- Public access television has too often been a home for off-the-wall types to vent their anger and obscenities. In Tampa, Florida, it has gotten so bad that the Catholic League was summoned to act.
- There is an outfit there called Speak Up Tampa Bay that puts on a program called “The Happy Show.” In one of the shows a young man was shown dressed in a nun’s habit mouthing off about all kinds of things. In another show they featured a woman showering offering closeups of her genitals. The Catholic League protested the Speak Up Tampa Bay, a not-for-profit group, and its show.
- In a letter to the Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners, William Donohue asked whether Speak Up Tampa Bay had violated its contract with the Board of Commissioners. Donohue noted that a county staff attorney had rendered an opinion charging the group with a breach of contract.
- As a result of the Catholic League’s action, the Board voted 5-2 to force Speak Up Tampa Bay to provide documentation that it is not in violation of its contract. The group is now threatening a lawsuit if the county doesn’t withdraw its breach of contract claim. We will keep league members abreast of the outcome.
