Where’s the Fanfare for ‘Dr. Laura’?

Paramount Television officials have maintained a low profile regarding “Dr. Laura,” the TV talk show hosted by radio personality Laura Schlessinger. Indeed, the hope seems to be that those outraged by the show are doing the studio’s promotional work for it.

After roughly nine months of protests, which have steadily gained momentum since the National Assn. of Television Program Executives convention in January, Schlessinger’s Paramount-produced television program will finally make its debut Monday, airing primarily on CBS-owned or affiliated stations in daytime slots.

Schlessinger, who bills the goal of her radio show as to “preach, teach and nag” on issues of morality, has angered a portion of the audience with comments regarding homosexuality, which, citing her religious beliefs, she has at various times referred to as “deviant” and “a biological error.” She has also discussed the viability of so-called reparative therapies designed to lead people away from “acting out” as a homosexual.

Protesters, lead by the group StopDrLaura.com, have waged a campaign to dissuade companies from sponsoring the show, and more than two dozen--including Procter & Gamble, one of the U.S.’ largest advertisers--have said they won’t associate their products with Schlessinger’s program.

Paramount won’t release a list of who will advertise within the show but has stated it will run fully sponsored. Those opposing Schlessinger will monitor the episodes, promising economic retribution against anyone advertising within the program.

“They’re trying to [position] themselves as ‘Any controversy is good controversy,’ ” said Robin Tyler, an organizer of StopDrLaura.com. “We’re going to try to show them that a lot of companies don’t feel that way financially.”

Additional public protests are scheduled Monday in several cities, including outside the Paramount lot in Hollywood at 10 a.m. A similar event was staged in March and attended by many studio employees, including the producing team responsible for one of Paramount’s most lucrative hits, “Frasier.”

Senior Paramount officials declined to be interviewed for this story, though sources say many within the studio privately hope “Dr. Laura” fails, providing them an exit from the controversy. Initial ratings may not be the best gauge of its long-term commercial prospects, since the consensus is “Dr. Laura” will benefit at first in terms of people wanting to see what all the fuss is about.

Studio sources say Paramount had some difficulty finding people to staff the show and has at times clashed with the host over its direction; however, Velma Cato, an executive producer on the show along with Schlessinger (who a spokeswoman said was unavailable for comment), denied that to be the case.

“For the most part, we pretty much determine the topics, and they say ‘OK,’ ” Cato said. “There’s been very little haggling at all.”

Activists who have attended (or, more accurately, infiltrated) tapings of the program, which have been underway for several weeks at a studio in Canoga Park, say Schlessinger has steered clear of subject matter pertaining to gays and lesbians.

The first week of shows are “Teens & Drugs: What to Do?,” “When Is an Affair an Affair?,” “Are You Your Kid’s Parent?,” “Dr. Laura’s Moral Marathon” and “Lewd Libraries”--another Schlessinger crusade, criticizing what she has characterized as kids’ access to pornography through libraries.

“She’s staying on very safe topics--’kids and alcohol don’t mix,’ ” said Scott Seomin, entertainment media director for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

Asked Wednesday on Larry King’s CNN show whether she would deal with gay issues, Schlessinger said, “If something relevant comes up, that’s useful to the community, sure.”

Opponents contend Schlessinger is responsible, as Tyler put it, for “contributing to a climate . . . of hatred and bigotry,” arguing that Viacom--which owns both Paramount and CBS--wouldn’t provide a forum for a personality who espoused perceived anti-black or anti-Jewish rhetoric.

Several organizations have come to Schlessinger’s defense--some on 1st Amendment grounds, others because they support her views, among them the Family Research Council, an advocate of reparative therapy. The group has lauded her for “courageously speaking the truth about immoral, unhealthy and dangerous aspects of homosexuality, and the hope afforded by the ex-gay movement.”

Schlessinger has acknowledged that the campaign against her has taken a toll, which gay activists point to as proof of their community’s financial clout. In July, she placed a “call to action” on her Web site urging fans who “value our relationship as much as I do” to support her sponsors by using their products and services.

KCBS-TV, which has long languished in the ratings behind its network-owned counterparts, has scheduled “Dr. Laura” locally at 3 p.m., opposite “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and “The Rosie O’Donnell Show.” The program will precede “Judge Judy,” which shifted to the CBS station in late August and will begin its new season on Monday as well.

John Severino, president of the CBS-owned TV stations group and general manager of KCBS, indicated “Judge Judy” is the more important franchise because the station’s hope is that show will boost its ratings for the local news, which immediately follows it. He also suggested ratings success for a program historically overcomes efforts to pressure advertisers.

“Once people think it’s a good buy, they’ll buy it,” he said. “I don’t think any amount of protest is going to scare all the advertisers away.”

Like Howard Stern and Rush Limbaugh, Schlessinger’s empire has extended into publishing, with several bestselling books to her credit; however, both those nationally syndicated personalities haven’t fared as well in television, and some question whether Schlessinger will translate well into that medium.

Reports from early tapings--some admittedly biased--said Schlessinger was having a hard time adjusting to being on camera. On a more general level, few advice-oriented programs have found a receptive audience in TV, with Dr. Joy Browne among the recent casualties.

According to Cato, any observations from test tapings were unfair. “She’s very comfortable with the camera,” Cato said, calling Schlessinger “a true natural.”

The host herself appears braced for a lengthy fight. In July, Schlessinger informed fans she would begin reading certain sponsors’ ad copy on the radio as a means of “expressing my profound appreciation to them for hanging in there with me through tough times. . . . It often takes awhile for the good guys to win. But we’re all in this for the long haul. We will prevail.”

* “Dr. Laura” premieres Monday at 3 p.m. on KCBS-TV.