Mormon Church to ban NBC gay-themed sitcom, The New Normal, from its publicly-licensed airwaves in Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Arizona and Nevada

Andrew Rannells, Tony-nominated for the Broadway smash
Book of Mormon, stars in The New Normal and grew up in Omaha.

Update: "We will air it on the weekends" on Channel 30, said Matt Jacquint, general manager of KUCW (Salt Lake City's ABC affiliate) and KTVX (Ogden's CW affiliate). "We’re looking for a time slot right now."
 
The Hollywood Reporter says Utah station KSL-TV has announced it won't broadcast The New Normal when it premieres this fall. The show depicts a single mother's life as she becomes a surrogate for a gay couple. KSL-TV has also blacked out Saturday Night Live.

Jeff Simpson, graduate of Brigham Young
University, former Boy Scouts of America
board member and CEO of KSL-TV parent
company, LDS-owned Bonneville
International, which axed gay-themed
NBC sitcom from Mormon-controlled
airwaves in 5 states. Photo source

"After viewing the pilot episode of The New Normal, we have made the decision to keep it off our fall schedule," Jeff Simpson, CEO of KSL parent company Bonneville International, told Deseret News. "For our brand, this program simply feels inappropriate on several dimensions, especially during family viewing time.”

     "Crude dialogue, explicit content and offensive characterizations" were the main reasons why KSL-TV would not bring New Normal to air when it launches Sept. 11. The same station opted not to broadcast the shortlived NBC drama The Playboy Club, which was canceled after three episodes last fall.

      Meanwhile, co-star Ellen Barkin -- who plays an often racist and homophobic character on the comedy -- took to Twitter to call out KSL-TV's decision...

     "Anyone in Utah interested in @NBCTheNewNormal please clog up @ksl5tv feed 4 their blatantly homophic decision 2 not air the show #KSLBigots," she wrote. Another tweet read: "Shame on u ‪@kslcom‬ not airing ‪@NBCTheNewNormal‬ So L&O SVU (rape & child murder) is ok? But loving gay couple having a baby is inappropriate?"

From Wikipedia: KSL-TV is an NBC-affiliated television station located in Salt Lake City, Utah, owned by Bonneville International Corporation, which is in turn owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). KSL-TV has a large network of rebroadcast transmitters which extends its coverage throughout Utah, as well as portions of Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, and Wyoming.