[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 12 (Tuesday, February 12, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H233-H235]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NBC LIQUOR AND ADVERTISEMENTS ON THE OLYMPICS
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Culberson). Pursuant to the order of the
House of January 23, 2002, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf) is
recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, as many know, NBC recently announced its
decision to begin airing hard liquor advertisements. This decision
abruptly terminates over 50 years of corporate responsibility and
effective self-regulation.
Now more troubling is that NBC is not even abiding strictly to its
own guidelines. For instance, NBC has promised that they will not
extend their decision to advertising hard liquor on the Olympics. Well,
as this recent article from USA Today says, and I will submit for the
Record, they are skating on thin ice.
Mr. Speaker, NBC plans to allow the advertisement of products such as
Bacardi Silver. Yes, the Olympics, perhaps one of the most youth-
oriented sporting events ever, will have promotions for Bacardi Silver
and other alcohol advertisements.
Technically, Bacardi Silver is not a distilled spirit since its
alcohol content is approximately that of beer; however, we all know the
reality of such an advertising tactic. Bacardi is a name people
associate with hard liquor, period. Simply put, this appears to be a
subterfuge to actually market hard liquor. NBC is allowing direct
marketing to youth of a well-known brand of hard liquor by piggybacking
onto another product.
This is outrageous. For all the protestations by NBC about their
responsible policy of alcohol advertising, it is
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a sham. Young people, 13-, 14-, 15-year-olds, will be watching the
Olympics and see the ads for products such as Bacardi Silver. Does
anyone responsible think there will not be any association?
We are just now making progress with regard to dealing with drunk
driving by young people.
The Center on Alcohol Advertising conducted a pilot study that
demonstrates beer commercials and attendant brands were recognizable by
children as young as 9 to 11. That is the exact type of advertisements
we are talking about for the Olympics.
What will the consequences of this policy be? In short, more young
people drinking will result in increases in drunk driving, teen deaths
and alcoholism. Alcohol is a factor in the four leading causes of death
among persons age 10 through 24: motor vehicle crashes, unintentional
injuries, homicide and suicide. Alcohol-related car crashes are the
leading cause of death among teenagers 15 to 24. Young people who begin
drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol
dependence than those who begin drinking at age 21.
NBC is being irresponsible. NBC will cause the hurt and pain and
suffering in the families of many, many people in this United States.
The public has spoken out on this issue, and NBC does not care. The
National Center for Science in the Public Interest conducted a poll
that shows 73 percent of the public believes hard liquor advertising
will increase youth drinking. NBC does not care.
We are submitting a letter from 25 groups asking NBC to go back to
the policy that it had for 52 years. I also want to close with an
article from the Washington Post that illustrates the real consequences
of drunk driving better than any set of statistics. Just this weekend
in my congressional district in Sterling, Virginia, a drunk driver
killed a boy and his grandfather. Mr. Speaker, imagine receiving that
call from the State police if you were the boy's mother. NBC's hard
liquor advertising will lead to more drunk driving and more of those
phone calls.
I urge Members to speak out on this issue and let NBC know that it
ought to do what the American people think appropriate. It ought to go
back to its voluntary guidelines that it had for 50 years and do not
advertise hard liquor to young people of the country and bring about
pain and suffering for families.
The material previously referred to is as follows:
[From USA Today, Feb. 5, 2002]
Marketing by Spirits Makers Gets Icy Reception
(By Michael McCarthy and Theresa Howard)
Figure skating won't be the only closely watched
competition at the Salt Lake Games. Major marketing pushes by
some big beer and spirits makers also may be dancing on thin
ice.
Anheuser-Busch will use the Olympics to roll out a $60
million campaign to launch its Bacardi Silver. And Seagram's
rum brand, Captain Morgan, will take to the slopes to tout
its sponsorship of the U.S. Ski Team.
Just weeks after Olympics broadcaster NBC eased
restrictions on spirits advertising, the debate over
alcoholic beverage marketing during the Games is heating up.
``The Olympics are a youth-oriented event,'' says Kimberly
Miller of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
``For the Olympic committee to make the connection between
drinking and sports is irresponsible.''
But executives from both A-B and Captain Morgan defend
their right to be at the Salt Lake Games.
``It's a wonderful opportunity for us,'' says Bob Lachky,
vice president of brand management at Anheuser-Busch. ``We'll
have a national and international audience.''
A-B will air more than 130 commercials for its Budweiser,
Bud Light, Michelob and Bacardi Silver brands. A-B is the
exclusive malt-beverage sponsor and advertiser of the 2002
Games and has a seven-year deal with the U.S. Olympic
Committee to serve as official beer sponsor of the U.S.
Olympic Team.
The new Bacardi spots from Momentum in St. Louis are music-
driven and heavily feature the sleek new silver bottle. The
theme: ``Your night just got more interesting.''
But A-B will air most of the Bacardi Silver commercials
during the evening to avoid targeting younger consumers.
Still, A-B has paid millions for its Olympics sponsorships,
and Lachky says the company won't avoid big events to mollify
critics.
``There's always going to be critics of our industry. But
we will do things in a respectful fashion. We're not worried
about it,'' He says.
