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Adult Content on Radio and TV (from Seattle Board)

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AmusedObserver said:
This is an aggressively stupid thread, and it makes me think less of so much about this site. I say this as someone who has quietly been here since the radio-info and kokomo days. Good. Lord.
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You are not obligated to read the thread. And yet, after 5 pages we got to an interesting set of subjects:

1. Advertising CBD and cannibis
2. Why radio did not run hard liquor ads for decades.

And the discussion of changes in moral values is quite interesting, too.
 
radiocph said:
That was mostly a network standards thing; there was no FCC (or other) prohibition against it.
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As already mentioned, it was NAB Code. The booze industry felt it would also encourage further regulation if they pushed it. But when the Code was determined to not be legal, the airwaves became populated with hard liquor ads.
radiocph said:
Also, the liquor companies themselves decided not to advertise over the air back then, it seems: Why You Couldn't See a Liquor Ad on TV For Half of the 20th Century
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Mostly because they couldn't get stations to take the. Yet in Puerto Rico, we ran them on radio and TV always. Puerto Rico is, of course, part of the FCC's jurisdiction and liquor products are under the same Federal rules and regulations.
 
johndavis said:
I live in a city where the top sports talker has a sponsored "Sexy Traffic" bit where the anchor does an innuendo-laden traffic report brought to you by a strip club with a 70s era porn music bed undeneath. It's kinda terrible, and they've been doing it for 15-20 years now.

Somehow, I don't think Bonneville is going to steal that bit for Seattle.
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Your last line made me laugh. I remember when Bonneville owned the CBS TV affiliate (KIRO-TV) in Seattle and they would periodically preempt "Donahue" and some CBS programming when it ran afoul of Mormon teachings. Primarily, that meant that programs with gay themes tended to not show in liberal Seattle, but I presume that other edgy programming also got preempted. For that matter, several years later I moved to Dallas where Bonneville owned what was then the only Top 40 station, 92 1/2 KAFM -- and certain charting songs did not get played by them.
 
Kelly A said:
And if I were GM of a radio or TV station, I'd say Hell no. These are broadcast facilities, not subscription cable or streaming. Advertising headwinds are difficult enough without risking a viewer or listener boycott because one is willing to take money from a largely socially unacceptable source. I'm no prude, but I'd sure not want to speak with viewers and listeners of kids who are upset because they were asking about sex toys they saw featured on local TV.
All that, and talk about selling out to the lowest common denominator.
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While I understand what you're saying about the lowest common denominator, frankly, I'd say it is a little late for worrying about that. I just returned home from an extended driving trip, and one of the things that I couldn't help but note is the number of really scuzzy ads running on radio stations across the country. Not scuzzy in the sense of being steamy or erotic, but rather in the sense of just being ripoffs. Debt consolidation services that don't actually help their customers, aftermarket auto warranties, and generic viagra ads were all common (and seemed to be barter spots). For that matter, in previous years I remember weight loss scams saturating the radio airwaves (anyone else remember Body Solutions?).

So as far as radio is concerned, I'm not sure that running ads for CBD (if they were legal) and sex toys is all that much of a drop from where the industry already is.
 
TexasTom said:
While I understand what you're saying about the lowest common denominator, frankly, I'd say it is a little late for worrying about that. I just returned home from an extended driving trip, and one of the things that I couldn't help but note is the number of really scuzzy ads running on radio stations across the country. Not scuzzy in the sense of being steamy or erotic, but rather in the sense of just being ripoffs. Debt consolidation services that don't actually help their customers, aftermarket auto warranties, and generic viagra ads were all common (and seemed to be barter spots). For that matter, in previous years I remember weight loss scams saturating the radio airwaves (anyone else remember Body Solutions?).

So as far as radio is concerned, I'm not sure that running ads for CBD (if they were legal) and sex toys is all that much of a drop from where the industry already is.
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You forgot the "buy these gold and silver coins as a hedge against inflation"/Trump teddy bear/etc ads....

Regarding sex toy ads, Adam & Eve ads used to run during Loveline, as well as ads for an adult store called Sex World in Minneapolis on Cities 97, but I don't know if that was a safe harbor thing or not.
 
I've heard adds for Adam and Eve. The other thing not mentioned in the list of questionable advertising scams is the seemingly endless adds for companies promising tax relief. Optima is big in this space, and I feel like there are others too. I'm not sure if he's still voicing those spots, but for a while I didn't trust anything voiced by Jeff Laurence, though I did hear a spot he did about driving for I can't remember whether it was Uber or Lyft.
 
Of the borderline ads on the radio, the PSA's seem to be the worst. Who wants to hear a tale of a father slurping up baby snot through a straw? That one I've heard late night on a lot of AM stations and even a couple local FMers. I guess it was such a winner they even remade it. And the overall message is borderline insulting to fathers.... But it helps pay the bills, I'm sure.
 
boombox4 said:
Of the borderline ads on the radio, the PSA's seem to be the worst. Who wants to hear a tale of a father slurping up baby snot through a straw? That one I've heard late night on a lot of AM stations and even a couple local FMers. I guess it was such a winner they even remade it. And the overall message is borderline insulting to fathers.... But it helps pay the bills, I'm sure.
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What in the world is that a PSA for?
 
