• The Washington Post, Thursday, April 2, 2009 9:15 AM

The Osbourne family's variety special, "Osbournes: Reloaded" will not air or will be buried in late night in about 11% of the country. At least 16 Fox TV stations refused to air the debut of the Osbourne show this week after seeing previews of it. An additional 10 Fox stations moved the show out of prime time and into the wee hours of the morning -- as late as 1:35 a.m.

Fox has ordered six episodes of "Osbournes: Reloaded," but has scheduled only this first one, taking a wait-and-see approach. Stations that pulled the special include those in Cincinnati; West Palm Beach, Fla.; and Birmingham, Ala. Stations that delayed the broadcast until late night include Denver; St. Louis; Salt Lake City; and Kansas City.

The general manager at a Florida station notes, "When I read the preview about an 80-year-old grandmother backlit doing a striptease, I think I made the right decision. In 32 years, this is the first time I've pulled a program." Fox responds that the show "was thoroughly vetted by Standards and Practices to ensure it was appropriate for broadcast during the scheduled time period."

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