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TV's Top 10 Best & Worst Advertisers

2001-2002

Introduction

In 1999 the PTC released Brought to You By…, a groundbreaking study that for the first time linked companies with the content of the programs they support with their advertising dollars.

The networks' very existence depends upon a steady flow of ad revenue.  Advertising revenue is the lifeblood of multiple networks, hundreds of stations, and thousands of persons working in the television industry. 

Given that basic truth, even though blame for TV's increasingly offensive programming is often assigned to producers, writers, networks, and even viewers, do not the sponsors paying for this fare share responsibility for it?  Raunchy series survive only because advertisers support them; without the advertising, the raunch would disappear.

Last year, David Stanley, one of the producers of Comedy Central's incredibly foul The Man Show, told the Los Angeles Times, "There was a time when the airwaves were a public trust, and the television code was enforcing it…People were worried about losing their licenses. Today, if there's a real difference, the line is being drawn almost exclusively by the advertising industry. If advertisers are willing to buy time on shows with more risqué content, [networks] will go ahead and sell it."

It therefore seems appropriate for those concerned about small-screen raunch – especially during the family hour -- to learn which companies are sponsoring the best and worst 8-to-9-p.m. television programming in the 2001-2002 season. 

This analysis constitutes a major part of the PTC's ongoing commitment to publicly credit those companies that are making an effort to support wholesome family-hour shows, and to publicly shame those companies that frequently sponsor violent and vulgar entertainment during the first hour of prime time. 

Methodology

The PTC looked at the returning family-hour series from our 2001 listing of the Top Ten Best and Worst Shows on Prime-Time Network TV.  This annual list ranks the best and worst TV has to offer from a family-values perspective, taking into consideration content, time slot, and target audience. 

Series from the Top 10 Best list monitored for this study are Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (8:00 airings only) and My Wife and Kids (both ABC); Touched By an Angel (CBS); Doc (ITV); and 7^th Heaven and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (both WB).  Shows from the Top 10 Worst list included here are Boston Public and That ‘70s Show (both Fox) and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (both UPN); Dawson's Creek (WB); and Friends (NBC).

The data compiled came from each series' first six episodes this season. 

A point system was used to rank the best and worst advertisers.  Companies received one point for each ad appearing on a family-friendly show, and lost a point for each ad placed on a show from our "worst" list.

Key Findings

• Many large companies, including AOL Time Warner, Disney, and McDonald's, advertised as frequently (or almost as frequently) on bad shows as they did on good shows.

• Some companies seem to have made a conscientious effort to support wholesome series, while trying to avoid raunchy series.  Wal-Mart, the number-one sponsor of wholesome programming, advertised 26 times on wholesome series, and only once on offensive series.

• Other companies supported offensive programs almost to the exclusion of wholesome programs.  Sony Corp., the number-one sponsor of raunchy series, ran only two ads on family-friendly series.

• Media companies like Viacom, News Corp., and Sony overwhelmingly favored raunchy series.

Top Sponsors of Family-Friendly Programming

 Top Sponsors of Raunchy Programming

A Note on Parent Companies

Several of the parent companies ranked in this study control a large number of diverse subsidiaries, consumer products, and brand names.  While some products' parent companies are well known, others are not.  Following is a listing of some of the parent companies that appear in the sponsor listings, and a few of their best-known brand names.

Sony: Sony Playstation & Electronics, Columbia Pictures, Tri-Star Pictures

Johnson & Johnson: Tylenol, Neutrogena, Motrin, Pepcid AC, Monistat, Ortho, Imodium, Lactaid, Band-Aid, Nicotrol, Reach, Mylanta, Stayfree, Clean & Clear, Renova, OB

News Corp.:  20^th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight Movies, FX, Fox News, Fox Sports, News America, New York Post, TV Guide

General Motors: Chevrolet, GM, Oldsmobile, Buick, Cadillac, Saturn, Pontiac, DirecTV, AC-Delco

Tricon Global Restaurants: KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut

General Mills: Yoplait, Betty Crocker, Pop Secret

Viacom: Paramount, CBS, UPN, MTV, Nickelodeon, VH1, TNN, Showtime, Infinity Broadcasting, CMT

Campbell Soup: Pepperidge Farms, V8, Swanson, Prego

Honda: Acura

Clorox: Brita, Glad, Hidden Valley, Tilex, 409, Pine-Sol

Kimberly-Clark: Huggies, Kleenex, Kotex

Parents Television Council
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(213) 403-1300

FOR INTERVIEWS:
Kelly Walmsley (703) 683-5004

Executive Summary

Full Study