Independent WADL-TV Detroit has shelved its “Sixty Seconds with the Mayor” PSAs after a candidate for the office demanded equal time. Look for a resumption after the November 4th election.
WADL said it made the decision after Tom Barrow, a candidate for Mayor, demanded a PSA for his candidacy in spite of not being an elected official in the City of Detroit.
“Our commitment to providing the community with access to the station and valuable information is of the utmost importance to us. It is not a political platform, it is a public service to the community. It is unfortunate that Mr. Barrow and his team have disregarded the protocol for the PSAs and the requirement to be an elected official, serving in that capacity. We had previously scheduled Mr. Barrow and Mayor Bing for a one-on-one interviews on ‘Center Stage with Bankable Thompson,'” said Lewis Gibbs President WADL TV 38.
Retired Detroit Pistons player Dave Bing has only been Mayor since a May special election, when he defeated Kenneth Cockrel Jr., who, as head of the City Council, became Mayor in September 2008 when Kwame Kilpatrick resigned and went off to serve a jail term.
Barrow had charged that the PSAs on WADL, which began in September, were really free ads for Bing ahead of the November 3rd election.
“This feature is for the citizens, and the viewers. The sole purpose is for disseminating information that is available for distribution by a city official. It is not for campaigning,” noted Denise Dody Johnson, WADL Marketing and Public Relations Director.
WADL said the feature will go on hiatus until after the election. The television feature will resume with the Mayor of the City of Detroit on November 4th, 2009.
