• by Paul Gough , May 12, 2004

Is UPN shunning "Amish in the City," which would bring reality television to Amish communities that don't have television, telephones, or even electricity?

UPN has been quiet for months about whether it would greenlight the unscripted series, which would bring together five Amish teenagers and five non-Amish youth in a type of "Real World" house. It's built around the rite of rumspringa, which gives the Amish youth a greater sense of freedom than their religion has permitted them until that point. This period--about a year around age 18--gives Amish youth the chance to decide whether they would continue living in the Amish way as adults.

A reality-based program about the Amish faces several hurdles, not the least of which is that the Amish avoid being filmed or even photographed. But the biggest challenge is that UPN's proposal for the show was roundly criticized by Amish and non-Amish alike for being insensitive to religion and rural sensibilities. UPN, its parent company Viacom, and CBS President Leslie Moonves (who is also responsible for UPN) have been petitioned by dozens of members of Congress, community groups, and others who wanted the show canned.

In early March, UPN President Dawn Ostroff confirmed that the program was being cast, but said little more about it. Moonves, speaking earlier that day, said the show was still in development--but it hadn't progressed. But executives at media agencies said Wednesday that it wasn't clear where "Amish" stood. One recalled that it wasn't mentioned in UPN's development meetings earlier this year.

While that isn't a sure sign that "Amish in the City" is no more, it's not promising either. A UPN spokesman declined to discuss the status of the show.

"We'll announce our fall schedule at the upfront on May 20," the spokesman said. "All will be revealed."

Depending on what UPN decides, the show's opponents will be ready. Among them are the Center for Rural Strategies, a Whitesburg, Ky., organization that has taken the lead against "Amish in the City" and other proposed TV shows that may cast rural Americans in an unfavorable light. Dee Davis, president of the Center for Rural Strategies, said his group and others will be anxiously awaiting next Thursday's unveiling of the UPN schedule.

"We've been in touch with the coalition of churches and members of Congress and other people who are quite upset about the series," Davis said Wednesday. "We have been developing a campaign that we think will be effective, and we're waiting" for UPN's next move. He said he didn't know what would happen; he also declined to outline the specifics of the effort.

"We're keeping our powder dry until then, but we've pretty much lined up the folks that are ready to get engaged," Davis said.

Davis and others have met with both Moonves and Viacom President Mel Karmazin to discuss "Amish in the City" and CBS's "Real Beverly Hillbillies," a reality show that had earlier drawn controversy for its purported portrayal of rural Americans. A similar show that was being floated at NBC was killed by the Peacock Network, but there have been no public assurances from UPN.

"It's singling out one group for ridicule, where it's open season on rural people," Davis said. "The Amish idea is particularly pernicious in that they're talking about five Amish young people, and peeking through the blinds to see if they are going to leave their religion. Who gets paid to come up with these ideas?"

U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts, who represents in Congress the 20,000 or so Amish who live in and around Lancaster, Pa., heard complaints about "Amish in the City" from both Amish and non-Amish constituents alike who were upset about the possibility of the Amish faith being exploited on television. He started a petition against the show earlier this year that was signed by 50 fellow Congressmen and sent to Viacom, UPN, and CBS. Spokesman Derek Karchner said they haven't heard whether the show had been canned.

"We would certainly welcome that news if it's true," Karchner said.

Media buyers said that "Amish in the City" would be a hard sell to the advertising community.

"I just can't imagine that there would be a market for it," said Kristi Argyilan, executive vice president/director of media at Hill, Holliday in Boston. "A lot of clients would stay away from it."

Brad Adgate, senior vice president of research at Horizon Media in New York, said that UPN has only a 10-hour prime-time schedule, and perhaps other priorities. But, he added, there may be another reason why UPN might keep "Amish" on the shelf--or even throw it on the heap.

"I think that what's been going on in television with the FCC and things being a little more closely watched--perhaps they just decided that maybe it wasn't worth it," Adgate said.

Davis said that UPN should be given credit if they don't decide to go ahead with the show.

"We know that they've been casting, that they've been making offers to young people in Amish communities around the country," Davis said. "We know that they've been offering them money, enticing the kids to become part of it. But maybe they've come to their senses and are trying to do the right thing."