CBS shoves Dr. Laura into late night slots, or dumps her

Thursday, November 9th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Citing low ratings, CBS told its stations Tuesday to move the syndicated television series "Dr. Laura" to a less desirable time slot or replace it altogether.

"The program got off to a slow start when it premiered nine weeks ago, and has since seen further ratings erosion," a CBS statement said, adding that it wants its stations to make the change by Monday.

Gay-rights groups had pushed for the show's cancellation because host has called gays and lesbians "deviants" and "biological errors" on her radio show.

Most of the stations will move "Dr. Laura" into late-night "as we continue to monitor the development of the program," the network said.

CBS-owned stations carrying the program are: WCBS-TV New York, KCBS-TV Los Angeles, WBBM-TV Chicago, KWY-TV Philadelphia, KPIX-TV San Francisco, KTVT-TV Dallas and KEYE-TV Austin.

Philadelphia's KYW-TV is dropping the program, replacing it with a second hour of the Sally Jesse Raphael show.

But night-owl Philadelphians will still be able to see "Dr. Laura." KYW's sister station WPSG will run it at 4:30 a.m., said Joanne Calabria, a KYW spokeswoman. KYW had run at 10 a.m. the 60-minute television program, which launched in September.

"There was not a lot of sponsor interest in the show," said Calabria.

The executive director of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation took credit for the change.

"GLAAD's 'get out the vote' efforts on Dr. Laura have moved people to action," said Joan M. Garry. "Audiences and advertisers alike have stepped up and done what Paramount and Schlessinger have refused to do; they've taken responsibility for rejecting those who profit from the politics of exclusion.

In the wake of these decisive votes against Dr. Laura, it falls to Paramount to heed the will of the people and cancel this show."