Marijuana sponsorship?

[tall_guy1]

This is a little peculiar in comparisonto other places I think....I'm not against it, but interesting I hear stations in Kansas City and DJs promoting cannabis shops like Relief Dispensory (CHR Mix 93 and Variety Hits 102.1 KCKC). Even on Mix there's the 4/20 song of the day. Do other radio stations across the country ever sponsor canabis shops? It seems like it would be more rock or alt stations that would do this.

 

[dumber than a box of hair]

A great way to put one’s FCC license at risk. Radio stations are licensed by the FCC (F as in “federal”) and at the federal level marijuana is still an illegal drug.

 

[Bongwater]

This is a little peculiar in comparisonto other places I think....I'm not against it, but interesting I hear stations in Kansas City and DJs promoting cannabis shops like Relief Dispensory (CHR Mix 93 and Variety Hits 102.1 KCKC). Even on Mix there's the 4/20 song of the day. Do other radio stations across the country ever sponsor canabis shops? It seems like it would be more rock or alt stations that would do this.

There are spots for recreational dispensaries I've heard on stations on the East Coast and one in Eastern Washington. I heard it is legally OK to run commercials for dispensaries. The only rules I heard of is you can't mention product brands, sales on specific products or prices. You can mention cannabis product types available, such as flower, pre-rolls, vape, resin and edibles. Just not specifics. There are also disclaimers at the end of each spot.

So, basically a sponsorship message. Akin to something you hear on public radio.

And the feds really don't do much marijuana enforcement these days. With 40 states having legalized it in some form, it's a lost cause. And I don't really think the FCC is going to get into this either. In fact, I can see more station owners clamoring for that sweet cannabis advertising lucre too. With ad agencies getting harder to deal with in the digital world, this is instant, up-front money. No one is going to argue against that.

4:20 Songs of The Day were a Rock/Alternative radio gimmick in the 1990s (KNDD once made it a specialty.) Nothing came or should come of this. 4:20 is a time and a song is a song, in spite of the day. Or whatever is being played (the FCC doesn't get into programming decisions.)

 

[TheBigA]

Always check with a lawyer before doing anything. For the purposes of this discussion, I'll link the most recent article from David Oxenford's Broadcast Law Blog:

Don’t Start Counting Marijuana Advertising Dollars Yet – Cautions Despite Possible Changes in Its Federal Classification

In recent weeks, we saw press reports on a recommendation from the Attorney General to loosen federal restrictions on marijuana – reclassifying it by

www.broadcastlawblog.com

I don't really think the FCC is going to get into this either.

The current FCC chairman is a religious ideologue. I wouldn't mess around with him.

 

[tall_guy1]

Always check with a lawyer before doing anything. For the purposes of this discussion, I'll link the most recent article from David Oxenford's Broadcast Law Blog:

Don’t Start Counting Marijuana Advertising Dollars Yet – Cautions Despite Possible Changes in Its Federal Classification

In recent weeks, we saw press reports on a recommendation from the Attorney General to loosen federal restrictions on marijuana – reclassifying it by

www.broadcastlawblog.com

The current FCC chairman is a religious ideologue. I wouldn't mess around with him.

It's legal in Missouri. The two stations are owned by Steel City which is based in Pennsylvania (not sure of its status there.) But there are two dispensaries the stations sponsor.

 

[davideduardo]

The few stations that run "dispensary" ads seem to mention everything except marijuana by name. In other words, they imply that you can buy pot there, but don't actually talk about actually selling it... or their assortment of varieties and the like.

 

[Miss Tuned]

I was driving late at night the other day with a local station on (in the UK) and heard a first for me, an ad for a strip club. I listen to this station all the time in the day, but rarely listen to any radio at night, so I'd never heard the ad before, I had to do a double take, "are they really advertising that place?!". There's nothing illegal about it, at least here (unlike marijuana which is still banned), but what next, AdultWork?!

