KSL Salt Lake Rebuffs 'Playboy Club'

Station in conservative Utah says its brand incompatible with bunny icon

By Michael Malone -- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/13/2011 12:10:03 PM

KSL Salt Lake City has told NBC that it will not air The Playboy Club in the fall. The decision "is based on the station's long-term policy to screen programming for material which significant portions of our audience may find objectionable," said KSL on its website.

NBC did not comment at presstime. A spokesperson had not heard of any NBC affiliates vowing not to air the rookie show.

Playboy Club, a dark drama featuring a Don Draper-esque leading man, played by Eddie Cibrian, and a hutch of women in bunny costumes, is set in Chicago in the 1960s. The show stood out amidst a large batch of new programs at NBC's upfront presentation in May. A number of affiliates in attendance said they were curious about how Playboy Club would be regarded by viewers.

KSL is in DMA NO. 32. The station is owned by Deseret Media Companies, which is owned by the Mormon church.

KSL President/CEO Mark Willes said the Playboy and KSL brands are hardly a match. "The Playboy brand is known internationally. Everyone is clear what it stands for," he said in a statement. "We want to be sure everyone is clear what the KSL brand stands for, which is completely inconsistent with the Playboy brand."

Lined up for the 10 p.m. Monday slot in September, NBC.com says of Playboy Club: "This provocative new series captures a time and place that challenged the social mores."

KSL.com said the station and the network "will look for options to allow the show to be seen in this market on another channel."