NO ‘WAR’ SEEN OVER LIBERTY FLAP

Roone Arledge, group president for ABC News and Sports, offered this theoretical scenario Thursday for competitors challenging ABC’s exclusive rights to coverage of next month’s Liberty Weekend: “There is nothing to keep us from putting a helicopter in the air and shooting the Superbowl that CBS has the rights to.”

Arledge said that he does not anticipate “Helicopter Wars” between the networks, and in fact considers such a scenario “ridiculous.”

But he also accused Cable News Network, which, along with CBS, has challenged ABC’s rights to the Statue of Liberty rededication extravaganza, of having “a history of trying to horn in on things that other people pay for.”

“There has always been an understanding among the networks. Whether CNN chooses to honor that or not, we’ll see,” he said.

Arledge, who commented on the Liberty controversy between meetings of ABC’s affiliate-station managers at the Century Plaza, said he was willing to talk further with other networks about increased access to the event.

“If we can work out access, we will,” he said. “I recognize that the Statue of Liberty is not the same as the Olympics, and we’ve tried to be sensitive to that.”

CNN initiated the controversy earlier this week when Executive Vice President Ed Turner (no relation to CNN owner Ted Turner) stated that the cable network plans to provide full coverage of the event, despite ABC’s exclusivity. Then, on Wednesday, CBS said it will consider legal action if appropriate access is not worked out.

They and NBC contend that at least portions of the Liberty Weekend festivities--particularly the July 3 ceremony at which President Reagan will relight the restored Statue of Liberty and Chief Justice Warren Burger will induct 20,000 new citizens--are news events, not entertainment events.

The White House publicly entered the controversy Thursday when presidential spokesman Larry Speakes told reporters: “Our basic position is that as much as possible should be open to all media.”

He said White House officials have had conversations with representatives of Liberty Weekend producer David L. Wolper “on what should be covered and what should not.”

Wolper had said Wednesday that any changes in the planned TV coverage would have to be made by ABC.

Arledge, unaware of Speakes’ comments when interviewed, didn’t specify what recourse ABC would take to protect its rights. But he did note that security surrounding the event would probably prohibit unofficial coverage via helicopter in the area.

He also asserted that ABC is being fair about competing coverage of the Liberty event, which the network plans to cover live for 17 1/2 hours between July 3 and July 6. He noted that the network will provide other TV organizations with a pool feed of the July 3 rededication ceremony, including Reagan, Burger and dance superstar Mikhail Baryshnikov.

The other networks also can take ABC’s coverage off the air and rebroadcast portions of it on their regular news programs, Arledge said.

“Beyond that, it’s an event with performers and spectacles and things which have been sold as an exclusive property,” he said.

ABC paid $10 million for the rights in a deal negotiated last year with the private Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation. All three commercial networks had equal opportunity to secure the rights, Arledge noted. NBC made a bid but CBS declined.

So important is the Liberty event to ABC that Arledge on Wednesday enlisted the aid of recently liberated Soviet dissident Anatoly Shcharansky and South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu to speak live by satellite on the theme of liberty to representatives of ABC’s 212 affiliate stations who are convening here this week.

Though some present at the meeting commented that Shcharansky and Tutu seemed somewhat demeaned by their use as network pitchmen, Arledge defended their participation.

“It wasn’t a sales pitch,” he said. Rather, it was an alternative to “talking about what our ratings are and all the great programs we have coming up.”

Portions of Tutu’s comments--in response to questioning by “Nightline” host Ted Koppel, who was present on the Century Plaza stage--were rebroadcast on ABC’s “World News Tonight” Wednesday, Arledge said.

ABC’s first choice for the “liberty” presentation Wednesday was President Reagan, Arledge said, “but it was the one day he was not available.”

CNN owner Ted Turner, in Los Angeles Thursday to speak to a gathering of TV critics, said that he was staying out of the rift between his network and ABC. “I have my hands full out here trying to figure out what to do with MGM,” he said, referring to the movie studio he recently purchased.