The Hypocrisy of CBS

I have previously posted about CBS's agreement to air a commercial by Focus on the Family ("FOTF"), one of the most ant-gay "family values" organizations in the USA and a constant backer of the "change myth" which is used to keep LGBT Americans second class citizens. FOTF's founder, James Dobson (pictured at left) has literally raised millions of dollars over the years by demonizing gays and seeking to depict LGBT Americans as less than fully human and as some type of "other." As many will recall, CBS - and all of the major networks - refused to run ads by the United Church of Christ that demonstrated that the domination did not exclude anyone, including same sex couples. Why, because the ads which were well done and hardly in your face pro-gay ads were deemed "too controversial." In my view, CBS's selectivity of whose ads it will run is hypocritical and, excuse my French, utter bull shit. My fellow blogger, Lyndon Evans at Focus on the Rainbow, who is himself a former CBS employee, has a great post that takes CBS to task for its double standards. Here are some highlights:
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On January 16 this writer was one of the first in the media to voice opposition to CBS Television’s decision to sell ad time during this year’s Super Bowl to the anti-gay hate group Focus On The Family.

Yesterday CBS stood behind it’s decision to sell ad time and that it will not drop Focus On The Family as a Super Bowl advertiser. In an article at Broadcasting and Cable (B&C) reporter John Eggerton wrote in part, The network said it does not reject advocacy ads out of hand, and added that it would consider “responsibly produced ads from all groups” for the “few” remaining spots in the broadcast. . . . “It is not inflammatory or divisive,” a CBS exec told Atkinson last week.
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The ad in question may not be inflammatory or divisive but Focus On The Family certainly is. The following is an open letter directed to Les Moonves, President and CEO of the CBS Corporation.
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As a former and once proud employee of CBS Broadcasting I find your decision as head of CBS Broadcasting to allow Focus On The Family to buy ad time during this year’s Super Bowl broadcast, putting corporate profit above the fight against discrimination and to allow a group such as Focus On The Family which dictates what it deems should be the moral conscience and decency of Americans and to publicize themselves to a national and international TV viewing audience, to be unconscionable.
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When I was the commercial continuity manager at the CBS Radio Group in Hartford, CT and managed barter ads for program distributors such as Westwood One, I was not allowed to schedule certain radio spots.
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I was not allowed to schedule ads from XM Satellite Radio as it was deemed a competitor. I was not allowed to schedule ads for Trojan prophylactics as the ad subject matter was deemed inappropriate for our four stations in the radio group.
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Part of my job was to bring to the attention of the Director of Operations and the General Manager of the Radio Group ads which may have “underlying political messages”, inappropriate content matter for the radio stations and ads which may be of a competitive nature to the radio broadcast industry (with the exception of TV or Cable Networks).
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Should I be remiss in my duties and neglect to become “suspicious” of ad content, as I did once with Radio Shack co-oping with XM, my ass was handed to me on a platter, to put it in blunt terms.
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Not only is your descision to accept advertising dollars from Focus On The Family an affront to LGBTs, women and those who believe in reproductive choice, it is a major disappointment I am sure for a great many loyal employees of the CBS Corporation and it’s divisions, this a Corporation which in its employee policy does not tolerate intolerance among the CBS Corporation and its various division’s employees.
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Today and until such time as you make the decision not to air the Focus On The Family ad, I am ashamed to have been part of the CBS family.

Sincerely,

Lyndon Evans

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It would be interesting to see whether CBS would broadcast a patriotic sounding ad sponsored by a neo-Nazi organization. Somehow, I suspect not. Yet, CBS is running an ad by an organization equally hateful in its actions and objectives.