GAY CBS EMPLOYEES WANT TO ADVISE PRODUCERS

Gay employees at CBS in New York and Los Angeles have formed an affinity group and have offered to consult with producers of the network’s television shows that include or are about to include gay characters, the gay publication The Advocate reported on its website Thursday. Calling themselves CBS Angle (for Affinity Network for Gay and Lesbian Employees), the group, which, the magazine said, encompasses CBS employees from freelancers to top executives, plans to hold its first meeting in New York on Sept. 15 and in Los Angeles on September 30. The group apparently sprung from mea-culpa remarks made by CBS network president Nina Tassler at the Television Critics Association’s tour in July. Responding to a “fail” rating by the gay organization GLAAD, Tassler acknowledged, “We’re disappointed in our track record so far. … We’re not happy with ourselves.”