11 TURN OUT TO MARCH AGAINST CBS

Operation PUSH took its campaign to increase minority employment at CBS to the sidewalk Monday, when a handful of demonstrators picketed the opening of the annual CBS-TV affiliates meeting at the Century Plaza Hotel in Century City.

However, demonstration organizers said the turnout did not meet their expectations. By noon, only 11 picketers paced the sidewalk of the Avenue of the Stars in front of the hotel.

“We’re disappointed, but I think we’ve made our point,” said Melanie Lomax, an attorney and a local representative for Chicago-based Operation PUSH, a civil rights organization founded 14 years ago by the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

The demonstration was the latest move in an eight-month PUSH campaign to increase minority hiring at CBS-owned TV stations in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and St. Louis. Joining PUSH in its local campaign against CBS are the Los Angeles chapter of the Black Media Coalition, the African Collective and the Coalition Against Black Exploitation.

The demonstrators marching on Monday carried placards imploring minorities to “turn off CBS/KCBS,” and demanding “positive news coverage” of minorities by the network and its Los Angeles station, KCBS-TV.

A printed handout distributed by the demonstrators demanded the appointment of a black news anchor at KCBS, greater representation of blacks in executive and policy-making positions, increased business relationships with black businesses and professionals, and “fair and positive” programming about blacks.

Virtually unaware of the demonstrators outside the Century Plaza, CBS executives were in a two-hour closed-door meeting with more than 600 executives from its 204 affiliated TV stations. George Schweitzer, a CBS spokesman, said the demonstration was “obviously something targeted for publicity.”

He also said that CBS has been “conducting an ongoing dialogue with PUSH representatives. We feel we’ve been responsive” to the group’s demands.

While acknowledging that blacks and other minorities need better representation among the top ranks of network television, CBS officials have steadfastly refused PUSH’s entreaties for specific minority-hiring goals.

“It is unreasonable to expect any television station--in a knee-jerk fashion--to give preference overnight to any pressure group,” KCBS’ Vice President and General Manager Frank Gardner said in an interview. “Our obligation is to a huge area, with a huge number of minorities. We’re trying to serve all of those people in a responsible way.”

CBS last March named a black executive, Johnathan Rodgers, as vice president and general manager of its WBBM-TV station in Chicago. The PUSH campaign began there last fall as a protest over the demotion of a veteran black newsman, Harry Porterfield, from his WBBM anchor job.

Last month, Jackson appeared at the CBS annual shareholders meeting in Philadelphia. He attacked the network for having no blacks in top managment positions and accused it of “de facto apartheid” in its hiring and promotion practices.

According to Lomax, Jackson plans to lead a second demonstration Friday morning at KCBS-TV. He met last month with station executives and later said he had sought the meeting to “reiterate our concerns” about its minority hiring practices.