Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - September 8, 1990, Winnipeg, Manitoba Vancouver up Rita de Verell has some definite ideas about television including that it preach easy answers to difficult that alone sets her apart from the hours of hard sell Tel evangelism on conventional and those who have tuned into a Everetts show its about time on the Multi Faith vision to network monday at 9 and 2 and Friday at 6 and 11 have discovered it Doest look much like other programs that examine it is interesting oat both com Mercial to and simplistic religions give people simple Deverell what were dealing with at vision to is noncommercial television providing no simplistic an taking a different tack is a hallmark of Deverell now in its third season on vision the started in is broadcast via Cable to to about five million last tackled die aids crisis with a series of programs that looked bluntly at issues such As Bow the disease is transmitted and How it affects the Gay commune the shows Drew angry denunciations from some religious quarters and Praise from the idea for the program was first proposed by a major religious Orga but Deverell soon discovered the group wanted to avoid Embarrass ing issues such aids and How it was what these people wanted to do was Deal with this Issue without really dealing with it we finally made the shows without the cooperation of that Faith another series looked at the subservient role of women in religious another thorny Issue for some one of the rewards was a letter from a sikh woman who said she was grate Ful for discussion on an Issue that had never been raised Ive always believed that television has the potential for dealing with issues of involving peo of giving people permission to talk about things that Are very she while an outspoken advocate of the honest Deverell is far cry from the daytime talk show Host who goads guests into i dont personally much enjoy con she i think we must absolutely address issues mat Deverell not afraid to tackle thorny issues its about time for preach free to Are important to she comes to the program with More than her share of academic and professional born in she went to University in new York at 17 to study acting and later since Immi grating to she has produced programs for the including take 30 and the now defunct guest selection As much thought goes into the Selec Tion of guests As any other aspect of the for a show taped in a Church base ment in she Drew together a Small group of teenagers and an elderly native Indian woman to talk about the faces of racism in Canadian people you should get experts to talk about that sort of Why would anybody watch a Bunch of kids the fact of the matter is that a Bunch of kids is visually and intellectually its not where we usually go for the fact that the teenagers represent different faiths and races adds yet More said their talk serves to break Down stereotypical views Many canadians have about one of the reasons we have peo ple of different faiths and different cultures dealing with All of society issues is that Many assume that people who Are nonwhite Are concerned Only about their 54 ;