Nashville CBS affiliate "uninvites" scheduled interviews with Delta Burke and Leslie Jordan

[kevinbgoode]

Apparently, the two stars of the plays "Sordid Lives" and "Southern Baptist Sissies" were scheduled to appear on the local "Talk of the Town" television program aired on the local CBS affiliate in Nashville, Tennessee. They were "disinvited" er. . .or is it "uninvited" because of the producer's concern about the reaction of their "con-servative" audience.

Well, a producer can make and change decisions - I understand that. But I also understand that having a license to broadcast on the public airwaves does not mean airing ONLY material that some imagined demographic demands, leaving the rest of the public without any representation. At best the producer's actions were callous and rude - at worst, Nashville residents should remember these kinds of decisions when a station's license comes up for renewal.

LOS ANGELES, CA (November 3, 2006) - On September 28, 2006 a News Channel 5 (WTVF - CBS affiliate in Nashville, Tennessee) producer for the local talk show "Talk of the Town" (airs daily at 11:00AM) invited both Leslie Jordan and Delta Burke to appear on Friday, November 10 th to promote the national tour of Del Shores' two award-winning plays - Southern Baptist Sissies and Sordid Lives. The same producer uninvited the actors on October 20th per the following email:


"Sorry, but after closely reviewing the subject matter of the two plays written and directed by Del Shores I have decided that it would not be in the best interest of Talk of the Town to an actor come on the show to discuss the plays. We are dealing with a very conservative viewership who I feel would be offended by the show's titles and their topics." - Producer, Talk of the Tow n


"Somehow I think that the people of Nashville are a little more diverse and open-minded than the producers of "Talk of the Town" are giving them credit for -- at least that's been my experience in one of my favorite cities," said Writer/Director /Producer Del Shores (Queer as Folk, Dharma & Greg). "And can we briefly discuss the name of the show - "Talk of the Town?" Well, Delta Burke and Leslie Jordan will be in town and I know for a fact that people are already talking about it. Yes, the producers have every right to have on their show whomever they choose -- but the fact remains that they invited Leslie and Delta, then uninvited them citing 'We are dealing with a very conservative viewership who I feel would be offended by the show's title and their topics.' The names of the plays have been the same since day one. The gay subject matter is pretty apparent from our press release and with a title like Southern Baptist Sissies? C'mon! My plays are about finding strength in who you are and there is no way I can come to town and hide, pretending this did not occur. It's more than unfortunate that two stars of Delta Burke and Leslie Jordan's caliber were treated with such utter disrespect -- and frankly, I find it appalling. If Tyler Perry's stars were uninvited on a talk show due to the "black" subject matter of his plays, people would be screaming racism so fast your head would spin. But somehow, it's still okay to discriminate against gays. This is blatant homophobia!"


http://www.gaylinknews.com/prdetail.cfm?id=10263

I wonder how many times this station has shown Ted Haggard. . .or James Dobson. . .or Pat Robertson. . .

[KingFlorez]

1. The fundies aren't obligated to watch

It's ridiculous how stuff like this happens when the solution is a simple one, change the channel if you don't like what is on.

[AspenRose]

2. I thought Delta was a conservative

Her husband sure struck me as one....:shrug:

[theHandpuppet]

3. Yep, they're Republicans

Hope they enjoy the rotten fruits of their politics.

[DeSwiss]

4. Ahhh... the memories.....

Channel 5 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WTVF-TV">WTVF), is the most conservative local TV station here in Nashville. Oddly, when I moved here in 1965, it provided the highest level of exposure for blacks by comparison to the other two stations. When I came here, Nashville was in the midst of dealing with its rancorous emotions due to the forced intergration of local schools (which I unwittingly got caught up in). The station also featured an American Bandstand-type program called "Night Train" that featured many local and southern-based black musical artists. Artists like Mittie Collier, Bobby Blue Bland, B.B. King, Ike Turner and the Ikettes (later to be known as Tina Turner), Ironing Board Sam, Sandra Wright, Johnnie Taylor, Otis Redding, Carla Thomas, James Brown, Joe Simon, Deford Bailey and many others. And its also the same station where at age-16, Oprah Winfrey got her start as a reporter, and she was still in high school when she began. Later she was the first black person to appear as a co-anchor on the local evening newscast at Channel 5.

The station was originally owned by the Life and Casualty Insurance Company and Nashville businessman Guilford Dudley (who was also Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Vanderbilt University). WLAC also owned http://www.geocities.com/~jimlowe/wlac/wlacdex.html">WLAC-AM radio, a 50,000 watt station that featured blues and soul music at night and could be heard as far away as Canada and Cuba. I listened to the station as a boy living in Ohio on my crystal radio.

What the station has become now is a reflection of the social and political polarization we see elsewhere else in America, only its is more stark in its contrast, in my view. So I am not surprised at this "uninvitation." What surprises me is that it was offered at all.

On the otherhand, what else might one expect of a TV station's political leanings where the program Hee-Haw was originated and once recorded???

:shrug:

[Mojorabbit]

5. I came this close to clawing

out Delta's eyeballs in high school. I can't believe that I still have animosity towards her after all these years. Just seeing her name brings the whole thing back. I need to go meditate on that. It is weird how the mind works.