CBS is facing criticism for deciding to selectively accept advocacy advertisements for the first time during the Super Bowl. The network agreed to take $2.5 million from Focus on the Family, a conservative antiabortion, anti-gay group, and show its ad featuring All-American quarterback Tim Tebow and his mother, who tells about her decision not to abort her son after becoming seriously ill 23 years ago.
But CBS has refused to air an ad for the gay-dating website
ManCrunch, claiming the spot was “not within the Network’s Broadcast Standards for Super Bowl Sunday.”
Back in 2004, the network also turned away the United Church of Christ, which wanted to run a Super Bowl ad celebrating diversity and welcoming gay and lesbian Christians to the denomination. At that time CBS had a blanket policy of not allowing any advocacy advertising during the biggest football game of the year.
-Noel Brinkerhoff