Submitted by: kirkland on Thursday August 31st, 2006 at 04:03 PM EST

General Motors, which has accounted for roughly one-fifth of the advertising revenue on the CBS reality show “Survivor” this year, has decided not to advertise on the show’s coming season, one that has attracted criticism because the makeup of the competing teams will be based on race.

Both General Motors and CBS said yesterday that G.M.’s decision to stop advertising on “Survivor” was made three months ago and was unrelated to the show’s race-based format.

Several other advertisers from previous seasons of “Survivor” also said they would not return for the next season, and said their decision was also unrelated to the new format. Among them are the Coca-Cola, Home Depot, United Parcel Service and Campbell Soup.

Mr. Ender of CBS said the show has attracted plenty of other advertisers for the new season but declined to name them.

This season’s format is different, however. Not only does it feature, according to CBS, “the series’ most ethnically diverse cast to date,” but the castaways “will initially be organized into four tribes divided along ethnic lines (African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic and white) before merging in a later episode.”

» Full story @ NY Times