Warning: You are watching a lot of ads
TEXT OF STORY
Scott Jagow: The FCC is taking a closer look at advertising in the age of Tivo. Specifically, product placements in TV shows. Steve Henn has more.
Steve Henn: How many ads have you watched on TV today? Robert Weismann at Commercial Alert says chances are, you have no idea.
Robert Weismann: It’s impossible that anyone knows.
Shows like Extreme Makeover: Home Edition include hundreds, even thousands each year. Weismann wants the FCC to require clearer disclosure. Picture something like a tornado alert scrolling across your screen when a character heads to a fast-food joint.
Man in Ad: These guys, they’ve been working all day, they have to be really hungry.
Woman in Ad: You’re probably right. So I had an idea . . . ha ha, Wendy’s!
But Dan Jaffe at the Association of National Advertisers hates this idea. He says the FCC can already require disclosures at the beginning or end of a show, but:
Dan Jaffe: They need to use their authority — if there are problems in this area, it’s a problem of enforcement.
Product placement is already a $3 billion revenue stream for broadcasters, and its growing at more than 30 percent a year.
In Washington, I’m Steve Henn for Marketplace.
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