CBS Won't Air 'Reagans' Miniseries
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http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,102110,00.html
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NEW YORK — CBS announced Tuesday that it won't run the controversial miniseries "The Reagans" later this month.
The network said it was licensing the completed film to Showtime, a pay-cable network owned by CBS parent Viacom.
"Although the miniseries features impressive production values and acting performances, and although the producers have sources to verify each scene in the script, we believe it does not present a balanced portrayal of the Reagans for CBS and its audience," the network said in a statement.
CBS insisted it was not bowing to pressure about portions of the script, but that the decision was made after seeing the finished film.
The flap over the miniseries, which was set to air on Nov. 16 and 18, began late last month with a story published in The New York Times revealing portions of the script that were unflattering to President Ronald Reagan and the former first lady, Nancy.
That led to a firestorm by Republican-based political groups and Reagan supporters, some of whom threatened to boycott CBS and the products advertised during the program.
The Media Research Center (search) had asked major advertisers to review the script and consider not buying commercial time on the show.
In an unusual move, CBS officials said last week that portions of the movie were unfair and the film was being re-edited.
It is rare for a network to substantially rework a completed film just weeks before it is scheduled to be shown.
Though no one who protested the miniseries has seen it, it was condemned by the former president's friends and supporters as unfair and inaccurate.
Ed Gillespie, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, told CBS President Leslie Moonves (search) in a letter that historians should review the miniseries for historical accuracy, or the network should run a disclaimer that the program is fiction.
Gillespie said the miniseries might have omissions, distortions and exaggerations that could cause Americans to "come away with a misunderstanding of the Reagans and the Reagan administration."
Some questioned airing any dramatization of the 92-year-old's life while he struggles with Alzheimer's disease (search).
Gillespie said he hasn't seen the full miniseries but was uneasy because of news reports and brief clips that have been made public. He said he resents particularly how the miniseries reportedly depicted the Reagans' attitude on AIDS and how it was said to portray Nancy Reagan.
As a broadcast network, CBS has different standards than a pay cable network, CBS said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.