24 Organizations Petition FCC to Require Alcoholic Beverage Counter Ads on Radio and TV

National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependence
Wednesday, 14 May 1997

Arguing that radio and television commercials for alcoholic beverages threaten the public interest and public safety by glamorizing their appeal to children, the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD), Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and 22 other organizations today (May 14) petitioned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to require counter advertising for alcohol just as it once did for tobacco.

"The alcoholic beverage industry has used the nation's airwaves to create a distorted view of a product which, in reality, is associated with the leading causes of death among teenagers," said NCADD president Paul Wood, PhD. "Without intervention of the kind that the FCC has taken before, parents, schools and public health organizations will never have the resources to compete with the millions of dollars worth of pro-drinking messages that are broadcast into American homes every year."

"Alcohol is the drug of choice among youth of our nation and alcohol involvement is still the single greatest factor in motor vehicle deaths and injuries," said Katherine Prescott, MADD national president. "Alcohol-related fatal crashes are not only a national tragedy causing more than 17,000 deaths yearly, but represent a significant public health problem in this country costing society over $45 billion a year in direct costs. It is essential that the youth of this country be made aware of the tragic consequences of alcohol use and abuse to compete with messages from the industry that alcohol is synonymous with popularity, success and the good life."

The petition asks that the FCC require any broadcast licensee that airs alcoholic beverage ads to air a "significant amount" of counter ads and that these counter ads be run within reasonable proximity to the alcoholic beverage ads. Broadcasters also would be required to air the counter ads free of charge though concerned organizations would be responsible for producing them. Drafted by attorneys at the Institute forPublic Representation, the petition cites a 1967 rule by the FCC requiring broadcasters to air tobacco counter ads--upheld in federal court--as a precedent.

The move to draft the petition came in response to the decision late last year by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States to lift its voluntary ban on the use of radio and television advertising. While that controversial decision has resulted in calls for a federal ban on distilled spirits advertising, NCADD and MADD have taken the position that counter advertising offers a better solution because it would provide a powerful vehicle to inform the public about the health and safety risks associated with problem drinking and because it is free of First Amendment concerns.

Alcohol poses enormous short-term health risks to the nation's youth who currently use it in significantly higher numbers than any other drug, including tobacco. For example, one in ten eighth graders report they have been drunk in the past month; by the time they are seniors in high school, this percentage has increased to one in three. These teenagers are more likely to be involved in alcohol-related fatal car crashes, or the victims of suicide and homicide. In addition, drinking increases the chances of date rape for girls and violence, including criminal activity, for boys. It also causes the academic and athletic performances of both sexes to suffer.

The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. provides education, information, help and hope in the fight against the chronic and often fatal disease of alcoholism, and other drug addictions. Founded in 1944, NCADD, with its nationwide network of Affiliates, advocates prevention, intervention and treatment and is committed to ridding the disease of its stigma and its sufferers from their denial and shame.

For more information, or to contact National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependence, see their website at: www.ncadd.org