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Disturbing ad
While DXing this morning, I heard an ad that, well, let's say it
shouldn't have been on radio. Unfortunately the station was distant and fading, so I don't know who the culprit was - in any case I'm pretty sure it was part of a syndicated program. (and thus may well air on *your* station. I've heard similar ads on other stations (WFAW-940, for one) during syndicated programs.) They were advertising a radar detector that "makes your car invisible to police radar". It is my understanding that these devices work by heterodyning a local oscillator against the incoming radar signal. This allows the speeder to cause the officer's radar to display whatever speed the lawbreaker wants - or at least causes it to believe it's receiving an invalid signal, and display nothing at all. The FCC has ruled these devices to be ILLEGAL, and on appeal a federal court upheld the Commission: http://www.fcc.gov/ogc/documents/opi.../rockymtn.html . It seems to me to be dangerous territory for a Commission licensee to be accepting ads for devices that: - Assist people in avoiding prosecution for intentionally breaking the law and putting others' safety at risk. - Do so by *intentionally interfering* with licensed services. - Have already been ruled illegal. I would hope station owners will think twice before advertising illegal activity. If I ever hear one of these ads again in a situation where I"m able to collect adequate documentary information, I *will* be filing a formal complaint with the FCC. -- Doug Smith W9WI Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66 http://www.w9wi.com |
The FCC has ruled these devices to be ILLEGAL, and on appeal a federal court
upheld the Commission: http://www.fcc.gov/ogc/documents/opinions/1998/rockymtn.html Er, not quite. They ruled that ONE specific jammer was illegal...whereupon the manufacturer put the same works in a different case, changed the model number, and began marketing it again. The device you heard the ad for it NOT illegal, as far as the feds are concerned. A few states ban their use. The funniest aspect to the whole thing is that they don't work. By the time they have sent a jamming signal to the police radar unit, the radar has already displayed the vehicle's speed. Using the device also assumes that the cop is stupid. If the cop sees a car traveling considerably faster than the rest of traffic, and that car displays a speed a great deal different from the rest, he or she is going to know that something's not right. |
Doug Smith W9WI wrote in message ...
While DXing this morning, I heard an ad that, well, let's say it shouldn't have been on radio. Unfortunately the station was distant and fading, so I don't know who the culprit was - in any case I'm pretty sure it was part of a syndicated program. (and thus may well air on *your* station. I've heard similar ads on other stations (WFAW-940, for one) during syndicated programs.) They were advertising a radar detector that "makes your car invisible to police radar". It is my understanding that these devices work by heterodyning a local oscillator against the incoming radar signal. This allows the speeder to cause the officer's radar to display whatever speed the lawbreaker wants - or at least causes it to believe it's receiving an invalid signal, and display nothing at all. The FCC has ruled these devices to be ILLEGAL, and on appeal a federal court upheld the Commission: http://www.fcc.gov/ogc/documents/opi.../rockymtn.html . It seems to me to be dangerous territory for a Commission licensee to be accepting ads for devices that: - Assist people in avoiding prosecution for intentionally breaking the law and putting others' safety at risk. - Do so by *intentionally interfering* with licensed services. - Have already been ruled illegal. I would hope station owners will think twice before advertising illegal activity. If I ever hear one of these ads again in a situation where I"m able to collect adequate documentary information, I *will* be filing a formal complaint with the FCC. WRXR 105.5 of Chattanooga has been advertising that ad for a few months... An ad clearly aimed at young people I think. |
Sid Schweiger wrote:
