TELEVISION - April 6, 1993

Another Cancellation: Jeff King, champion of the Iditarod dog-sled race, has been canceled from his scheduled appearance on Wednesday’s “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” because, he says, Leno bowed to pressure from animal-rights activists. NBC says that King’s invitation was withdrawn because producers feared that a planned run about the studio by the record-setting dog team would injure the dogs. But King said a “Tonight” official had called his wife in Alaska to say the show had received 20 calls of protest from people threatening to picket the studio. Leno recently canceled the scheduled appearance of rap singer Shabba Ranks, who had made televised remarks offensive to gays.