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NEW YORK – Dr. Laura Schlessinger’s new television show made it on the air despite advertiser boycotts and protests by gay rights groups. Now, viewer apathy may knock it off. 

With the “Dr. Laura” syndicated talk show struggling in the ratings, production has been briefly stopped for some retooling, a show spokeswoman said Friday. 

Paramount Television, which makes the show, is adding a new producer. A planned four-day break in the production schedule was moved up to this week, said Daniella Cracknell, a show spokeswoman. New shows will continue airing every weekday. 

“The show is not going off,” Cracknell said. “We’re just preparing for (ratings) sweeps.” 

The 53-year-old Schlessinger, who first gained a wide following with her radio call-in advice show, has been roundly criticized by gay activists for her comments on homosexuality, which she has termed “deviant” and “a biological error.” 

Advocates have pressured several sponsors from advertising on the show. Procter & Gamble, one of the nation’s largest advertisers, pulled ads from Schlessinger’s radio program in May and dropped plans to advertise on the television show. 

Paramount and its stations have been forced to sell advertising time at discounted rates. 

The show debuted on Sept. 11. Critics pronounced it dull, perhaps because of an effort to avoid controversy. During its first week, it averaged roughly 3 million viewers, and ratings have dropped 11 percent in the second week, said Marc Berman, an analyst for Mediaweek.com. 

“It’s a major disappointment,” Berman said. 

By contrast, “Oprah” regularly draws about 11 million viewers and “The Sally Jesse Raphael Show” gets about 6 million people, he said. Schlessinger’s ratings are only slightly better than Martin Short’s show last year, which was canceled at the end of its first season. 

“It’s obvious to me that Paramount is coaching her and toning her down,” Berman said. “That’s not what she should be doing. She should be confrontational, like she’s been on the radio.” 

A spokeswoman for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation claimed credit for the show’s slow start. 

“Hopefully, Paramount will realize the show was in trouble the second it started airing,” said Cathy Renna of GLAAD. “There’s nothing here to retool. It’s a program they need to drop.” 

Renna said Schlessinger “has not uttered the word gay” in two weeks on the air. But she said GLAAD feared Schlessinger might begin using more extreme tactics in order to attract viewers. 

Berman said the show, which attracted good time slots in stations around the country, could be in trouble if history is any guide. He compared “Dr. Laura” to the initial poor reaction to Roseanne’s talk show in 1998. That show limped to a conclusion after two years. 

“When you launch a show, you have to get it right from the beginning,” he said. “Whoever saw the show isn’t going to come back if they didn’t like it from the beginning.”