The FCC has ruled these devices to be ILLEGAL, and on appeal a federal court upheld the Commission: http://www.fcc.gov/ogc/documents/opinions/1998/rockymtn.html Er, not quite. They ruled that ONE specific jammer was illegal...whereupon the manufacturer put the same works in a different case, changed the model number, and began marketing it again. The device you heard the ad for it NOT illegal, as far as the feds are concerned. A few states ban their use. Not illegal, or not enforced? (the Feds never chased down and prosecuted the pirate FM that operated in my hometown for many years. Surely that doesn't mean the operation was legal?) The funniest aspect to the whole thing is that they don't work. By the time they have sent a jamming signal to the police radar unit, the radar has already displayed the vehicle's speed. Using the device also assumes that the cop is stupid. If the cop sees a car traveling considerably faster than the rest of traffic, and that car displays a speed a great deal different from the rest, he or she is going to know that something's not right. Good point. Though to a large degree the damage is done if the user *believes* he can speed without risk, even if he's wrong. -- Doug Smith W9WI Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66 http://www.w9wi.com |
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Tom Desmond wrote:
When I consider the other trash that gets advertised on the radio now, I guess that really shouldn't surprise me -- it blends right in with the scam advertisements for weight loss products and the like. "Spam with an antenna". I can't help but wonder how accepting advertising like this will impact the long term credibility of radio? Look at the junky informercials on TV....oh, never mind.... |
Charles Hobbs had written:
| | "Spam with an antenna". I like that description. I'll have to remember it. The Conventional Wisdom Crowd (you know, the folks who claim that "radio's never been better") ignores this quite obvious sign of radio's declining economic health: they're stooping to the radio equivalent of spam as a source of revenues. Another sign: Wal-Mart doesn't advertise on radio. Not that I think Wal-Mart is so wonderful, but that's a company that's smart enough to figure out what works to meet its goals and that will do what it takes to meet its goals. Radio is obviously not a part of that picture, while other media are. -- Mark Roberts |"Their latest [CD], 'I Love America', is a collection of songs Oakland, Cal.| inspired by the Sept. 11, 2002, terrorist attacks and performed NO HTML MAIL | by five nephews of 1970s pop icons Donny and Marie Osmond." -- Wall Street Journal, 8-15-2003, p. A4 (yes, "2002") |
It seems like in the Dallas market, every local talk
host and news reporter does testimonial ads where THEY JUST HAPPENED to be a user of that company's auto leasing eat-all-you-want-and-still-lose-weight diet product laser eye surgery contact lenses by mail foundation leveling aluminum siding storm windows solar-tube skylights baldness cures hair transplant doctors impotence cures stomach staple doctors stop smoking patches stop smoking and lose weight hypnotists fitness centers carpet cleaning wood floor installers Some of these testimonials are mutually exclusive. One local host sprouted profanity at a listener who saw him at a station sponsored event and mentioned that he didn't look like he had lost 35 lbs like he claimed on the radio. A good number of these products are under investigation for fraud at the very time they stations are still running their spots. They only time some of these spots abuptly STOPPED was when Body Solutions went bankrupt owing the stations lots of money. How will radio ever have any credibility while doing these practices? |
(Mark Roberts) wrote in :
Wal-Mart doesn't advertise on radio. Not that I think Wal-Mart is so wonderful, but that's a company that's smart enough to figure out what works to meet its goals and that will do what it takes to meet its goals. Radio is obviously not a part of that picture, while other media are. Actually, Wal*Mart has advertised regularly on Paul Harvey, so they do some radio advertising, albeit strictly confined. I guess you gotta know where they can deliver a clean pitch.... BTW, the affiliate list on the official Paul Harvey website still lists WDAF(AM) as their affiliate here in Kansas City. For those that don't know, the "61 Country" format has moved over to the former KCIY(FM) on 106.5. They have changed calls to WDAF-FM. I should also note as part of the move to FM, the top-of-the-hour newscasts are at :55, before the ID. Therefore, Paul Harvey is now at 12:00 noon, rather than the advertised 12:06, and the Rest of the Story is at 5:30. Eventually, the AM will become sportstalk "61 Sports." Supposedly, the KMBZ sportstalk staff will move across the hall, although supposedly Soren Petro doesn't want anything to do with it. -- Richie Kennedy · www.route56.com "If you're lost, you can look - and you will find me" |
In article , Frank Provasek wrote:
local host sprouted profanity at a listener who saw him at Too bad the mic wasn't hot.... -- Sven |
Doug Smith W9WI wrote:
