The press reports that the chairmen of the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission are angered by the return to television of liquor advertising. One source reports that FCC Chairman Reed Hundt has vowed to take strong action to keep station licensees from running liquor ads. No actual legal challenge is pending as yet, but we must question to what extent the FCC could exert any authority to deter liquor advertising. The FCC's authority extends primarily over stations, and it has rarely involved itself in the advertising area. The FCC did prescribe for the stations certain time limits with respect to commercials directed to children and children's programming, but those limits did not relate to commercial content and were issued pursuant to the Children's Television Act of 1990.
Liquor advertising is already a fact of life in print media and on the Internet.
At least one cable network and a number of cable operators have begun showing liquor commercials. A number of television stations are rumored to be ready to follow suit, although the four major networks, so far, have vowed to continue to reject commercials. Chairman Hundt seems to think so. As of the writing of this column, the FCC has not acted on the petition. Nevertheless, the FTC might issue a rule against liquor advertising on the basis that it may induce children to become users of alcoholic beverages.