Nbc Tv Shows

MAYBE NBC executives can take a joke. Network officials said they weren't planning on taking legal action against New Times Los Angeles Following the publication of a made-up story, which claimed NBC had signed the two Lancaster teens abducted last month to host their own prime-time reality show.

"We have no plans to pursue a lawsuit at this time although we reserve the right to do so," said NBC spokeswoman Rebecca Marks. Tamara Brooks and Jacqueline Marris were abducted and raped by Roy Ratliff, who was shot dead by law enforcement officials just hours after the kidnapping. Days later, the girls made an appearance on NBC's "Today" show.

New Times featured a piece in its Aug. 15 issue by "Antoine Oman" that said NBC was signing the girls to host a mid-season replacement tentatively titled "SurviveThis!" The show was described as a contest in which teens. would be placed in a remote location with paroled sex offenders and be forced to make it to safety.

The joke generated a flood of response--and not everyone realized it was a parody. Even Internet muckraker Matt Drudge fell for it, according to New Times Editor Rick Barrs. The paper responded by printing a second gag story, this one claiming fictitious freelance writer Oman had been fired for fabricating the NBC story.

"We were just trying to pimp NBC a little bit for their fawning coverage of these two rape victims. There's just something a little unsavory about that, putting these two girls on TV," Barrs said. "Our whole point is, if these had been fat, ugly rape victims, we doubt N:BC would be all over them like that.

COPYRIGHT 2002 CBJ, L.P.
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group

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