Document text
TV curse killer generates a buzz Minister salesman's phone hasn't quit ringing By BILL VARBLE A retired minister who is selling a gizmo that removes cuss words and adult language from TV shows and videos says he's been overwhelmed with inquiries about the thing since a story ran in the paper. "I've been numb from the phone calls," Leo Wine says. "I didn't know what to do." A June 22 Mail Tribune story detailed the efforts of Wine, of Medford, to market the device, which is known as Curse Free TV. The product is a small box that hooks up between a TV set and videocassette recorder and works off closed-captioning, censoring any of more than 100 words and phrases it has in its memory. Curse Free TV is distributed by Abundant Life, a religious group in New Orleans, La. Wine, who founded and served as the pastor of Faith Tabernacle in Ashland for 50 years, is a distributor for the product. He buys it for $120 and sells it for $169. He's seeking other distributors because he says there's a need for the product. The June 22 story turned Wine's home into a phone marathon with news organizations, potential distributors and would-be customers calling nonstop. An editing error said that Wine invented Curse Free TV. Even Fox, the network parent of sometimes potty-mouthed Bart Simpson of "The Simpsons," showed up. "I've never had two days like it in my life," Wine says. A Portland radio station called shortly after the story ran the morning of June 22 and was picked up and moved on the news wires. "My wife turned the page in the morning and said, `There it is,' and the phone started ringing," he says. He hung up and the phone rang again. It was a religious station in Coos Bay. The next call was a man from Florence who promptly signed up as a Curse Free TV distributor. "Then it started," Wine says. Three local radio stations came out to his home and did stories. He took calls from Baltimore, Md., San Antonio and Dallas, Texas, Washington, Alaska, all over. Several calls came from overseas. Wine says most of the estimated 75 calls -- he estimates half to two-thirds -- came from people wanting to be Curse Free TV distributors. Most of the rest came from news organizations. Some of the reporters lost interest when Wine told them he didn't invent the electronic censor. The rest of the calls came from people wanting to buy. The Fox network flew three staffers up from San Francisco Monday to do a story. In all the tumult, Wine signed up three distributors. To become a distributor, people must buy three of the units. "Most people were sympathetic," Wine says. "After we talked, some of the radio stations said they had calls. I gave 'em the number for Abundant Life (the number is (504) 367-4000)." Mary Savois, a secretary at Abundant Life, says Curse Free TV is made by Telco Inc. of Franklin, Tenn. It's distributed not by the church, but by a member of the church. She says it was invented by Rick Bray of Rogers, Ark. Today's Business Index Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA