FCC wants feds to investigate product placement in TV shows!! I hate product placeme

WASHINGTON (Hollywood Reporter) - A top federal regulator called for a crackdown on product placement and paid product pitches on everything from soap operas to reality shows, saying the government should investigate dubious practices.

"The use of covert commercial pitches is penetrating deeper and deeper into media," said Jonathan Adelstein, a Democratic member of the Federal Communications Commission.

It was unclear whether the Republican chairman of the FCC, Kevin Martin, who effectively controls the agency's agenda, shared Adelstein's enthusiasm for tougher vigilance regarding the growing practice of product placement.

Adelstein, speaking to a luncheon audience gathered by the First Amendment think tank the Media Institute, said that "failure to disclose who is behind sponsored programing violates the law."

Although theatrical releases that air on broadcast and cable TV are exempted from disclosing product placements, Adelstein says the hidden pitches come under the nation's payola laws and need "clear and prominent" disclosures.

Adelstein criticized consumer-product reviewers who are covertly paid to mention products, radio DJs who might receive consideration for mentioning products on the air, and "rampant" product placement that puts products onscreen and in the plot lines of TV dramas and other shows.

"There is nothing inherently wrong with product placement -- so long as it is disclosed as required by law," he said.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter


trine says: Look at seinfeld.. man that has a lot of it, "Snapple anyone?"

[farsighted]

I think product placement has its place. It doesn't make me want to go out and buy whatever product, I tink it makes things more real. It's better to see someone drinking a coke, rather than X brand soda. As long as it is not in your face, if there are suttle placements, much like is done in 24 with the cars (all the cars for CTU are fords).

hell mtv will blind out ads on music videos but if you watch their shows like the inferno.. they product place the hell out of it. "Ooooh what does it say on our t-mobile sidekick?" all the time. Hell watch the internet thing aftershow.. it's even worse with that dell thing

[farsighted]

I dislike the blatant ones like that, but I think subtle product placement, if exectuted, is good and has its place.