In December of 2001,
NBC made an announcement that got little attention from
the general public: after more than 50 years, the television
network would lift its ban on hard liquor advertisements.
As part of the announcement, NBC laid out special guidelines
that attempted to protect children. Liquor ads would only
be shown between 9-11 p.m. and during "The Tonight
Show with Jay Leno" or during a program that had an
audience of 85% or more people over the legal drinking age.
The liquor ads could not feature professional athletes or
any actors under 30, and the ads could not show people drinking.
In addition, liquor advertisers were required to run four
months of 'social responsibility' ads before they would
be allowed to run ads advertising products. In March of
2001, before a single product ad had been run, NBC changed
its mind.
What happened?
The answer is an essential lesson for anyone concerned
with the well-being of young people. And it's simple: people
saw these ads would not be good for kids and they told NBC.
Among the groups that put pressure on the network were
Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the American Medical Association,
and the bipartisan leadership of the House and Senate Commerce
Committees. Through these groups and through letters and
calls from individuals, NBC heard the voice of many American
parents. And the message was loud and clear. Parents didn't
want TV to encourage kids to drink.
We know that television advertising of alcohol encourages
kids to drink because we've been running an experiment for
years. Ads for distilled spirits have not run on TV, but
beer commercials have. And the kids love them.
Last year I co-authored a study with others at the National
Institute on Media and the Family. The most important finding
was that there is an overwhelming connection between beer
advertising and teens' actual drinking behavior. The brands
that spend the most money on advertising are the brands
that teens actually, and illegally, drink. It is not surprising,
therefore, that the Center for Science in the Public Interest
reported in early 2001 that over two thirds of American
adults thought the ban on liquor ads should stay in place.
And thanks to the outcry of people who care about kids,
it is staying in place. For now.
This story had a happy ending, but it is also a cautionary
tale. After people told NBC that it was putting young people
at risk, the network saw its public duty and made the right
decision. But if no one had spoken up, our kids could be
watching ads for liquor right now. In the age of electronic
media we have a responsibility to remind the media that
they have a responsibility too.
