CBS Radio rejected American Television Alliance (ATVA) advertising...
CBS Radio rejected American Television Alliance (ATVA) advertising promoting the Local Choice Senate proposal, ATVA said Thursday in a news release (http://bit.ly/1ql8zSX). ATVA, a coalition of pay-TV companies, Public Knowledge and others, recently kicked off a national ad campaign in…
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favor of Local Choice (CD Aug 27 p7), which broadcasters have vehemently opposed. All 50 state broadcaster associations attacked Local Choice, in a Thursday letter to Senate Commerce Committee leaders (CD Aug 28 p10). Four radio stations rejected ATVA’s ads, all owned by CBS: KMOX(AM) St. Louis, WCCO(AM) Minneapolis, KXNT(AM) North Las Vegas and KDKA(AM) Pittsburgh. “CBS’s actions are certainly unethical and deserve the attention of Congress,” an ATVA spokesman said in a statement. “It’s definitely not in the public interest to cut off voices because CBS disagrees with them. Broadcasters are stifling debate the same way they stifle innovation.” A spokeswoman for CBS Radio confirmed that it has not accepted the ATVA ad and told us the ads did not meet CBS Radio’s standards, declining to comment further or say why. NAB declined comment on the CBS Radio rejection. CBS Radio CEO Dan Mason is on the NAB Executive Committee, and NAB has outlined many concerns about Local Choice and opposed attaching it to Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act reauthorization. ATVA had posted its Local Choice radio ad online earlier this week (http://bit.ly/1tWlWJP). “For America’s TV viewers, there may soon be a new reason to celebrate -- a simple idea called Local Choice could bring an end to programming blackouts,” the one-minute spot said. “With Local Choice, viewers also get to choose which local broadcast channels they want and clearly see on their monthly bill exactly how much these local channels cost. Local Choice will put an end to the back and forth negotiations between broadcasters and cable and satellite companies.” The ad, featuring the sounds of cheering and fireworks, asked listeners to contact lawmakers to back Local Choice.