FROM THE “YOUR MONEY IS NO GOOD HERE” FILES

Someone forwarded me this from some source called Studio Briefing. Actually, I really hope this is just one more urban legend spam thing. But I’m going to take a chance and reprint it here. Clearly, for Viacom and NBC, just being Christian makes you inappropriate for the public airwaves.

Church Ad Rejected by Networks

Viacom’s CBS and UPN networks have rejected a paid public service announcement by the United Church of Christ in which an announcer says, “Jesus didn’t turn people away. Neither do we. … No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.”

In a statement, Viacom said: “Because this commercial touches on the exclusion of gay couples and other minority groups by other individuals and organizations.

..and the fact 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 on the networks.” NBC has also rejected the ad as “too controversial,” the church said.

In a statement, the Rev. John H. Thomas, the church’s president said that it was ironic that “an ad with a message of welcome and inclusion would be deemed too controversial. What’s going on here?” The ad was accepted by Viacom’s black-oriented BET cable network and its Nick at Nite channel as well as by ABC Family, Fox, Hallmark, and many Turner Broadcasting channels.