Jewish World Review March 26, 2002 / 13 Nisan, 5762
Andy Borowitz
NBC to air ads for crack
Commercials Will Urge Viewers to Use Crack Responsibly
http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com |
Bowing to pressure from anti-liquor groups, NBC has scuttled its controversial plan
to air advertisements for hard liquor and will run commercials for crack instead.
The ads, which NBC executives have described as "tasteful and fun," will feature
Aussie songbird Kylie Minogue and will include a message urging viewers to use
crack responsibly.
"Friends don't let friends turn into crackheads and ho's," reads the copy of one crack
spot earmarked for primetime.
After pressure groups made NBC aware of the high number of liquor-related
fatalities in the U.S. each year, the network reportedly decided to make the switch
from liquor to crack.
"When you take a look at those liquor statistics, it's clear that crack is a much safer
alternative," said a spokesman for NBC's ad sales department. "At NBC, we're high
on crack."
But a newly created pressure group, the Coalition Against Crack Advertising On
NBC, takes a somewhat dimmer view of the network's decision.
"If NBC accepts advertising for crack, what's next - handguns?" said Sandy McKay,
a Coalition member.
In response, the NBC spokesman said that no decision had been made to accept
ads for handguns, but that any handgun ads would air "in late-night time slots only."
While most industry insiders expressed dismay at NBC's controversial moves,
some members of the advertising community were more supportive.
"Quite frankly, I'd rather see ads for crack and handguns than more episodes of that
Emeril show," one ad exec
said.
JWR Contributor Andy Borowitz, a former president of the Harvard Lampoon, is a regular humor columnist for Newsweek.com, The New Yorker, The New York Times and TV Guide. Recognized by Esquire magazine as one of the most powerful producers in television, he was the creator and producer of the hit TV series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and producer of the Oscar-nominated film Pleasantville. He is the author, most recently, of "Trillionaire Next Door: The Greedy Investor's Guide to Day Trading" and "Rationalizations to Live By". Comments by clicking here. Visit his website by clicking here.
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© 2002, Andy Borowitz
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