 

[seattlesarchiebunker]

These days, I don’t think it’s a major issue provided it’s legal somewhere within the station’s coverage area. Generally accepted practice is not to announce specific strains, not to announce potency of any product, and avoid the words “marijuana” or “cannabis”. “Bud” is acceptable, however.

I live right where NV, CA, and AZ all meet up. All three states have recreational cannabis dispensaries. We do get pot dispensary ads regularly on the local alternative rock/classic rock stations…mostly from the small town of Needles, CA. I know the town has a robust history, now it’s known for higher than average rents, the most expensive gasoline in the region…and the cheapest marijuana. Not much else.

 

[PTBoardOp93]

The State of Indiana is currently considering a bill to ban advertising marijuana within the state's borders. Indiana is one of the states where marijuana is totally illegal, but it is legal to varying degrees in all the surrounding states, and the politicians remain consistently opposed to legalization.

The bill includes all forms of advertising within Indiana's borders "by any medium", and is punishable by a $15,000 fine plus assuming the legal costs of the state. The bill passed both the Indiana House and Senate but has not yet been signed by the governor.

Indiana General Assembly

Website for Indiana's General Assembly

iga.in.gov

It's not clear how this law could realistically be enforced, if it were to be enacted by the governor, because much what this bill seeks to ban is clearly interstate commerce, thus the domain of the federal government.

 

[secondchoice]

If the Gov. Signs it, how would he enforce out of state media like if the radio station / newspaper / TV station is across the river in KY, Ohio, etc? If the server for the web site is not physically in Indiana good luck getting that warrant served. That pesky US Constitution would get in the way.

My Grandma was correct. I need to write a song "should have be a lawyer". Like should have been a Cowboy

 

[radiofan2023]

I was driving late at night the other day with a local station on (in the UK) and heard a first for me, an ad for a strip club. I listen to this station all the time in the day, but rarely listen to any radio at night, so I'd never heard the ad before, I had to do a double take, "are they really advertising that place?!". There's nothing illegal about it, at least here (unlike marijuana which is still banned), but what next, AdultWork?!

There used to be strip club/gentlemen's club advertisements (Bazooka's Showgirls, I can't remember which other ones) on KQRC, but I haven't heard any ads for them in a really long time (at least 20 years). They ran during the day as well as evening.

 

[lanceventa]

I previously was in-house digital consultant for a pair of stations in Denver that were the only cluster at the time accepting marijuana dispensary advertising.

Their ownership and FCC attorneys saw a loophole in the rules allowing them to do so as long as the ads did not go out over state lines at which time it would fall under the FTC's jurisdiction. Of course radio station contours do not just happen to end at state lines, but unless it was under extreme DX situations you weren't getting these signals in any neighboring state.

To do so, I spent four months switching the stations between streaming providers to find one that at the time could properly geoblock the spots. While that technology now easily exists, it was us nearly a decade ago that helped make that push necessary. Eventually the General Manager got impatient and decided to go with a provider that would block all of the spots on the streams and we created filler content to air during programming breaks. I also helped build a custom version of one of the stations branded with the dispensary chain's brand for them to use as in-house music and as a standalone webcaster available only on their website and in the state of Colorado.

*Still bitter my custom designed website and strategy finished second in the CBA Awards to Bonneville's corporate template on KYGO.

 

[Mediafrog+]

We do get pot dispensary ads regularly on the local alternative rock/classic rock stations…mostly from the small town of Needles, CA. I know the town has a robust history, now it’s known for higher than average rents, the most expensive gasoline in the region…and the cheapest marijuana. Not much else.

Peanuts fans know Needles as the home of Snoopy’s brother Spike.

