From ........... NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER

January 21, 1994.

page 3

Station cancels shows critical of churches

A local cable television company that operates a community access channel has refused to air programs critical of the Mormon and Catholic churches. Cox Cable Spokane recently was scheduled to show a video on the Mormon Church titled "Godmakers II" and had plans to show another program later this month titled, "Catholicism, Crisis of Faith." . Airing of the videos was arranged by James Roe, a computer operator at the Union Gospel Mission in Spokane.

The station decided to cancel the Mormon video when it received complaints from church leaders who said the show distorted Mormon beliefs. The station officials then decided to also cancel the video on the Catholic church.

The Cox group once carried a channel designated by the government as "public access," on which programming could not be restricted because of content. That designation was changed in 1990 to "community programming," which permits the cable company to reject programming because of content.

- END QUOTE -