The doctor is in - a new time slot

TV: Dr. Laura Schlessinger's TV show has been less successful than her radio venture.

The doctor is looking sickly.

In Baltimore, as elsewhere, sluggish ratings and a persistent public relations campaign waged by gay activists have prevented Laura Schlessinger's fledgling television talk program from gaining a secure foothold.

Now, CBS is shifting the program from the afternoon to early morning spots (such as 2 a.m.) on the local stations it owns that broadcast the show. Those stations can be found in the largest metropolitan areas in the country, such as New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. In Philadelphia, the program is being dropped from the afternoon lineup of CBS-owned station WKYW, and instead switched to its corporate sibling, the Philadelphia UPN station WPSG at 4:30 a.m.

Yesterday's move suggests a further erosion of support for Schlessinger by Viacom, the corporate behemoth that owns both CBS and Paramount, whose television studios produces "The Dr. Laura Show." (However there appears to be some evidence to the contrary; Paramount has pulled from syndication a 1999 episode of the hit sitcom "Frasier" that spoofed Schlessinger, according to reports published this week.)

Gay advocacy groups have long denounced the talk show therapist for her frequent, incendiary remarks on her radio show about homosexuality, which she has assailed as violating precepts set out in the Bible. The September start of her show on WMAR (Channel 2) in Baltimore, an ABC affiliate, and on other stations nationwide set off protests and a continuing boycott effort to pressure advertisers to steer clear of the show.

"That certainly puts the show in the hot seat," acknowledges Jeff Erdel, a spokesman for Paramount.

Erdel and Drew Berry, WMAR's general manager, say that it takes time for a syndicated show to solidify a consistent viewing audience. The program performs about in the middle of the pack for new syndicated shows, which include a combination of talk and courtroom offerings, although "The Dr. Laura Show" is generating lower ratings for WMAR than were provided last year by the more expensive "Rosie O'Donnell Show." Berry says he doesn't intend to shift the show anytime soon, but he'll watch the ratings closely.

The protests have succeeded in keeping Schlessinger off-stride.

Monday on WMAR, the ads during "Dr. Laura" included promotional spots for the station's local news shows, for ABC programs, and for the Food Network, which is partly owned by Scripps Howard, WMAR's corporate parent. There also were 800-numbers for tarot card readings and short "infomercials" for hot tubs and exercise equipment.

All in all, these are not top-drawer advertisers. A protest Web site called "StopDrLaura.com" even features a list of 93 advertisers that have promised not to air any ads on the show, including some of the biggest names imaginable - Glaxo Wellcome, Denny's, USA Today, Giant, Pillsbury and Toyota.

"It's definitely a tougher sale, locally and nationally," says Berry, WMAR's general manager. "You have a bunch of advertisers that aren't buying."

Yet there's also been little to no truly inflammatory content. Even members of GLAAD - the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Discrimination - who have been monitoring the show say they can't find much to argue with. "She's been de-fanged, in a way," said Cathy Renna, a Washington-based official of the activist group.

And there are those - mostly in the television industry - who believe she might do a whole lot better on television were she to be more confrontational.

"Quite frankly, we thought we were buying Dr. Laura as she was on the radio," Berry says. "She's come a long way to try not to be offensive. There's no question that she's sensitive to criticism, like everybody else. When I saw her first show, I said, `Well, that is not the Dr. Laura that I heard on the radio.'"

Indeed, Schlessinger is mounting a charm offensive of sorts to try to win over viewers. Last month, she issued a statement around Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, trying to clarify her position on gays and homosexuality, while not making an explicit apology. She sat for an interview with Maria Shriver on NBC's "Dateline" newsmagazine. And recent episodes of her show have focused on cities where there have been protests.

This week, she looks at Dallas, Seattle, Indianapolis, Atlanta - and Baltimore. And "The Dr. Laura Show" has been reinvented more times than Al Gore and now includes such new features as a "Web poll" on supposedly tough issues such as whether engaged couples should be required to pass a marital skills test; a moral dilemma hotline; "Weird laws of (your state here)"; and "Someone you should know," highlighting local heroes.

In Baltimore, the person scheduled to be featured is Harlow Fullwood Jr., the former city police officer and KFC franchise owner who started a foundation to generate college scholarships for needy students.