Date: Mon, 5 May 1997 22:19:57 -0700 (PDT) From: Rex Wockner Subject: NC3595: HRC Action Alert: Contact ABC, Disney & 'Ellen' Advertisers ________________________________________________________ ACTION ALERT from the Human Rights Campaign 1101 14th Street NW Washington, DC 20005 email: hrc@hrc.org WWW: http://www.hrc.org ________________________________________________________ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, May 2, 1997 THANK ABC, DISNEY AND ADVERTISERS WHO STAYED WITH `ELLEN' ... ...And Tell Chrysler, J.C. Penney and Wendy's How Disappointed You Are That They Withdrew Their Sponsorship for Coming Out Episode Religious political extremists continue to be up in arms about the historic April 30 coming out episode of the ABC sitcom "Ellen," in which the show's lead character acknowledged that she is a lesbian. Anti-gay groups -- who object to any fair and accurate portrayals of lesbian and gay people on television -- are turning up the heat on the show's advertisers. ABC and Disney, which produces "Ellen," have also come under fire for airing the show. Chrysler, J.C. Penney and Wendy's need to hear your disappointment at their decision to cave in to anti-gay pressure and withdraw their sponsorship from the "Ellen" episode. Voicing your opinion is particularly important as these corporations are deciding whether to resume their advertising on future episodes. Also, ABC, Disney and the companies who stood up to anti-gay pressure and refused to pull their advertising from the show need to hear your appreciation for their fair-mindedness. *Act Now* Contact ABC and Disney to thank them for airing the coming out episode of "Ellen:" Ms. Jamie Tarses, Entertainment President ABC Television Network 2040 Avenue of the Stars Los Angeles, CA 90067 phone: (310) 557-7777 fax: (310) 557-7679 e-mail: abcaudr@ccabc.com Mr. David Neuman, President Walt Disney Television Touchstone Television 500 South Buena Vista Burbank, CA 91521 phone: (818) 560-1000 http://www.tvplex.com/Note ________________________________________________________ Contact Chrysler, J.C. Penney and Wendy's to let them know you disagree with their decision to withdraw their sponsorship of the April 30 "Ellen" episode: Call Chrysler: (800) 992-1997 Select option "1" for their Media/PR line and listen to the recording selections, then select option "2" for their "Ellen" line. Finally, select option "2" to disagree with their decision to pull sponsorship. Robert J. Eaton, Chairperson Chrysler Corporation 1000 Chrysler Drive Auburn Hills, MI 48326 (810) 576-5741 William Howell, Chair J.C. Penney Company, Inc. P.O. Box 10001 Dallas, TX 75301 phone: (972) 431-1000 fax: (972) 431-1977 e-mail: webmaster@jcpenney.com Dave Thomas, CEO Wendy's 4288 W. Dublin Granville Road Dublin, OH 43017 customer comment line: (800) 82-WENDY Corporate headquarters phone: (800) 443-7266 ________________________________________________________ Finally, contact these companies and thank them for their fair-minded decision to advertise on the April 30 "Ellen" episode: Helge H. Wehmeier, President and CEO Bayer Corporations One Mellon Center 500 Grant St. Pittsburgh, PA 15219-2507 phone: (412) 394-5500 fax: (412) 394-5586 http://www.bayerus.com e-mail: Nora.Kohnfelder.B@bayer.com Calvin Klein, Inc. Consumer Affairs 725 5th Avenue New York, NY 10022 phone: (212) 326-6800 fax: (212) 319-6628 E*TRADE Securities, Inc. 4 Embarcadero Place 2400 Geng Road Palo Alto, CA 94303 phone: (800) 786-2575 http://www.etrade.com e-mail: service@etrade.com Gap, Inc. One Harrison Street San Francisco, CA 94105 phone: (415) 952-4400 http://www.gap.com HBO Consumer Affairs 1100 6th Avenue New York, NY 10036 phone: (212) 512-1208 Seagram Corporate Headquarters 375 Park Avenue New York, N.Y. 10152 phone: (212) 572-7000 fax: (212) 572-1264 Slim-Fast Foods P.O. Box 3625 West Palm Beach, FL 33402 phone: (561) 833-9920 Sony Corporate Headquarters 550 Madison Ave. New York, NY 10022 phone: (800) 282-2848 http://www.spe.sony.com/Pictures/feedback.html Twentieth Century Fox P.O. Box 900 Beverly Hills, CA 90213 phone: (310) 369-3066 Sumner Redstone, CEO Viacom 1515 Broadway New York, NY 10036 (212) 258-6000 http://www.viacom.com Volkswagen of America 3800 Hamlin Road Auburn Hills, MI 48326 Attn: Maria Leonhauser phone: (800) 822-8987 http://www.vw.com/ Chris Pula, President, Theatrical Marketing Warner Brothers 4000 Warner Blvd. Burbank, CA 91522-1542 Melvin R. Goodes - Chairman and CEO Warner-Lambert http://www.warner-lambert.com/info/feedback.html http://warner-lambert.com ________________________________________________________ The Human Rights Campaign is the largest national lesbian and gay political organization, with members throughout the country. It effectively lobbies Congress, provides campaign support and educates the public to ensure that lesbian and gay Americans can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in the community. To join, call (800) 777-4723. - 30 -