TVSquad

Earlier this week we told you about the Big Brother controversy, when a contestant, Adam, referred to autistic individuals as "retards," and how John Gilmore of advocacy group Autism United, had demanded an apology from the network. Now comes word that his group's influence has resulted in a major advertiser, Lowe's, pulling its commercials from Big Brother.

Lowe's Karen Cobb explained to Adweek, "Once it was brought to our attention, we decided not to advertise [on Big Brother] further." During the February 13 episode, a Lowe's commercial did air, but according to Ms. Cobb, Lowe's does not routinely advertise on this reality show and will not in the future.

Mr. Gilmore approved of the advertiser's stance. "We're delighted Lowe's is doing the responsible thing. These companies are very careful about developing their brand image and relationships with their customers," said Gilmore. "Being associated with Big Brother and the comments made on the show is something most responsible companies should not want to deal with."

CBS responded by issuing a statement, that said in part: "We certainly find the statements made by Adam to be offensive, but believe they were countered by the immediate reaction of shock and condemnation from a fellow houseguest (Sheila). ... At times, the Houseguests reveal prejudices and other beliefs that we do not condone. Any views or opinions expressed in personal commentary by a houseguest appearing on Big Brother, either on any live feed from the house or the broadcast, are those of the individual(s) speaking and do not represent the views or opinions of CBS or the producers of the program."

While it's all well and good for CBS to distance itself from Adam's offensive remarks, the fact airing them has now led to a loss of advertising. That cannot be perceived as a sound business decision. Had CBS simply edited his remark prior to airing, or issued an immediate apology as Gilmore asked, they would have avoided this controversy and loss of revenue.