Dear ABC: Rats!(ABC runs slutty, stripper-laden "Bachelorette" ads during "Charlie Brown Christmas")

New York Daily News ^ | December 11, 2003 | David Bianculli

[Timesink]

Dear ABC: Rats!

Promotions strip away 'Christmas' innocence

By David Bianculli
Thursday, December 11th, 2003

Television executives often show little respect for the viewers, but what ABC brass did during last week's telecast of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" wasn't just irresponsible - It was reprehensible.

'Charlie Brown' was interrupted by commercial breaks...

... featuring smutty clips from 'Trista and Ryan's Wedding.'

Network programmers soiled the show - and ruined a family viewing experience - by running willy nilly with their own in-show promotions.

The venerable animated special, based on the beloved and sweet characters by the late Charles M. Schulz, has been an annual TV treat since its first appearance in 1965.

And at a time when one-TV families are a thing of the past, and annual family viewing traditions are down to a handful of events, "A Charlie Brown Christmas" is one of the few absolutely reliable TV offerings of this or any other season.

Any parent, using common sense, personal memories and television's self-policed ratings system, responsibly could place their young ones - even their very young ones - in front of the TV to watch Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Snoopy and the rest.

For that hour, at least, parents could count on TV to entertain without assaulting impressionable minds with anything improper.

Or so you'd think.

ABC executives, however, thought differently.

Two times during this hour-long family Christmas special, ABC aired salacious promos for the following night's "Trista and Ryan's Wedding" bachelor and bachelorette party special.

ABC's promo department included images, in the middle and during the closing credits of "A Charlie Brown Christmas," of strippers - one clad in a shiny black catsuit, the other topless with digitally blurred breasts, straddling drunken bachelor Ryan and dragging him off at night for a private seaside encounter.

As Charlie Brown would say: Good grief!

TV's so-called family hour has been made meaningless by the networks for more than a decade now, and is even more quaint a concept in these days when NBC's worm-chewing, bile-spewing "Fear Factor" airs in the opening hour of prime time.

But if TV's own ratings system is supposed to mean anything, "A Charlie Brown Christmas" should have been a safe haven for kids. When a program is deemed suitable for all ages, so should any ads and promos shown within it.

The ratings system is a joke, and always has been - but at least responsible parents had some way to steer their children away from some things, and towards some others.

When CBS was broadcasting "A Charlie Brown Christmas," which it was until a few years ago, this never came up. But now, with ABC executives at the helm, promos for a sexy 9 p.m. show are wedged thoughtlessly between animated dancing dogs and quotes from scripture.

ABC honchos might try to argue that the left hand didn't know what the right hand was doing - but in this case, they should. If the network bosses can't keep their promos and advertisements at the same age-appropriate level as their programs, then they're begging the government to step in and do it for them.

Bah, humbug.

ABC executives should know better. And if they don't, that's even worse.

[DustyMoment]

Hmmm, lessee now. ABC, owned by Disney.

No, nothing family-oriented here.

Keep changing the channel.

[cajungirl]

I don't know, didn't see the ad, but the ad was for a wedding and the clip with the undies was just undies. You see undies on all the time on tv. At least it wasn't for some pimp and ho show. This was a wedding at least.

[joeyGibson]

The ABC 'Family' Channel has gotten really bad as well. We like to watch 7th Heaven with our five-year old. Granted sometimes that show sometimes deals with mature topics, and on those occasions we've watched something else. But the promos during the commercial breaks are getting ridiculous. Constant promos for The Batchelor and some stupid 'reality' show they have trying to fix people up where you live together for a week. And they've started showing movies on the 'family' channel that I don't think should be there, such as Four Weddings and a Funeral. While I happen to like that film a lot, it has no business being on a channel with 'family' in the name.

[ravingnutter]

I don't know, didn't see the ad, but the ad was for a wedding and the clip with the undies was just undies. You see undies on all the time on tv. At least it wasn't for some pimp and ho show. This was a wedding at least.

Ummmmm....you must have missed this paragraph in the article...

ABC's promo department included images, in the middle and during the closing credits of "A Charlie Brown Christmas," of strippers - one clad in a shiny black catsuit, the other topless with digitally blurred breasts, straddling drunken bachelor Ryan and dragging him off at night for a private seaside encounter.

