Mormon-Owned Station Edits NBC Show
Associated Press 30Sep99 N1
Mormon-Owned Station Edits NBC Show

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH -- LDS Church-owned TV station KSL, the NBC affiliate in Salt Lake City, is editing-out offensive words from the new drama, "Law &Order: Special Victims Unit." The station sought to avoid editing the progbam by assing NBC to allow it to flip-flop the program with a later progqm -- "Dateline" -- but NBC refused.

In the current show, KSL edited out two 'sexually explicit' words. The words were terms for genetalia and excretory organs. The show, a spin- off of NBC's popular "Law &Order" drama, airs on Monday evenings.

KSL is the only affiliate to complain about the language, according to NBC Vice President of Publicity Rebecca Marks. Because of its predominantly Mormon audience, KSL has sought to make changes to its schedule in the past to avoid airing some shows during prime-time, and has avoided showing other shows altogether. In 1995, when KSL changed affiliations from CBS to NBC, part of the agreement allowed KSL to avoid showing NBC's "Saturday Night Live," which is aired on another station in Salt Lake City.

KSL vice-president Steve Lindsley says he generally seeks to change the air time instead of editing, "If I'm editing for language every week, I'm more inclined to move a program."