TV & VIDEO - Oct. 24, 1988

Protests are set to begin again today when Lorimar Productions resumes the shooting of a disputed future episode in NBC-TV’s new series “Midnight Caller.” A San Francisco-based AIDS support organization on Saturday denounced the series for an episode depicting the fictitious murder of a bisexual man who knowingly infects sexual partners with the deadly virus. And last week, about 60 demonstrators shut down taping in San Francisco, calling it “sleazy . . . sensational . . . cheap television drama” that could unleash violence against carriers of the disease. The protests started after negotiations between several AIDS groups, the show’s producers, NBC officials and representatives of the mayor’s office failed to reach an agreement on changes in the script.