By Msgr. Noel Burtenshaw

The Phil Donahue Show is a popular part of Atlanta’s morning television audience. The show appears on Channel 5, WAGA Television, a CBS affiliate.

If you watch Donahue, you will note that a new element has been added to your viewing. In fact, it is a brand new page in the history of Atlanta television. Channel 5 is now showing a commercial for an Atlanta abortion clinic on many mornings during this show.

No other television outlet in Atlanta is presently accepting commercials of this nature.

Mr. Paul Raymon, general manager of Channel 5 stated, “The commercial is perfectly acceptable under the code set down by the Storer Broadcasting Company (parent company of Channel 5) and the code set down by the Federal Communications Commission.”

When asked why the decision had been made by the station to accept this kind of advertising, Mr. Raymon responded, “We are not in a position to turn it down because an advertiser who meets all of the standards, theoretically, could take legal recourse because we are inhibiting his access to the media.”

According to FCC regulations, there is no legal requirement to accept such advertising nor is there any impediment to its acceptance either.

Mr. Raymon further stated that the word “abortion” was not mentioned in the ad. “In fact,” said Raymon, “you are the only one mentioning abortion in this connection.”

“As far as we are concerned,” said Mr. Raymon, “this is a medical center. It has registered nurses, properly accredited doctors and qualified personnel.” The facility in question advertises in the Atlanta Constitution and features “Abortion Services” as the main purpose of the clinic.

The commercial, which even ran during Donahue’s sensitive show on Atlanta’s missing and murdered children, shows the interior of a modern, pleasant doctor’s office with an attractive young woman offering another woman counsel on her “problem pregnancy.” “There is nothing illegal about the commercial,” said Mr. Raymon although when asked about its appearance on the children’s show said “that was a mistake – a human error.”

No other commercial television station in Atlanta runs this kind of advertisement. Sidney Pike, Station Manager for Ted Turner’s Superstation, Channel 17 said, “We were asked about running that kind of commercial about a month ago and I turned it down. I felt that in this case we should have both sides of the issue on.”

A.R. Van Cantfort, Program Director for WSB, Channel 2 said, “We have not accepted this kind of advertisement nor right now do we intend to, but we will evaluate each individual case as it is presented.”

Jack Lease, Vice President, Program Operations for WXIA Television, Channel 11 said, “We do not accept commercials for abortion clinics at present. If requested, we would have to consider it at that time.”

According to Paul Raymon of Channel 5, the commercial was sold to the station direct and no advertising agency was involved.