WLS-AM Newstalk 890 Chicago, a Disney owned radio station, canceled commercials aired on the Art Bell show for WitchSchool.com, an online Wiccan educational site. It should be noted, the Art Bell show is known for discussing topics such as ghosts, paranormal, and having major Wiccan personalities as guests. These twice-nightly commercials have been running since October 11th in the timeslot of 12 AM – 4 AM. The commercials were canceled on Monday, October 29, the beginning of the Halloween week which is amongst the most sacred of times for Wiccans.
Susan Hallinan, the account executive for WLS-AM radio, informed WitchSchool.com that the “commercials were canceled because of the number of strongly worded emails that had been received, along with the controversy from 9-11. The management of the radio station decided it was best to pull the ads immediately.” Ms. Hallinan did not disclose the nature of the emails nor the reasoning how a Wiccan commercial site was involved in causing a controversy.
WLS-AM radio is owned and operated by ABC / Disney, which has made numerous >movies such as Teen Witch, as well as such television shows as Sabrina. Disney heavily draws from Wiccan and Pagan ideas to create characters and stories for their entertainment empire. It comes as a great surprise that ABC / Disney has chosen to cancel the first real Wiccan ads on commercial radio. In light of these facts, ABC / Disney is accepting millions of dollars to promote a witch school academy via the cross promotion of the Harry Potter movie and Coca-Cola.
Ed Hubbard, Director of WitchSchool.com, commented, “It was a great shock and surprise that a Disney owned station would cancel our ads. We specifically chose WLS-AM for its tolerance and open-mindedness as well as Disneys policies of being open to people of all cultures. Earning money from depicting witches and denying media access to Wiccan culture is a double standard that Disney has set up. While unexpected, it does show how much further Wiccans have to go to get equal treatment in the United States.
Just in time for Halloween, Disney gives witches a trick instead of a treat.
Contact Information:
Ed Hubbard
Director WitchSchool.com
director@witchschool.com
773-478-5570
Susan Hallinan
Account Executive
WLS-AM Newstalk 890
(312) 984-5286
Susan.M.Hallinan@abc.com