NBC Rejects Ad From Conservative Group

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20071207/D8TCR30O0.html

NBC Rejects Ad From Conservative Group


Dec 7, 3:45 PM (ET)

By JIM KUHNHENN



WASHINGTON (AP) - NBC has rejected a TV ad by Freedom's Watch, a conservative group that supports administration policy in Iraq, that asks viewers to remember and thank U.S. troops during the holiday season.

NBC said it declined to air the ad because it refers to the group's Web site, which the network said was too political, not because of the ad's message.

"Anybody in the world who would look at this ad would come away with nothing other than we should be thankful for their service," Freedom's Watch president Brad Blakeman said.

The spot was to be part of a seven-figure campaign that includes newspaper ads and television commercials. The ads are to run on CNN and Fox News Channel and are running in various newspapers. The New York Times ran a full-page Freedom's Watch ad Friday that said "Thank You!" and depicted a soldier reading a letter. The newspaper ad also contained the Web site address.

Alan Wurtzel, NBC's head of standards and practices, said the network decided not to run the Freedom's Watch ad because the group insisted that the spot contain the URL address of its Web site.

The group's home page links to another Freedom's Watch Web page that lists nonprofit organizations that are sending care packages to soldiers and that suggests other ways of expressing support.

It also contains a welcoming message that states: "For too long, conservatives have lacked a permanent political presence to do battle with the radical special interests groups and their left-wing allies in government."

"We have a policy that prohibits acceptance of advertising that deals with issues of public controversy," Wurtzel said. "This particular ad, in and of itself, is fine. It thanks the troops for their action overseas. We asked them to eliminate a URL address where a person is asked to contact elected officials and told not to cut and run on the war on terror."

NBC rejected a previous Freedom's Watch ad that addressed funding for the troops.

"It's a long-term policy, it goes back decades," Wurtzel said of NBC's stance of declining controversial issue advertising.

He suggested that Freedom's Watch did not alter the ad in order to force NBC to reject it and thus get media attention.

"Candidly, some folks have found that you get more attention when an ad is not accepted," he said.

Blakeman acknowledged that Freedom's Watch wants viewers of the ad to visit its Web site and said NBC's actions amounted to censorship.

Freedom's Watch has emerged as one of the best financed independent conservative groups in this election cycle.

We must boycott NBC and it's parent company General Electric.

And yet NBC allowed it's independant affiliate stations to decide if they would run Moveon.org's totally political ads! I figure that if I boycott them I'll only miss "My Name is Earl" anyway, don't watch anything else there.

More important is to send the message to GE.

too true. GE needs to get a message about this.

NBC can play what they want, though they certainly risk boycott by people who don't agree with their position. Considering the website attacks left-wingers then its not unreasonable that NBC doesn't play it based on the grounds of it being politically controversial. I'm aware NBC is seen as a liberal haven but they have the right to reject what they want. I have no problem with the ad's message, but I understand the problem with displaying the website. The fact Freedom Watch is so adamant about the website address being kept in the ad makes me suspicious as to the real motives of the group. Sure, they support the troops, but they also don't mind making NBC look bad.

They didn't make Moveon.org take their name off their ad! NBC is hurting, probably the worst off network, maybe this will sink them. I believe in fairness, if one advertiser can't show his web page then none of the others should either.

Actually I've just contacted a legal rep for the FCC and inquired as to how a public air wave company can discriminate. I think a lawsuit might just put their license in jeopardy.

**Under pressure from outraged viewers, NBC has reversed its decision not to air the Freedom's Watch ads thanking troops... Developing...

All I can say is that I wrote them one scalding damned email

NBC has really gone down hill in recent years

All the MSM has gone downhill in recent years.