Schuller: The High Ground--or Bully Pulpit?

Like others caught up in public relations crises before him, the Rev. Robert H. Schuller and his associates had to decide this week how to handle allegations that Schuller roughed up a United Airlines attendant on a flight to New York City.

Would they go underground and remain silent, sit back and wait for the issue to surface and then respond, or come out swinging first by addressing the matter head-on?

The approach they chose was clearly proactive. At the Crystal Cathedral, in front of dozens of supportive staff members, Schuller smiled and held up the robe that apparently sparked the controversy with the attendant. The voice of his lawyer filtered into the sanctuary from a Chicago pay phone. The TV cameras rolled.

Faced with the fact that the story of the mid-air squabble and ensuing FBI investigation had been leaked to the media, Schuller’s people took the reins, kicking a well-oiled public relations machine into gear.

The result: The altercation--allegedly fanned by disagreements with the flight attendant over Schuller’s robe and some cheese on Schuller’s plate--made big news anyway, but with a solid Schuller spin.

“Masterful,” Larry Tenney, managing partner of Nelson Communications Group in Irvine, said of the approach.

“Any time a client thinks there may be a crisis coming, we counsel them to be forthcoming,” he said. “What I find to be very interesting is they pulled all their employees together and said, ‘Look, we want to tell you people first. We want to tell you what happened to Dr. Schuller.’ I think it’s textbook. The Exxon people could have learned from it.”

Schuller, the founder of the Crystal Cathedral, preaches to a worldwide television audience of 20 million a week. Televised communication is his medium, and he put it to use in his favor Tuesday, Tenney said, reaching out to his own base of support and getting his message into the mainstream media simultaneously.

“This guy has tremendous credibility and respect, which makes it even easier to stand up and say these things,” said Tenney, noting that Schuller is a confidant of President Clinton and was on his way to speak at the funeral of Betty Shabazz, widow of the late Malcolm X, when the fiasco occurred.

According to Schuller, the incident began when Schuller asked to hang up the robe he planned to wear at the Shabazz service, and the 35-year-old flight attendant was adamant that he could not.

Schuller said he had worked it out with the man’s supervisor, but tension with the attendant resurfaced when the man brought Schuller the same cheese-and-fruit dessert plate that everyone else was getting. Schuller said he asked for a new plate, with only fruit, and the man refused. Schuller said he then got up to make the same request of another flight attendant and noticed that the man seemed angry.

Schuller, described by his attorney as “touchy-feely,” sought to calm the man, his lawyer said, and some physical contact ensued.

Schuller’s plane was met by FBI agents, who questioned him for about five hours about the altercation. A United Airlines spokesman said the flight attendant reported the alleged scuffle and was on sick leave after seeing a company doctor.

Crystal Cathedral spokesman Mike Nason continued to field calls Wednesday, setting up a live toll-free conference call for members of the media.

“We have nothing to hide,” Nason said. “We are proactive on this. We are stunned. We are a little shellshocked.”

Nason said nearly 100 supporters of Schuller had called the cathedral to offer their support. Schuller cut short a family vacation to return to the pulpit this Sunday and discuss the incident, Nason added.

Not everyone in the field of public relations was convinced that Schuller’s address worked. Jim Delulio, executive vice president of Paine & Associates, another public relations firm, said the theatrical approach may have been a bit over the top.

“I would say in situations like that, sometimes if you doth protest too much, then maybe there is something to [the allegations], if you’re well-armed with your lawyer on the line and all your ducks lined up,” Delulio said. “You have to be careful that you don’t have slickness over substance. You can’t fool people with technology.”

It remains unclear exactly what happened aboard Flight 16 on Saturday, but some questions may soon be answered. FBI agent and spokesman Joseph Valiquette said Wednesday that the agency is wrapping up its inquiry and has sent its results to the U.S. attorney’s office, which may decide as early as today whether to press charges against Schuller.

Federal Aviation Administration officials are assisting the FBI in its investigation, said John Clabes, FAA spokesman in Oklahoma City.

“If there is evidence that they violated federal air regulation, then we assess them a civil penalty,” Clabes said. “We do it frequently to passengers who interfere with air regulations.”

The federal response to the incident, which Schuller said has been blown out of proportion by the flight attendant, is reflective of a broad federal crackdown on unruly airline passengers, Clabes said. Anyone found to be in violation of federal air regulations that prohibit interfering with the crew can face up to a $10,000 penalty.

One man was recently hit with a $1,000 fine for standing on his seat to recite religious chants, then getting belligerent when asked to sit down, Clabes said. Celebrities aren’t exempt. Actress Elizabeth Ashley was recently fined $2,000 for tampering with a smoke detector.

“The airlines have vowed to take care of their people, and I think they do,” Clabes said. “The skies are getting tougher. You’re getting unruly passengers. The [planes] are crowded, and there are more passengers.”