From Reuters
Bill Maher Plans Low-Profile ABC Exit
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -- Nine months after a post-Sept. 11 furor that refused to die down, "Politically Incor-rect with Bill Maher" will end its five-year run on ABC later this month with a low profile gathering of his favorite guests. The Walt Disney Co-owned network said on Wednesday it will air the final original episode of the pro-vocative late-night show on Friday, June 28, then air repeats during the first week of July. The last episode will tape June 27. Based on the premise that conventional public affairs shows are too serious, "Politically Incor-rect" presented a nightly mix of entertainers, politicians and commentators for lively, often irreverent, discus-sions of current events led by Maher, noted for skewering some of society's biggest sacred cows. Rather than booking A-list stars for his ABC swan song, though, Maher invited four guests he considers "steadfast friends of the show." Confirmed for the final night are columnist Ann Coulter, actor-comedian Christopher "Kid" Reid, syndicated columnist Arianna Huffington and actress-singer Michelle Phillips. Maher has said his relations with ABC have never recovered from the outcry over his on-air remarks suggesting the United States was more "cowardly" than suicide hijackers who crashed jetliners into the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Those re-marks, during Maher's first broadcast after the Sept. 11 tragedy, drew a public rebuke from the White House, sparked a defection by some advertisers and prompted a number of local affiliates to drop the show. The ax fell last month, when ABC announced it was canceling the program. The veteran ABC News program "Night-line," hosted by Ted Koppel, is expected to begin broadcasting a second half-hour edition once "Politically In-correct" leaves the airwaves.
Bill Maher Plans Low-Profile ABC Exit
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -- Nine months after a post-Sept. 11 furor that refused to die down, "Politically Incor-rect with Bill Maher" will end its five-year run on ABC later this month with a low profile gathering of his favorite guests. The Walt Disney Co-owned network said on Wednesday it will air the final original episode of the pro-vocative late-night show on Friday, June 28, then air repeats during the first week of July. The last episode will tape June 27. Based on the premise that conventional public affairs shows are too serious, "Politically Incor-rect" presented a nightly mix of entertainers, politicians and commentators for lively, often irreverent, discus-sions of current events led by Maher, noted for skewering some of society's biggest sacred cows. Rather than booking A-list stars for his ABC swan song, though, Maher invited four guests he considers "steadfast friends of the show." Confirmed for the final night are columnist Ann Coulter, actor-comedian Christopher "Kid" Reid, syndicated columnist Arianna Huffington and actress-singer Michelle Phillips. Maher has said his relations with ABC have never recovered from the outcry over his on-air remarks suggesting the United States was more "cowardly" than suicide hijackers who crashed jetliners into the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Those re-marks, during Maher's first broadcast after the Sept. 11 tragedy, drew a public rebuke from the White House, sparked a defection by some advertisers and prompted a number of local affiliates to drop the show. The ax fell last month, when ABC announced it was canceling the program. The veteran ABC News program "Night-line," hosted by Ted Koppel, is expected to begin broadcasting a second half-hour edition once "Politically In-correct" leaves the airwaves.