LV exec promotes liquor ads to group of national stations

Chris Jones

Friday, April 19, 2002 | 10:59 a.m.

The head of Southern Nevada's NBC television affiliate says he's disappointed with the network's recent decision to drop liquor ads and is now working to place such commercials on the nation's airwaves.

James Rogers, chairman and majority owner of Sunbelt Communications Co., said Thursday he believes NBC should never have backed down to protests against its December 2001 decision to televise liquor ads nationwide for the first time in nearly 55 years.

"I had hoped that NBC would stand the line because I think it hurts all of us when people cave in to coercion," Rogers told a Las Vegas Advertising Federation luncheon.

Rogers has been associated with televised liquor ads since fall 2000, when his Las Vegas-based company ignored a long-standing practice to avoid such ads and signed a $1.5 million advertising agreement with liquor distributors.

For the next 15 months Sunbelt stations aired liquor ads in several Western markets, including Las Vegas where Sunbelt owns KVBC Channel 3. During that time, Rogers said the stations received zero complaints about the ads, which he said were tamer than most of the programs that regularly air on daytime television.

Uplifted by that regional success, Rogers and representatives from several liquor companies last year approached NBC about airing the ads nationally. The network initially agreed, but when numerous members of Congress, the American Medical Association and other organizations protested the change in policy, NBC dropped the plan on March 20.

Unfazed by NBC's decision to abandon what he called a $500 million per year revenue stream, Rogers said he's now working with other local television operators to establish a group of stations that would sell and broadcast liquor ads in cities across the United States. He indicated such a consortium could offer lower ad rates for liquor advertisers than they could obtain by buying time in individual markets.

Next week he plans to meet in New York with representatives from several liquor companies to discuss their support of such a proposal.

"I believe if you have a legal product and tell the truth about it, you should be able to advertise it," Rogers said. "Why should the television and radio business be a second-class citizen and not be able to (advertise liquor) when newspapers and magazines can? Why should I be denied that income?

"Why should I be coerced by any group in reducing any of my rights that I have under the First Amendment? ... As long as the ads are tastefully done, I will put on my station what I damn well please."

Rogers compared the liquor ad debate to his company's successful battle to overturn a Federal Communications Commission ban on gambling ads in the early 1990s. He's even considered airing ads for tobacco products, although he acknowledges such action would likely require a difficult court battle.

A longtime attorney, the 63-year-old Rogers has flourished in television since he started Valley Broadcasting Co. in Las Vegas in 1971. The company, which changed its name to Sunbelt Communications in 1979, now operates eight stations in five Western states.

While he declined to provide specific figures, Rogers said Sunbelt's advertising revenues have rebounded after a difficult 2001.

"Last year was one of the worst years ever. The economy was stagnant and with Sept. 11, we didn't air any ads for five days," Rogers said. "This past December was the best the company has ever had, as were January, February and March."

To uphold that success, Rogers said he'll prevent Sunbelt's flagship station, KVBC, from being carried by satellite television service DirecTV unless it agrees to pay for the station's programming.

"DirecTV said they'll charge their customers about $6 a month for local channels," Rogers said. "Why should they make money off my back without giving me anything in return?"

Rogers said he may also deny local cable companies access to KVBC's programming when their current contracts expire unless they also agree to pay for programming.

Echostar Communications, the parent company of satellite television service provider Dish Network, does not offer local channels in Southern Nevada. DirecTV and Echostar are in a merger agreement.

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