LOS
ANGELES (AP) — The Miss USA pageant, left without a TV home following
blowback against co-owner Donald Trump over his comments on Mexican
immigrants, has been rescued by the Reelz channel.
Reelz
CEO Stan E. Hubbard said in a statement Thursday that the cable and
satellite channel acquired the rights because of a belief that the
pageant and the women who compete in it "are an integral part of
American tradition."
"As
one of only a few independent networks, we decided to exercise our own
voice and committed ourselves to bringing this pageant to American
viewers everywhere," Hubbard said.
While
Reelz, which reaches 70 million homes, said it considered the interests
of Miss USA contestants, the host city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and
viewers in making its decision, it made no mention of Trump or the hot
water he's found himself in since he announced his presidential bid in
June.
In
an interview, Hubbard said the pageant is the issue, not Trump. He said
the billionaire won't make any money off the telecast.
"I
completely understand why millions of people were offended by what
Donald Trump said. I think his comments were incredibly insensitive and
wrong. I disagree with them completely and totally," Hubbard said,
adding, "I also believe this pageant is as nonpolitical" as an event can
be.
In
his June presidential campaign announcement, Trump said that some
Mexican immigrants to the U.S. bring drugs and crime, and some are
rapists. NBC, Trump's partner in the Miss USA pageant, cited his
comments when it cut business ties with him and dropped its pageant
telecast.
That left Miss USA adrift and created an opening for Reelz.
Hubbard
said the license fee negotiated with the pageant was well below market
value for such events and so small that it "won't put even a dent in the
production costs" shouldered by the pageant. He declined to specify the
amount.
"The
point is that people who were offended want to make sure he's (Trump)
not going to profit from our decision," and that won't happen, Hubbard
said.
Trump declined to comment on the Reelz acquisition.
The
pageant also won't make money from commercial spots; any revenue will
go to Reelz. Hubbard said it will be a scramble to sign advertisers both
because of timing and the controversy surrounding the pageant.
This
isn't the first time Reelz has gone its own way. When the History
channel dropped "The Kennedys" miniseries that had been made for it,
saying it didn't fit its brand, Reelz aired it in 2011 and was rewarded
with record channel ratings and awards attention.
Reelz
said the Miss USA pageant will be televised July 12, its originally
scheduled date on NBC. The pageant will have to scramble after a mass
exodus of performers, hosts and judges who cited opposition to Trump's
views as the reason.
Hubbard
said he's optimistic the telecast will be "loaded with talent and heavy
entertainment value," and said he'd prefer to see a Hispanic host.
Rapper
Flo Rida had been the highest profile performer scheduled for Miss USA,
and his representative confirmed Wednesday that he wouldn't perform.
Country singer Craig Wayne Boyd, winner of "The Voice" last year, and
pop singer Natalie La Rose also dropped out. There were no more
announced performers.
FILE
- In this June 16, 2013, file photo, Donald Trump, left, and Miss
Connecticut USA Erin Brady pose onstage after Brady won the 2013 Miss
USA pageant in Las Vegas. The Reelz channel said Thursday, July 2, 2015,
it will carry Trump's Miss USA pageant that was dropped by NBC after
Trump made critical comments about immigrants from Mexico. (AP
Photo/Jeff Bottari, File)
In
a Miss USA news release last month, the judges were listed as HGTV star
Jonathan Scott, country singer Jessie James Decker, E! News anchor
Terrence Jenkins, TV host and former Miss Universe winner Zuleyka Rivera
and Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith.
Of
that quintet, only Decker's name was listed as a judge by Miss USA on
its website Wednesday. That's the day Smith dropped out.
The
pageant lost both of its co-hosts, Cheryl Burke of "Dancing With the
Stars" and MSNBC anchor Thomas Roberts, on Tuesday. On Wednesday,
Jeannie Mai, who hosted a show on the Style Network, was listed as a
show host.
Last
week, the hosts of the now-abandoned Univision Spanish-language
simulcast, Roselyn Sanchez and Cristian de la Fuente, said they wouldn't
take part in it.
Trump's
campaign comments struck many Latinos as insensitive, and Univision's
decision last week to back out of televising Miss USA and break off its
business ties with Trump led to a cascade of others following suit.
Trump responded by suing Univision on Tuesday.
Aside from the pageant world, there has growing fallout on other fronts for the GOP presidential hopeful and businessman.
On
Wednesday, the Macy's department store chain, which carried a Donald
Trump menswear line, said it was "distressed" by Trump's remarks and was
ending its relationship with him.
Trump
said in a statement that he had decided to end his relationship with
Macy's because of pressure on them by outside sources.
"Both
Macy's and NBC totally caved at the first sight of potential difficulty
with special interest groups who are nothing more than professional
agitators," Trump said.
FILE-
In this June 16, 2015 file photo, Republican presidential candidate
Donald Trump speaks to supporters during a rally in Des Moines, Iowa.
Donald Trump's lawyers said Trump and the Miss Universe pageant have
sued Univision for $500 million on Tuesday, June 30, 2015, claiming
Trump's First Amendment rights were violated when the company backed out
of its contract to air the Miss USA contest. (AP Photo/Charlie
Neibergall, File)
Also
on Wednesday, New York City officials said they were reviewing the
city's contracts with Trump in light of his comments, and Mayor Bill de
Blasio issued a statement calling them "disgusting and offensive,"
adding that "this hateful language has no place in our city."
The Trump Organization currently operates several city concessions, including a golf course, ice skating rink and carousel.
Representatives for Trump did not respond Wednesday to an email seeking comment on the city's review.
The
PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, USGA and PGA of America also on Wednesday
distanced themselves from Trump in a statement and said his remarks were
"inconsistent with our strong commitment to an inclusive and welcoming
environment in the game of golf."
Gov.
Susana Martinez of New Mexico, the nation's only Latina governor and a
rising star in the Republican party, added her voice Wednesday to
criticism of the GOP presidential hopeful, denouncing his comments as
"horrible."
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