• by Ken Liebeskind , February 15, 2002

As if NBC wasn't having enough trouble with public opposition to its liquor ads, it is getting even more from some of its affiliates.

MediaPost has learned that five NBC affiliate stations aren't running liquor ads, including major market stations in Cleveland and Minneapolis.

The stations are WKYC-Cleveland, KARE-Minneapolis, KLS-Salt Lake City, WCSH-Portland, ME and WLBZ-Bangor, ME.

"We made the decision a month ago based on community standards," says Brooke Spectorsky, president/general manager of WKYC. "We received feedback from community leaders and don't believe it's appropriate for Cleveland."

Steve Thaxton, president/general manager of WCSH, says, "It's inappropriate in our market for a variety of reasons. We're known in our community for abstinence and are active in creating anti-smoking and other campaigns. It's part of our public service efforts. Liquor goes against what we stand for."

"We just consider it inappropriate," says Jim Yorgason, vice president/general manager of KLS.

All of the stations except KLS are owned by the Gannett Co., which owns 13 NBC affiliates, more than any other company. But the company isn't prohibiting its stations from running liquor ads. "They have been asked to make their own decisions about it," according to a Gannett spokeswoman.

Thaxton says affiliates are generally obliged to run network programs and advertising, but in certain cases they are allowed to cover the network feed. "The exceptions are so deep and there are many different scenarios," he says. He says his station doesn't lose any revenue by not playing the spots, because the advertising was sold by the network. However, by not playing the spots, "we deny revenue on a local basis," he says, indicating he couldn't sell advertising locally to any liquor company because of his station's policy.

From NBC's perspective, things are much more tricky. When asked what the network would do if its affiliates won't play spots, Roy Rothstein, vice president/director of national broadcast research for Zenith Media Services, says NBC would make the advertiser aware of the situation and the advertiser would determine whether it wanted to continue its campaign. "If it were small stations not playing them, it may not be important, it depends on the distribution," Rothstein says.

If enough big market stations don't play the ads, "they wouldn't advertise," he says.

Meanwhile, NBC might not want to run the ads if enough affiliates back out, he says.

NBC and its first liquor advertiser Guinness-UDV were unavailable for comment.