FCC: Kids Programming Is Laden With Product Placement

That’s my official FCC filing at left, (squeaked in under the deadline today, explained why later) which emphatically states kids should be OFF LIMITS to embedded ads designed to bypass the Tivo tactics of wise wee ones who blip through traditional commercials to get back to their favorite show unscathed. I've written about this a lot before, vetting thoughts about … [Read more...]

Repower America: A Child + Building Blocks = Censorship?

This morning I received a note from the Alliance for Climate Protection's "we can solve it" climate crisis campaign with a chilling opener: “Did you notice the ads after last night's presidential debate? ABC had Chevron. CBS had Exxon. CNN had the coal lobby. But you know what happened last week? ABC refused to run our Repower America ad -- the ad that takes on this … [Read more...]

Kids’ Health 2.0: Get Your Head in the Game

Unbeknownst to me, today is Child Health Day, evidently the 80th annual occasion?  (another one of those ‘must’ve slipped by me’ arcane calendar days) Evidently Calvin Coolidge came up with this gig way back in 1928, complete with proclamation and pledges toward healthy eating and activity and the future of our nation...but let's face it, we all know … [Read more...]

Will California’s New Menu Labeling Help Kids’ Health?

Congrats, wellness crusaders, the L.A. Times reports California is officially the first state in the nation to enact menu labeling policy for calorie count info on menu boards and food displays of chain restaurants with 20 or more outlets, phased in by 2011. (SB1420 fact sheet here and CSPI press release here) Wait a sec, didn’t we already approve this? I gave it 200% … [Read more...]

Want Change? Obama or McCain, It’s In The Bag

Leave it to our consumptionist culture to create a “Make A Change” designer handbag with a cause-marketing twist. A portion of the proceeds go to Rock the Vote, but I dare say at $95 a pop, teens are not the target market here. Any over-spent millennials with student loans out the wazoo want to fork out $95 to help your peers Rock the Vote? I say give it to … [Read more...]