Spike

Spike, Snoopy’s brother, is a beautiful example of images evoked by a location: we know he lives with the coyotes outside Needles, and that's about all we know. There is about him, with his thin, faintly exotic mustache and soulful eyes, an air of mystery that is totally foreign to what Snoopy...

peanuts.fandom.com

 

[kevtronics]

I'd rather hear a pot dispensary or strip club ad than hear "Honey, the credit card bill's due and we're maxed out!" for the eleventeen billionth time. I often even hear several of these "get cash now" ads in a row, advertising different predatory web sites.

 

[Mark Roberts]

I previously was in-house digital consultant for a pair of stations in Denver that were the only cluster at the time accepting marijuana dispensary advertising.

Be assured, those World of Weed ads are much missed. The stations went from little pillars of fire to a big Pillar of Fire.

The dispensaries and the mushroom places are present in Westword (surprise) but not much else.

*Still bitter my custom designed website and strategy finished second in the CBA Awards to Bonneville's corporate template on KYGO.

I don't generally think of state broadcasters' associations as the paragon of much of anything.

 

[davideduardo]

I'd rather hear a pot dispensary or strip club ad than hear "Honey, the credit card bill's due and we're maxed out!" for the eleventeen billionth time. I often even hear several of these "get cash now" ads in a row, advertising different predatory web sites.

These are the highly discounted spots that stations have no choice but to take because revenue is scarce. In the somewhat distant past, stations would get lots of lowball offers and refuse them, or accept them for off hours at night and weekends. But now, many have to take those "cheap spots" to stay alive.

 

[davideduardo]

I don't generally think of state broadcasters' associations as the paragon of much of anything.

Some associations are better than others.

I spent years on committees of the Puerto Rico Broadcaster Association and thought we did a good job on a number of things.

We successfully avoided certain areas of taxation that would have put radio and TV at a disadvantage to print, outdoor and other media. I led a committee on radio ratings and testified before both the House and Senate and kept the local government from trying to regulate ratings, something they knew nothing about. We also got excise taxes on "imported" broadcast equipment eliminated... the equivalent of sales tax.

Those are just a few of the things I saw over around three decades of involvement. But the best benefit was knowing your colleagues and competitors so that they were "people" and not just name. That element of humanity and personalization kept us away from doing most of the negative stuff stations often do against each other in sales and programming.

 

[TheBigA]

Happy 420 Day, from Willie Nelson! The Music Legend Launches Second Hemp Derived THC-Infused Social Tonic With Double the Strength “Over a lifetime of study, I learned that pot is more than pleasure.” — Willie Nelson​

AUSTIN, Texas – Music icon Willie Nelson is inviting fans to step into the High Country with the new double-strength version of his hemp derived THC-infused social tonic Willie’s Remedy+, which launches on 420 Day (April 20).​ ​

 

[Mediafrog+]

I'd rather hear a pot dispensary or strip club ad than hear "Honey, the credit card bill's due and we're maxed out!" for the eleventeen billionth time. I often even hear several of these "get cash now" ads in a row, advertising different predatory web sites.

What’s funny is that different versions of that spot run with the exact same script, but different company names and websites. I’ve heard many such examples running in the same break, sometimes back to back.🤯🤮

 

[Miss Tuned]

There used to be strip club/gentlemen's club advertisements (Bazooka's Showgirls, I can't remember which other ones) on KQRC, but I haven't heard any ads for them in a really long time (at least 20 years). They ran during the day as well as evening.

I heard the strip club ad again yesterday (in the 8pm hour) and listened more carefully this time, it doesn't mention anywhere that it's a strip club or anything other than the name, location, and that it's "late night fun for adults, 18+ only". I guess you have to know the city to know it's a strip club.

These are just legal local businesses that aren't doing anything illicit, and it's good to hear so many local businesses using radio, whatever their nature. The same station that runs the gentlemen's club ad is packed with ads for local restaurants, wedding venues, bars, fashion retailers, theatres, events and clubs as well as the usual car dealerships and home improvements. I agree with the other poster that it's better than yet another predatory debt or gambling ad.