Gays Target New <I>Dr. Laura</I> Show

Enmeshed in a bitter battle with gay rights activists, radio talk show host Laura Schlessinger is about to find out whether the show biz adage about any publicity being good publicity is really true.

The tough-talking "Dr. Laura," who dispenses relationship advice on her enormously popular radio show, is being criticized for calling homosexuality a biological "error" and "deviant."

Gays and lesbians upset about her comments have targeted the Dr. Laura TV show that begins this fall. The anti-Laura campaign is aimed at convincing her syndicators, Paramount, not to distribute the TV show and stations not to broadcast it.

Some in the television business suspect the effort may backfire.

"At this point, I don't think it has had any effect except to make the general public aware that she is doing a television talk show, which they might not have been... if this hadn't been in the headlines," said Bill Carroll, an expert on TV syndication for the Katz Television Group.

So far, none of the stations signed on to air Dr. Laura have backed out. Paramount has also stood firm. But the campaign is continuing despite Schlessinger's attempt to put out the fire with an apology Friday.

Schlessinger has said she doesn't hate gays, but that homosexual activity runs counter to her religious beliefs. She supports therapy for gays who want to change their sexual orientation, an insulting concept for many homosexuals who believe that is an attempt to change nature.

Alan Klein, a spokesman for the Web site, www.stopdrlaura.com, calls Schlessinger a homophobe and believes her remarks breed intolerance. He says a double standard protects her at a time baseball star John Rocker is widely condemned for racially and ethnically insensitive remarks.

"What we're seeing is this idea that homophobia and anti-gay bigotry is somehow less important than racism and other kinds of bigotry, Klein said, and that's not acceptable."

Schlessinger has lashed out at her critics, likening their threats to terrorism. "This guy Alan Klein and his Web site, this is fascism," she said on her radio show.

In a statement Friday, Schlessinger said she's sorry that words she used in a clinical context have hurt people. She said she did not want others to use her words to disparage homosexuals.

Klein called the apology "hollow and half-hearted," and "a last-ditch attempt to save a multimillion-dollar syndication deal" by her and Paramount. He said a protest rally scheduled for March 21 outside Paramount's headquarters is still on.

But some gay rights activists who don't like Schlessinger also don't like the campaign against her show.

"It's one thing to protest, to raise voices," said Bill Dobbs, a member of Queer Watch. "It's another thing to call for her show to be knockeoff the air before it is even broadcast. Too many gay and lesbian people have been silenced over the years to use that tactic."

KPIX-TV in San Francisco, which plans to run Dr. Laura, has been deluged by calls and e-mails urging it to back out. The station is keeping a close watch on the situation, said Jerry Eaton, vice president and general manager.

"We've been talking to Paramount a lot about the show," Eaton said. "We're not going to support a show that denigrates any individual or espouses hate or intolerance. We're seeking their assurances that the show is not going to have those elements."

Paramount executives aren't speaking publicly beyond issuing two statements. They haven't even said much about the show's format, and how close it will be to what Schlessinger does on the radio.

"In many respects, controversy is a positive," said Richard Kurlander, a specialist on the syndication market for the ad firm Petry Television. "I'm sure Paramount, if they would admit to it, and I'm sure they won't, would rather have this controversy take place in September."

That's when Dr. Laura is scheduled to debut on stations seen by more than 90 percent of the nation's television viewers.

The market for new syndicated talk shows is tough right now. The last clear hit was The Rosie O'Donnell Show, four years ago, but Dr. Laura may have a better shot than most.

Paramount did an effective job of getting out early and selling the show to stations, Kurlander said. It's on CBS affiliates in several big cities, which is a plus since CBS has been the top-rated network in daytime for 11 years.

The competition also appears to be thinning out; experts anticipate talk shows by Roseanne, Martin Short, Leeza Gibbons and Joy Browne won't be back in the fall.

Working against Schlessinger is the format's relative weakness. Daytime chat ratings have been down over the past couple of years, with courtroom shows like Judge Judy the hot format.

"I think she has a legitimate shot," Kurlander said. "I don't think it's a sure bet by any stretch."

If the show's chances are somehow enhanced by a campaign aimed at stopping it, well, Klein can live with that.

"It's always a risk," he said. "But the converse is completely unacceptable and that is to not speak up. A community that is silent loses its power."