More than two dozen public-interest groups are calling the Federal Communications Commission to address what they call "advertainment": TV programming they say is chock full of product placement. Led by the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood (CCFC), the movement aims to prevent TV programs from becoming "Trojan horses, carrying messages that would otherwise be criticized by the public or even deemed illegal": These organizations cite as cause for concern a Nielsen report indicating a 13 percent boost in product placement spots on network TV last year—over 25,000 placements in the top ten shows. If you watch American Idol on a regular basis, you saw over 4,000 product placements in 38 episodes this year, CCFC says. In May 2007, the...
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