Viacom/MTV Plans to Tap Into Homo$exual Market

by Jenni Parker and Ed Vitagliano
March 30, 2004

(AgapePress) - The chief executive of Viacom, owner of the MTV Network, is planning to launch the first entirely homosexual-themed network. A pro-family media watchdog -- citing MTV's antagonism toward traditional values -- has called for a boycott of that network's advertisers.

Sumner Redstone, chairman and CEO of Viacom, has ordered the head of its MTV Network to come up with a business plan for a channel designed to catch the wave of popularity and public interest in homosexual characters in comedies and dramas and in homosexual-themed shows on television.

The move comes amid the success of the highly publicized makeover show, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, sitcoms and dramas such as Will and Grace and Queer As Folk, and highly rated experiments like the recently proffered Playing It Straight, a dating show in which sexual ambiguity is part of the "suspense."

According to a recent CNNMoney article, the homosexual audience is an increasingly attractive target for advertisers since research indicates the average income in the U.S. is about 8 percent higher for homosexual households than for straight households. Members of the entertainment, financial services, and travel industries already spend heavily to tap into the well of homosexual consumers' wealth.

Reportedly, Redstone admitted to the Wall Street Journal that Viacom had been studying the possibility of a homosexual-themed channel two years ago, but the plans were abandoned -- a mistake the media company head is determined not to repeat. As he told his analysts and investors, such a channel would have cost only $30 million to launch and could be "worth a billion dollars" now.

Call for Boycott
The American Family Association (AFA) has decided to target the advertisers who sponsor MTV, which the group describes as "one of the most offensive networks on television."

AFA launched BoycottMTV.net shortly after the Super Bowl halftime show angered millions of Americans with its debauchery. Pop singer Janet Jackson's breast was revealed to stunned viewers, following a performance with singer Justin Timberlake in which the two groped each other. Other lowlights of the show included rapper Nelly repeatedly fondling his crotch, striptease cheerleaders, gyrating transvestites, simulated lesbian sex, and a "performer" who wore the American Flag as a poncho.

The halftime activities were produced by MTV. Ironically, while millions of Americans were shocked by what they saw during the Super Bowl, it was mild compared to what often airs on the sexually-explicit, teen-oriented cable TV network.

Dr. Don Wildmon

"MTV is blatantly targeting our children with shows that constantly encourage a message of sexual promiscuity, dishonesty, drunkenness, rudeness, rebellion, and profane language," says Don Wildmon, founder and chairman of the Mississippi-based pro-family organization. "But that network would not be able to do this without the financial support of companies such as McDonald's and Procter & Gamble."

The new website has quickly struck a chord. Wildmon says more than 130,000 people have already signed on to begin boycotting MTV sponsors. "As more people find out about this boycott, it will pick up momentum," he says.

AFA has already contacted the major advertisers which sponsor MTV programming, asking them to discontinue their advertising support. Those companies are: Burger King, Colgate, Dominos, H&R Block, Hershey, KFC, L'Oreal, McDonald's, Proctor & Gamble, Progressive Insurance, Taco Bell and Wrigley.

"If these companies decide that MTV is a network worth supporting, I imagine that many infuriated parents will consider shopping elsewhere," Wildmon says.