From: Herb Silverman <silvermanh@...>

Below is a letter from my wife Sharon. Please consider writing in your location, either to complain about the show not running or to praise the station for showing it.
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Mr. Moss Bresnahan
President, ETV of South Carolina
1101 George Rogers Boulevard
Columbia, SC  29201

Dear Mr. Bresnahan:

Today I spoke with Lori Parker, ETV’s Director of Marketing, and she suggested I contact you.

I called ETV to ask when “A Brief History of Disbelief” would be broadcast.  As you probably know, “Bill Moyer’s Journal” alerted ETV watchers on May 4 that this program would be carried on ETV stations  in the future, and Bill Moyers interviewed the author of the program, Jonathan Miller, about it.

I was dismayed to hear from Ms. Parker that ETV of South Carolina considers the program controversial, and might not carry it for fear  of angering some viewers and losing their financial donations.

Not so many years ago, ETV refused to broadcast programs that dealt in any way with homosexuality.  Evolution, too, was considered extremely controversial, and I have no idea how many such programs were not  shown as a result.

When you took over as president, that policy changed.  I know, because I had contacted your predecessor several times about ETV’s self-censorship, and I even wrote to Bill Moyers about it, since I had met him in Columbia one year when donors were invited to meet him.  I was proud as a South Carolina citizen when you decided a narrow-minded group of religious bullies would not determine what the rest of us  were able to see.

I happen to be an atheist living in a sea of Christians.  It is hard  to swim against this current, and ETV’s refusal to show “A Brief  History of Disbelief” only makes it harder for people like me.   Education is the best way to counter (and change) bigotry.  Throughout  the year ETV occasionally shows programs dealing with religion, but I  certainly don’t expect ETV to stop doing that because I am non-religious.

My husband, Herb Silverman, and I have been ETV members and supporters for a long time. We have been impressed with your courage in showing some controversial programs, and hope you will continue to provide the diversity this community so desperately needs.

Please do the right thing and broadcast “A Brief History of Disbelief.”

Sincerely,
Sharon Fratepietro