• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, June 4, 2009

I worry about a conflict of interest that might occur in the next several months, should MSNBC's "Morning Joe" -- now promoted as "Brewed by Starbucks" -- have to cover a specific caffeine-infused story.

The show, hosted by Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, who now can be found drinking Starbucks' coffee on-air, will be put into a bind. Will the TV director look to frame out any Starbucks-logo-ed cups should an uncomfortable situation crop up?

That's the problem -- even if everyone swears there isn't one. NBC might do everything right, but it'll always have the appearance of a conflict of interest. This isn't the first time there's been a Starbucks association. During last year's political season, "Morning Joe" originated from many Starbucks locations.

Of course, any advertiser involvement in a news operation is a tricky affair. Keeping the lines clear between church and state -- editorial and business -- has always been an uneasy balancing act between editors and business executives. Local TV news reporters have done in-depth pieces about a less-than-scrupulous' local automotive dealerships, and newscasts have paid the price with lost local automotive advertising business.

TV news executives make sure stories about plane crashes aren't followed by enticing TV commercials of people jetting off to Florida or other vacation spots.

In the old TV days -- the 1950s, specifically -- did any of those cigarette-sponsored network newscasts, complete with on-air hosts puffing away on products, even approach fringe health issue stories about tobacco?

Nowadays, product placement deals for TV news have been virtually taboo. Instead, such shows have standard 30-second commercials from pharmaceutical and financial companies that buy broadcast and other TV news programs to grab the dominant older TV news viewer.

So, let's say coffee might be good for your health -- or maybe not. Keep a close eye on any future coffee-related news report, and what becomes of the Starbucks-sponsored "Morning Joe" TV billboard, or a Starbucks mug sitting on the anchors' desk in plain view.

Perhaps nothing. If Starbucks is sincere about its reportedly $10 million association with the perfectly and "organically" titled TV news show "Morning Joe," I'm sure it realizes what a coup it has.

In the wake of any controversial coffee-related story, I expect only to hear the sip of a venti latte coming from Starbucks executives. Of course, snarky TV viewers may offer up the sound of a different gulp.

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Correction:
Yesterday's TV Watch, "Cable Operators Should Be Consistent About Pay-Per-Use Plans," referred to a subscription service at the video destination site Hulu. Hulu currently doesn't have a subscription service. But when asked about starting up one, Jeff Zucker, president/CEO of NBC Universal, said at a recent industry event: "We'd consider it."