice simply called the ad "too controversial."

Church officials said they did not attempt to buy time on the third major broadcast network, ABC, because it has a blanket policy against religious advertising. But they said the ad will air on other networks and cable channels, including ABC Family, AMC, BET, Discovery, Fox, Hallmark, Travel, TBS and TNT.

The Rev. John Thomas, president and general minister of the United Church of Christ, said he believes the major broadcast networks "are nervous about an ascendant conservative movement" since the presidential election.

"Rather than uphold a kind of freedom of the airwaves, they're deciding it's wiser to censor some perspectives than to court reaction from the right," he said.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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