While DXing this morning, I heard an ad that, well, let's say it shouldn't have been on radio. Unfortunately the station was distant and fading, so I don't know who the culprit was - in any case I'm pretty sure it was part of a syndicated program. (and thus may well air on *your* station. I've heard similar ads on other stations (WFAW-940, for one) during syndicated programs.) They were advertising a radar detector that "makes your car invisible to police radar". It is my understanding that these devices work by heterodyning a local oscillator against the incoming radar signal. This allows the speeder to cause the officer's radar to display whatever speed the lawbreaker wants - or at least causes it to believe it's receiving an invalid signal, and display nothing at all. The FCC has ruled these devices to be ILLEGAL, and on appeal a federal court upheld the Commission: http://www.fcc.gov/ogc/documents/opi.../rockymtn.html . It seems to me to be dangerous territory for a Commission licensee to be accepting ads for devices that: - Assist people in avoiding prosecution for intentionally breaking the law and putting others' safety at risk. - Do so by *intentionally interfering* with licensed services. - Have already been ruled illegal. I would hope station owners will think twice before advertising illegal activity. If I ever hear one of these ads again in a situation where I"m able to collect adequate documentary information, I *will* be filing a formal complaint with the FCC. There are two types of these devices: active and passive. Actives are illegal. Passives don't work. But the issue that would be relevant to your complaint, is that it IS illegal to advertise a product that is itself illegal. As it is illegal to advertise a product that encourages an illegal activity. Once you get lawyers flying on this one, sell tickets. It can be quite a circus. From the Personal Files: I programmed a station downstate, and one afternoon heard a spot hit the air for a local head shop. The spot was produced by the sales duck (as insisted by Manglement) and actually used the term "head shop." As I listened the spot went on to describe the benefits of a personal roach clip, before giving the address, and closing out the spot. I pulled the spot, went to the Sales Mangler to inform him of such, and then to the sales duck and told him what I had done. Within 2 minutes the General Mangler was in my fact about the spot, the evils of programming 'geniuses' censoring spot copy, and depriving the station of needed revenue. The spot was running ROS/Standby, which meant at this station, that they were sold literally as filler, to occupy spaces in the event of a cancellation. This spot was about $5 per airing. Hell, the whole buy was less than $100. Well, while the GM was going on, I mentioned to him that this was a spot for a head shop, advertising a roach clip, encouraging drug use, and all for $5, I didn't think it was worth jeopardizing the license. He rescheduled the spot and told me to mind my own business. And to get a law degree before I started acting as his station's counsel. I went to corporate counsel, who told me that the spot was fine. I went to NAB, who didn't offer an opinion. I went to the IAB which didn't want to get involved, given my GM's position. So, I went to FCC in Springfield. They told me flat out, the spot was illegal, because it encouraged an illegal activity. Further, since paraphernalia was illegal in Illinois, the spot advertised an illegal product. And that this was license threatening. I asked if I could have that in writing sent to my General Mangler, and it was agreed that would be a good thing. Meanwhile, I was advised, to pull the spot on advice of FCC. Which I relayed to Sales and General Manglement, with a courtesy mention to the offending duck. What followed was a Keystone Cops series of threats, arguments, and general disparagement of my lineage and multiplicative proclivities. This went on at work as well as well as at home, both on the phone and at my front door, for about 24 hours, until the GM received a letter from Springfield. At this point he pulled and read the copy from the continuity office, then listened to the spot for the first time. He got the Sales mangler, and played the spot for him. Then they both got the sales duck in question and played the spot for him. And asked what the F*CK he was thinking. After about 10 minutes the General Mangler returned to my office, thanked me for my vigilance, confirmed that I was right, and left. It was, by the Chief Engineer's observation, the first time any PD had won an argument with Steve Bellinger. I didn't stay long at that station. Bigger things were already in the works. I'm sure, however, had I stayed, Steve would have tied hundred dollar bills to my legs and tossed ME out of an airplane. He was kind of known for that sort of thing by then. But you already know THAT story...... |
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