CBS goes on the defensive over 'Kid'

August 27, 2007 Reality shows might need to court controversy to succeed, but a spreading hubbub around CBS' "Kid Nation" suggests that sometimes execs need to be careful what they wish for. AFTRA said Friday that it will probe whether producers of "Kid Nation" violated their union contract by any sort of harsh treatment of amateur kid performers on the CBS reality show, set to premiere Sept. 19. Shot on location at a ghost town in New Mexico, the show assembled a group of 40 kids ages 8-15 who had to fend for themselves by cooking, cleaning and even forming their own local "government."

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