Despite challenges, KCET's license is renewed.

Despite challenges, KCET's license is renewed

Financially troubled KCET-TV Channel 28, under fire from conservatives and liberals alike over the content of its programming, won one battle last week when the Federal Communications Commission decided to unconditionally renew the license of the Los Angeles public television station.

Meanwhile, a gay and lesbian rights' group and AIDS activists, who had attempted to jam the station's telephone pledge lines, appeared victorious on another front. KCET decide to air a film called "Stop the Church," which concerns anti-Catholic protests by the group ACT-UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power), despite a Public Broadcasting System decision to pull the documentary.

But the station's war with the conservative Committee on Media Integrity (COMINT) waged on, as COMINT vowed to continue efforts to use stockholder pressure to persuade major corporate sponsors to stop supporting KCET.

KCET's 1988 license renewal had been challenged initially by the National Hispanic Media Coalition, which claimed the station doesn't offer sufficient employment opportunities to minorities. Later, as the Hispanic coalition's complaint slowly worked its way through the FCC appeal process, objections to license renewal were added in 1990 by COMINT, which claims KCET has a liberal bias, is unresponsive to the public and is tight-lipped about station operations and budgets.

The FCC rejected the Hispanic coalition's appeal of its decision to renew KCET's license, basically ignoring the concerns of COMINT, which FCC staff earlier said may have submitted too late to affect the 1988 renewal case. KCET's license will come up for renewal again in 1993.

"We're delighted obviously," said station Vice President Barbara Goen.

COMINT Chairman David Horowitz (not to be confused with the consumer advocate of the same name) said he was "disappointed, but not discouraged by this decision."

Horowitz said COMINT will forge ahead with plans for stockholder resolutions to be introduced in 1992 at the shareholder meetings of major KCET sponsors. Companies that support KCET will be urged by the organization to reconsider their support of the station. Major companies targeted by COMINT include Pacific Enterprises and Atlantic Richfield Co.

"This is a reform movement for the long haul," said Horowitz. "This is supposed to be a community station. There's no accountability whatsoever."

On the other side of the political fence, the gay rights group Queer Nation and ACT-UP, who Horowitz describes as "terrorists," last week targeted KCET's pledge drive for attack. They claimed KCET and the Public Broadcasting System don't air enough programs presenting the gay viewpoint.

ACT-UP and Queer Nation on Aug. 19 and 20 attempted to clog up KCET's pledge phone lines by placing calls demanding that KCET air two programs recently cancelled by PBS - "Stop the Church," which deals with protests against the Catholic Church for its stands on "safe sex" and abortion, and "Son of Sam and Delilah," a film dealing with AIDS.

On the afternoon of the 20th, KCET announced it will air "Stop the Church," together with a station-produced documentary on the controversy surrounding the film and followed by a panel discussion. ACT-UP called off the so-called "phone zap."

ACT-UP spokesman Jim McDaniel said he was pleased KCET is airing the film, although he added: |Personally, I would rather not have the panel discussion and KCET documentary. As with any documentary, it's going to have a point of view."

Scott Robbe, who represents ACT-UP and Out in Films (a group of openly gay people in the film industry), admitted that the documentary "Stop the Church" definitely "takes a side; it definitely says the church should be teaching safe sex and not backing Operation Rescue (the anti-abortion group that blocks access to clinics)." But he said he also believes the positions of groups such as Operation Rescue should be aired on public television.

"We're opposed to all censorship of any form," said Robbe. He also applauded the FCC decision, saying that "KCET is a very good organization on the whole." Nevertheless, he said he supported the "phone zap" because "difficult times call for strong tactics."

Robbe said he believes the so-called "phone zap" had an effect on KCET because the station agreed last week to meet with the groups involved and listen to their concerns.

But Goen said the station initiated the meeting because it "very much wants the input from the gay and lesbian community."

KCET spokesman Laurel Lambert said the phone campaign had "in no way impeded our pledging" early last week, with a "negligible" number of calls coming from gay rights' supporters.

The station announced in June that 1990-91 revenue had come up short compared to the projected budget, but final figures will not be released until September. Meanwhile, the 1991-92 budget reflected a 5 percent cutback from last year's projected budget.