[Cicero]

I've never felt I could stop my kids from watching TV, because otherwise they'd just go over to a friend's house and watch. But I do lay in a lot of videos, in hopes they'll watch them instead. That works to a degree. The last few years they have hardly been watching any regular TV, partly, I think, because so little is worth watching from any point of view.

[rightwingreligiousfanatic]

This is a very irritating occurrence which I find happening more and more often. Especially on sporting events, which I would like to be able to watch occasionally with my son. All of a sudden, and before you can even react to it, you are being assaulted with SEX, SEX, SEX, VIOLENCE, VIOLENCE, VIOLENCE, eerie, creepy, evil, perverted situations, etc. etc.

I am torn between either blowing up my TV, or going the full DVD route... Oh yeah, I'm a Lord of the Rings fan.... I guess I'll have to go the DVD route.... ;^)

[finnman69]

TIVO

[JoJo Gunn]

I noted how at least twice during the Jennings special on the Kennedy assassination ABC ran ads for a show called "In The line Of Fire".

[Mygirlsmom]

I've never felt I could stop my kids from watching TV, because otherwise they'd just go over to a friend's house and watch.

You might be surprised. My oldest often complains that "the TV is always on but there's not much to watch" when she goes to friends' homes.

As to the raunchy commercials - it's been going on for a long time. I remember when #1 daughter was little and a "Tales from the Crypt" commercial scared the **** out of her. I was watching the evening news at the time. (Actually, that was the LAST time I ever watched the news, so perhaps some good's come of that!)

[LisaMalia]

I'm just surprised they didn't change the name to "Charlie Brown WINTER", and delete all the references to Christ. That seems to be the newest fad these days...aaaarrrrggggg!

[petercooper]

The networks are crap.

[DustyMoment]

The point is that, for parents with small children, this was inappropriate.

There was a time when the "family hour" was sacrosanct; no longer.

Children don't need to be exposed to this garbage in the middle of programming that is specifically geared toward them.

[sasafras]

ABC is a trash network but not much different than CBS or NBC. Most of the commmercials are actually worse than the shows being aired. It is getting pretty bad.

[ditto h]

Who needs television

Look at the way movies have gone in the last 30 years or so. You can't see any film without someone taking the Lords name in vane. Sometimes(The Shootest, Titanic, etc.) it's only said once or twice, but it is never necessary to the plot.

[cyncooper]

I'm just surprised they didn't change the name to "Charlie Brown WINTER", and delete all the references to Christ. That seems to be the newest fad these days...aaaarrrrggggg!

Really? Is there even one television show that has always had a reference to Christmas in the past that has now had it removed? I don't think so.

I know you are probably harking to tales of schools having "Winter Concerts" and such, but that really is very different than stating it is a fad to delete references to Christ in shows that had them previously. Besides, in my daughter's Winter Concert they sing things like "Away in a Manger", "The First Noel", "Hark the Herald, Angels Sing", and so on.

[LisaMalia]

Really? Is there even one television show that has always had a reference to Christmas in the past that has now had it removed? I don't think so.

If you don't think that's next, you're kidding yourself.

I'm glad to hear your child is allowed to sing Christmas songs in school. In case you haven't heard, that right is being taken away from some children in our country.

[cyncooper]

If you don't think that's next, you're kidding yourself.

I merely asked if it had happened. You said it was a current "fad".

In case you haven't heard, that right is being taken away from some children in our country.

I certainly am aware of it and in no way did I say it was not happening in some places.

[LisaMalia]

By "fad", I was referring to how Christmas is being replaced by "holiday" or "winter" in general.
Sorry if I didn't make myself clear on that.

[Flashlight]

They're showing Magoo's Christmas Carol on the Cartoon Network on December 23. I think it's the best Christmas animated feature ever made. Here's the info:


Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol (1962)

TOON Dec 23 11:00am 60 Mins.
(Rated G) (Y)

Mr. Magoo plays Ebenezer Scrooge and learns the meaning of Christmas. Animated.

Cast: Jim Backus, Morey Amsterdam, Jack Cassidy, Royal Dano, June Foray, Paul Frees, Joan Gardner, John Hart, Jane Kean, Marie Matthews, Laura Olsher, Les Tremayne.
Director(s): Abe Levitow

[cajungirl]

Umm,,I did miss that paragraph. It was pretty disgusting.