Comments on: RTNDA urges FCC to halt VNR inquiry

By: lucy

lucy — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 12:16:34 +0000

Wow, thanks for the excellent information!

By: Frank Catalano

Frank Catalano — Sat, 07 Oct 2006 21:04:28 +0000

Steve - Here’s the difference: On many SMTs from trade shows, there is someone showing new products. It is rarely, if ever, disclosed that person is paid by a commercial company (not the station) which is sponsored by the companies whose products are presented.

To the viewer, the trade show talent is a reporter. Authors are pretty clearly identifed with their own books.

In any case where the talent is not clearly identified as being paid by someone with a commercial interest in what is being shown and may reasonably be perceived, incorrectly, as being independent of the event or products they are showing, there is a problem.

By: Safran

Safran — Sat, 07 Oct 2006 17:09:05 +0000

OK, Frank - let me throw this back at you: If an SMT is a live VNR, then what about a guest who is brought in to plug a book in person?

Same person. Same motive. Same line of questions. Same ethics? Shouldn’t we identify the source of that content, too? “This person is here because their public relations agency is paid to huckster them about. They want to sell their book and are not terribly interested in giving actual newsworthy answers.”

Come to think of it, it’s not a bad idea.

By: Frank Catalano

Frank Catalano — Sat, 07 Oct 2006 03:21:06 +0000

If stations actually were being responsible about identifying the source of VNR content (including Satellite Media Tours) rather than sucking at the teat of “free live shots,” perhaps this would be a non issue.

But I can think of several morning shows that would be very sad to see the free time-filling SMTs go away — and all an SMT is, is a live VNR.

By: Safran

Safran — Sat, 07 Oct 2006 00:30:57 +0000

Maybe the FCC could better spend its time getting the government to stop wasting our money putting out its own VNRs.