After a troubled year of advertiser boycotts, dismal ratings and an embarrassing move to the night shift, Paramount Pictures Television has pulled the plug on the ailing TV talk show of radio's Dr. Laura Schlessinger.
The last episode of Dr. Laura was taped this week, the Associated Press reports, ending the show's run after only one season.
Protests of the show began long before its September debut, with a May demonstration in Chicago setting the tone for events across the country.
"Chicago played a very significant role in getting this campaign off the ground," said Andy Thayer, an organizer with StopDrLaura.com . "The model used here was exported around the country."
Protests were held in 31 cities on Stop Dr. Laura National Days of Protest Sept. 9-11.
Both StopDrLaura.com and Schlessinger herself blamed the pressure applied by gay-rights groups for the show's eventual demise.
"I believe it could have earned a substantial audience in time, but the television advertiser boycott precluded that," Schlessinger told the AP.
More than 100 advertisers&emdash;including heavy hitters such as Procter & Gamble&emdash;pulled their advertising from the program in the wake of outspoken public protest.
Thayer applauded the efforts of organizers around the country, many of whom had never been involved in demonstrations before.
"This has brought a fresh coterie of organizers into the field," he said. "It took a lot of courage to step forward. It took a lot of guts, and it took a lot of passion."
Dr. Laura began with an afternoon time slot, but lackluster ratings drove it to the overnight shift in major markets including Chicago, New York and Los Angeles.
StopDrLaura.com and organizations such as the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation targeted Schlessinger for ongoing anti-gay comments on her syndicated radio show. The most widely cited included her statements that homosexuality is "deviant" and "a biological error."
Her radio show still airs on more than 400 stations across the U.S. and Canada, reaching an estimated 18 million listeners.
Thayer is hosting a celebration party at 8 p.m. this Saturday, April 7, at 4404 N. Magnolia, #420.
