
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, June 1, 1995                   TAG: 9506010089
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: The Washington Post
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES                                LENGTH: Medium

DOLE BLASTS HOLLYWOOD EXECUTIVES

Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, R-Kan., who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, ventured into the heartland of the silver screen Wednesday and accused the moguls of the entertainment industry of producing ``nightmares of depravity'' that are debasing America's cultural values.

Addressing 350 GOP contributors at a Century City hotel located practically in the shadow of a 20th Century Fox studio and the ABC Entertainment Center, Dole warned that popular music, films and television are ``bombarding our children with destructive messages of casual violence and even more casual sex.''

In remarks prepared for delivery Wednesday night, Dole accused Hollywood executives of trying to ``hide behind the lofty language of free speech in order to profit from the debasing of America'' while shaping children's perceptions of acceptable behavior and deadening their sensitivity to murder, rape, torture and mutilation.

Dole singled out Time Warner Corp. for the ``marketing of evil through commerce,'' particularly in the sale of violence-based rap music.

Addressing himself to Time Warner executives, Dole asked: ``Is this what you intended to accomplish with your careers? You have sold your souls, but must you debase our nation and threaten our children as well?''

In response, Michael Fuchs, chairman of Time Warner Music Group in New York, criticized Dole for singling out his company to gain attention in a presidential campaign.

Fuchs, in a telephone interview, said: ``Lyrics get out that may cross the line. But that is the price you pay for freedom of expression.''

by CNB