KVBC will stick with liquor ads

Thursday, March 21, 2002 | 11:10 a.m.

SUN STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

General Electric Co.'s NBC television network said Wednesday it ended a plan to run advertisements for hard liquor, responding to criticism of becoming the first U.S. broadcast network to air such commercials in about 54 years.

NBC said three months ago that it would start to run liquor commercials, though advertisers would be required first to sponsor public-service messages against drinking and driving. NBC decided to cancel the plan to run ads directly promoting liquor, NBC and Congressmen Frank Wolf and Edward Markey said in separate statements.

NBC's Las Vegas affiliate, KVBC Channel 3, has been running hard liquor advertising for two years with no criticism, said General Manager Gene Greenberg.

"All of the ads have a message about drinking responsibly," Greenberg said. "NBC provides us with the 'More You Know' announcements that have safe drinking components and we run our own campaigns. And they are very specific about purchasing programs where the audience is overwhelmingly 21-plus."

Steve South, general sales manager at KTNV-Channel 13, the ABC affiliate in Las Vegas, said the station is not currently running liquor commercials but would look at them and make a determination based on content.

While beer and wine have been advertised on network TV for decades, liquor hasn't been promoted in the same way because of the networks' self-imposed guidelines. Parent groups and lawmakers had criticized NBC for the new policy.

"By reversing course, I truly believe NBC will be helping to save lives," Wolf said in a statement. "Too many people are already killed by drunk drivers every day and I was concerned that commercials on network TV promoting hard liquor could ultimately lead to more tragic accidents, especially involving young people."