Captain Morgan is a team sponsor--not a sponsor of the
Games themselves. So it's walking an even finer line than
Anheuser-Busch, critics say
``It's a dangerous marketing tactic,'' says Bob Prazmark,
president of Olympic sales and marketing for sports marketing
group IMG. ``What they are doing is trying to share in some
of the glory.''
Captain Morgan officials insist they're doing no such
thing. Team athletes Evan Dybvig and Shannon Bahrke are
restricted from competing or making Olympics appearances
while sporting any Captain Morgan-branded gear or apparel.
``We can do things tastefully and stay in the guidelines,''
says Captain Morgan's Scott Geisler. ``Do we stand a risk of
raising a little controversy? Perhaps.''
Coalition for the
Prevention of Alcohol Problems,
Washington, DC, February 6, 2002.
Mr. Robert C. Wright,
Vice Chairman and Executive Officer, General Electric,
Chairman and CEO, NBC, New York, NY.
Dear Mr. Wright: As leaders of organizations concerned with
public health and the well being of young people and
families, we are dismayed by your decision to begin airing
hard liquor ads on NBC, ending five decades of responsible
voluntary refusal of such ads.
We strongly urge you to reconsider NBC's policy and we
respectfully request a meeting with you to discuss our
concerns, including a number of gross deficiencies in NBC's
guidelines governing the airing of liquor ads.
Too many influences already promote excessive and underage
drinking and hard-liquor ads on NBC can only make that
problem worse. Alcohol is by far America's number-one youth
drug problem. It kills six times more kids than all illicit
drugs combined and underage drinking costs our country an
estimated $52 billion per year. According to the latest
government data, nearly one-third of all 12- to 20-year olds
report using alcohol within the past month. Of those youth,
nearly 20 percent binge drink.
We are hardly alone in our concern. NBC's decision to begin
accepting hard liquor ads flies squarely in the face of
public opinion. A survey conducted by Penn, Schoen & Berland
Associates, Inc., in mid-December, 2001 found that 68 percent
of respondents opposed NBC's action with half (48 percent)
registering strong opposition to it. More than 7 of 10 (72
percent) surveyed supported network television policies that
voluntarily keep liquor ads off TV, and 70 percent of
Americans agreed that it is dangerous to have liquor ads on
TV because they will introduce underage youth to liquor.
Subsequently public opinion surveys by TV Guide and by
Initiative Media North America similarly found that large
majorities of Americans oppose NBC's acceptance of liquor
ads.
We would like to meet with you at your earliest
convenience, preferably in Washington, DC., in the hope of
reaching a satisfactory resolution of this issue. We believe
that NBC can truly show leadership in protecting young people
and serving the public interest. We will follow up with your
office in the near future to inquire about arranging a
meeting. To reach us, please contact Mr. George Hacker, at
(202) 332-9110, x343.
Thank you for your consideration. We hope to hear from you
soon.
Sincerely,
George A. Hacker,
Director,
Alcohol Policies Project.
On behalf of the following: Lori Dorfman, Ph.D., Director,
Berkeley Media Studies Group; Arthur T. Dean, Chairman, and
CEO, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America; Joan Kiley,
Executive Director, Community Recovery Services; Art Jaeger,
Associate Director, Consumer Federation of America; Connie
Mackey, Vice President of Government Affairs, Family Research
Council; Tom Minnery, Vice President of Public Policy, Focus
on the Family; Jim Winkler, General Secretary, General Board
of church and Society of the United Methodist Church; David
Rosenblum, Executive Director, Join Together; Patricia
Harmon, Executive Director, Ohio Parents for Drug Free Youth;
Judy Cushing, President and CEO, Oregon Partnership; Rev.
Jesse W. Brown, Jr., Executive Director, National Association
of African Americans for Positive Imagery.
Bill Burnett, President, National Association of Alcohol
and Drug Abuse Counselors; Julie Novak, DNSc, RN, CPNP,
President, National Association of Pediatric Nurse
Practitioners; Rev. Richard Cizik, Vice-President for
Governmental Affairs, National Association of Evangelicals;
Vincent Hayden, Chairman, National Black Alcoholism and
Addictions Council; Stacia Murphy, President, National
Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence; Sue Rusche,
Executive Director, National Families in Action; Peggy Sapp,
President, National Family Partnership; David A. Walsh,
Ph.D., President, National Institute on Media and the Family;
Jeanette Noltenius, Executive Director, National Latino
Council on alcohol and Tobacco Prevention; Shirley Igo,
President, National Parent Teachers Association.
John Hutcheson, Executive Director, People Advancing
Christian Education; William J. Murray, chairman, Religious
Freedom Coalition; Richard D. Land, President, Southern
Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission; Andrew
McGuire, Executive Director, Trauma Foundation; William T.
Devlin, President, Urban Family; The Most Rever and Joseph A.
Galante, Chairman, Committee on Communications, United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops; and Maureen Sedonaen,
Executive Director, Youth Leadership Institute.
[[Page H235]]
[From the Washington Post, Feb. 10, 2002]
Crash Kills Two in Sterling
Two people were killed after a two-car crash involving a
drunk driver last night in Sterling, Virginia State Police
said.
The crash happened on Route 28 near Route 625 about 8:30
p.m., police said. The victims were believed to be a man in
his sixties and a boy.
One of the drivers was also injured in the crash and was
flown to an area hospital, police said.
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