TexasTom said:
While I understand what you're saying about the lowest common denominator, frankly, I'd say it is a little late for worrying about that. I just returned home from an extended driving trip, and one of the things that I couldn't help but note is the number of really scuzzy ads running on radio stations across the country. Not scuzzy in the sense of being steamy or erotic, but rather in the sense of just being ripoffs. Debt consolidation services that don't actually help their customers, aftermarket auto warranties, and generic viagra ads were all common (and seemed to be barter spots). For that matter, in previous years I remember weight loss scams saturating the radio airwaves (anyone else remember Body Solutions?).
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The difference is; none of your examples are ads for federally controlled substances or potentially promoting prostitution. As you mentioned; many of the syndicated or national spots carried on SXM channels lately have been tax, debt consolidation loans, male enhancement vitamins, business PPP money, auto warranty, etc. Whereas not very appealing to most of us, not even borderline against the rules. Local stations also aren't seeing a penny out of these ads.
TexasTom said:
So as far as radio is concerned, I'm not sure that running ads for CBD (if they were legal) and sex toys is all that much of a drop from where the industry already is.
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Provided banned words aren't used; there's nothing stopping ads about sex toys including using clinically recognized anatomical descriptions therein. That's all legal. CBD and pot, are still covered under federally controlled substances.
 
Kelly A said:
Provided banned words aren't used; there's nothing stopping ads about sex toys including using clinically recognized anatomical descriptions therein. That's all legal. CBD and pot, are still covered under federally controlled substances.
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Let's separate CBD from "pot". CBD almost entirely comes from hemp, the stuff that natural fiber rope is made of.

From Forbes: At the federal level, CBD derived from cannabis is considered a Schedule 1 substance and is illegal, explains Slade. But CBD derived from a hemp source containing less than . 3% THC by dry weight is not illegal because hemp is not a controlled substance.
Any cannabis grower with an IQ of over 50 knows that extracting CBD from the plant ruins the HBC yield and produces vastly less revenue. So the CBD we can get in the USA is from hemp and not controlled.

I can (and do) order CBD topicals online and get them by US Mail. While lacking in research,
From Harvard:

www.health.harvard.edu

Cannabidiol (CBD): What we know and what we don't - Harvard Health

Cannabidiol (CBD) is an active ingredient in cannabis that is derived from the hemp plant, but it does not cause a high and is not addictive. CBD has been shown to be effective in treating c...
www.health.harvard.edu www.health.harvard.edu
The Farm Bill removed all hemp-derived products, including CBD, from the Controlled Substances Act, which criminalizes the possession of drugs. In essence, this means that CBD is legal if it comes from hemp, but not if it comes from cannabis (marijuana) – even though it is the exact same molecule. Currently, many people obtain CBD online without a medical marijuana license, which is legal in most states.
 
Kelly A said:
Provided banned words aren't used; there's nothing stopping ads about sex toys including using clinically recognized anatomical descriptions therein.
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Even the concept of "banned words" is vague and non-specific. Except for Carlin's "Seven Dirty Words" which dates back to 1972, there is no "official" list of what is "dirty" although listening to a number of current hits will give you an idea.
 
Kars for Kids knows what they are doing, because that theme song will stick in your head for the rest of your life. I still recall some terrible commercials back in the early 2000’s for a company called “Priceless Granite” in Seattle. No idea if that company still exists, but if I ever own a house and need granite, I will probably look them up since it’s still ingrained in my mind 20 years later. Clever and annoying wins.

I wish some of the business owners I talked to would have realized that when they used to come in and make commercials. Instead, they wanted to read their ad in a quiet monotone and have their children read part of ad too. Ah, so much time spent on Audition trying to raise those audio levels.
 
DavidEduardo said:
Let's separate CBD from "pot". CBD almost entirely comes from hemp, the stuff that natural fiber rope is made of.
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You and I have been over this before. This is not a binary ruling. Since there is no way for a radio station to determine whether an advertiser is selling CBD from cannabis, or one selling it from hemp, it would be foolish of some station(s) to take the risk of having the DEA bust one of your advertisers because you took their word that the CBD being featured on the ad is from hemp, and therefore not considered a Schedule 1 federally controlled substance.

The fact that you use CBD, isn't enough for me to risk a station license in taking some client for his or her word.

 
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radiofan2023 said:
What in the world is that a PSA for?
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Some government website, I think it's called 'Fatherhood dot gov", or something similar. A government site and organization designed to help ensure "responsible fatherhood." A lot could be said about the presentation, but, being that it makes radio some money, I'll just let it go at that.
 
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