In response to some dust stirred up by Greg Kimball at watchdog group KnowThyNeighbor.com regarding dangerous deception by syndicated Christian 'youth help' show Dawson McAllister Live, Clear Channel and the show said they have severed ties to "ex-gay" group Exodus International. The radio program had been referring kids who called in questioning their sexuality to Exodus International urging them to seek a cure.
Said Clear Channel in a statement:
We appreciate the efforts of all who shared their thoughts about recent reports concerning The Dawson McAllister Live program and the Hopeline call-in service administered by the Dawson McAllister Association. Feedback from our listeners and our communities is very important to us, and we welcome the opportunity to provide an update on developments regarding this matter.
Although Clear Channel, its Premiere Radio Networks and its radio stations are not involved in the operation of the Hopeline or the Association, we were concerned about how listener calls to the Hopeline that discussed sexuality were addressed and referrals callers were given to third parties. Clear Channel has a history of making significant commitments to diversity within our own company, and has been honored by the Human Rights Campaign for its policies regarding GLBT employees and business partners. After looking into this matter, we expressed to the producers of Dawson McAllister Live that Clear Channel listeners who call the Hopeline be treated in a manner consistent with our corporate commitments to diversity. As a result of those discussions, the Dawson McAllister Association has reviewed its training for Hopeline volunteers and will remove the Exodus organization from its referral system and remove links to Exodus from its website.
As a broadcaster, Clear Channel is committed to providing our listeners with access to a broad range of opinion and commentary, at that same time that we adhere to the highest standards as a responsible corporate citizen in our communities. We trust this clarifies our efforts to keep those principles in balance.
No word on whether the show's host would continue to espouse dangerous "conversion therapy" as a measure for teens to take.
