"When a letter to area churches from The Observer publisher Jeffrey Peyton made its way to C-VILLE, we thought the paper was in trouble. Always concerned about our fellow local papers, we decided to check it out.

The letter stated: 'The Observer is a mainstream newspaper standing for biblical family values, but some in this community are working hard to ensure that such a newspaper is a short-lived phenomenon.' It continued by saying that area churches can help the paper out by advertising to offset the 'pro-abortion boycott efforts.'

Boycott? What boycott?

Well, back in July, Peyton, who used to write for the Christian Coalition and dubs himself a 'family values kind of guy,' caught heat from a few locals after he used his editorial privileges to print his anti-abortion opinions and refused to take ads from Planned Parenthood.

The family planning organization wanted to print a classified ad for a medical assistant's position at its clinic on Arlington Boulevard. The Observer business department contacted Planned Parenthood and told them the publisher does not support Planned Parenthood's work and therefore won't do business with them.

This led to a couple of letters to the editor taking a stand against Peyton's views. The letters ran alongside ads from the Charlottesville Chapter of the Virginia Society for Human Life, a pro-life organization.

But what about that boycott, you ask? It was tough to find people who pulled their ads from The Observer in response to Peyton's pro-life message.

George Loper, whose personal web site (www.loper.org/~george) keeps tabs of juicy, local political information, says he hasn't heard about a boycott. David Nova, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Blue Ridge, says he isn't aware of one either. Kay Slaughter, head of the local Democrats? Nope. How about Page Gilliam, who sat on the board of Planned Parenthood and is wife to George Gilliam, a leading local Dem? She says nada, too. Finally, a call to the local Planned Parenthood clinic turns up a name.

Pat Millen, owner of 2nd Wind Used Furniture, says she pulled her advertising from The Observer, which amounted to about $100 a month.

I think he needs to keep his politics to himself says Millen. 'He comes down really hard on a sensitive issue, and I found it offensive. I felt like by advertising with the paper that people would think I felt the same way, and I don't.'

But does one person constitute a boycott? Or might there be more than one? Millen says she hasn't conferred with other advertisers, and Peyton- who says he'd 'love to help' us--won't discuss business matters.

Even Catherine Peaslee, who launched The Observer in 1978, says she hasn't heard of any ad boycott. One thing she does say is that since her former paper is laced with right-wing views, she's stopped reading it. She adds she's heard others say they no longer pick it up from the newsstand.

'It's very unfortunate,' Peaslee says. 'He's using it for his own rather personal reasons or to propagate an ideology' " (C-VILLE Weekly, December 19-25, 2000).