CBS caving in to conservative groups by dropping the planned mini-series "The Reagans," about Ronald and Nancy Reagan, and punting it to cable cousin Showtime. The move reeks
of self-censorship, and makes CBS execs out to be a bunch of jellyfish willing to capitulate to political groups. As word of the series started to leak out, conservatives rallied
around former President Reagan, now incapacitated from Alzheimer's disease. CBS claimed that all of the controversial episodes in the program -- Reagan's apathy toward people with
AIDS -- were backed up by reputable Reagan sources. But if the network was nervous it should have gotten the scalpel out and done a little editing rather than dumping it on cable
(and a much smaller audience than CBS would garner). Now any political group, regardless of the stripe, may take on programs they deem unworthy to the (fill-in-the-blank) cause.
What happened to letting the people decide? By canceling the series, CBS has shown to the public -- and investors -- that, when push comes to shove, it has little faith in its
brand or employees. For the broadcaster once known as the Tiffany Network, it's a real black eye.
Bad PR
