TV Psychic Scraps WTC Séance
The show had come under fire from advertisers and station executives after word leaked earlier this week that producers were planning to air special episodes showing Edward channeling the souls of victims killed in the September 11 terror attacks.
Industry trade Broadcasting & Cable first reported on Crossing Over's plans this week, saying both the cable version on the Sci Fi channel and its syndicated spinoff had begun conducting "readings" between grieving relatives and their dead loved ones. The sessions were taped and reportedly slotted for prime November-sweeps airdates.
The shows "will be done tastefully" and "won't be exploitative," a rep for Crossing Over's syndicator, Studios USA, was quoted as saying.
Talk about a lack of vision. Despite the assurances, advertisers and executives at several CBS affiliates that carry the show, including WCBS-TV in New York, objected to the plan, saying it was a crass attempt to cash in on a national tragedy.
With support for the specials waning, Studios USA didn't need ESP to figure out they wouldn't fly. On Friday, the company announced it was scrapping the specials.
"The show has been inundated with calls and pleas for readings from grieving families of the World Trade Center victims looking for comfort and closure," reads a statement on Studios USA's Crossing Over Website. "Many of these readings have been done privately and will continue to be done privately."
"However, these readings will NOT air as part of the Crossing Over with John Edward television show."
Although Studios USA honcho Steve Rosenberg describes the reaction against the show as "a little crazy," he tells Broadcasting & Cable that "we have too good a show to do something that might offend the audience."
Edward, who claims to "reunite people in the physical world with their loved ones who have crossed over," launched his show last year on the Sci Fi channel and expanded into syndication this fall.
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