• by Wayne Friedman , May 1, 2006

No longer will just weight-loss product companies with deceptive TV commercials have a lot to answer for--now the FTC will start naming names of broadcast and cable outlets that allow the practice to go on.

Federal Trade Commission Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras put broadcast and cable networks on notice--in a speech she gave in New York--that in FTC press releases, media outlets will be named when they run deceptive product commercials.

Many of these deceptive ads--and especially infomercials--tout quick-weight-loss products and other products that allege to cure diseases--for example, cancer.

She cited some recent claims, but not companies: "New Calorie-Busting Slimming Pill Forces You to Lose Weight Without Diet or Exercise" and "How I lost 41 Pounds in Less than 2 Months Without Dieting."

Much of the FTC's recent efforts have been geared toward self-regulation--and gains have been made during the last few years. Majoras did say that deceptive weight-loss ads have slowed down to 15 percent from 50 percent--those ads that are "red flagged" by the FTC. Companies such as Discovery, MTV, Lifetime, and ABC have made major noticeable improvements.

But now she warns that if broadcasters don't do a better job, the FTC will go after them as well. The FTC will try to get back the money obtained by deceptive ads in order to pay back consumers.