Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, July 24, 1990 TAG: 9007240017
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES LENGTH: Short
"It's a sorry state of affairs when advertisers are acting as skittish as they are," Iger told a news conference attended by television critics.
The lost revenue was slightly more than 1 percent of ABC's total advertising revenues of $1 billion for this year, Iger said.
Iger declined to name the advertisers who withdrew their commercials.
His remarks were in response to continued questioning about ABC's refusal to rerun an episode of "thirtysomething" that showed two gay men in bed talking about friends who had died from AIDS.
Iger's "economic" decision to shelve the installment was labeled as "cowardice" by gay and lesbian groups that have launched a letter-writing protest.
Iger said Saturday he pulled the episode because half of "thirtysomething" advertisers boycotted its first showing last season, costing the network more than $1 million.
Other shows that suffered a similar fate last season included an episode of "Roseanne" that focused on teen drinking, Iger said.
by CNB