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NBC's prime time Saturday poker show, Face The Ace, had only 1.46 viewers in its second showing. Things could have been worse as the program apparently didn't lose many viewers (debuting with 1.59 million). As it turns out, Face The Ace is not being broadcast in all markets. Salt Lake City residents are being deprived of the show, which may not be such a bad thing based on the critical panning.
KSL Channel 5, the local television station owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, won't air the prime-time poker game show Face the Ace, saying the subject of gambling does not meet "community standards."
"The whole idea of gambling is an issue for us, and so we have chosen to pre-empt it," said KSL general manager Greg James. "We talked about it [with KSL's programming director and the station's senior managers], and we didn't feel it matched up with community standards."
KSL pre-empts other poker shows appearing on the Peacock network, including its late night installment of Poker After Dark.
NBC, however, calls Face the Ace a "game show," and says it arguably doesn't involve gambling because contestants play without the risk of losing their own money.
Gambling is banned in Utah as is any state lottery.
The Salt Lake City NBC affiliate is not alone in its stance. Both the Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Houston, Texas NBC affiliates refuse to air Face The Ace because of policies banning gambling.
Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
