As Kincaid explains:
The new owners of MSNBC at Comcast got rid of one problem when Keith Olbermann was let go by the left-leaning cable channel, but they have another big problem on their hands—their G4 cable television network is scheduled to devote an evening’s worth of programs on April 20, dubbed a “pot smoking holiday” by marijuana users, to celebrating and promoting the drug. Parents and anti-drug activists are outraged.
A G4 promotion ad for the programming shows marijuana cigarettes, marijuana leaves, young people smoking dope, and the dope itself, while the Andy Williams song, “The most wonderful time of the year,” is played. It mocks the loss of memory that accompanies marijuana use, as someone is heard coughing and saying, “What was I calling for?”
The graphic, “A Division of NBC Universal,” is at the bottom of the page. Comcast Corporation owns a controlling 51 percent interest in NBC Universal, with General Electric holding a 49 percent stake.
Rebecca Hernandez of H.A.R.M. (Health Advocates Rejecting Marijuana) says, “Comcast/NBC Universal is responsible to their viewing audience and to our nation’s youth for making more appropriate programming decisions around drug use, drug promotion and trivialization.”
“We struggle daily to push back against the pro-marijuana lobby and their message to youth trivializing and normalizing marijuana use,” she told AIM.
In the Olbermann case, Comcast said it had no role in Olbermann’s departure because the firm had not closed the transaction for NBC Universal and had no operational control of any of its properties, including MSNBC.
But the G4 case is something else entirely, since the merger and takeover have gone through and there is no question that Comcast/NBC Universal has total control over G4. It will be difficult, if not impossible, for Comcast to wash its hands of the decision to air several hours of “stoner” programming, even though similar material has been airing on the cable network in previous years.
Kelly Susco, a publicist for G4, told AIM that “The legal use of marijuana will be explored, and its illegal use will not be condoned.”
But one of the G4 programs, “Super High Me,” is described as a docu-comedy featuring comedian Doug Benson as he “smokes marijuana every day for 30 days and hilarity ensues as viewers witness the impact this has on his everyday life.”
Another show will enable viewers “to fly across the globe to the Spannabis cup in Barcelona, where Alex Sim-Wise explores the world’s biggest pot festival, to see the crowning of the number one strain in Europe. Returning to the States, viewers will see when what happens in Denver at High Times Medical Cannabis Cup!”
These “Spannabis cup” and “Cannabis cup” events are designed to celebrate techniques for growing the best dope.
Susco acknowledged that “The programming is not appropriate for every viewer (especially children) and G4 is committed to empowering parents to control what their children are watching.”
She added, “Through cable and satellite providers there are a variety of tools that let customers decide what their families may see.”
