SINCLAIR BROADCAST GROUP PULLS PLUG ON MAHER

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6'S PARENT PULLS PLUG ON MAHER

Saturday, September 22, 2001 FEATURES - ACCENT & ARTS 04C

WSYX (Channel 6) and six other ABC affiliates owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group announced yesterday that they have suspended the broadcast of ABC's Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher effective Thursday.

In a terse news release from Sinclair, the suspension of broadcasts was blamed on "inappropriate comments'' by host Maher and his guests.

"We have seven stations in our group that are ABC affiliates, and all received calls after this happened,'' WSYX general manager John Quigley said. "The corporate people decided that they are going to pull the show.''

Sinclair will decide at some point whether to resume airing the program.

The action follows moves by FedEx and Sears, which left as sponsors of the show after Maher called past U.S. military actions "cowardly'' on Monday's show.

The comment came on the show's first broadcast since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, when guest Dinesh D'Souza took exception to descriptions of the hijackers as cowards.

"These are warriors, and we have to realize that the principles of our way of life are in conflict with people in the world,'' said D'Souza, an author and one-time member of the Reagan administration.

Maher concurred, saying: "We have been the cowards, lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That's cowardly. Staying in the airplane when it hits the building, say what you want about it, it's not cowardly.''

Maher said Wednesday his comments were aimed at political leaders, not soldiers, and he defended his right to offer criticism.

-- Anonymous, September 22, 2001


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